Gotnext Women's Basketball Boards

CamrnCrz1974 · Joined: 16 Jun 2003 Posts: 1687 Location: Central Phoenix

Time to consolidate the pre-All Star festivities with a second win in a row.

3 Keys to the Game:

1) Post defense. Vichy provided more resistance than our frontcourt against Janell Burse during the last meeting. Maria Stepanova changes the game, as we had a mismatch with the undersized Pierson (6-2) going against Seattle's front line (Burse at 6-5, Jackson at 6-5). Of course, Seattle also has Batkovic now, so it will be critical for Stepanova, Vodichkova, and Robinson to deny passes into the post (Burse) and step out to defend the perimeter (Jackson)

2) Sue Bird. A healthy Bird had double-digits points and six assists in the last game against Phoenix. With the mask, Bird cannot see the ball when she looks down. Phoenix should really use a full court or 3/4 court press, with Anna DeForge and Shereka Wright pressuring Bird (keeping Diana out of foul trouble and saving her some energy). This not only wears down the shot clock and delays Seattle setting up its offense, but it can also lead to turnovers and easy baskets, which would really help DeForge's confidence in her shot.

3) Penny Taylor. Iziane Castro-Marques is a wonderful athlete and an average defender. Penny needs to demonstrate the variety in her offensive repertoire...slashing, three-point shot, mid-range jumpers. In other words, she needs to continue what she did against SASS.

andypanda · Joined: 12 Jun 2003 Posts: 354 Location: Santa Fe, NM

Quote: Vichy provided more resistance than our frontcourt against Janell Burse during the last meeting.

LMAO! At least the food was good. ;)

Thanks for that! :) Best laugh I've had in ages! Urf!

Good thing you set the game thread, too, Cam. Two in a row will help a lot of confidence issues.

rebolpuppy · Posted: Wed Jul 06, 2005 12:35 pm Post subject: Happy Game Thread!

Yeah, briefly, let's hope this is another winner game thread, Cam.

Andy, getting right to the point, you should check back in the big thread and read some of the horrible stuff people are saying about you. I blushed, I swear. I thought *all* the "Andy is a windbag know-it-all" posts were way out of line.

Later. :)

kinkitola · Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Posts: 36 Location: City Of Angels

beware the stormies headed into town. :twisted:

kitkat310 · Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Posts: 302

Okay, Taurasi needs to be come more active in scoring...

PTFan14 · Joined: 07 Jan 2004 Posts: 37 Location: OHIO

Wow-2 wins in a row. They finally are starting to play team ball-getting more people in double figures and getting lots of assists. I'm so proud of Penny-2 great games in a row!!

andypanda · Joined: 12 Jun 2003 Posts: 354 Location: Santa Fe, NM

Excellent game for the team as a whole, and much better ball distribution, player subs, and *running* - thank you God!! - shooting rhythm comes from running.

I'm thinking coach Donovan's going to be writing a wee note to the league office about the officials tonght, though, and I can't say I blame her. I guess it was Phoenix's turn tonight. Good.

I think we ought to chip in and send the refs some sandwiches or something. :)

kitkat310 · Joined: 20 Jun 2005 Posts: 302

LOL, Phoenix deserves to have one game where the calls go their way..

Gaucho81 · Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 147 Location: Ventura, CA

Way to go Merc!!!

How long has it been since the Mercury have won the second half!

Very encouraging for the second half of the season.

Are things looking up? I hope so :D

SuziQ · Joined: 17 Apr 2004 Posts: 285 Location: Phoenix

I would prefer that the refs be equitable and fair, but hey. IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME THEY WENT OUR WAY FOR A FRICKIN' CHANGE!

Again, having gotten the sh***y end of the stick for so long, I don't feel bad at all for having finally gotten the clean end. So sorry you got upset, Lauren, but welcome to our world!

Positive notes: Anna passed off a difficult shot for someone to take a better one - karma has positive effect on her 3 point attempts thereafter. Penny inspires "The Dance" - can you say "Rested!"?. The BENCH was off the hook - their enthusiasm was equally entertaining and inspiring. Maria, the Russian Rejector, smackin' it back in their faces. Everyone contributed, everyone. And oh my! We ran like the wind. Like the wind.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Now THAT'S my Mercury!

SuziQ · Joined: 17 Apr 2004 Posts: 285 Location: Phoenix

One more thought - I sure wish the NCAA's all-time shot-blocker coulda been in on the W's season-high shot blocking game. I bet she was just drooling!

Or has Sandora been giving everyone pointers?

Mercurymaniac · Joined: 04 Aug 2002 Posts: 1185 Location: Scottsdale

I felt so bad for Sandora. She went to check in with 1:52 left and the clock ran out on her before she could get in.

I think she and Angelina coudl have been given some quality minutes tonight. There were a few times when Graffy could have rested the starters, who were sucking wind at some points and put them in to create. It was very encouraging with Dee on the bench, we seemed to play a little better. It was almost as if, they realized someone else was going to have to shoot.

Props to Kamilla, she has been a great addition and she runs the floor.
Shereka is doing a great job, playing a learning her position. Although Suzy Batkovic out hustled her for a rebound :shock: .

The All Star break is the best thing for this team. A couple of extra days to work together and learn some plays.

