Gotnext Women's Basketball Boards

potd41 · Posted: Wed Aug 24, 2005 1:00 pm Post subject: Official Hou. @ Phx 8/25

Well here goes, this is my first at startiing a game thread. I hope I don't get tarred and feathered. My keys: Keep the turnovers down, out rebound them and watch the fouls.

1carol · Joined: 17 Jul 2003 Posts: 1050 Location: Phoenix AZ

Short and Sweet that's our potd :roll: :lol: :twisted:

BLAIRBONES4JC · Joined: 11 Sep 2004 Posts: 6 Location: SAN DIEGO, CA

AGREED :lol:

cbibat · Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 232

and score more points

:lol:

BlznTr33s · Joined: 05 May 2004 Posts: 128 Location: Phoenix, AZ

My keys to a victory:
- Our bench has to step it up. I've been impressed (and pleasantly surprised) with Lisa's play of late, and Snelly seems to have found her groove as of late. I knew about her outside shot, but rebounding, too?? :shock: Keep it up, ladies.

- Consistently drive to the lane, even if we're getting hammered once we get there. I like the fact that Niele's been taking it in the paint; she poses another offensive threat for the opposition when she's aggressive.

- Snow has been known to be emotional. She's UT alumni and I have nuttin' but love for her, but we're capable of making her lose it on the floor and should exploit that. When she gets upset, it seems to take her out of the game.

- Control our own emotions. The refs suck A$$ - we all know that, and should come to expect it by now since it's obviously not going to change any time soon. When we start obsessing over the missed calls, we seem to lose focus.

And last, but certainly not least. A surprise (or bribe) for the team that may be in the works once we clinch a playoff spot. The Brigade will discuss it further at Majerle's tomorrow while, hopefully, celebrating a victory. :)

Mercurymaniac · Joined: 04 Aug 2002 Posts: 1197 Location: Scottsdale

Quote: - Control our own emotions. The refs suck A$$ - we all know that, and should come to expect it by now since it's obviously not going to change any time soon. When we start obsessing over the missed calls, we seem to lose focus.

Great point. Keep the turnovers down and we're good to go. We need to play on the edge of desperation, but with control and take it to Houston.

caune · Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1564 Location: Phoenix

The comets are on a very short leash with the league right now so my key is frustrate the hell out of them and then stay cool and let them implode.
Everytime they touch you act like you've been assalted, we'll give Oscars after the game!
This game is the one where we sacrafice it all, leave it all out there, give 110% yada yada yada :shock:

Mercurymaniac · Joined: 04 Aug 2002 Posts: 1197 Location: Scottsdale

and win one for the Gipper! :twisted:

caune, you have anymore cliches?

SportsFan48 · Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1138

I think our "help" defense is going to have to be at it's best against Houston.

I don't expect Swoopes to be so laid back this time around. I expect her to try and get to the basket. Houston will set a lot of picks. Hopefully, the officials will not let them set moving ones and call the offensive foul if they do, but if they don't we are going to have to learn how to switch off the pick and keep people guarded.

Kayte, if you are reading this......give Ashley some tips on how to bug the crap out of Snow - but try and do it without the fouling part. :lol: You were one of the biggest "pests" in the W during your time. Ashley...repeat after me, "I CAN make my free throws." Now repeat and repeat and repeat and rep.......

Penny, I hope you can go okay. Your seven minute stat line in the Minnesota game was amazing. Just do the same thing...just longer.

Dee....not to add any pressure or anything....but this is the type of game you were made for. I really don't think you can be denied, if you don't want to be. And you can will the same for your team mates.

Anna....make the Mercury's first shots of each half and a few in between. Continue your solid D and have fun.

Kamila....aw, just keep doing what you do every game. :)

Snelly...you have emerged. We all knew you could do it...just do it again, please.

Lisa.....hope your nails are covered! Enough said.

Everyone else....be ready.

All of you...fans included....have fun.

dimples684 · Joined: 20 Aug 2005 Posts: 11 Location: Mililani, Hawaii

:) Let's get points and keep the turnovers down. Let's Go Mercury. Good Luck and yes i'll be watching y'all. Play smart and don't let the ref's get to y'all. It's hard I know but keep your cool 8) ..... Good Luck Ladies.....

y'all biggest fan, :P
adrienne

RAZGIRL33 · Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 39

Well, this is the game ladies. I will be praying for you all! Play like this is the championship... and Dee should try to not have any unnecessary interaction with the refs. :wink: It seems like there is a target on her back now. The bench needs to keep up the good work!Play hard ladies!
Go Mercury! :o

Short BBallFan512583 · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 43 Location: East Coast

It seems like Dee's had a target on her back ever since she played at Uconn! I just hope the refs don't decide the outcome of the game tonight.

caune · Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1564 Location: Phoenix

If Kamilla comes out and takes her shot early and makes them, it opens everything up, so my #1 key tonight is to get K the ball in her favorite spot in the key and shot Kamilla shot!

ah hell, my stomach is tied up in knots, I can't imagine how the players feel!

RAZGIRL33 · Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 39

caune wrote: ah hell, my stomach is tied up in knots, I can't imagine how the players feel!

no doubt! Mine too!

RAZGIRL33 · Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 39

Short BBallFan512583 wrote: It seems like Dee's had a target on her back ever since she played at Uconn! I just hope the refs don't decide the outcome of the game tonight.

Yeah but in my opinion at UCONN they had more respect for her. (except for June). Here they dont seem to care and her statement that she made didnt help matters any. Hopefully the refs wont sabatoge our game! Anyway,I really think that we can win this! I'll be wearing my Mercury tshirt today for good luck! :D

caune · Joined: 12 Jun 2002 Posts: 1564 Location: Phoenix

Any one have any voodoo curse, or hexes, or *gasp* prayers that might help, nows the time :wink: get to it!

Short BBallFan512583 · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 43 Location: East Coast

RAZGIRL33 wrote: Short BBallFan512583 wrote: It seems like Dee's had a target on her back ever since she played at Uconn! I just hope the refs don't decide the outcome of the game tonight.

Yeah but in my opinion at UCONN they had more respect for her. (except for June). Here they dont seem to care and her statement that she made didnt help matters any. Hopefully the refs wont sabatoge our game! Anyway,I really think that we can win this! I'll be wearing my Mercury tshirt today for good luck! :D

And Sally Bell!

RAZGIRL33 · Joined: 27 Jul 2004 Posts: 39

:cry: What happened last night? When I got up at 430 this morning(ET) I turned on NBA TV and I felt like going back to bed. I really thought we would win this one.

atotalsportsfan · Joined: 18 Apr 2005 Posts: 11

Mercury Lose Chance to Clinch Playoff Spot

By Janet Webster, Phoenix Staff Writer: August 26, 2005

Thursday night, the Phoenix Mercury lost to the Houston Comets 80-72....

http://www.sportspagemagazine.com/published/pro/mercury-lose-chance-to-cl.shtml

Mercurymaniac · Joined: 04 Aug 2002 Posts: 1197 Location: Scottsdale

Good article Sportsfan.

I really thought we should have won this game, but we didn't look like a playoff team at all.

The "ole" defense we played in the paint made no sense, eveybody from Houston drove the lane and had layups.

Our shot selection left a lot to be desired. Some of the bricks Anna and Dee chucked up to me spoke volumes over the lack of trust in their teammates. True Houston outrebounded us, but when you miss sooo many shots the stats will be skewed, but points in the paint and second chance points were key.

Penny was awesome, playing with everything she had even in obvious pain. As for Dee's tech, I could see she was going to get one from across the arena, she kept jawing about the call. The call wasn't a good one, but the people in the stands with me knew she was going to get it. If she is trying to make space with her forearm, they are going to call an offensive foul on her. It may not be right, but thats whats happening.

Well we need to get out collective sh_t together and head to Seattle, get the win and pray a lot.

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

Yes, MM, I agree, shot selection was grim, but I doubt there's a rational explanation for the horrible substitution patterns of the last couple of games, either.

I never liked the Sharapova idea - you either play for a team, or you don't. It's starting to look like the whole 'Maria' time would have been better spent by throwing Irvin into the pool and sinking or swimming. Maybe then the Merc could have gone with a three person frontcourt against SAC at least, with Vodichkova, Irvin & Robinson. *That* game was the game they casually threw away.

Graf got out coached Tuesday and again last night, and I think the least she could do is have a game plan that the Great Tuna can understand, because 40 foot threes don't do it for me any more than spending half the shot clock waddling up into the frontcourt.

Where is the running game the shooters like Taylor & DeForge need?

Timms must be going nuts with frustration sitting on that bench so quietly.

SuziQ · Joined: 17 Apr 2004 Posts: 288 Location: Phoenix

All day long, I had a knot in my stomach. I was familiar with it, it was the feeling I had on many of the game days in the early season when we'd loose. Call it intuition, or gut feeling - it was always right before. I prayed that this time my gut was wrong (or that it was the chinese food I had for lunch). My hunch was right on, darnit.

Seems as though everything was off last night. The ill-timed fireworks w/ Scorch before the opening tip; the chuck-fest of the first half; the "time out" with entertainment going to the floor, then going off because it wasn't really a time out; the strange substitution patterns; the lack of defense. It was all just off kilter. We played like a playoff team late in the 2nd half, but by then it was too late.

My instinct tells me we will win on Saturday. No more chinese food until then, just to be safe!

"Our greatest glory isn't in never falling…but in rising every time we fall.”

Confucius

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

Quote: I never liked the Sharapova idea - you either play for a team, or you don't. It's starting to look like the whole 'Maria' time would have been better spent by throwing Irvin into the pool and sinking or swimming
Completely disagree. We would not have been in the playoff hunt without Maria. I would rather have had the chance to make the playoffs than not.

Injuries happen. DeMya Walker has only played 22 games. Why not take a great player for 16 games when you are going to get 11 wins in that time? Why not give Phoenix the chance to make the playoffs for the first time since 2000?

Mercurymaniac · Joined: 04 Aug 2002 Posts: 1197 Location: Scottsdale

I really think Maria time was the building blocks for next year. More of a "see Maria, things have changed since you left", but even with that, there have been several occasions where we've been out coached.

Irvin has been slow to pick up the offense, but some quality minutes throughout the season would have paid dividends right now. The same with Snelly and the rest of the bench. When LH was the first player off the bench early on, it wasn't a good decision,yes it was for the Comets game, so I was really confused when she was put on Tina Thompson last night. :roll: Tina ate LH's lunch.

Penny was obviously injured yet she kept attacking the basket. We kept settling for outside shots, which weren't falling. Snow was a monster in the middle, but we really didn't try to challenge her and let her establish position deep in the post, so shots were easy and high percentage.

We'll see what the game against Seattle brings.

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

Cam, I certainly agree they increased their chances of making the playoffs by bringing Stepanova back, but the Merc drafted Irvin #1 for a reason, presumably because they felt she was a good player.

The truth is it's not possible to know whether they would have made the playoffs if Irvin had been brought along more quickly, and where we are now is we don't know whether we're in the playoffs or not, even though we had Stepanova for all those games.

To me, that's a wash, except that the team has had to re-adjust to these pointless (imho) changes *twice*, and that can't be good.

And MM, I was more than a little mystified by the LH sub pattern last night, too. It seems the court time Ivey & Co. got during the two post-Maria blowouts didn't earn them as much credibility as we thought.

It just seems like it takes the staff so *long* to realize something isn't working on the floor, and then the solution after the timeout is mind-boggling, and not in a good way.

48 minute games anybody?

mranderso · Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2005 10:02 am Post subject: Re: The Maria Factor

andypanda wrote: I never liked the Sharapova idea - you either play for a team, or you don't.

There is a long tradition in tennis of playing both in the singles and doubles tournaments. Get over it. Let's get back to basketball. :)

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

Boy, is my face red, MrAnderso. :)

I thought "Oh crap! I can go back and change it!", but then Cam quoted it and I'm dead in the water.

Come to think of it, though, I *would* rather have Maria Sharapova, except not so much playing for the Merc, more like over here near Tererro. :)

So, what was it we were talking about, exactly? Oh, yeah, tennis.

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

Quote: Cam, I certainly agree they increased their chances of making the playoffs by bringing Stepanova back, but the Merc drafted Irvin #1 for a reason, presumably because they felt she was a good player.

The truth is it's not possible to know whether they would have made the playoffs if Irvin had been brought along more quickly, and where we are now is we don't know whether we're in the playoffs or not, even though we had Stepanova for all those games.

We had Plenette..she wasn't contributing much.

The learning curve for post players can be quite steep (look at Snow's first year).

It is all about wins. Maria gave us 11 wins in her 15 games.

Sandora will be a very good player...I have liked that kid since 2002 (when TCU played Duke in the NCAA Tournament). She will continue to improve, but, IMHO, there is no way she could have put us in the position we are currently in...11 wins is a lot.

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

Okay, Cam, I'll concede the point that Maria giving the Merc 11 wins is considerably more likely than them having done that with Sandora.

I'm most certainly with you re: PP.

I think the hard part was that I also think Sandora's going to be an absolute *bear* and a unique player who will cause big trouble for other teams' defenses, let alone her shot-blocking prowess at the other end, so seeing her sit game after game - sometimes at the expense of PP - kinda rankled.

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

Quote: I think the hard part was that I also think Sandora's going to be an absolute *bear* and a unique player who will cause big trouble for other teams' defenses, let alone her shot-blocking prowess at the other end, so seeing her sit game after game - sometimes at the expense of PP - kinda rankled.
She wasn't ready to contribute early on. She is now. I think sitting and having her wait has actually been good for her confidence...she now knows she can do it in practice. Had she been thrown in the games and performed terribly, it might have done more harm than good. Still, she should have been playing more than she was...on that point we agree.

I thought you were making a joke re Sharapova...you know, all the blond Russians look alike!

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

Quote: She wasn't ready to contribute early on. She is now. I think sitting and having her wait has actually been good for her confidence...she now knows she can do it in practice. Had she been thrown in the games and performed terribly, it might have done more harm than good. Still, she should have been playing more than she was...on that point we agree.

You're closer to the scene than I am, so I defer to you again. I guess it's a matter of style. I'd always throw a good player in the deep end of the pool to get a sense of the player's character.

That probably explains why I'm not a coach. :)

Quote: I thought you were making a joke re Sharapova...you know, all the blond Russians look alike!

Dang! I could have gotten away with it?

But ... ummm ... blond Russians may look alike to you, but those two blonde Russians to me? - Not so much. ;) Some forms of ... ahhh ... radar are less fallible than others, I think.

Besides, Stepanova's got 17" on me, whereas I can at least hook an arm around one of Sharapova's legs ... best idea I've had all day, actually.

rebolpuppy · Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2005 11:30 am Post subject: Tererro?

Okay.

I give up.

Which one of you is Dana Fairbanks?

Mercurymaniac · Joined: 04 Aug 2002 Posts: 1197 Location: Scottsdale

Quote: Which one of you is Dana Fairbanks?

:D :D :D

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

It was the Subaru, wasn't it? The Outback gave me away? *sigh* :(

rebolpuppy · Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2005 12:28 pm Post subject: Doh!

The car was part of it, sure, but not every mid-thirties, preemie-grey haired biophysicist has a shrine to Lauren Lee Smith on one wall of her private bathroom.

When I saw that, I figured it was you had the soft spot for the "soup" chef, as in "Doh!"

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

Quote: Dana Fairbanks

Well, I do play tennis... :D

rebolpuppy · Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2005 1:21 pm Post subject: Har!

And so does Panda! Wow! Mixed doubles has such a whole new meaning now, doesn't it?

But my, what lovely fuzzy, yellowy-green balls you have, useful in the dark, I'll wager. :)

You guys *do* realize the US Department of Energy plowed most of Tererro, NM underground about two years back, just after Panda got there?

There's just gotta be a reason for that, I think. When Joss Whedon dreamed up Illyria, he had her nailed, boy.

Old blue eyes, blue hair, blue every guy & girl in high school ...

She's working on a cure for the Puppet Cancer, I think, so she's not all bad.

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

Quote: When Joss Whedon dreamed up Illyria, he had her nailed, boy.

ROFLMAO! And she was a helluva lot more interesting than Jasmine.

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

Witty stuff, Suze - nasty and witty. :) Cam already knows you're Whedon's inspiration for Harmony, Puppy.

(How sharper than a child's tooth to have a thankless serpent!)

As for Jasmine, my lord that whole arc was just ghastly, wasn't it? It was like he went on a mission to save the whole cast of Firefly. (I think the movie's out this fall, isn't it?)

What's strange about your comment, Suze, is I really *did* have a lot of empathy for Illyria, especially the Crash Bandicoot part, but I loved her most as Wes lay dying ... (romantic Panda moment)

I have no idea why the world isn't anywhere near the way I'd like it to be, either.

One time before she was married, some reporter asked Amy Acker how she liked working with Charisma Carpenter & Stephanie Romanov and she said "Great! I'm glad I don't have to choose! I'd do them both!"

I *heard* that. :)

rebolpuppy · Posted: Fri Aug 26, 2005 1:50 pm Post subject: Crap!

Jeeezus, Andy! Harmony? You're the only person in Buffyverse who thought Harmony was "a deep, complex character" - a quote from the Buffy board, folks.

Harmony was hard to understand because she was an idiot, not because she was deep. You're confusing Chekhov with the Checkout at Wal-Mart.

I'd rather have been the role model for Nina, which would have inspired me to use the same avatar as Cam on the 'other' board. :)

Nina was played by a chick from Phoenix, I think, Jenny Mollen. I keep tabs on her, pretty creative.

Say, where the hell *is* my avatar?

Yeah, my avatar on here is gone ... wtf?