I wasn't able to see the last few games of the playoffs so it's a little weird for me to be doing this. It seems almost unreal that it has ended and there's going to another long offseason to live through. I hate the offseason. It takes me a while to warm up to the Storm team the coaches have assembled and the end of the season comes too quickly for me. I know that, in a few months, big changes will be made and the Storm team I had lived and died with would be changed.
Contracts and the Storm Roster
On the Storm website, they have listed the contract status of our players from this year. Under contract for next year are Lauren, Betty, Wendy, Ashley, Barb and Tanisha.
Unrestricted free agents (meaning they can go to any team they choose to) are Janell Burse and Tiffani Johnson.
Restricted free agents (the Storm has the right to match any offer another team gives them) are Sue Bird, Iziane Castro Marques and Shaun Gortman.
Edwige is apparently a reserved player (which is something I've never heard of before), which means she can only negotiate with the Storm.
Out of all the people under contract, Tanisha seems to be the only one that might not be in a Storm uniform next year. Obviously, LJ, Betty, Wendy and Barb, provided they are healthy, will be there. Ashley should be there, given how much AD loves making post players better. She might also be useful considering JB and LJ want to play through their injuries during the WNBA offseason which makes it more likely that they'll be injured sometime during next season.
On the other hand, Tanisha, who is in her second year with the Storm, has been a nonfactor in most games. She'll kill minutes on the floor the moment either Sue or Betty need a rest, but she'll also make some bad turnovers. I can't remember how many times she's run the point, hold the ball forever, then try and drive to the basket. Most of the time, she loses the ball or gets called for the offensive foul. While I would like to give her another chance, I just think that that roster spot should go to someone else who can be more productive for us. Who knows, really. If she comes to training camp next year and significantly improves her game and her decision making, she could still get on. If she plays the way she has this year, however, I don't see her making the roster and I don't see her deserving a spot on the roster.
I've already posted about the need to re-sign JB so I won't go into details on this. Other teams' fans are giddy about the chance for JB to play for them. In recent articles, JB gave the expected answer of how she wants to stay in Seattle but she knows her agent is going to ship her around (or something like that). Frankly, I would hate it if she goes to another team, comes back to face us and kills us with the post moves she learned under OUR coach. I know this is an unfair way to think and she should really do what is best for her financially. However, it's something that I just can't help thinking about. I don't know much about our salary situation and if we can even afford to keep her but in recent comments by Anne Donovan, she seems to know that paying JB the max is something that is important.
As for Tiffani Johnson, I'm kind of torn. On one hand, I cringed and complained during the regular season whenever she'd play. Too many "I don't know what I'm doing" moments. All of a sudden, in the playoffs, she goes out there and becomes a consistent and threatening player. What on earth? I guess her experience really did matter because she stepped it up when it mattered the most. My question now is which is the real Tiff? Which one can we expect to see? Another issue is that she's been in the league for a really long time so she might command a higher salary than someone else fulfilling her role with less experience. The thing is, if she plays like she did during the regular season, then that extra money might not be worth it and we should just get a rookie or a second year player play that spot. I'm split on this one. I really don't know what's the right thing to do or what should be done.
Now on to the restricted free agents. Sue will most likely re-sign with the team. In fact, I don't see a reason why she won't be with the Storm next year. It's a scary thought, however, when you allow yourself to think about it. I mean, we can't even secure a back-up point guard. If she ever decides to leave the Storm then we'd start who exactly? Anyway, I don't think there's much of an issue here.
As for Izi, I'd be surprised if Anne doesn't offer her another contract. She's been inconsistent at times this year, but she's been incredible at other times. She split some of the starting time this season with Barb Turner and I actually liked what I saw. Izi is this fast player who can get those wide open shots and layups. This is great for a momentum push. When we need to get more physical, however, we can insert Barb into the line-up and have her push and post up. I think that re-signing Izi will give us great flexibility in that position. Also, you never know how Barb will turn out next year (See Tanisha Wright). If she regresses at any point and we don't have Izi, it will be ugly. Izi has said that she just wants to play in a place where she'll get her minutes. According to an article I read, she's been known to get frustrated when she doesn't get her minutes. Anne pulled her out of the starting line-up for awhile but then she regained it by the end of the year. I'm not sure what part this will play in her decision to come back or not. Last year, everyone was so high on Barb Turner so this may affect the decision on whether to offer Izi another contract. I mean, if they have so much faith in Barb and feel that she can start on a regular basis next year, they may just decide to let her go.
Shaun Gortman wasn't exactly a major player on the team last year when she was playing. But, boy, you really saw her importance when she went down. Different people just kept going off on us offensively. As she has stated, her best asset is her defense and this is something sorely lacking from the Storm team through the years. I'm not sure how much Shaun would get (based on years played, etc) so this may very well dictate whether she will be on the roster next year. I hope she recovers quickly from her ACL injury and gets back to her aggressive defense. If she can and she doesn't cost too much, I can see her on the roster next year.
I think Edwige will be on the team next year. She brings stability at the back-up point and may just be the answer to our cringe-filled prayers. Depending on the amount of good quality and low priced point guards available on the market next year, Edwige has the best chance of everyone on the bubble of getting on the roster by virtue of the fact that she's a true point guard who can actually shoot and make good decisions on the floor. On a personal note, I really really like Edwige and I wish to see her in a Storm uni.
On another note, Lauren Jackson is, in my opinion, making a very curious decision that could very well mean that she won't be playing next year in the WNBA. She's going to Korea to fulfill her supposedly million dollar contract there. It's a short season, I think. I just read that she's also looking to go to Russia after that and play until the middle of Storm training camp. Oh yeah, and there's the world championships squeezed in there where she'll probably be on the floor every minute of the game. I understand everything she has in plan except for that weird part about playing in Russia. Umm.....what happened to her injured shins and plantar fascitis? She's getting a very good deal in Korea which will give her the money she needs really. Of course, Russia has money as well, but she's putting herself at a very BIG RISK. She'll be playing year round now? This leads me to believe that she may be skipping next season. Let's face it. She's paid absolutely nothing to play in the WNBA. I hope not because then I wouldn't get to follow her play as much. Also, I hope she's not pushing herself too much. She just has to be cautious about her health.
Players' Offseason Plans
Again, this is courtesy of the official Storm website, which is absolutely, incredibly loaded with information. It's seriously the best team site I've ever seen.
Birdy's going to play in the World Championships where she'll be the starting point guard (YES!) and lead USA to another gold medal. I hope she racks up a lot of points and assists (as long as they aren't passes to Lisa Leslie....I wonder if we could somehow talk her into doing that). After that, she'll probably playing in Russia if she gets a passport (or something like that).
JB is going back to Prague instead of rehabbing her shoulder which bugs me to no end. It bugs me even more that I can see where she's coming from. She played really well there last year so I think she's gonna be a stud on that team.
Izi is also going to the World Championships and then she'll probably play in Europe as well. With as many players going to Europe, maybe I should backpack around Europe to see them play. It shouldn't be too hard, right?
Shaun is going to spend her offseason rehabbing her knee. I hope everything goes well with it.
Lauren is going to the World Championships, where she will absolutely school Lisa Leslie (okay, I added that part). I'm a little conflicted here. I'd like to see LJ get gold for Australia, finally. On the other hand, I don't want Sue to lose her first tournament as the starting PG. She'd be crucified for it, I have no doubt. Anyway, I'm leaning towards cheering for the US just because I became a Birdy fan before I became an LJ fan. It's a loyalty thing although I switch allegiances every few minutes. After that, she's going to Korea and then, apparently, Russia. Russia?? Sigh...I don't understand at all.
Tiff is also playing overseas but she doesn't know where yet.
Edwige, to my great surprise, turned down the French National team to rest up after years of all year basketball. I kinda thought we'd have four Storm players there but I guess not. She'll be in Russia soon enough though, playing for Samara.
Betty is playing overseas in a league with a short season. I should really do my research and see which leagues these are.
Wendy is gonna be rehabbing and she might be coaching again but it depends on her rehab. I'm sooo excited to have her for all 34 games next year instead of the five this season. I still think she was that one injury that really prevented us from getting further.
Ashley is playing in Kazan, Russia.
Barb is also playing overseas, although, as with most players, she's unsure of what team she'll join.
Tanisha is going to Israel.
Now that everyone is going their separate ways, I guess it's time to officially say good bye to the 2006 Storm Season. It's been a rollercoaster ride for sure that made me cheer and weep at practically the same time. Although this is the second year we've made an exit in the first round, I'm proud of the Storm and all that they've accomplished this season. In fact, I'm even prouder to be a Storm fan. Right now, I'm filled with sadness as I look at the long offseason and I think of the changes that are going to be made to the team. I've said that I've grown to love everyone that's put on a Storm uniform. Even if I know that some people really shouldn't be on the team next year, I'd still feel sad. On the other hand, I'm excited about next season and I know that it's going to be another great season.
2006 SEATTLE STORM
SEEING IS BELIEVING.
Now on to the 2007 Season.
GO STORM!
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Friday, August 25, 2006
My Trip To Ottawa
Monday- August 21
My sis and I got up extremely early and got to the station where we needed to buy our tickets at about 9:00. I had stupidly decided to bring my laptop and stuff my bag with way too many shirts and socks. It turned out that we had to walk a LOOONG way just to get to the bus stop. It was all the way on the other side of the highway. I was there, trudging under the hot Toronto sun, cursing the entire situation. I was literally just dragging my bags over the walkway. On the way, this old lady passes by me and speeds off as I struggled with my heavy bags. It was so embarrassing. When we finally got to the bus stop, I told my sister that this must be my penance and since I had completed it, Sue Bird's nose couldn't possibly be broken. It turned out, later on, that it wasn't broken. Hehe. Cool stuff.
We got to Ottawa at about 5 pm. The hotel, although it wasn't our first choice, was actually very nice. It was located at ByWard Market, which is this place chock-full of restaurants, which was excellent for us. Our first dinner there was at Zak's Diner, which served burgers and stuff.
We tried to look around the little stalls around the restaurant but then it was pretty late and there were lots of beggars approaching us, which kind of freaked me out. They were very polite but it was just a little scary to be in a strange land, looking like a tourist and everything.
Tuesday- August 22
We wanted to get a Grey line tour with a hop on and hop off bus. When my sister called the place and asked for a pick up, they said it's near enough to walk to it. So off we went, trekking through Canada's capital, past the Parliament and everything. It was NOT near at all. We sat through one full tour of the bus so we could decide where to go. Then we took the next one out to the War Museum. Interesting enough, it was the same tour guide that took us the second time and she was saying the exact same lines as she did earlier. It was hilarious. I guess if you give these tours everyday, you'd come up with a script in your head and just stick with it.
I LOVED the War Museum. It had everything from pictures, to sound bites and actual objects. On the exterior of the museum, spelled out in small windows is the Morse code for "Lest we Forget". Also, it is shaped like a bunker to make it more realistic. At the end of the exhibits, there was this part about what would you do and what you are willing to stand up for. It was very well done. It wasn't meant to inspire people to go to war all of a sudden and support their country. In fact, in some sense, I felt it was promoting peace and avoidance of war. It was also a tribute to those who have given their lives to give Canada and Canadians what they have today. There were even cards there where you could write to officials to tell them what you thought. They had words and quotes on the walls that were inspiring. It was a moving museum, especially given all the conflicts in all parts of the world nowadays.
After this, we went to the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Stables. There's this thing called the "Musical Ride" where the Mounties and the horses put on a show. It's kind of like dancing, except with the Mounties on their horses. We didn't see the dance or anything but we saw the stables where they kept these horses. It was pretty neat because these horses were all picked carefully. You have to be a certain color, height, weight, etc. in order to be considered. When we got back on the Grey Line bus, we decided to sit at the top of the open-air double decker bus. She was on the side and I was beside the aisle. As we were passing this park, the tour guide says, "Ooh, careful of the branches there." The bus was too near some trees and the people on our side of the bus were going to get hit by the leaves. Miraculously, everyone in front of us gracefully batted the leaves out of their way. They didn't even looked fazed by it. By the time it got to my sister, she tried to bat them away, but the leaves just kept coming and she ended up yelping and battling with the branches with both arms, swinging madly. Hehe. We couldn't stop laughing on the way home.
That night, my sis and I walked to Parliament to catch the Sound and Light Show projected onto the walls of the Central block of Parliament. It was the most incredible thing ever. There were hundreds of people seated on the bleachers, on the ground, even standing. The images themselves were impressive, but it was made even more impressive with the exterior of Parliament backing it up. Sometimes, they'd just have this huge flash of light illuminating the entire exterior of Parliament with a different color which just made everyone gasp. At the end of the show, they played the Canadian National Anthem as images flashed across it. It was truly inspirational. I know I'm not Canadian or anything, but at that point, you couldn't help but fall in love with the country.
Funny stuff on the way home. My sis and I were moving along with the throng of people leaving the show. No one was pushing or anything, and my sister and I were walking pretty fast. It was about 9:30 already and we wanted to be off the streets as early as possible. All of a sudden, behind me, I hear an "Oh, Fudge!!!" and a thud. I turn around to see who on earth had fallen and see my sister on the ground. I know this may seem bad that I'm laughing, but if you know my sister, she's the clumsiest person in the world. Not a trip goes by without her falling somewhere. I was concerned initially, but she got up pretty quickly and we moved to the side of the sidewalk to let her gather her composure. People were really nice and stopping and asking her if she was alright. They were genuinely concerned about her. She later told me that she hadn't tripped over anything on the road or it wasn't slippery. She just felt herself falling and then she fell. She left with only a bruise, thankfully and we had something interesting to laugh about all night long.
I broke my promise to my sis and checked out the Storm game online. Bad enough that I broke my promise, but they lost the game too. Yuck.
Wednesday- August 23
We took in the Museum of Civilization first. It was a pretty good museum, but I'm not really interested in learning about how the Aboriginal people lived back then and their jewelry and stuff. It was really well done, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. My sis loved it though. During lunch, we ended up eating in this way overpriced place with average food because we didn't know there was a cafeteria in the museum. I was alright walking all over the place before, but I got injured sitting down for lunch. Weird, isn't it? I sat down without any pain and when I stood up, the back of my left knee hurt like crazy. It was buckling and I couldn't straighten it out very well. It hampered me for the rest of my trip.
After that, we went to the Aviation Museum. I LOVED that place. They had tons of aircrafts all over the place and even a display on engines and everything. I think I took the most pictures here. Of course, I was forced to limp through displays. Sigh. Anyway, it's not like I'm a huge fan of aircrafts or anything, but I do love looking at them and marvelling at how they are designed and all. We went to the gift shop and my sister said I could get a model toy plane. This sounds kind of childish but ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted model cars and planes. I'd never get them, of course, by virtue of being a girl. I went in all excited until I saw two little boys deciding which toy to get. I was hit by my self-conscious side and decided against it. One day, I will really get over my fears of how I look to other people.