We've got a win streak!

caune · Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1542 Location: Phoenix

Cam you are now the official thread starter, and the advice seems to have been followed like maybe someone is listening :shock:

I was sitting behind the bench and Sandora was joking about not getting into the game. I think the vets are helping her keep her focus and perspective. She and Angelina were all smiles even if they didn't play.

librarygeek · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 176 Location: Central Phx

Our team has become a TEAM!

The most encouraging thing I saw was that players were moving and working an offense instead of watching one player take a quick, hail-mary shot. Yessss!

It also appears that our collective panic about team chemistry is off-base. The players were playing well and working together, the bench players were totally involved and firing up their teammates, the coaches were talking to each other, Timmsy was working the crowd, and the crowd was on their feet and screaming for most of the game. No chemistry problems there!

Welcome back, Merc!

rebolpuppy · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 9:05 am Post subject: ?

Quote: Props to Kamilla, she has been a great addition and she runs the floor.
Quote: Shereka is doing a great job.
Quote: It was very encouraging with Dee on the bench, we seemed to play a little better.
Quote: Everyone contributed, everyone. And oh my! We ran like the wind.
Quote: Cam you are now the official thread starter, and the advice seems to have been followed like maybe someone is listening

Quote: It also appears that our collective panic about team chemistry is off-base.

Collective panic? How about a reasoned, non-inflammatory discussion, and just maybe someone read the post and took it to heart?

Re: the Dee remark, trust me, it'll make her an even more remarkable player if it keeps up.

One game doth not a chemistry problem solve. There will be losses. Each time that happens, we have all those quotes to focus on and feed them back to anyone who wants to read them, along with Cam's comments about strategies against particular opponents.

I forget who the actress was, but she always claimed she never read reviews of her perfomances. After she'd been out of the public eye a few years, someone asked her about that and she just laughed and said "Honey, everybody reads the reviews!"

For a little GotNext history, compare the Panda-originated thread with the ones she started during Shumate's tenure. We thought for sure they'd find his bleached bones in the desert sand ... :)

CamrnCrz1974 · Joined: 16 Jun 2003 Posts: 1687 Location: Central Phoenix

caune wrote: Cam you are now the official thread starter, and the advice seems to have been followed like maybe someone is listening :shock:

Well, we will see how long it lasts (my starting threads and the team winning). But with three straight home games after the All Star break, I am starting to get a good feeling. Plus, Maria will have even more time to gel with the team (she had several days before the LA game, now she has one week before Charlotte).

caune · Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1542 Location: Phoenix

There is no chemistry problem, never has been.
I've seen these girls at practice, off the court and on, and chemistry has never been an issue. Learning to play with a different PG each set, now there's an issue, but chemisrty, nope, not a problem.

CamrnCrz1974 · Joined: 16 Jun 2003 Posts: 1687 Location: Central Phoenix

I wasn't discussing chemistry issues. I was talking about the ability to "gel" on the court. For example, we don't get a lot of fast break points. Getting a rebound and knowing, instinctively, where players will be to receive a baseball pass...that is what I mean when I used the word "gel." I am referring to the ability to play instinctively stemming from repeated work with the same players. Sort of the way couples finish each other's sentences...

rebolpuppy · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 10:25 am Post subject: Aheh!

... so that it's hard to tell where one person ends and the other begins.

:)

I know, I know, I'm not your type, being young an' all. :)

caune · Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1542 Location: Phoenix

Cam, I was replying to this quote

Quote: One game doth not a chemistry problem solve.

not your stellar analysis :wink:

rebolpuppy · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 1:35 pm Post subject: Unstellar? Moi?

Quote: chemistry ... 2 referring to performances between people who are uncommonly suited and perfectly complementary to each other

... the key word being "performances", so I kind of view what's been happening as a chemistry problem, caune, no nastiness intended or offense meant.

It's not so much whether people get along per se, it's what they do together, whether their efforts combined create a synergy, like you put Na and Cl together and you get salt, which is good, whereas sodium and chlorine taken separately are kind of not so good to put on your food. :)

So, actually, there is no difference between that and what Cam mentions above, namely the 'gelling' on the court, so far as I can see, anyway.

caune · Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1542 Location: Phoenix

8) so who's sodium and who's chlorine, LOL

Wait, I think one of those is Plenette right???
There's no PP in the Mercury pool anymore* so no need for chlorine :shock:

*credit to brigade member who came up with that gem!

rebolpuppy · Posted: Thu Jul 07, 2005 2:00 pm Post subject: Who's who?

Gee, I dunno.

No more PP? I do all that research to get the exact definition of chemistry and in return I get a pun? :)

But, PP is better than rebol poo-pee, right? :)

Enjoy the break, caune, everyone. :)

MercuryBoFan · Joined: 29 Aug 2004 Posts: 211 Location: Glendale

I was at the game last night and it was just like old times at least from last season anyway but anyways seeing the Mercury play to their potential against a quality team was really refreshing. They played their hearts out !!!

Also, can anyone see how BIG A DIFFERENCE Maria has been for this team. The rebounds, the blocking out, her making the opposing players switch their shots, blocking their shots its awesome !!!!

Lastly, Diana getting on the microphone after the game almost brought me to tears because she said I know its been a rough start this season but I promise you it will get better !!!

Phoenix Mercury. Real Fans. Real Players. Real Emotion !!!!

librarygeek · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 176 Location: Central Phx

Oh, you big softie, MercuryBo. :D

MercuryBoFan · Joined: 29 Aug 2004 Posts: 211 Location: Glendale

:oops: