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mb

box score:

http://www.wnba.com/games/20050515/INDPHO/boxscore.html

initial comments (more later):

Jae Cross listed as Kingi in the box score.
With Penny and Kamila not here, Jae and Shereka injured, only Lindsay did not get minutes.
Jae has incredible muscle tone in her glutes.

Jae, Lisa, and Shereka all looked very nice; as did our couching staff and trainer.

Shelly Nakasone made some terrible calls. Both she and Clarke Stevens made some ticky-tack calls.

Dee had foul trouble, yet 6 assists is nice.
Anna was en fuego.

Catchings is a phenom. It will be easy to cheer for her and Tully when the Fever aren't playinbg the Mercury.

When did Ebony Hoffman wake up? Was our defense that poor? Not remembering her being anything special.

Was impressed with Plenette's aggression.

Ashley had a Jeckel and Hyde performance...first half she looked like Lindsay (sweet girl (LT) is likely to be the first cut). Towards the end of the game she got aggressive.

Many of Snell's threes were lack of offensive execution, where she threw up a contested three as the shot clock winded down.

Angelina was extremely impressive...anxious to see more of her.

Rita Williams was surprisingly impressive and will stick with Jae injured.

Sandora Irvin had a monster block!

Kayte's injury was truly affecting her.

Rebounding, shooting percentage, and points in the paint were the stories of this game.

Hurry back Kamila and Penny!

CamrnCrz1974 · Joined: 16 Jun 2003 Posts: 1689 Location: Central Phoenix

The boxscore credited a basket to DeForge that was actually made by Diana. The game announcer got it wrong...hence the stat people did as well. Interestingly, however, the scoreboard people got it right.

mb · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 11:36 am Post subject:

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/mercury/articles/0516mercury0516.html

*emphasis added

Quote: Meanwhile, familiar rebounding woes were often evident, especially in the first half when there were a lot of rebounds for the taking. The Mercury were 7 for 27 from the floor as a bigger Indiana (3-0) grabbed 21 rebounds, nine offensive.

"The scoring in the paint really killed us," said Graf, who said she will settle on a starting lineup sometime this week. "They've got big strong players in there. They scored not only in the post. But they did a good job of penetrating.

"That is something we need to address."

The answer might be awaiting the arrival of 6-foot-4 center Kamila Vodichkova and 6-1 small forward Penny Taylor. Both are in Europe and aren't expected to be with the team for at least Saturday's opener.

mb · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 11:54 am Post subject:

Comments via the REbKell board:

http://boards.rebkell.net/viewtopic.php?t=2736&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=25

CamrnCrz1974:
Quote: Back from the game...

Seth was talking to NL before the game. Caune and I spent most of the time looking for holy water and crosses to throw at her.

After the first half, Rita and Ashley should have had their walking papers. It was different in the second half, but Ebony still took Ashley to school.

Speaking of Ebony, she not only has not stopped eating KFC, she ate an entire franchise. She was HUGE.

Catchings had a few spin moves worth the price of admission.

Snell missed a few threes (barely), but two of them were as the shot clock was about to hit zero. She also was crashing the boards...a great pickup.

Agree on the game comments. Slovydals response re: Ebony:
Quote: Ebony isn't any smaller but she's stronger and quicker than last year.

More Cam:
Quote: The box score is wrong. DeForge had 32. The announcer called a Taurasi basket as one made by DeForge. I guess the scorekeepers followed suit. But Caune and I were there...there definitely was a mistake.

The PA announcer messed up numerous times with both the player making the assist and making the shot.

More Cam:
Quote: On the opening play, Snelly missed a three, than raced in, grabbed the offensive board, put the ball up while being fouled, and missed the shot...but made both free throws. Caune and I knew from that moment Keegan would be happy!

Sportsfan48 gives an excellent analysis:
Quote: DT had a reason to be frustrated with the calls. She couldn't do anything. She was guarding Catchings and Tamika was initiating the contant and getting the calls in her favor. They really should have been no calls.

I have never, ever, thought that special treatment for "star" players was warranted, however, if you are going to do it, then Dee should be a player who gets special treatment and she should expect it.

As for the game, I was very impressed with Indy's rookie guards. Paige reminded me of a much smarter Tamicha Jackson without the shoot it up mentality and a little more size. Tan was just plain smart, moved well without the ball, etc. Catchings was just plain awesome and a delight to watch.

I was disappointed with our interior defense, or lack there of. So much has been said about how Phoenix needs better posts and I think that our players come to believe it themselves. I felt that our interior play was down a notch from last year. Indy had way too many layups and offensive rebounds.

I was impressed with Snell, Irvine, and Rita Williams. Snell's shooting numbers are not what they will hopefully become, but she won several hustle plays last night. Most of her rebounds were pure hustle. I like her a lot. Irvine played well. Had an awesome block and never played intimidated. Williams handled the ball very well. She didn't look to shoot when she might have had a chance, but she was a good floor general.

Kayte played hurt, IMO. She still had her same hustle but she was much slower getting off the floor and seemed to be in pain all the time. Part of that might be trying to get into game shape, as she has not been able to play or practice for a while.

Ashley Robinson played well once she got warmed up. I think she needs to be a lot more agressive on the boards. She and Dee had the highlight play of the game, however. Dee was at the top of the key with the ball and made a move to the baseline. She made a quick alley oop pass to the basket which Ashley caught at the rim and layed in. I think if Ashley could do the one handed dunk like the Matrix, we would have seen our first preseason dunk.

Wright, Cross, and Harrison were on the bench in street clothes.

Keegan, I think the Mercury have some tough choices ahead. I think the decision is going to come down to Kayte and Ashley and I wouldn't be surprised to see Ashley stay. Most likely they will be waiving two fan favorites in Kayte and Lisa. I just hope they find a good home for both in the organization, if that is the case.

bball_novice · Joined: 01 May 2003 Posts: 59 Location: Mesa, AZ

Keeping my novice knowledge in mind, I must say Angelina Williams blew me away last night, and Sandora looked very good. A-Rob still had some of that 'deer in the headlights' look to her in second half even though she was better than in the first half (I sit in section 104 and had a good view of our offense in the second half).

Rita Williams did a decent job in the second half, and looked vocal out there. We just looked unorganized, or trigger happy with jump shots.

mb · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 1:03 pm Post subject:

2005 Mercury Pre-season Stats:
http://www.wnba.com/mercury/stats/

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/mercury/articles/0516mercury0516.html

*emphasis added

Quote: But familiar problems were evident, especially in the first half against Indiana, led by Tamika Catchings' 23 points. The Mercury think offense first. When the shots fall, Graf said, the Mercury defense gets energized.

Graf said she would prefer the reverse. But the Mercury roster is a collection of good shooters. Graf said the challenge is to look for other ways to score when they go cold from the perimeter.

Meanwhile, familiar rebounding woes were often evident, especially in the first half when there were a lot of rebounds for the taking. The Mercury were 7 for 27 from the floor as a bigger Indiana (3-0) grabbed 21 rebounds, nine offensive.

"The scoring in the paint really killed us," said Graf, who said she will settle on a starting lineup sometime this week. "They've got big strong players in there. They scored not only in the post. But they did a good job of penetrating.

"That is something we need to address."

The answer might be awaiting the arrival of 6-foot-4 center Kamila Vodichkova and 6-1 small forward Penny Taylor. Both are in Europe and aren't expected to be with the team for at least Saturday's opener.

"But one game or four games can make the difference in whether you get into the playoffs," Diana Taurasi said. "We need to focus on the immediate task. We've got to be ready."

taurasi2156 · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 3:20 pm Post subject:

so after the 3 preseasons games ... what is everyones thoughts for the upcomming season?

SportsFan48 · Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1137

My thoughts on the season....

We are going to need Penny and Kamila to compete at the level we need to.

As a team we are lightyears ahead of last season. I look for a great year. The key is going to be how well we do on the road. And not having two key players to start our season doesn't help. Especially when we play so much on the road early.

Having a rested DT is going to pay dividends too. And the officials so far have made sure she is getting her rest during games too. That could be a bit of a problem......but I have faith D will adjust.

taurasi2156 · Posted: Mon May 16, 2005 6:46 pm Post subject:

i think this is going to be a really great season, i dont get to see the merc play alot but atleast this yr i think ill be bale to see like 5 games ... which is really great last yr i jus listened to all of them ... and i cant wait to go to the CT game and see it live ... i miss the whole bball season and cant wait for this season to get underway ... its gunna be awsome!

Dunkin' Dan · Posted: Tue May 17, 2005 4:34 am Post subject:

Things certainly look healthier up front, Snell will develop into a handy backup on the wing, and a refreshed Diana will also be important.

The main thing that worries me is this new perimeter fouling interpretation by the referees. Our backcourt is among the slowest around so I'm worried it may effect us worse than other teams.

With Penny & KV - 2 of our most important players - late to arrive, I am not expecting a quick start, but then it's not how you start the season that matters :wink:

6TH_man · Joined: 05 Apr 2005 Posts: 26 Location: Phoenix

Finishing well will be important for us this year but keep in mind if we'd won our opener against Sacramento last year, which was doable as you'll recall, we would've been in the playoffs on wins and tie-breakers. With a short season, e v e r y game counts, I too hope that Penny and Kamila get here sooner rather than later.

doubleDfan · Joined: 01 May 2004 Posts: 225

I can't wait to see how, and what exactly the refs are calling..because if it is the no touch rule, Diana absolutely gets mobbed from what I've seen..however, it it is just a "no touch rule for specific players and or teams" than D's screwed....out of curiousity, who was blowing the whistles in the last game...Because there are certain officials (I won't name names) that all Diana has to do is breathe and...

I like the fact that they are trying to limit the contact on the perimeter, because at times the WNBA can be a bit too rough, to where it just looks messy...However, there should never be a game where 40 fouls and above are called..(Maybe they can put a cap on that...)