Thursday- August 24
In the morning, my sister and I went to Parliament Hill to catch the changing of the guards. It was a pretty amazing experience. They started off with the guards parading from Rideau Hall, which is where the governor-general's house. They march their way onto Parliament Hill with a marching band and everything. There's this whole big ceremony thing that, frankly, I didn't understand very well but it was visually amazing.
After that, we took a tour of Parliament. We chose the Centre block to tour. We saw places like their library, the Senate room and the House of Commons. The architecture is amazing. The entire place just feels like it came out of a storybook. Everything was so grand.
We walked to the Supreme Court after that for a picture. Of course, this was with me limping all the way. After that, my sister took pity on me and said we could WALK all the way back to the hotel so I could REST my achy knee. The walk was torture, really. It kept buckling in pain and I kept stopping to grab my sister's arm. It got me thinking about what my favorite athletes have to go through when they play in pain. I mean, LJ plays with shin splints and she's moving all over the place. I was shuffling along with a majorly less severe injury and I was whimpering all the way. Yeah, I'm such a baby.
We got to the hotel and rested for about two hours. Actually, it was only supposed to be for an hour, but my sister fell asleep while watching this Court TV show. We had to drag our butts out of bed because we were both so lazy but my sister really wanted to see the art gallery.
We walked to the National Gallery (actually, I staggered there). We got to see this special exhibit of Emily Carr artwork. She's this famous Canadian artist whose works concentrate on nature and totem poles. Seriously speaking, she's an amazing artist. I'm not very sophisticated, however, so I was yawning my way through some inspirational works. The thing I don't get with art galleries is that everyone thinks they need to be as quiet as mice in there. Even I was whispering. It adds to the stiffness of the place for me, which makes it less exciting for me. Anyway, there was this guy in the wheelchair who saw me limping around the place, wincing and grabbing my leg every now and then. He kindly comes over to me and informs me that they have free wheelchairs downstairs that I could use since I looked like I was really hurt. It was really nice of him and he was genuinely being helpful but I was a little embarrassed because it wasn't like I was really injured in the true sense of the word. We went to all the other galleries including one on Aboriginal art. My favorite part was the European art section. I guess I just like the more traditional works. There was this section on contemporary art, and while I appreciate their creativity, some of them were just crappy. They had blocks stacked high. Another one was just a piece of rope. Anyway, it was funny because I was just thinking how weird and dumb some of the things were when we passed by this dude who said out loud "It's amazing what some people will call art." My sister and I looked at each other and burst out laughing, especially after his mom shushed him all horrified.
We ate at Fat Tuesday's, went home and watched UFC on TV. Yeah, I got to see my Storm scores and my sister got to see her UFC. We both got what we wanted.
Friday- August 25
Greyhound screw us up. They sold us a ticket from Toronto to Mississauga. When we got to Toronto after a looong trip, they said that there were no more buses going to Mississauga. My sister and I had to drag our heavy bags to the subway, to the GO Bus, and finally to a Mississauga Transit bus just to get home. I was swearing under my breath how I would sue Greyhound until they had no more money for gas. Hehe, I was pretty steamed.
It was an awesome trip. It was fun on every level and it's good to just hang with my sister especially since I'm leaving for university in a week. Ottawa is a place I recommend everyone visit. It's culturally stimulating and the leisure activities aren't so bad either.
My sis and I got up extremely early and got to the station where we needed to buy our tickets at about 9:00. I had stupidly decided to bring my laptop and stuff my bag with way too many shirts and socks. It turned out that we had to walk a LOOONG way just to get to the bus stop. It was all the way on the other side of the highway. I was there, trudging under the hot Toronto sun, cursing the entire situation. I was literally just dragging my bags over the walkway. On the way, this old lady passes by me and speeds off as I struggled with my heavy bags. It was so embarrassing. When we finally got to the bus stop, I told my sister that this must be my penance and since I had completed it, Sue Bird's nose couldn't possibly be broken. It turned out, later on, that it wasn't broken. Hehe. Cool stuff.
We got to Ottawa at about 5 pm. The hotel, although it wasn't our first choice, was actually very nice. It was located at ByWard Market, which is this place chock-full of restaurants, which was excellent for us. Our first dinner there was at Zak's Diner, which served burgers and stuff.
We tried to look around the little stalls around the restaurant but then it was pretty late and there were lots of beggars approaching us, which kind of freaked me out. They were very polite but it was just a little scary to be in a strange land, looking like a tourist and everything.
Tuesday- August 22
We wanted to get a Grey line tour with a hop on and hop off bus. When my sister called the place and asked for a pick up, they said it's near enough to walk to it. So off we went, trekking through Canada's capital, past the Parliament and everything. It was NOT near at all. We sat through one full tour of the bus so we could decide where to go. Then we took the next one out to the War Museum. Interesting enough, it was the same tour guide that took us the second time and she was saying the exact same lines as she did earlier. It was hilarious. I guess if you give these tours everyday, you'd come up with a script in your head and just stick with it.
I LOVED the War Museum. It had everything from pictures, to sound bites and actual objects. On the exterior of the museum, spelled out in small windows is the Morse code for "Lest we Forget". Also, it is shaped like a bunker to make it more realistic. At the end of the exhibits, there was this part about what would you do and what you are willing to stand up for. It was very well done. It wasn't meant to inspire people to go to war all of a sudden and support their country. In fact, in some sense, I felt it was promoting peace and avoidance of war. It was also a tribute to those who have given their lives to give Canada and Canadians what they have today. There were even cards there where you could write to officials to tell them what you thought. They had words and quotes on the walls that were inspiring. It was a moving museum, especially given all the conflicts in all parts of the world nowadays.
After this, we went to the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) Stables. There's this thing called the "Musical Ride" where the Mounties and the horses put on a show. It's kind of like dancing, except with the Mounties on their horses. We didn't see the dance or anything but we saw the stables where they kept these horses. It was pretty neat because these horses were all picked carefully. You have to be a certain color, height, weight, etc. in order to be considered. When we got back on the Grey Line bus, we decided to sit at the top of the open-air double decker bus. She was on the side and I was beside the aisle. As we were passing this park, the tour guide says, "Ooh, careful of the branches there." The bus was too near some trees and the people on our side of the bus were going to get hit by the leaves. Miraculously, everyone in front of us gracefully batted the leaves out of their way. They didn't even looked fazed by it. By the time it got to my sister, she tried to bat them away, but the leaves just kept coming and she ended up yelping and battling with the branches with both arms, swinging madly. Hehe. We couldn't stop laughing on the way home.
That night, my sis and I walked to Parliament to catch the Sound and Light Show projected onto the walls of the Central block of Parliament. It was the most incredible thing ever. There were hundreds of people seated on the bleachers, on the ground, even standing. The images themselves were impressive, but it was made even more impressive with the exterior of Parliament backing it up. Sometimes, they'd just have this huge flash of light illuminating the entire exterior of Parliament with a different color which just made everyone gasp. At the end of the show, they played the Canadian National Anthem as images flashed across it. It was truly inspirational. I know I'm not Canadian or anything, but at that point, you couldn't help but fall in love with the country.
Funny stuff on the way home. My sis and I were moving along with the throng of people leaving the show. No one was pushing or anything, and my sister and I were walking pretty fast. It was about 9:30 already and we wanted to be off the streets as early as possible. All of a sudden, behind me, I hear an "Oh, Fudge!!!" and a thud. I turn around to see who on earth had fallen and see my sister on the ground. I know this may seem bad that I'm laughing, but if you know my sister, she's the clumsiest person in the world. Not a trip goes by without her falling somewhere. I was concerned initially, but she got up pretty quickly and we moved to the side of the sidewalk to let her gather her composure. People were really nice and stopping and asking her if she was alright. They were genuinely concerned about her. She later told me that she hadn't tripped over anything on the road or it wasn't slippery. She just felt herself falling and then she fell. She left with only a bruise, thankfully and we had something interesting to laugh about all night long.
I broke my promise to my sis and checked out the Storm game online. Bad enough that I broke my promise, but they lost the game too. Yuck.
Wednesday- August 23
We took in the Museum of Civilization first. It was a pretty good museum, but I'm not really interested in learning about how the Aboriginal people lived back then and their jewelry and stuff. It was really well done, but it just wasn't my cup of tea. My sis loved it though. During lunch, we ended up eating in this way overpriced place with average food because we didn't know there was a cafeteria in the museum. I was alright walking all over the place before, but I got injured sitting down for lunch. Weird, isn't it? I sat down without any pain and when I stood up, the back of my left knee hurt like crazy. It was buckling and I couldn't straighten it out very well. It hampered me for the rest of my trip.
After that, we went to the Aviation Museum. I LOVED that place. They had tons of aircrafts all over the place and even a display on engines and everything. I think I took the most pictures here. Of course, I was forced to limp through displays. Sigh. Anyway, it's not like I'm a huge fan of aircrafts or anything, but I do love looking at them and marvelling at how they are designed and all. We went to the gift shop and my sister said I could get a model toy plane. This sounds kind of childish but ever since I was a kid, I've always wanted model cars and planes. I'd never get them, of course, by virtue of being a girl. I went in all excited until I saw two little boys deciding which toy to get. I was hit by my self-conscious side and decided against it. One day, I will really get over my fears of how I look to other people.
Thursday- August 24
In the morning, my sister and I went to Parliament Hill to catch the changing of the guards. It was a pretty amazing experience. They started off with the guards parading from Rideau Hall, which is where the governor-general's house. They march their way onto Parliament Hill with a marching band and everything. There's this whole big ceremony thing that, frankly, I didn't understand very well but it was visually amazing.
After that, we took a tour of Parliament. We chose the Centre block to tour. We saw places like their library, the Senate room and the House of Commons. The architecture is amazing. The entire place just feels like it came out of a storybook. Everything was so grand.
We walked to the Supreme Court after that for a picture. Of course, this was with me limping all the way. After that, my sister took pity on me and said we could WALK all the way back to the hotel so I could REST my achy knee. The walk was torture, really. It kept buckling in pain and I kept stopping to grab my sister's arm. It got me thinking about what my favorite athletes have to go through when they play in pain. I mean, LJ plays with shin splints and she's moving all over the place. I was shuffling along with a majorly less severe injury and I was whimpering all the way. Yeah, I'm such a baby.
We got to the hotel and rested for about two hours. Actually, it was only supposed to be for an hour, but my sister fell asleep while watching this Court TV show. We had to drag our butts out of bed because we were both so lazy but my sister really wanted to see the art gallery.
We walked to the National Gallery (actually, I staggered there). We got to see this special exhibit of Emily Carr artwork. She's this famous Canadian artist whose works concentrate on nature and totem poles. Seriously speaking, she's an amazing artist. I'm not very sophisticated, however, so I was yawning my way through some inspirational works. The thing I don't get with art galleries is that everyone thinks they need to be as quiet as mice in there. Even I was whispering. It adds to the stiffness of the place for me, which makes it less exciting for me. Anyway, there was this guy in the wheelchair who saw me limping around the place, wincing and grabbing my leg every now and then. He kindly comes over to me and informs me that they have free wheelchairs downstairs that I could use since I looked like I was really hurt. It was really nice of him and he was genuinely being helpful but I was a little embarrassed because it wasn't like I was really injured in the true sense of the word. We went to all the other galleries including one on Aboriginal art. My favorite part was the European art section. I guess I just like the more traditional works. There was this section on contemporary art, and while I appreciate their creativity, some of them were just crappy. They had blocks stacked high. Another one was just a piece of rope. Anyway, it was funny because I was just thinking how weird and dumb some of the things were when we passed by this dude who said out loud "It's amazing what some people will call art." My sister and I looked at each other and burst out laughing, especially after his mom shushed him all horrified.
We ate at Fat Tuesday's, went home and watched UFC on TV. Yeah, I got to see my Storm scores and my sister got to see her UFC. We both got what we wanted.
Friday- August 25
Greyhound screw us up. They sold us a ticket from Toronto to Mississauga. When we got to Toronto after a looong trip, they said that there were no more buses going to Mississauga. My sister and I had to drag our heavy bags to the subway, to the GO Bus, and finally to a Mississauga Transit bus just to get home. I was swearing under my breath how I would sue Greyhound until they had no more money for gas. Hehe, I was pretty steamed.
It was an awesome trip. It was fun on every level and it's good to just hang with my sister especially since I'm leaving for university in a week. Ottawa is a place I recommend everyone visit. It's culturally stimulating and the leisure activities aren't so bad either.
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Damn WNBA Playoff Results August 20
Connecticut- 68
Washington- 65
* Don't know...don't care right now. I should have put something down before the Seattle game.
* Oh yeah, Connecticut wins.
* Connecticut vs. Detroit in the eastern conference finals
Los Angeles- 78
Seattle- 70
* On one hand, I should be glad that the Storm was the only lower seed to win one game. On the other hand, they lost this game in such an unbelievable way.
Let me break this down for you. Seattle was up by 7 at the end of the half. I thought, hmm...okay, Seattle is a mature and experienced team, they should be able to hold on and produce a sweep.
Let me also say that Sacramento is resting right now and IF we win Game 3, they'll have a major, major advantage over us. Lauren Jackson is going to have to play major minutes on Tuesday and then play again on Thursday, this time at home where they're under pressure to win.
Let me say, that we were outscored 26-15 in the third quarter. Unbelievable. Part of me is chastising myself for being so negative right now towards the team, but I can't help it. They let themselves lose this game because of their turnovers and ugly mistakes.
Now what? Sue Bird may have broken her nose again. Lauren Jackson is going to limp off the floor again, except this time there's no positives from a win cheering her up. Betty Lennox is battling some kind of injury. And, oh yeah, they have to play LA again on Tuesday when everyone else is resting.
I love this team, and no amount of negativity I am expressing here should get you to think otherwise. But this was dumb. I hope they win the next game, but they've given LA a chance now. In my opinion, they've dug their own grave. I just hope they stay out of it and push LA in instead.
I was so annoyed by what was happening, I actually started cursing in my head in Filipino.
I don't want to go into stats too much, but there's this one unforgivable stat. Lauren Jackson only had 4 shot attempts. What the fuck? Seriously.
On one hand, Betty Lennox scored the most points, which is good. On the other hand, she had more than double the shot attempts of everyone. She shot 7-19. I really shouldn't be criticizing her but this seems to me to be a reversal to the old Betty who just used to jack up shots.
Tanisha Wright: I'm sorry, but I'm thankful that she only had about 2 minutes on the floor (where she promptly turned the ball over).
As a Sue Bird fan, my mind is switching from being annoyed by the loss and being worried about her nose. Not again, please.
Anyway, game 3, for a berth in the Western Conference Finals is on Tuesday.
GO STORM! BEAT LA!
Washington- 65
* Don't know...don't care right now. I should have put something down before the Seattle game.
* Oh yeah, Connecticut wins.
* Connecticut vs. Detroit in the eastern conference finals
Los Angeles- 78
Seattle- 70
* On one hand, I should be glad that the Storm was the only lower seed to win one game. On the other hand, they lost this game in such an unbelievable way.
Let me break this down for you. Seattle was up by 7 at the end of the half. I thought, hmm...okay, Seattle is a mature and experienced team, they should be able to hold on and produce a sweep.
Let me also say that Sacramento is resting right now and IF we win Game 3, they'll have a major, major advantage over us. Lauren Jackson is going to have to play major minutes on Tuesday and then play again on Thursday, this time at home where they're under pressure to win.
Let me say, that we were outscored 26-15 in the third quarter. Unbelievable. Part of me is chastising myself for being so negative right now towards the team, but I can't help it. They let themselves lose this game because of their turnovers and ugly mistakes.
Now what? Sue Bird may have broken her nose again. Lauren Jackson is going to limp off the floor again, except this time there's no positives from a win cheering her up. Betty Lennox is battling some kind of injury. And, oh yeah, they have to play LA again on Tuesday when everyone else is resting.
I love this team, and no amount of negativity I am expressing here should get you to think otherwise. But this was dumb. I hope they win the next game, but they've given LA a chance now. In my opinion, they've dug their own grave. I just hope they stay out of it and push LA in instead.
I was so annoyed by what was happening, I actually started cursing in my head in Filipino.
I don't want to go into stats too much, but there's this one unforgivable stat. Lauren Jackson only had 4 shot attempts. What the fuck? Seriously.
On one hand, Betty Lennox scored the most points, which is good. On the other hand, she had more than double the shot attempts of everyone. She shot 7-19. I really shouldn't be criticizing her but this seems to me to be a reversal to the old Betty who just used to jack up shots.
Tanisha Wright: I'm sorry, but I'm thankful that she only had about 2 minutes on the floor (where she promptly turned the ball over).
As a Sue Bird fan, my mind is switching from being annoyed by the loss and being worried about her nose. Not again, please.
Anyway, game 3, for a berth in the Western Conference Finals is on Tuesday.
GO STORM! BEAT LA!
I'm going to Ottawa!
Woohoo! My sister and I are going to Ottawa this week for five days. It's supposed to be a really cool city. We're going to see the Parliament and other government buildings, which can help me visualize where I want to be in ten years. It might just make all those late-night study sessions I'm already preparing myself for worth it. I'm going to miss Game 3 (which won't be played if my Storm can beat LA today) and the first game of the Western Conference Finals (which I won't really care about if the Storm lose Games 2 and 3). But I'm bringing my laptop so I might be posting some stuff about those games. I won't listen though, or watch. I think my sister would kill me if I even mentioned spending a night in Ottawa trapped in our hotel room with the game blaring. In fact, I know she would.
I decided to drop my anthropology class and take an economics class instead. So now I have both Wednesday and Thursday completely free but I have a hell day on Tuesday with three classes. All my heavy classes are on Tuesday. I have my two political science courses and an economics course I'm determined to do well in. It's a non-specific course, which means it will be mostly theoretical and issue-centered. I wouldn't have taken it had it been focused on the mathematical and statistical aspect of economics.
Anyway, time to pack.
By the way, the Seattle game's going on right now....hmmm....:)
I decided to drop my anthropology class and take an economics class instead. So now I have both Wednesday and Thursday completely free but I have a hell day on Tuesday with three classes. All my heavy classes are on Tuesday. I have my two political science courses and an economics course I'm determined to do well in. It's a non-specific course, which means it will be mostly theoretical and issue-centered. I wouldn't have taken it had it been focused on the mathematical and statistical aspect of economics.
Anyway, time to pack.
By the way, the Seattle game's going on right now....hmmm....:)
Saturday, August 19, 2006
WNBA Playoff Results August 19
Detroit- 98
Indiana- 83
* Detroit sweeps Indiana. Argh. Where was Indy when I needed them? :(
* Funny note. Tully Bevilaqua guaranteed a win for Indiana in this second game. Apparently it got to the Detroit players and they were pretty fired up about it. This would have been cooler had Tully and the Fever actually done it. Alas, they've fallen short.
* Well-attended game. Thankfully. Detroit fans pull through. It sucks to watch a TV game where the stands are empty. It makes all the non-believers and haters snicker and pat themselves on the back.
Sacramento- 92
Houston- 64
* Sacramento sweeps Houston.
* What on earth has happened to the Comets? Someone on a message board pointed out that Houston has so many veterans on their roster. Inexperience can't be an excuse. They should have enough experience to know when to step it up. Simply unbelievable really. Blowouts in both games. I can't believe us Storm fans were scared of facing the Comets. Holy cow, maybe we should have. At least, the Comets that have shown up for the past two games.
* Sacramento's playing well and IF Seattle can get past LA, it would be extremely frightening to play them.
* Dawn Staley has played her last WNBA game. I wish she'd gotten at least one more game out of this (if the Comets had pushed it to three games). I haven't been a WNBA fan as long as the rest but I'll still miss what she brought to the game.
Detroit 2-0 Indiana * Detroit wins
Connecticut 1-0 Washington
Sacramento 2-0 Houston * Sacramento wins
Los Angeles 0-1 Seattle
Tomorrow, my Storm take on LA to try and sweep them right out of the playoffs.
GO STORM! BEAT LA!
Indiana- 83
* Detroit sweeps Indiana. Argh. Where was Indy when I needed them? :(
* Funny note. Tully Bevilaqua guaranteed a win for Indiana in this second game. Apparently it got to the Detroit players and they were pretty fired up about it. This would have been cooler had Tully and the Fever actually done it. Alas, they've fallen short.
* Well-attended game. Thankfully. Detroit fans pull through. It sucks to watch a TV game where the stands are empty. It makes all the non-believers and haters snicker and pat themselves on the back.
Sacramento- 92
Houston- 64
* Sacramento sweeps Houston.
* What on earth has happened to the Comets? Someone on a message board pointed out that Houston has so many veterans on their roster. Inexperience can't be an excuse. They should have enough experience to know when to step it up. Simply unbelievable really. Blowouts in both games. I can't believe us Storm fans were scared of facing the Comets. Holy cow, maybe we should have. At least, the Comets that have shown up for the past two games.
* Sacramento's playing well and IF Seattle can get past LA, it would be extremely frightening to play them.
* Dawn Staley has played her last WNBA game. I wish she'd gotten at least one more game out of this (if the Comets had pushed it to three games). I haven't been a WNBA fan as long as the rest but I'll still miss what she brought to the game.
Detroit 2-0 Indiana * Detroit wins
Connecticut 1-0 Washington
Sacramento 2-0 Houston * Sacramento wins
Los Angeles 0-1 Seattle
Tomorrow, my Storm take on LA to try and sweep them right out of the playoffs.
GO STORM! BEAT LA!
Friday, August 18, 2006
WNBA Playoff Results August 18
Connecticut- 76
Washington-61
* Bad crowd in Washington. I'm sure the numbers won't show it but it was so empty on TV. I feel so bad about this.
* Connecticut wins, duh. I don't know though, maybe if Washington upsets Connecticut and we manage to get to the finals, we'd have a better chance to win.
Seattle- 84
Los Angeles- 72
* Aah.....this feels great. I'm literally on Cloud 9 right now. It's 1:15 AM, I have a long trip tomorrow, and I doubt I'll be getting any sleep tonight. I LOVE this team.
* Scary stuff again in the third quarter (rolls eyes). Maybe we should just stop playing that quarter or stop calling it the third quarter. Anything, really. But the fourth quarter saved us. The Storm played great in the fourth, you know, when it really mattered. YES!
* The crowd was incredible. I might be biased, but I saw all four games so far and Seattle's was the only one that looked full. The Mystics game awhile ago was so empty, it was scary. It's scary as a WNBA fan of course. Kudos to Storm fans for coming out and supporting your team. Unbelievable. I LOVE Seattle fans.
* Clayton Bennett was at the Key. He was in some kind of suite talking when they showed him. I guess it's good that he came and he saw the Key as full and crazy as that. He's probably not getting emotional but he could be going..."hmm, there could be profit here".
Stat time: (Sorry, I can only do this during the Seattle games)
Betty Lennox had 8 points, 2 Steals, 7 Assists and 3 rebounds. Really good numbers from Betty. In the first half she struggled with scoring and I was starting to get nervous but then she hit this one three and I immediately felt relieved. I don't even care she only had 8 points. 2 Steals and 7 Assists? I'd take this everyday. Congrats to Betty for recognizing open people and doing what she needed to do when her shot wasn't falling. I'm not her biggest fan but I can say that she's been doing so much for the team since she got here. She was only 3 of 10 from the field, but, man, those seven assists make me a believer.
Sue Bird had 15 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. She was really shooting it well in the first half, then she kind of cooled off in the second. Bleh. Okay, she missed practically everything in the second half except for her free throws. Nonetheless, if she can make her shots in any half, she adds a scoring threat for the Storm. It was cool to see her and LJ so happy after the win.
Lauren Jackson had 22 points, 2 blocks, 2 Steals, 2 assists and 9 rebounds. I swear she's the MVP this year. She got to the line 8 times, which was awesome. Basically, LJ just dominated like only LJ can. Best of all, she only played 28 minutes! Heck, we beat LA without LJ going over 30 minutes. Woohoo. Now go sit down and rest for Sunday. Don't even walk anywhere.
Iziane Castro Marques had 11 points, 2 steals, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. She had some key plays down the stretch (steals and rebounds) and sealed the deal for us at the free throw line. She didn't shoot the ball really well or very much, but she did what she needed to do. I'm very impressed with her down the stretch when she made those steals and rebounds. Pure heart and intensity.
Janell Burse had 17 points, 1 block, 1 steal and 1 rebound. Ok, that one rebound thing surprised me a bit. But she was really scoring at will for us. It was so important for us to pound it into the paint and not just give the ball to LJ. JB shot well and scored a lot of points for us. I loved seeing JB at the end too when she hugged LJ. She was all excited and happy. Aww....okay, now JB, about that contract for next year....=)
Tiffani Johnson proved everyone, myself included, wrong by putting up a tremendous game. What the hell? Where has this been all year? Whatever, as long as it stays for the rest of the playoffs. I am so sorry now for doubting you pretty much all year. 10 points, a block, an assist and 4 rebounds. I guess experience really does count in the playoffs. Who would have thought? After I kept questioning Anne Donovan for wanting so many veterans.
Bleh nights for the other benchies though. I love Barbara Turner, but can anyone tell me what has happened to her game recently? She started out so strongly in the season. She's been fading...I really really want to know if anyone knows an explanation for it. Hang in there, Barb. Tanisha Wright is also worrying me, except, unlike Barb, she isn't a rookie. It can't be some kind of rookie slump from playing for so long. She's just been struggling like hell. At this point, I'm not sure if she's going to be on the team next year. It just seems like she's forcing it a bit. On another note, Anne said in an interview that she's probably going to use Ashley Robinson a lot because of the match-ups. Umm...she played the last 28 seconds. Maybe she was pulling LA's leg? Or maybe Tiff just played so damn good, she couldn't be taken out of the game.
Seattle was the only home team able to win. Hehe...good job Storm.
Now they go to LA. La's only lost two games at home this year. Yikes. The good news? One of those losses was to an LJ-less Seattle. I hope they can do it.
GO STORM! BEAT LA!
Detroit 1-0 Indiana
Connecticut 1-0 Washington
Sacramento 1-0 Houston
Los Angeles 0-1 Seattle
Washington-61
* Bad crowd in Washington. I'm sure the numbers won't show it but it was so empty on TV. I feel so bad about this.
* Connecticut wins, duh. I don't know though, maybe if Washington upsets Connecticut and we manage to get to the finals, we'd have a better chance to win.
Seattle- 84
Los Angeles- 72
* Aah.....this feels great. I'm literally on Cloud 9 right now. It's 1:15 AM, I have a long trip tomorrow, and I doubt I'll be getting any sleep tonight. I LOVE this team.
* Scary stuff again in the third quarter (rolls eyes). Maybe we should just stop playing that quarter or stop calling it the third quarter. Anything, really. But the fourth quarter saved us. The Storm played great in the fourth, you know, when it really mattered. YES!
* The crowd was incredible. I might be biased, but I saw all four games so far and Seattle's was the only one that looked full. The Mystics game awhile ago was so empty, it was scary. It's scary as a WNBA fan of course. Kudos to Storm fans for coming out and supporting your team. Unbelievable. I LOVE Seattle fans.
* Clayton Bennett was at the Key. He was in some kind of suite talking when they showed him. I guess it's good that he came and he saw the Key as full and crazy as that. He's probably not getting emotional but he could be going..."hmm, there could be profit here".
Stat time: (Sorry, I can only do this during the Seattle games)
Betty Lennox had 8 points, 2 Steals, 7 Assists and 3 rebounds. Really good numbers from Betty. In the first half she struggled with scoring and I was starting to get nervous but then she hit this one three and I immediately felt relieved. I don't even care she only had 8 points. 2 Steals and 7 Assists? I'd take this everyday. Congrats to Betty for recognizing open people and doing what she needed to do when her shot wasn't falling. I'm not her biggest fan but I can say that she's been doing so much for the team since she got here. She was only 3 of 10 from the field, but, man, those seven assists make me a believer.
Sue Bird had 15 points, 4 assists and 3 rebounds. She was really shooting it well in the first half, then she kind of cooled off in the second. Bleh. Okay, she missed practically everything in the second half except for her free throws. Nonetheless, if she can make her shots in any half, she adds a scoring threat for the Storm. It was cool to see her and LJ so happy after the win.
Lauren Jackson had 22 points, 2 blocks, 2 Steals, 2 assists and 9 rebounds. I swear she's the MVP this year. She got to the line 8 times, which was awesome. Basically, LJ just dominated like only LJ can. Best of all, she only played 28 minutes! Heck, we beat LA without LJ going over 30 minutes. Woohoo. Now go sit down and rest for Sunday. Don't even walk anywhere.
Iziane Castro Marques had 11 points, 2 steals, 5 assists and 3 rebounds. She had some key plays down the stretch (steals and rebounds) and sealed the deal for us at the free throw line. She didn't shoot the ball really well or very much, but she did what she needed to do. I'm very impressed with her down the stretch when she made those steals and rebounds. Pure heart and intensity.
Janell Burse had 17 points, 1 block, 1 steal and 1 rebound. Ok, that one rebound thing surprised me a bit. But she was really scoring at will for us. It was so important for us to pound it into the paint and not just give the ball to LJ. JB shot well and scored a lot of points for us. I loved seeing JB at the end too when she hugged LJ. She was all excited and happy. Aww....okay, now JB, about that contract for next year....=)
Tiffani Johnson proved everyone, myself included, wrong by putting up a tremendous game. What the hell? Where has this been all year? Whatever, as long as it stays for the rest of the playoffs. I am so sorry now for doubting you pretty much all year. 10 points, a block, an assist and 4 rebounds. I guess experience really does count in the playoffs. Who would have thought? After I kept questioning Anne Donovan for wanting so many veterans.
Bleh nights for the other benchies though. I love Barbara Turner, but can anyone tell me what has happened to her game recently? She started out so strongly in the season. She's been fading...I really really want to know if anyone knows an explanation for it. Hang in there, Barb. Tanisha Wright is also worrying me, except, unlike Barb, she isn't a rookie. It can't be some kind of rookie slump from playing for so long. She's just been struggling like hell. At this point, I'm not sure if she's going to be on the team next year. It just seems like she's forcing it a bit. On another note, Anne said in an interview that she's probably going to use Ashley Robinson a lot because of the match-ups. Umm...she played the last 28 seconds. Maybe she was pulling LA's leg? Or maybe Tiff just played so damn good, she couldn't be taken out of the game.
Seattle was the only home team able to win. Hehe...good job Storm.
Now they go to LA. La's only lost two games at home this year. Yikes. The good news? One of those losses was to an LJ-less Seattle. I hope they can do it.
GO STORM! BEAT LA!
Detroit 1-0 Indiana
Connecticut 1-0 Washington
Sacramento 1-0 Houston
Los Angeles 0-1 Seattle
Thursday, August 17, 2006
WNBA Playoff Results August 17
Detroit-68
Indiana- 56
* Detroit wins on the road. Yikes, wake up Indiana. I'm cheering for Indiana all the way (see post entitled Detroit Thugs...umm Shock). The Shock just irk me. They won today though.
* If anyone else watched this game, can someone confirm just how empty the building looked. I mean, it SOUNDED loud, but there'd be heaps and heaps of empty seats. Indiana has been doing so well this year, but their attendance hasn't really increased. It's a little sad and frustrating because I think they have great players who can connect with the fans really well. I hope the attendance was a lot more than I guessed it to be. I mean, first round and it's the only game played at Indiana in the first round. Unless Indy fans expected them to advance to the second round, it should be packed.
* GO INDIANA!! Concentrate on that one game at Detroit first. Once you get that win, just take that momentum to the third game. On the bright side (for you guys only), the Storm won the first game against Houston last year and then lost the next two at home. Ugh...bad memories. Oh well, anything to get you guys to beat Detroit.
Sacramento- 93
Comets- 78
* Road win for Sacramento. Scary win as well. It was pretty much a blowout. Oh well, maybe the Storm would be more likely to win against Sacramento than Houston. IF we get past LA. I can't take this. Now I know why I never became an athlete. Too much stress and pressure.
* I didn't watch this game so I can't tell whether or not it was a well-attended game.
* I don't know who I'm rooting for here. This has heavy implications on us so I'm not trying to think about it. It's even dangerous to look ahead to the second round.
Detroit 1-0 Indiana
Connecticut 0-0 Washington
Sacramento 1-0 Houston
Los Angeles 0-0 Seattle
Indiana- 56
* Detroit wins on the road. Yikes, wake up Indiana. I'm cheering for Indiana all the way (see post entitled Detroit Thugs...umm Shock). The Shock just irk me. They won today though.
* If anyone else watched this game, can someone confirm just how empty the building looked. I mean, it SOUNDED loud, but there'd be heaps and heaps of empty seats. Indiana has been doing so well this year, but their attendance hasn't really increased. It's a little sad and frustrating because I think they have great players who can connect with the fans really well. I hope the attendance was a lot more than I guessed it to be. I mean, first round and it's the only game played at Indiana in the first round. Unless Indy fans expected them to advance to the second round, it should be packed.
* GO INDIANA!! Concentrate on that one game at Detroit first. Once you get that win, just take that momentum to the third game. On the bright side (for you guys only), the Storm won the first game against Houston last year and then lost the next two at home. Ugh...bad memories. Oh well, anything to get you guys to beat Detroit.
Sacramento- 93
Comets- 78
* Road win for Sacramento. Scary win as well. It was pretty much a blowout. Oh well, maybe the Storm would be more likely to win against Sacramento than Houston. IF we get past LA. I can't take this. Now I know why I never became an athlete. Too much stress and pressure.
* I didn't watch this game so I can't tell whether or not it was a well-attended game.
* I don't know who I'm rooting for here. This has heavy implications on us so I'm not trying to think about it. It's even dangerous to look ahead to the second round.
Detroit 1-0 Indiana
Connecticut 0-0 Washington
Sacramento 1-0 Houston
Los Angeles 0-0 Seattle
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
Seattle Storm vs. Los Angeles Sparks Playoffs Round 1
Dates of Games:
Game 1-- August 18 Friday Key Arena
Game 2-- August 20 Sunday Staples Center
Game 3-- August 22 Tuesday Staples Center
2006 Season Series
May 21 at Key Arena
Storm- 90
Sparks- 67
June 28 at Staples Center
Storm- 75
Sparks- 67
July 30 at Key Arena
Storm- 70
Sparks- 71
Starting Matchups
Guards:
Storm- Sue Bird and Betty Lennox
Los Angeles- Temeka Johnson and Tamara Moore
* Bird averages 11.4 PPG, 1.8 SPG, 4.8 APG, 3 RPG
* Johnson averages 8 PPG, 1.5 SPG, 5 APG, 3 RPG
* Lennox averages 13.7 PPG, 1.06 SPG, 2.1 APG, 4 RPG
* Moore averages 6.1 PPG, 0.97 SPG, 1.9 APG, 2.1 RPG
Forwards:
Storm: Iziane Castro Marques and Lauren Jackson
Los Angeles: Jessica Moore and Mwadi Mabika
* Castro Marques averages 7.2 PPG, 0.68 SPG, 1.4 APG, 2.1 RPG
* Moore averages 4.3 PPG, 0.65 SPG, 0.7 APG, 2.9 RPG
* Jackson averages 19.5 PPG, 1.7 BPG, 0.80 SPG, 1.6 APG, 7.7 RPG
* Mabika averages 8.5 PPG, 0.59 SPG, 1.5 APG, 2.0 RPG
Center:
Storm: Janell Burse
Sparks: Lisa Leslie
* Burse averages 11.1 PPG, 0.93 BPG, 0.63 SPG, 0.8 APG, 6.6 RPG
* Leslie averages 20 PPG, 1.68 BPG, 1.5 SPG, 3.2 APG, 9.5 RPG
Bench:
Storm: Tiffani Johnson, Edwige Lawson-Wade, Ashley Robinson, Barbara Turner and Tanisha Wright
Sparks: Doneeka Hodges-Lewis, Chamique Holdsclaw, Murriel Page, Tiffany Stansbury, Christi Thomas and Lisa Willis
Analysis:
Lisa Leslie puts up incredible numbers as you can see. Everyone says she carries the team and I totally agree. I didn't put up the bench players numbers, but if I had, you'd see that LA's bench is more productive than Seattle's because of Chamique Holdsclaw who averages about 15 PPG. The problem with LA is that it can rely on Lisa Leslie way too much. In fact, she's the only match-up here that I can say will be better than Seattle's.
The guards of Seattle are more productive and are more active than the guards of LA. Advantage goes to Seattle.
The forward match-up has to go to Seattle. When Izi plays to her potential, she owns Jessica Moore. She's quick and explosive. Lauren Jackson is obviously also above Mwadi Mabika especially since Mabika is having a "down" year statwise.
The center match-up goes to Los Angeles, pretty much by default. As much as I don't like Lisa Leslie and I love Janell Burse, she will win this battle. See, this is me being unbiased.
The problem for LA lies on the fact that they expect Leslie to do all the scoring for them. More often than not, they pass her the ball and just let her get to work. You can't depend solely on one player to win a game for you, even if she is putting up huge numbers this year. It just won't work because the other team is going to scout you and is going to limit the amount of good looks you get at the basket. What will end up happening, since she is so used to being forced to make a shot, is that she will take a bad shot. The Storm, with Izi and our speedy guards (heck, even LJ can be fast down the court), will run the transition game.
The Storm, in order to be able to beat LA, have to do the following:
1. Watch game tape and figure out a way to guard Chamique Holdsclaw. Don't let her get her 15 PPG. By doing so, the onus of scoring will be solely on the shoulders of Lisa Leslie. I think we can contain her as much as we can. We won't prevent her from scoring, but we can keep it under control.
2. Work on rebounding. I don't want to see any misses from Leslie come back down to her for an easy putback. The Storm have to prevent this because it prevents them from getting out and running and it's a hell of an emotional downer when that happens.
3. The running game. I think the Storm need to practice their transition SO THAT THEY WON'T MAKE STUPID ERRORS RUNNING THE BALL. No turnovers during breaks. Controlled aggression in a sense. I forgot which game it was I listened to when we'd get the ball on the break only for a bad pass out of bounds, a blocked shot (apparently someone was right behind them), a missed layup or stepping out of bounds. This will kill us. I have no doubt, if the Storm had to go to a half-court set, that we can get our points. So can LA, however. The difference has to be in our ability to run the ball.
4. Bench production. This has been quite sad, honestly. I'm not saying this to dog our players, because I cheer for them as much as anybody does. This is the playoffs, however, and the Sparks bench has Chamique Holdsclaw. It's no longer enough to burn minutes on the floor and not be productive. When you get out there for a few minutes, you have to make those minutes count. I'm not saying that it has to be scoring either. Great defense, good shot selection is all I'm really looking for. Tanisha Wright has been faltering a little bit. Again, I don't look at their stats that much but for a second year player in a system she knows, she hasn't been making her mark felt. In fact, she's been forcing some bad shots. I would call her time on the floor productive if she could make a good pass into the interior or find an open teammate. As for the posts, they have to learn how to handle passes. A-Rob and Tiffani Johnson aren't exactly very good at it, but they have to be right now. Sometimes, it's right in their hands and they can't just grab onto it. Learn how to handle passes, go up and get a foul. Get us those free points from the free throw line.
Again, I'm not being negative, I'm just pointing out things that need to be improved upon if we wish to advance to the next round. I honestly think we can beat LA, but only if everyone can remain healthy (please LJ....please JB....please Betty....ugh...please Sue....please everyone).
I'm a Storm fan so I can't really make a prediction on this. I find myself cautiously optimistic but fearing my optimism as well. Catch the first game at the Key. It's gonna be packed and loud.
Oh yeah, as a final note, thank you to the players and the coaching staff of the Storm for grinding it out and getting into the playoffs, giving this Storm fan a chance to experience the playoffs once again. I'm extremely thrillled and grateful. Oh, and good luck.
GO STORM! BEAT LA!!
Game 1-- August 18 Friday Key Arena
Game 2-- August 20 Sunday Staples Center
Game 3-- August 22 Tuesday Staples Center
2006 Season Series
May 21 at Key Arena
Storm- 90
Sparks- 67
June 28 at Staples Center
Storm- 75
Sparks- 67
July 30 at Key Arena
Storm- 70
Sparks- 71
Starting Matchups
Guards:
Storm- Sue Bird and Betty Lennox
Los Angeles- Temeka Johnson and Tamara Moore
* Bird averages 11.4 PPG, 1.8 SPG, 4.8 APG, 3 RPG
* Johnson averages 8 PPG, 1.5 SPG, 5 APG, 3 RPG
* Lennox averages 13.7 PPG, 1.06 SPG, 2.1 APG, 4 RPG
* Moore averages 6.1 PPG, 0.97 SPG, 1.9 APG, 2.1 RPG
Forwards:
Storm: Iziane Castro Marques and Lauren Jackson
Los Angeles: Jessica Moore and Mwadi Mabika
* Castro Marques averages 7.2 PPG, 0.68 SPG, 1.4 APG, 2.1 RPG
* Moore averages 4.3 PPG, 0.65 SPG, 0.7 APG, 2.9 RPG
* Jackson averages 19.5 PPG, 1.7 BPG, 0.80 SPG, 1.6 APG, 7.7 RPG
* Mabika averages 8.5 PPG, 0.59 SPG, 1.5 APG, 2.0 RPG
Center:
Storm: Janell Burse
Sparks: Lisa Leslie
* Burse averages 11.1 PPG, 0.93 BPG, 0.63 SPG, 0.8 APG, 6.6 RPG
* Leslie averages 20 PPG, 1.68 BPG, 1.5 SPG, 3.2 APG, 9.5 RPG
Bench:
Storm: Tiffani Johnson, Edwige Lawson-Wade, Ashley Robinson, Barbara Turner and Tanisha Wright
Sparks: Doneeka Hodges-Lewis, Chamique Holdsclaw, Murriel Page, Tiffany Stansbury, Christi Thomas and Lisa Willis
Analysis:
Lisa Leslie puts up incredible numbers as you can see. Everyone says she carries the team and I totally agree. I didn't put up the bench players numbers, but if I had, you'd see that LA's bench is more productive than Seattle's because of Chamique Holdsclaw who averages about 15 PPG. The problem with LA is that it can rely on Lisa Leslie way too much. In fact, she's the only match-up here that I can say will be better than Seattle's.
The guards of Seattle are more productive and are more active than the guards of LA. Advantage goes to Seattle.
The forward match-up has to go to Seattle. When Izi plays to her potential, she owns Jessica Moore. She's quick and explosive. Lauren Jackson is obviously also above Mwadi Mabika especially since Mabika is having a "down" year statwise.
The center match-up goes to Los Angeles, pretty much by default. As much as I don't like Lisa Leslie and I love Janell Burse, she will win this battle. See, this is me being unbiased.
The problem for LA lies on the fact that they expect Leslie to do all the scoring for them. More often than not, they pass her the ball and just let her get to work. You can't depend solely on one player to win a game for you, even if she is putting up huge numbers this year. It just won't work because the other team is going to scout you and is going to limit the amount of good looks you get at the basket. What will end up happening, since she is so used to being forced to make a shot, is that she will take a bad shot. The Storm, with Izi and our speedy guards (heck, even LJ can be fast down the court), will run the transition game.
The Storm, in order to be able to beat LA, have to do the following:
1. Watch game tape and figure out a way to guard Chamique Holdsclaw. Don't let her get her 15 PPG. By doing so, the onus of scoring will be solely on the shoulders of Lisa Leslie. I think we can contain her as much as we can. We won't prevent her from scoring, but we can keep it under control.
2. Work on rebounding. I don't want to see any misses from Leslie come back down to her for an easy putback. The Storm have to prevent this because it prevents them from getting out and running and it's a hell of an emotional downer when that happens.
3. The running game. I think the Storm need to practice their transition SO THAT THEY WON'T MAKE STUPID ERRORS RUNNING THE BALL. No turnovers during breaks. Controlled aggression in a sense. I forgot which game it was I listened to when we'd get the ball on the break only for a bad pass out of bounds, a blocked shot (apparently someone was right behind them), a missed layup or stepping out of bounds. This will kill us. I have no doubt, if the Storm had to go to a half-court set, that we can get our points. So can LA, however. The difference has to be in our ability to run the ball.
4. Bench production. This has been quite sad, honestly. I'm not saying this to dog our players, because I cheer for them as much as anybody does. This is the playoffs, however, and the Sparks bench has Chamique Holdsclaw. It's no longer enough to burn minutes on the floor and not be productive. When you get out there for a few minutes, you have to make those minutes count. I'm not saying that it has to be scoring either. Great defense, good shot selection is all I'm really looking for. Tanisha Wright has been faltering a little bit. Again, I don't look at their stats that much but for a second year player in a system she knows, she hasn't been making her mark felt. In fact, she's been forcing some bad shots. I would call her time on the floor productive if she could make a good pass into the interior or find an open teammate. As for the posts, they have to learn how to handle passes. A-Rob and Tiffani Johnson aren't exactly very good at it, but they have to be right now. Sometimes, it's right in their hands and they can't just grab onto it. Learn how to handle passes, go up and get a foul. Get us those free points from the free throw line.
Again, I'm not being negative, I'm just pointing out things that need to be improved upon if we wish to advance to the next round. I honestly think we can beat LA, but only if everyone can remain healthy (please LJ....please JB....please Betty....ugh...please Sue....please everyone).
I'm a Storm fan so I can't really make a prediction on this. I find myself cautiously optimistic but fearing my optimism as well. Catch the first game at the Key. It's gonna be packed and loud.
Oh yeah, as a final note, thank you to the players and the coaching staff of the Storm for grinding it out and getting into the playoffs, giving this Storm fan a chance to experience the playoffs once again. I'm extremely thrillled and grateful. Oh, and good luck.
GO STORM! BEAT LA!!
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Rogers Cup Action!!!
This is the first tennis tournament I've had the privilege of attending. I watch whenever I can and I keep track of tennis results, but I've never been in the right place at the right time...until now! Let me first explain that I love tennis with all my heart. It's probably on par with my love for basketball except I can actually play tennis and I'm too vertically challenged for basketball.
It said on our tickets (me and my sister) that the gates opened at 10 am. The match was going to start at 1. We decided to get there at 10 to take in the sights and sounds of the tournament. It's kind of a trend for me to get to sporting events too early anyway (I got to KeyArena at about 9 am for a 7 pm game). From Mississauga, we had to take a short cab ride to a GO Station, take a looong GO train ride, take a looong subway ride to get to Finch Station in North York, and finally take a bus to York University. While at York, we had to walk the entire length of the campus to get to Rexall Center. We woke up at about 6:30 am, and we reached there at around 10:20. At that point, we were so tired already, but we were still excited. When we left the house, it was pretty cool outside, so my sister and I wore jeans and sleeved shirts. BIG MISTAKE. When we got there at around 10 am, we climbed all the way up to our seats in the 300-level and watched the players practice. The smart people stayed in the shade as they waited for the match to start. My sister and I stayed under the sun.
The match itself was a good one. It featured two young guns of tennis. Richard Gasquet of France is only 20 years old while Andy Murray of Scotland is only 19. There were some excellent shots but it wasn't as exciting as some other tennis matches I've seen on tv. It was a pretty straightforward match. Gasquet had control basically for the whole match. It was pretty cool because I've had a crush on Richard Gasquet for the longest time. I had no idea that he was going to be playing that first semi-final that day. Luckily, I got him. Although when I saw the Federer-Gonzalez match later on at home, I really wanted to watch that exciting match.
After the singles match, we stayed behind to watch the doubles match. I'm more of a singles person myself and by that time I think I was suffering from heat exhaustion so I didn't get to enjoy it too much. It was exciting, however, with the Bryan brothers winning it in the end.
I can't wait til next year when the WTA comes to Toronto for the Rogers Cup. It will be exciting, especially because I follow the WTA more than the ATP. By this time next year, I'll be ready for another scorching day watching tennis.
It said on our tickets (me and my sister) that the gates opened at 10 am. The match was going to start at 1. We decided to get there at 10 to take in the sights and sounds of the tournament. It's kind of a trend for me to get to sporting events too early anyway (I got to KeyArena at about 9 am for a 7 pm game). From Mississauga, we had to take a short cab ride to a GO Station, take a looong GO train ride, take a looong subway ride to get to Finch Station in North York, and finally take a bus to York University. While at York, we had to walk the entire length of the campus to get to Rexall Center. We woke up at about 6:30 am, and we reached there at around 10:20. At that point, we were so tired already, but we were still excited. When we left the house, it was pretty cool outside, so my sister and I wore jeans and sleeved shirts. BIG MISTAKE. When we got there at around 10 am, we climbed all the way up to our seats in the 300-level and watched the players practice. The smart people stayed in the shade as they waited for the match to start. My sister and I stayed under the sun.
The match itself was a good one. It featured two young guns of tennis. Richard Gasquet of France is only 20 years old while Andy Murray of Scotland is only 19. There were some excellent shots but it wasn't as exciting as some other tennis matches I've seen on tv. It was a pretty straightforward match. Gasquet had control basically for the whole match. It was pretty cool because I've had a crush on Richard Gasquet for the longest time. I had no idea that he was going to be playing that first semi-final that day. Luckily, I got him. Although when I saw the Federer-Gonzalez match later on at home, I really wanted to watch that exciting match.
After the singles match, we stayed behind to watch the doubles match. I'm more of a singles person myself and by that time I think I was suffering from heat exhaustion so I didn't get to enjoy it too much. It was exciting, however, with the Bryan brothers winning it in the end.
I can't wait til next year when the WTA comes to Toronto for the Rogers Cup. It will be exciting, especially because I follow the WTA more than the ATP. By this time next year, I'll be ready for another scorching day watching tennis.
Seattle Storm Playoff Picture (and the Comets game too)
Storm--72
Comets--89
I can't actually comment on this game because I wasn't home when it aired. As such, I wasn't able to listen to it as well. Yes, I actually gave up a Storm game to do something else. It's shocking to me too, but it was worth it (especially since we lost anyway). I went to see the Rogers Cup tennis tournament at York University. Fun stuff, but now I'm redder than a lobster. Anyway, I'll post on that later.
Stat time
Betty Lennox had 16 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds. She did have 5 turnovers though. I'm a little bit more critical of guards when they turn the ball over than the posts so I'm a little worried about this. She did shoot 50% from the field, which is excellent.
Sue Bird had 14 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. Pretty good stat line. She only missed three shots from the field.
Tiffani Johnson had 14 points, 1 assist and 4 rebounds. Whoa. Good job, Tiff. Only two turnovers! And a pretty good FG%. Maybe she was trying to get revenge on the team that cut her but I wish she'd play like this every night.
Iziane Castro Marques had 13 points, 1 steal, 1 assist and 2 rebounds. The only negative thing is that she shot 6-16 from the floor. Izi has been on fire lately with the points and with the FG%. The points are okay still, but she can't miss that many shots. I wasn't able to listen to the game so maybe some of the shots were just to beat the shot clock going down. I'm not sure, but I hope so.
Janell Burse had 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. From what I can see from the box score, she only had 5 shot attempts (sinking 4) so I think they weren't calling her number very often. Still, 4-5 means consistency. I was a little surprised she played the amount of minutes she did. I would have thought she would have rested like LJ. Good thing she didn't get injured in this game. I think the fact that our starters played a lot of minutes (Minus LJ of course) shows that AD DID want that third spot. We're in fourth by the way. Bring on LA!!!!
Benchie review. I'm so tired and burned right now I'll just give a rundown. But they only scored 6 of our points. WTF??? Anyway, same as last game, not a lot of shots, not a lot of mistakes. Scored some. Barb Turner had 5 rebounds and Ashley Robinson had 6. A-Rob had 4 offensive boards. Yes! That's basically it.
So....Playoff time...I don't have any idea yet about the dates or anything (sorry, I'm too tired to look), but the Storm are playing LA. First game is at KeyArena while the next two are at Staples Center. Houston will face Sacramento. Good first round matchups all the way.
Even if the Storm are the fourth seeds, WE HAVE A CHANCE TO BEAT LA. We really do. We beat them handily at home for the first game. We beat them when they were in LA and we were without LJ. We lost to them after all our injuries only by 1 point. It was close all the way in that game. Am I getting too confident? No. I think it will be tougher than most people think. But do the Storm have a fighting chance in hell? They've got more. Come join in on this playoff intensity. It will be fun, it will be exciting...It will be standard Storm basketball. I'll post tomorrow about when the game is and I'll break down the three games against LA. Matchups, etc.
GO STORM! And to anyone reading this, come join us Storm fans on this run to the championship.
Comets--89
I can't actually comment on this game because I wasn't home when it aired. As such, I wasn't able to listen to it as well. Yes, I actually gave up a Storm game to do something else. It's shocking to me too, but it was worth it (especially since we lost anyway). I went to see the Rogers Cup tennis tournament at York University. Fun stuff, but now I'm redder than a lobster. Anyway, I'll post on that later.
Stat time
Betty Lennox had 16 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds. She did have 5 turnovers though. I'm a little bit more critical of guards when they turn the ball over than the posts so I'm a little worried about this. She did shoot 50% from the field, which is excellent.
Sue Bird had 14 points, 5 assists and 2 steals. Pretty good stat line. She only missed three shots from the field.
Tiffani Johnson had 14 points, 1 assist and 4 rebounds. Whoa. Good job, Tiff. Only two turnovers! And a pretty good FG%. Maybe she was trying to get revenge on the team that cut her but I wish she'd play like this every night.
Iziane Castro Marques had 13 points, 1 steal, 1 assist and 2 rebounds. The only negative thing is that she shot 6-16 from the floor. Izi has been on fire lately with the points and with the FG%. The points are okay still, but she can't miss that many shots. I wasn't able to listen to the game so maybe some of the shots were just to beat the shot clock going down. I'm not sure, but I hope so.
Janell Burse had 9 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. From what I can see from the box score, she only had 5 shot attempts (sinking 4) so I think they weren't calling her number very often. Still, 4-5 means consistency. I was a little surprised she played the amount of minutes she did. I would have thought she would have rested like LJ. Good thing she didn't get injured in this game. I think the fact that our starters played a lot of minutes (Minus LJ of course) shows that AD DID want that third spot. We're in fourth by the way. Bring on LA!!!!
Benchie review. I'm so tired and burned right now I'll just give a rundown. But they only scored 6 of our points. WTF??? Anyway, same as last game, not a lot of shots, not a lot of mistakes. Scored some. Barb Turner had 5 rebounds and Ashley Robinson had 6. A-Rob had 4 offensive boards. Yes! That's basically it.
So....Playoff time...I don't have any idea yet about the dates or anything (sorry, I'm too tired to look), but the Storm are playing LA. First game is at KeyArena while the next two are at Staples Center. Houston will face Sacramento. Good first round matchups all the way.
Even if the Storm are the fourth seeds, WE HAVE A CHANCE TO BEAT LA. We really do. We beat them handily at home for the first game. We beat them when they were in LA and we were without LJ. We lost to them after all our injuries only by 1 point. It was close all the way in that game. Am I getting too confident? No. I think it will be tougher than most people think. But do the Storm have a fighting chance in hell? They've got more. Come join in on this playoff intensity. It will be fun, it will be exciting...It will be standard Storm basketball. I'll post tomorrow about when the game is and I'll break down the three games against LA. Matchups, etc.
GO STORM! And to anyone reading this, come join us Storm fans on this run to the championship.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Seattle Storm vs. San Antonio Silver Stars
Storm--65
Silver Stars-- 75
My listening to the game was completely and totally destroyed by stupid Rogers, my internet provider. They, once again, screw up our connection just when Lauren Jackson came on air to help in the broadcast in the 2nd quarter. Stupid, stupid, stupid. My sister had to call them and they had to "help" us set our internet connections right again. In all honesty, however, Rogers has been giving us crappy connection for the past month, after they said that we had been using our internet too much. That's bull because we have unlimited access to the internet and that's what we're paying for. Needless to say, I'm not at all pleased that I missed LJ calling the plays and the player profile she did with Sue Bird. Rogers, watch your backs.
On to the game.
While we lost by 10 points, it really didn't feel like a bad loss. It's probably because we already clinched a playoff spot and we weren't playing with LJ. Apart from this, it's not like we were struggling throughout the game. There was this time near the end of the fourth quarter when we were down only by three, with our bench trying to get us the win. It all kind of fell apart in the final minute or so to get the Stars a 10 point victory, but I don't feel like the bench played badly or anything. They didn't let the game get away from them, although they didn't have great statistical games. As long as they can keep it productive while they're there and they're not going to make stupid mistakes, things will be okay. Good stuff.
I'm happy to report that our bench had significant minutes on the floor. Since we all know how the starters perform with their minutes, I'll start off with the bench numbers.
Barbara Turner played 30:46 minutes. She had 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and a block.
Edwige Lawson-Wade had 19:26 minutes on the floor. She had 3 points (a half court shot!), 2 rebounds and an assist.
Tanisha Wright had 2 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds in 19:49.
Ashley Robinson had 2 points, 3 rebounds and a block in 21:43.
They aren't staggering numbers, but they're decent for me because they didn't shoot a low percentage. They didn't force shots when they were on the floor, instead passing the ball to a starter that was on the floor with them. Nothing was rushed, nothing was cringeworthy.
The starters did as the starters always do, minus the Lauren Jackson factor, of course.
Sue Bird had 9 points and 2 rebounds. Sadly, no assists. There goes the assists title....
Betty Lennox had 17 points, 3 assists and 5 rebounds. Ahh....Betty is playing well (In fairness, she's been playing well all year. It's just a great feeling down the stretch when Betty is confident and shooting pretty well). I feel strangely confident for the playoffs. Just please, Betty, please don't get injured. Get off your knee if you need to.
Tiffani Johnson had 4 points, 7 rebounds and a block. Okay, I've been pretty critical of TJ up to this point of the season. It all started when we caught games in Seattle and my sister actually screamed everytime someone tried to pass to #5 (she really can't handle certain passes). However, she had NO turnovers in this game and seems to be rebounding the ball pretty well. I may have to tone it down a bit. Heck, I should be pleased she's practically the only post player who hasn't gotten injured this year. Everyone might just have to switch to her diet and training regimen.
Iziane Castro Marques had 11 points, 8 rebounds and an assist. Awesome past several games by Izi. I may go as far as saying she's been that oomph that's been getting us wins. BTW, if anyone is keeping track of the free agents on the team, Izi is one after this season. Re-sign her pronto!
Janell Burse had 10 points and 8 rebounds. On the downside, she had 6 turnovers. I think her shoulder is still bothering her quite a bit. Also, she became the primary target down low which could have increased her turnovers. No problem. JB still had a good game. I'm leaning towards resting her too for the Houston game. There were several scary moments with the shoulder today. Okay, I said I wouldn't go off on TJ again, but I just have to say: we need JB for the playoffs. We need BOTH JB and LJ for the postseason. No question about it.
Next game is at Houston. Interesting scenario playing out. Houston has had numerous chances to clinch but they haven't. Tonight, they lost a freaking awesome match against the Mercury in 3 overtimes 111-110. Phoenix is still in the hunt for the playoffs. Houston needs to beat the Storm on Saturday to clinch. If they don't, the Mercs have a chance if they win their remaining games. Their last game is a toughie against Sacramento. Houston, though, has a great chance of winning against Seattle. It's not even about us tanking. It's about keeping our players healthy and getting them healthy by resting them. Sorry, Phoenix, but we have to rest LJ. Much as we like the way you guys play and everything, LJ isn't going to play that Houston game. At least, she shouldn't. Strange how the Comets had the same chances to clinch as we had but they lost to Charlotte and now to Phoenix. The Phoenix game is understandable but the Comets had to beat Charlotte. On the other hand, the Storm faced a tougher road with Detroit first on their road schedule and the Storm won. It makes me prouder of all the Storm players. And, yes, Houston fans, the Storm have been bit by the injury bug as well. Other people on our team have just gritted their teeth and made it happen.
GO STORM!
Silver Stars-- 75
My listening to the game was completely and totally destroyed by stupid Rogers, my internet provider. They, once again, screw up our connection just when Lauren Jackson came on air to help in the broadcast in the 2nd quarter. Stupid, stupid, stupid. My sister had to call them and they had to "help" us set our internet connections right again. In all honesty, however, Rogers has been giving us crappy connection for the past month, after they said that we had been using our internet too much. That's bull because we have unlimited access to the internet and that's what we're paying for. Needless to say, I'm not at all pleased that I missed LJ calling the plays and the player profile she did with Sue Bird. Rogers, watch your backs.
On to the game.
While we lost by 10 points, it really didn't feel like a bad loss. It's probably because we already clinched a playoff spot and we weren't playing with LJ. Apart from this, it's not like we were struggling throughout the game. There was this time near the end of the fourth quarter when we were down only by three, with our bench trying to get us the win. It all kind of fell apart in the final minute or so to get the Stars a 10 point victory, but I don't feel like the bench played badly or anything. They didn't let the game get away from them, although they didn't have great statistical games. As long as they can keep it productive while they're there and they're not going to make stupid mistakes, things will be okay. Good stuff.
I'm happy to report that our bench had significant minutes on the floor. Since we all know how the starters perform with their minutes, I'll start off with the bench numbers.
Barbara Turner played 30:46 minutes. She had 7 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals and a block.
Edwige Lawson-Wade had 19:26 minutes on the floor. She had 3 points (a half court shot!), 2 rebounds and an assist.
Tanisha Wright had 2 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds in 19:49.
Ashley Robinson had 2 points, 3 rebounds and a block in 21:43.
They aren't staggering numbers, but they're decent for me because they didn't shoot a low percentage. They didn't force shots when they were on the floor, instead passing the ball to a starter that was on the floor with them. Nothing was rushed, nothing was cringeworthy.
The starters did as the starters always do, minus the Lauren Jackson factor, of course.
Sue Bird had 9 points and 2 rebounds. Sadly, no assists. There goes the assists title....
Betty Lennox had 17 points, 3 assists and 5 rebounds. Ahh....Betty is playing well (In fairness, she's been playing well all year. It's just a great feeling down the stretch when Betty is confident and shooting pretty well). I feel strangely confident for the playoffs. Just please, Betty, please don't get injured. Get off your knee if you need to.
Tiffani Johnson had 4 points, 7 rebounds and a block. Okay, I've been pretty critical of TJ up to this point of the season. It all started when we caught games in Seattle and my sister actually screamed everytime someone tried to pass to #5 (she really can't handle certain passes). However, she had NO turnovers in this game and seems to be rebounding the ball pretty well. I may have to tone it down a bit. Heck, I should be pleased she's practically the only post player who hasn't gotten injured this year. Everyone might just have to switch to her diet and training regimen.
Iziane Castro Marques had 11 points, 8 rebounds and an assist. Awesome past several games by Izi. I may go as far as saying she's been that oomph that's been getting us wins. BTW, if anyone is keeping track of the free agents on the team, Izi is one after this season. Re-sign her pronto!
Janell Burse had 10 points and 8 rebounds. On the downside, she had 6 turnovers. I think her shoulder is still bothering her quite a bit. Also, she became the primary target down low which could have increased her turnovers. No problem. JB still had a good game. I'm leaning towards resting her too for the Houston game. There were several scary moments with the shoulder today. Okay, I said I wouldn't go off on TJ again, but I just have to say: we need JB for the playoffs. We need BOTH JB and LJ for the postseason. No question about it.
Next game is at Houston. Interesting scenario playing out. Houston has had numerous chances to clinch but they haven't. Tonight, they lost a freaking awesome match against the Mercury in 3 overtimes 111-110. Phoenix is still in the hunt for the playoffs. Houston needs to beat the Storm on Saturday to clinch. If they don't, the Mercs have a chance if they win their remaining games. Their last game is a toughie against Sacramento. Houston, though, has a great chance of winning against Seattle. It's not even about us tanking. It's about keeping our players healthy and getting them healthy by resting them. Sorry, Phoenix, but we have to rest LJ. Much as we like the way you guys play and everything, LJ isn't going to play that Houston game. At least, she shouldn't. Strange how the Comets had the same chances to clinch as we had but they lost to Charlotte and now to Phoenix. The Phoenix game is understandable but the Comets had to beat Charlotte. On the other hand, the Storm faced a tougher road with Detroit first on their road schedule and the Storm won. It makes me prouder of all the Storm players. And, yes, Houston fans, the Storm have been bit by the injury bug as well. Other people on our team have just gritted their teeth and made it happen.
GO STORM!
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
The Detroit Thugs....Umm...I mean Shock
After recovering from that heart attack-inducing win by the Storm last night, I've decided to blog about something that's been bothering me. First of all, I'd like to clarify that I think that Detroit has excellent players. They're skilled and they are absolutely good basketball players. This post isn't going to say that Detroit has such a sucky team. In reality, they have an undeniably strong starting five and a pretty good bench as well.
Despite their talent, however, the Shock choose to play thuggish basketball. They give unexplainably hard fouls. Apart from this, they whine a lot about calls that don't go their way. Other players also argue a lot of calls, but the Shock team seems to think that they can commit no foul. Due to these two factors, while the Shock are a very good basketball team, they have become annoying to watch.
Last night, Cheryl Ford punches LJ in the back of the head (or neck or something) as LJ is going up for a shot. It wasn't an accidental little shove. It was a flagrant hit. She even gave LJ some kind of dagger stare after that. Please, Cheryl Ford. LJ could clock you if she wanted to. Luckily, LJ just kind of walked away from it, showing her maturity and class.
It was a completely uncalled for play and Detroit has been making these kind of plays all year, probably thanks in part to their imbecile coach Bill Laimbeer who seems to like it when fights erupt on the floor or when his players act like thugs.
I could have liked Detroit given all their talent, but the way they play the game just makes me sick. I think it takes away some of their credibility, which is sad considering how talented they are. Seriously, if you have that much talent, the best thing you can do is back up that talent with class. Not in the Shock's case.
Don't worry, Detroit fans, I think the Sparks may be more thuggish than your team is. But you guys are coming close now.
It's sad to think that the Shock could be called a superbly structured team, but all most people can talk about is their dirty play. Come on Shock, this isn't what the WNBA is all about. Get your act together.
Despite their talent, however, the Shock choose to play thuggish basketball. They give unexplainably hard fouls. Apart from this, they whine a lot about calls that don't go their way. Other players also argue a lot of calls, but the Shock team seems to think that they can commit no foul. Due to these two factors, while the Shock are a very good basketball team, they have become annoying to watch.
Last night, Cheryl Ford punches LJ in the back of the head (or neck or something) as LJ is going up for a shot. It wasn't an accidental little shove. It was a flagrant hit. She even gave LJ some kind of dagger stare after that. Please, Cheryl Ford. LJ could clock you if she wanted to. Luckily, LJ just kind of walked away from it, showing her maturity and class.
It was a completely uncalled for play and Detroit has been making these kind of plays all year, probably thanks in part to their imbecile coach Bill Laimbeer who seems to like it when fights erupt on the floor or when his players act like thugs.
I could have liked Detroit given all their talent, but the way they play the game just makes me sick. I think it takes away some of their credibility, which is sad considering how talented they are. Seriously, if you have that much talent, the best thing you can do is back up that talent with class. Not in the Shock's case.
Don't worry, Detroit fans, I think the Sparks may be more thuggish than your team is. But you guys are coming close now.
It's sad to think that the Shock could be called a superbly structured team, but all most people can talk about is their dirty play. Come on Shock, this isn't what the WNBA is all about. Get your act together.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
Seattle Storm vs. Detroit Shock
Storm- 81
Shock- 79
I'm too tired to write anything of substance tonight but I'm afraid I'll forget some important stuff to write tomorrow.
This game was very strange from all different aspects. It wore me out, definitely.
1.) This win sealed it for us. We are now in the playoffs! Yes!!! GO STORM!!! In other news, Houston lost tonight so we are now in third place.....hmmm....Sacramento in the first round? Phoenix is still clinging on though because they're handily beating the Lynx as I write this. Doesn't matter to me anymore. Storm are in! Storm are in!
2.) I said in my other blog that I doubted the Storm could win over the Shock. I apologize profusely to the Storm players and staff.
The Storm took a huge lead into the half (22 points) on the shoulders of excellent play by Sue Bird (20 points and 6 three pointers). There were some awesome passes by everyone, which was excellent to see. I was thrilled at the end of the half but I was also praying that the Storm can keep it together against a very offensively dangerous Detroit team.
I guess it was a self-fulfilling prophecy because the Storm played like crap in the third quarter. The Shock beat us by 14 points in that quarter. What made it even worse was that it was just a neverending barrage of points. We couldn't do anything right and the Shock were doing everything right. The refs were also on the Shock's side, which didn't make me a happy camper. Seriously, crappy reffing at times in that game.
In the fourth quarter, the Shock take a one point lead on a three pointer by Katie Smith. By this time, I was practically tearing my hair out. Luckily, in a game saving move, Sue Bird takes a free-throw line jumper and hits, giving us the slim one point lead again.
Back and forth basketball, back and forth basketball. In the end, we were tied with about 21 seconds left. The shot clock was down to 17 seconds and the Storm had possession. Things seriously didn't look good offensively. I give credit to the Shock on this possession. They played solid defense that had me cringing because I couldn't see how we could get a shot up. Lauren Jackson gets the ball, turns to face the basket. Ruth Riley is on her like a blanket. Lauren goes up, does some crazy kind of acrobatic thing in the air, puts it up....AND THE BASKET COUNTS!!!! Holy ****!!!! Lauren Jackson!!! Most amazing shot I've seen. LJ is just too good. Can this Storm fan love her any more than she does right now? I don't think so. There was this cute moment when LJ made that shot, she kinda jogged towards the halfcourt line and Sue just jumps on her and hugs her. Cute, but I was just wondering if that was a good idea with LJ's shins and feet and everything basically injured. Nevertheless, it's a Storm highlight in my mind.
Ten seconds left, Shock take a shot, someone rebounds (can't remember, too ecstatic) and the clock runs out.
Whew...whew...whew...
Okay, this game can be seen from a positive or a negative perspective.
Positive: Hell, we weren't supposed to win this game and we did. Detroit is a tough team. We also won another close game. This is extremely important down the line. Confidence is key to winning those big playoff games.
Negative: How the f**k did the Storm let a 22 point lead dwindle like that. They need better focus. If they had taken care of business in the third quarter (and I mean little things like quality shots and less turnovers), their starters could have gotten a rest and the bench could have gotten quality time. LJ had to play 31.30 minutes in this game just for us to win. I can just see Jan Stirling steaming up over this.
Since we won, I guess I really can't question Anne Donovan's coaching. There was just this point in the third quarter where Detroit had so much momentum going their way. AD never called a timeout. I firmly believed a time out at any time during that run (17-1 according to someone on stormfans.org), would have helped us out. I wonder why she didn't take it. Obviously, I would have angrily been wondering if we had lost that game. I also wondered for a bit why LJ was sitting during a crucial stretch in the fourth quarter, but I found out that she had played too muc already. Kudos to Anne for not overplaying LJ and playing her when it mattered most. 31 and a half minutes is more than the required 30 but it wasn't too much.
Stat time
Sue Bird-- 24 points, 5 steals, 3 assists, 5 rebounds
Betty Lennox-- 12 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds
Lauren Jackson-- 18 points, 5 blocks, 3 rebounds
Iziane Castro-Marques-- 9 points, 3 rebounds
Janell Burse-- 5 points, 2 blocks, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Tiffani Johnson-- 6 points, 5 rebounds
Tanisha Wright--5 points
Barb Turner-- 2 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds
Now we can finally rest LJ before the playoffs and allow her to get healthy again.
Again, THE STORM ARE IN! THE STORM ARE IN!
Next game is against San Antonio. I can't even remember when right now...the game made me too exhausted.
Edit---The San Antonio game is Thursday at 8:00 PM Eastern. You can listen to it online at kjram.com
GO STORM!
Shock- 79
I'm too tired to write anything of substance tonight but I'm afraid I'll forget some important stuff to write tomorrow.
This game was very strange from all different aspects. It wore me out, definitely.
1.) This win sealed it for us. We are now in the playoffs! Yes!!! GO STORM!!! In other news, Houston lost tonight so we are now in third place.....hmmm....Sacramento in the first round? Phoenix is still clinging on though because they're handily beating the Lynx as I write this. Doesn't matter to me anymore. Storm are in! Storm are in!
2.) I said in my other blog that I doubted the Storm could win over the Shock. I apologize profusely to the Storm players and staff.
The Storm took a huge lead into the half (22 points) on the shoulders of excellent play by Sue Bird (20 points and 6 three pointers). There were some awesome passes by everyone, which was excellent to see. I was thrilled at the end of the half but I was also praying that the Storm can keep it together against a very offensively dangerous Detroit team.
I guess it was a self-fulfilling prophecy because the Storm played like crap in the third quarter. The Shock beat us by 14 points in that quarter. What made it even worse was that it was just a neverending barrage of points. We couldn't do anything right and the Shock were doing everything right. The refs were also on the Shock's side, which didn't make me a happy camper. Seriously, crappy reffing at times in that game.
In the fourth quarter, the Shock take a one point lead on a three pointer by Katie Smith. By this time, I was practically tearing my hair out. Luckily, in a game saving move, Sue Bird takes a free-throw line jumper and hits, giving us the slim one point lead again.
Back and forth basketball, back and forth basketball. In the end, we were tied with about 21 seconds left. The shot clock was down to 17 seconds and the Storm had possession. Things seriously didn't look good offensively. I give credit to the Shock on this possession. They played solid defense that had me cringing because I couldn't see how we could get a shot up. Lauren Jackson gets the ball, turns to face the basket. Ruth Riley is on her like a blanket. Lauren goes up, does some crazy kind of acrobatic thing in the air, puts it up....AND THE BASKET COUNTS!!!! Holy ****!!!! Lauren Jackson!!! Most amazing shot I've seen. LJ is just too good. Can this Storm fan love her any more than she does right now? I don't think so. There was this cute moment when LJ made that shot, she kinda jogged towards the halfcourt line and Sue just jumps on her and hugs her. Cute, but I was just wondering if that was a good idea with LJ's shins and feet and everything basically injured. Nevertheless, it's a Storm highlight in my mind.
Ten seconds left, Shock take a shot, someone rebounds (can't remember, too ecstatic) and the clock runs out.
Whew...whew...whew...
Okay, this game can be seen from a positive or a negative perspective.
Positive: Hell, we weren't supposed to win this game and we did. Detroit is a tough team. We also won another close game. This is extremely important down the line. Confidence is key to winning those big playoff games.
Negative: How the f**k did the Storm let a 22 point lead dwindle like that. They need better focus. If they had taken care of business in the third quarter (and I mean little things like quality shots and less turnovers), their starters could have gotten a rest and the bench could have gotten quality time. LJ had to play 31.30 minutes in this game just for us to win. I can just see Jan Stirling steaming up over this.
Since we won, I guess I really can't question Anne Donovan's coaching. There was just this point in the third quarter where Detroit had so much momentum going their way. AD never called a timeout. I firmly believed a time out at any time during that run (17-1 according to someone on stormfans.org), would have helped us out. I wonder why she didn't take it. Obviously, I would have angrily been wondering if we had lost that game. I also wondered for a bit why LJ was sitting during a crucial stretch in the fourth quarter, but I found out that she had played too muc already. Kudos to Anne for not overplaying LJ and playing her when it mattered most. 31 and a half minutes is more than the required 30 but it wasn't too much.
Stat time
Sue Bird-- 24 points, 5 steals, 3 assists, 5 rebounds
Betty Lennox-- 12 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds
Lauren Jackson-- 18 points, 5 blocks, 3 rebounds
Iziane Castro-Marques-- 9 points, 3 rebounds
Janell Burse-- 5 points, 2 blocks, 5 rebounds, 3 assists
Tiffani Johnson-- 6 points, 5 rebounds
Tanisha Wright--5 points
Barb Turner-- 2 points, 2 assists, 2 rebounds
Now we can finally rest LJ before the playoffs and allow her to get healthy again.
Again, THE STORM ARE IN! THE STORM ARE IN!
Next game is against San Antonio. I can't even remember when right now...the game made me too exhausted.
Edit---The San Antonio game is Thursday at 8:00 PM Eastern. You can listen to it online at kjram.com
GO STORM!
Monday, August 07, 2006
The First Annual Stormy Awards
Ahhh....nothing like a good old-fashioned laugh to get the blood pumping again. If any of you are in need of a good laugh, here it is:
http://www.wnba.com/storm/community/stormy_award.html
I bring you, the First Annual Stormy Awards. Over the course of the season, the Storm have been making their players act out movie roles to play during time outs. The audience had to guess which movie they came from. Now, they've compiled all of these clips and give us the chance to vote for our favorite actress. This is really fun stuff too. It makes me love the players even more with their ability to "get into their roles." Hehe....or not for that matter. So go watch it for yourself and vote for your favorite.
I'm going to do my own little friendly critique here.
Izi and Wendy--A Few Good Men
This is pretty darn cool because I caught this at the Minnesota game when I was in Seattle. I loved it then and I love it now. Izi is absolutely priceless in this clip. She looked so darn serious, it was amazing. I'm convinced she had to internalize before filming that thing. I mean, I hardly see Izi without a smile and here she is getting so uppity and mad. Heh....classic. Wendy is the perfect compliment here and she pulled it off pretty well too. She seemed too smiley though, but really, how can you not smile while delivering such lines? But props go to both women here. This was the first Storm movie magic I saw and I fell in love with it. I'm so glad all of them are online so I can see them.
Sue Bird--Princess Bride
This clip is hilarious. Sue Bird gives it complete with the accent and everything. Sadly, I haven't seen this movie so I can't really compare. Haha. I am however, a bit biased in this situation. Of course a Sue Bird clip would grab me. So before I automatically clicked vote, I decided to check the others out first. Seriously, though, Sue totally got into this role and she managed to look serious about what she was doing and totally goofy at the same time.
Lauren Jackson--A League of Their Own
So our Aussie superstar gets to do a clip on baseball, which I'm pretty sure isn't very big Down Under. This has my vote for the funniest movie clip in the bunch. In fact, it has my vote for the funniest thing I've seen in quite a while. Yes, I know LJ is quite obviously cracking up when she says "there's no crying in baseball", which isn't exactly the greatest characterization out there. But the facial expression she is trying to keep on and the urgency with which she said her lines were incredible. When LJ first came to Seattle, she was just extremely shy and quiet. I love seeing her doing things like this now.
Betty Lennox--Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Betty seems to have the shortest part here, which kinda sucks for her. She doesn't get to show the depth of her acting skills (hehe). She did it really well, though. I think it was an excellent portrayal. The one thing going against Betty here is that it sounds like her in real life. I mean, I can imagine her saying stuff like that in that way. She's acting here, but I don't think it was too far from her personality. Now, if you'd shown me a Betty that is bawling her eyes out and being dramatic, then I'd be impressed. All I can see now is Betty looking just like Betty. Good acting, but they should have gotten her a part so shocking and so unlike her to get my vote.
Tanisha Wright--Forrest Gump
I love Forrest Gump. In fact, it used to be my favorite movie. Tanisha does an impressive job trying to copy Gump's voice. I heard the drawl in the end and everything. The only bad thing about this clip is that it lacked the "funny" factor. The Izi and Wendy, Sue and Lauren clips were all hilarious. While T had done a great job with what she was given, it just isn't as funny as it needed to be. You have to get a part that will grab people's attention and make them smile. In fact, you guys should have given this part to Betty and the Ace Ventura part to T. I would have loved to see T saying "aaalll righty then!" and Betty try to be all dramatic with this part. That would have been more attention grabbing.
Janell Burse--Snow White
Perfect role for JB. Ha, I have to congratulate the people at the Storm organization. While she might have had the same problem as Betty (too much like her real persona), it still worked out better. That's probably because I could never imagine JB talking to a mirror anyway. She sounded different, which is excellent. This means that she just didn't spout the lines off. I actually thought it was a pretty darn good acting job. However, as I've said earlier, I'm partial to funny clips...clips that made me giggle. This one made me smile and give a little "hehe", but it didn't make me bust out.
In the end, I love what the Storm office has done with this. I've seen fans of other teams vote on these and I just think its a fantastic idea. It's fun and it shows our players doing goofy things. It's a fun site after seeing them battle on the court night in and night out with their game faces on. Thank you, once again, to the Storm organization for making this the best team to cheer for.
GO STORM!
And congratulations to whoever wins the Stormy Awards. (I've always thought Stormy should be spelled Stormie...I don't know...)
http://www.wnba.com/storm/community/stormy_award.html
I bring you, the First Annual Stormy Awards. Over the course of the season, the Storm have been making their players act out movie roles to play during time outs. The audience had to guess which movie they came from. Now, they've compiled all of these clips and give us the chance to vote for our favorite actress. This is really fun stuff too. It makes me love the players even more with their ability to "get into their roles." Hehe....or not for that matter. So go watch it for yourself and vote for your favorite.
I'm going to do my own little friendly critique here.
Izi and Wendy--A Few Good Men
This is pretty darn cool because I caught this at the Minnesota game when I was in Seattle. I loved it then and I love it now. Izi is absolutely priceless in this clip. She looked so darn serious, it was amazing. I'm convinced she had to internalize before filming that thing. I mean, I hardly see Izi without a smile and here she is getting so uppity and mad. Heh....classic. Wendy is the perfect compliment here and she pulled it off pretty well too. She seemed too smiley though, but really, how can you not smile while delivering such lines? But props go to both women here. This was the first Storm movie magic I saw and I fell in love with it. I'm so glad all of them are online so I can see them.
Sue Bird--Princess Bride
This clip is hilarious. Sue Bird gives it complete with the accent and everything. Sadly, I haven't seen this movie so I can't really compare. Haha. I am however, a bit biased in this situation. Of course a Sue Bird clip would grab me. So before I automatically clicked vote, I decided to check the others out first. Seriously, though, Sue totally got into this role and she managed to look serious about what she was doing and totally goofy at the same time.
Lauren Jackson--A League of Their Own
So our Aussie superstar gets to do a clip on baseball, which I'm pretty sure isn't very big Down Under. This has my vote for the funniest movie clip in the bunch. In fact, it has my vote for the funniest thing I've seen in quite a while. Yes, I know LJ is quite obviously cracking up when she says "there's no crying in baseball", which isn't exactly the greatest characterization out there. But the facial expression she is trying to keep on and the urgency with which she said her lines were incredible. When LJ first came to Seattle, she was just extremely shy and quiet. I love seeing her doing things like this now.
Betty Lennox--Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
Betty seems to have the shortest part here, which kinda sucks for her. She doesn't get to show the depth of her acting skills (hehe). She did it really well, though. I think it was an excellent portrayal. The one thing going against Betty here is that it sounds like her in real life. I mean, I can imagine her saying stuff like that in that way. She's acting here, but I don't think it was too far from her personality. Now, if you'd shown me a Betty that is bawling her eyes out and being dramatic, then I'd be impressed. All I can see now is Betty looking just like Betty. Good acting, but they should have gotten her a part so shocking and so unlike her to get my vote.
Tanisha Wright--Forrest Gump
I love Forrest Gump. In fact, it used to be my favorite movie. Tanisha does an impressive job trying to copy Gump's voice. I heard the drawl in the end and everything. The only bad thing about this clip is that it lacked the "funny" factor. The Izi and Wendy, Sue and Lauren clips were all hilarious. While T had done a great job with what she was given, it just isn't as funny as it needed to be. You have to get a part that will grab people's attention and make them smile. In fact, you guys should have given this part to Betty and the Ace Ventura part to T. I would have loved to see T saying "aaalll righty then!" and Betty try to be all dramatic with this part. That would have been more attention grabbing.
Janell Burse--Snow White
Perfect role for JB. Ha, I have to congratulate the people at the Storm organization. While she might have had the same problem as Betty (too much like her real persona), it still worked out better. That's probably because I could never imagine JB talking to a mirror anyway. She sounded different, which is excellent. This means that she just didn't spout the lines off. I actually thought it was a pretty darn good acting job. However, as I've said earlier, I'm partial to funny clips...clips that made me giggle. This one made me smile and give a little "hehe", but it didn't make me bust out.
In the end, I love what the Storm office has done with this. I've seen fans of other teams vote on these and I just think its a fantastic idea. It's fun and it shows our players doing goofy things. It's a fun site after seeing them battle on the court night in and night out with their game faces on. Thank you, once again, to the Storm organization for making this the best team to cheer for.
GO STORM!
And congratulations to whoever wins the Stormy Awards. (I've always thought Stormy should be spelled Stormie...I don't know...)
Blue Jays FINALLY start a win streak
After a gruelling road trip that basically ended the chance we had at keeping up with the Yankees and the Red Sox, the Jays promptly lose the next two games at home against the White Sox, before winning their last game with them and the next game against the Baltimore Orioles. So, that's 2 wins in a row now. In the past 10 games, they've gone 3-7.
The Jays are a vastly improved club from last year, but they still don't seem to be getting that winning mentality. They were in a good spot when they left on that killer road trip with Boston faltering and the Yankees were only a few games ahead of us. This is where all the offseason acquisitions and peppering up of the offense of the club should have taken charge and should have led a push towards the postseason. I'm not even saying that we could have surpassed the Yankees or the Red Sox at this point. All we needed was a legitimate push towards the playoffs. Surprisingly, the thing that failed the Jays the most during that trip was the offense, something that was vastly improved in the offseason.
The Jays are fourth now in the wildcard race and faltering. We need to win the next few games against Baltimore. No more season splits. After Baltimore, they face the Minnesota Twins who are ahead of them in the wildcard race. This is going to be interesting because the Twins are a very good team. I'm a Joe Mauer fan myself. In fact, I have him on my team on my PS2 baseball game. After the Twins come Tampa Bay and the next few series should be easy. My point is that I'm going to hinge what happens in the final stretch of the season on the Twins series. Make it my make or break series. If they can win the series, show me their intensity and their sense of urgency, I'll find renewed hope for the season. If they can't, then I believe that they have no chance.
The Jays are a vastly improved club from last year, but they still don't seem to be getting that winning mentality. They were in a good spot when they left on that killer road trip with Boston faltering and the Yankees were only a few games ahead of us. This is where all the offseason acquisitions and peppering up of the offense of the club should have taken charge and should have led a push towards the postseason. I'm not even saying that we could have surpassed the Yankees or the Red Sox at this point. All we needed was a legitimate push towards the playoffs. Surprisingly, the thing that failed the Jays the most during that trip was the offense, something that was vastly improved in the offseason.
The Jays are fourth now in the wildcard race and faltering. We need to win the next few games against Baltimore. No more season splits. After Baltimore, they face the Minnesota Twins who are ahead of them in the wildcard race. This is going to be interesting because the Twins are a very good team. I'm a Joe Mauer fan myself. In fact, I have him on my team on my PS2 baseball game. After the Twins come Tampa Bay and the next few series should be easy. My point is that I'm going to hinge what happens in the final stretch of the season on the Twins series. Make it my make or break series. If they can win the series, show me their intensity and their sense of urgency, I'll find renewed hope for the season. If they can't, then I believe that they have no chance.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Janell Burse needs to stay a Storm Player
Okay, I'm writing this blog because all of a sudden, it has come to everyone's attention that JB is indeed a free agent by the end of this year. Crap. Crap. Crap.
As a Storm fan, I've watched players that I love walk away for higher salaries and more playing time. Just after we won the championship, we lost three important players. Tully Bevilaqua left for more money and a starting position in Indiana. That one stung probably the most, but it was understandable. If you were her and you had a chance to start instead of backing up Sue Bird, you'd take it too. Still stings though everytime I see her name on the Fever roster. Kamila Vodichkova, our starting center at that point, left for Phoenix. This one confused me quite a bit because Kamila was starting already for us so it had to be that she was just paid more in Phoenix. Kamila had been there since the beginning of the Storm, so when she left, it was heartbreaking. I guess the blow was softened by the development of JB as a crazy good center. Sheri Sam left for Charlotte, and, although it was still a sad moment, I wasn't as affected by it as with the rest. Take note this happened in one freaking offseason so they all kinda compounded each other.
Well, I survived through that and survived through that 2005 season after such huge losses. I've learned to love everyone after that that has put on a Storm uniform. However, this time, it's different. Simply put, the Seattle Storm cannot lose Janell Burse.
When JB first came to the Storm, she wasn't very good. Under the tutelage of Anne Donovan and hard work on her part, she has now emerged as one of the premier centers in the league. Now, Storm fans have cheered her and her development on. If she gets away, we'd have to wait for Ashley Robinson or someone else to develop just like she has. Seriously. I cannot handle another project center.
If JB goes, everything changes for the worst.
1.) LJ won't have anyone in the paint with her to take pressure off her a bit.
2.) When LJ is on the bench, Sue and the other grounds have to pass it to posts that, seriously, at this point, cannot handle any kind of pass. JB can.
3.) We lose about 12 points and 7 rebounds a game. Those stats really lie. It seems more and more like she gets about 15 points and 10 rebounds a game.
4.) There will be an increase in the number of turnovers (because, as I've said Tiffani Johnson and Ashley Robinson still can't handle passes) and a decrease in the number of second chance points.
5.) There will be more ticky tacky fouls in the post when LJ goes to the bench because Tiff and Ashley (and I love them, really) seem to just foul when they try to defend...or they let them have an easy basket. JB can at least defend without giving up a foul.
See, the thing is, I'm a big fan of A-Rob and even Tiff Johnson is kinda growing on me (I love everyone in a Storm uniform,so....). However, neither of them can start at this point. A-Rob MAY develop into another great post, but that's not guaranteed and I don't know if I can sit through another uncertain year. We have Wendy Palmer next year too, which is great, but it doesn't diminish our need for JB. Imagine if we had LJ, JB and a healthy Wendy Palmer off the bench??? That would be insanely good.
Finally, the fact of the matter is, Janell Burse has been a part of the Storm since I became a Storm fan and if she leaves, it will just be like another part of me has died. The part that sits beside the places vacated by the losses of Tully, Kamila and Sheri. Frankly, it would be devastating.
So, Anne Donovan, if you're reading this blog, please please please just offer JB a maximum contract. Trust me, other teams are very interested in taking her, so the sooner you can get her signed, the better. Betty Lennox, I hear you and JB are best friends. Please please please talk her into staying with the Storm. And JB, please please please stay in Seattle. We promise we'll be loyal to you if you're loyal to us. That means we'll cheer you on again every step of the way as you become even better and better.
As a Storm fan, I've watched players that I love walk away for higher salaries and more playing time. Just after we won the championship, we lost three important players. Tully Bevilaqua left for more money and a starting position in Indiana. That one stung probably the most, but it was understandable. If you were her and you had a chance to start instead of backing up Sue Bird, you'd take it too. Still stings though everytime I see her name on the Fever roster. Kamila Vodichkova, our starting center at that point, left for Phoenix. This one confused me quite a bit because Kamila was starting already for us so it had to be that she was just paid more in Phoenix. Kamila had been there since the beginning of the Storm, so when she left, it was heartbreaking. I guess the blow was softened by the development of JB as a crazy good center. Sheri Sam left for Charlotte, and, although it was still a sad moment, I wasn't as affected by it as with the rest. Take note this happened in one freaking offseason so they all kinda compounded each other.
Well, I survived through that and survived through that 2005 season after such huge losses. I've learned to love everyone after that that has put on a Storm uniform. However, this time, it's different. Simply put, the Seattle Storm cannot lose Janell Burse.
When JB first came to the Storm, she wasn't very good. Under the tutelage of Anne Donovan and hard work on her part, she has now emerged as one of the premier centers in the league. Now, Storm fans have cheered her and her development on. If she gets away, we'd have to wait for Ashley Robinson or someone else to develop just like she has. Seriously. I cannot handle another project center.
If JB goes, everything changes for the worst.
1.) LJ won't have anyone in the paint with her to take pressure off her a bit.
2.) When LJ is on the bench, Sue and the other grounds have to pass it to posts that, seriously, at this point, cannot handle any kind of pass. JB can.
3.) We lose about 12 points and 7 rebounds a game. Those stats really lie. It seems more and more like she gets about 15 points and 10 rebounds a game.
4.) There will be an increase in the number of turnovers (because, as I've said Tiffani Johnson and Ashley Robinson still can't handle passes) and a decrease in the number of second chance points.
5.) There will be more ticky tacky fouls in the post when LJ goes to the bench because Tiff and Ashley (and I love them, really) seem to just foul when they try to defend...or they let them have an easy basket. JB can at least defend without giving up a foul.
See, the thing is, I'm a big fan of A-Rob and even Tiff Johnson is kinda growing on me (I love everyone in a Storm uniform,so....). However, neither of them can start at this point. A-Rob MAY develop into another great post, but that's not guaranteed and I don't know if I can sit through another uncertain year. We have Wendy Palmer next year too, which is great, but it doesn't diminish our need for JB. Imagine if we had LJ, JB and a healthy Wendy Palmer off the bench??? That would be insanely good.
Finally, the fact of the matter is, Janell Burse has been a part of the Storm since I became a Storm fan and if she leaves, it will just be like another part of me has died. The part that sits beside the places vacated by the losses of Tully, Kamila and Sheri. Frankly, it would be devastating.
So, Anne Donovan, if you're reading this blog, please please please just offer JB a maximum contract. Trust me, other teams are very interested in taking her, so the sooner you can get her signed, the better. Betty Lennox, I hear you and JB are best friends. Please please please talk her into staying with the Storm. And JB, please please please stay in Seattle. We promise we'll be loyal to you if you're loyal to us. That means we'll cheer you on again every step of the way as you become even better and better.
Seattle Storm vs. Charlotte Sting
Storm- 87
Sting- 81
Yes!!!
Before I go into the game, I'd like to discuss the playoff picture for the Storm. The Storm have finished with a winning record at home (thank God) and now they only need to win one of their final three games to clinch a playoff spot. It's actually a lot harder than it sounds. The remaining road games are against Detroit, San Antonio and Houston. I would love to beat Detroit, but I just don't know if we can do it. The next game, San Antonio, is a winnable game. However, they did beat us at the Key this year. They're also playing for pride now as they are out of the playoffs and teams like these are dangerous. In my opinion, we HAVE to win this game. Houston has been in our heads since they beat us twice at home in the playoffs last year. On the other hand, they're probably more injured than the Storm are now. If we can't beat Detroit or San Antonio (shudder), then we might have a chance at beating Houston, although I certainly wouldn't put any money on it.
On the other hand, Phoenix, that pesky team that still has a chance to oust us, has a much easier schedule. Minnesota, Houston, San Antonio and Sacramento. Minnesota? Good as done. Phoenix is going to beat them. Houston, I'm not too sure but given their injuries and the fact that they are a pretty old lineup, I think that Phoenix could pull this off. San Antonio might be able to beat Phoenix but what I'm really clinging to right now is the Sacramento Monarchs. Please please please play like you want to win that game and don't rest your starters. Oh please, please, please. I will forever be indebted to the Monarchs organization if they do this.
A loss by Phoenix or a win by Seattle seals our playoff spot. Simple as that. I wish we still had some cellar dweller teams on our schedule, but we don't and it seems to me that this is really the time that the entire team has to just pound on to get that one win.
The Game
While listening to the game, I found myself not really concentrating on the game as much as I should have. I found myself just listening to the crowd's cheers and their intensity. It was awesome. It felt kind of sad that this is the last home game for this year and next year is a completely different situation. By that time, will we have a clearer idea of what will happen to the Storm or will things still remain in limbo? If we do have a clearer idea, will it be what I want or will it be something I will hate? The uncertainty is killing me, really, and it made last night's game more important. It made that game right before Sacramento (when the teams were sold) even more important as well. I feel for the fans in Seattle. I can personally follow any other team in the league if I wanted to without a problem. It would be the same as supporting the Storm from afar, although I'd hate it. I don't go to games and they haven't become a part of my life (except listening to them). For those that have gone to games for the past seven years, have gone to STH events and all, what will it be like for them to have the team leave? If I'm so affected by it from afar, how much more must it suck for them? These kinds of thoughts really kind of dampened my listening experience, but I did manage to stick around for the whole game.
It was a pretty sloppy game. There were a lot of turnovers that were cringe-worthy. According to David Locke, Charlotte overplays and is one of the best at forcing turnovers. I have to admit, I wasn't aware of that, but by the middle of the night, I was more aware of it than ever. It really didn't feel like we were going to lose the game. On the other hand, it didn't feel like a game we comfortably won. I wasn't at the game, but from what I heard, some possessions were just forced and ugly. On the bright side, we still won that game and if we can win a game with 24 turnovers, then I really like our chances in any game when we actually take better care of the ball.
Betty Lennox has returned, thankfully, posting 22 points for us and really just dominating the first quarter of that game. If Betty keeps this up, we're going to be just fine in the playoffs. I also don't think she was forcing her shots too much in the game, as opposed to previous games. I heard plays when she'd drive, have nowhere to go and kick out to someone to reset or to try and find a hole. Yes!!! That is possibly the best news I've heard all day.
Lauren Jackson 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocked shots and 3 assists. MVP! MVP! I'm not actually sure if they managed to get an MVP chant going at the Key yesterday, but I sure as hell was cheering it over here.
Janell Burse!!! 23 points and 12 rebounds for JB! She's possibly the most important piece of the puzzle right now. LJ's always injured in some area or the other and gets double and tripled team practically every play. What's happening this year and even parts of last year is that LJ is able to pass the ball to JB and JB is able to score. Apart from this, JB is a monster rebounder, usually going up to get shots she misses. Bad news: JB is a free agent at the end of this year. I'll talk about it more in my next entry, but PLEASE, for the love of God, Anne Donovan, please get her a maximum contract. She cannot be in another uniform next year.
Nice play from Izi although she only scored eight points this time. I think she's got her groove back and this is key as well in the playoffs. Sue only had 4 points. She didn't really have a great game but, hey, the team won anyway, so if Sue lights it up at any time during the playoffs, watch out. Barbara Turner finally got a basket after not scoring for four games, I think. Edwige hit her two shots. I actually really really like Edwige Lawson-Wade. I think she might just be the answer to our prayers for an adequate backup point.
Good game, great crowd. Now if the Storm can just win one more game, we're on to the playoffs!!
GO STORM!!
Sting- 81
Yes!!!
Before I go into the game, I'd like to discuss the playoff picture for the Storm. The Storm have finished with a winning record at home (thank God) and now they only need to win one of their final three games to clinch a playoff spot. It's actually a lot harder than it sounds. The remaining road games are against Detroit, San Antonio and Houston. I would love to beat Detroit, but I just don't know if we can do it. The next game, San Antonio, is a winnable game. However, they did beat us at the Key this year. They're also playing for pride now as they are out of the playoffs and teams like these are dangerous. In my opinion, we HAVE to win this game. Houston has been in our heads since they beat us twice at home in the playoffs last year. On the other hand, they're probably more injured than the Storm are now. If we can't beat Detroit or San Antonio (shudder), then we might have a chance at beating Houston, although I certainly wouldn't put any money on it.
On the other hand, Phoenix, that pesky team that still has a chance to oust us, has a much easier schedule. Minnesota, Houston, San Antonio and Sacramento. Minnesota? Good as done. Phoenix is going to beat them. Houston, I'm not too sure but given their injuries and the fact that they are a pretty old lineup, I think that Phoenix could pull this off. San Antonio might be able to beat Phoenix but what I'm really clinging to right now is the Sacramento Monarchs. Please please please play like you want to win that game and don't rest your starters. Oh please, please, please. I will forever be indebted to the Monarchs organization if they do this.
A loss by Phoenix or a win by Seattle seals our playoff spot. Simple as that. I wish we still had some cellar dweller teams on our schedule, but we don't and it seems to me that this is really the time that the entire team has to just pound on to get that one win.
The Game
While listening to the game, I found myself not really concentrating on the game as much as I should have. I found myself just listening to the crowd's cheers and their intensity. It was awesome. It felt kind of sad that this is the last home game for this year and next year is a completely different situation. By that time, will we have a clearer idea of what will happen to the Storm or will things still remain in limbo? If we do have a clearer idea, will it be what I want or will it be something I will hate? The uncertainty is killing me, really, and it made last night's game more important. It made that game right before Sacramento (when the teams were sold) even more important as well. I feel for the fans in Seattle. I can personally follow any other team in the league if I wanted to without a problem. It would be the same as supporting the Storm from afar, although I'd hate it. I don't go to games and they haven't become a part of my life (except listening to them). For those that have gone to games for the past seven years, have gone to STH events and all, what will it be like for them to have the team leave? If I'm so affected by it from afar, how much more must it suck for them? These kinds of thoughts really kind of dampened my listening experience, but I did manage to stick around for the whole game.
It was a pretty sloppy game. There were a lot of turnovers that were cringe-worthy. According to David Locke, Charlotte overplays and is one of the best at forcing turnovers. I have to admit, I wasn't aware of that, but by the middle of the night, I was more aware of it than ever. It really didn't feel like we were going to lose the game. On the other hand, it didn't feel like a game we comfortably won. I wasn't at the game, but from what I heard, some possessions were just forced and ugly. On the bright side, we still won that game and if we can win a game with 24 turnovers, then I really like our chances in any game when we actually take better care of the ball.
Betty Lennox has returned, thankfully, posting 22 points for us and really just dominating the first quarter of that game. If Betty keeps this up, we're going to be just fine in the playoffs. I also don't think she was forcing her shots too much in the game, as opposed to previous games. I heard plays when she'd drive, have nowhere to go and kick out to someone to reset or to try and find a hole. Yes!!! That is possibly the best news I've heard all day.
Lauren Jackson 20 points, 11 rebounds, 2 blocked shots and 3 assists. MVP! MVP! I'm not actually sure if they managed to get an MVP chant going at the Key yesterday, but I sure as hell was cheering it over here.
Janell Burse!!! 23 points and 12 rebounds for JB! She's possibly the most important piece of the puzzle right now. LJ's always injured in some area or the other and gets double and tripled team practically every play. What's happening this year and even parts of last year is that LJ is able to pass the ball to JB and JB is able to score. Apart from this, JB is a monster rebounder, usually going up to get shots she misses. Bad news: JB is a free agent at the end of this year. I'll talk about it more in my next entry, but PLEASE, for the love of God, Anne Donovan, please get her a maximum contract. She cannot be in another uniform next year.
Nice play from Izi although she only scored eight points this time. I think she's got her groove back and this is key as well in the playoffs. Sue only had 4 points. She didn't really have a great game but, hey, the team won anyway, so if Sue lights it up at any time during the playoffs, watch out. Barbara Turner finally got a basket after not scoring for four games, I think. Edwige hit her two shots. I actually really really like Edwige Lawson-Wade. I think she might just be the answer to our prayers for an adequate backup point.
Good game, great crowd. Now if the Storm can just win one more game, we're on to the playoffs!!
GO STORM!!
Friday, August 04, 2006
My Pick for Dumbest Statement of the Week
I was browsing through Jayda Evans' blog online about the Storm and on the comments page of one of her entries, someone said that Lauren Jackson can't play defense and is the dirtiest player in the WNBA. Stand up now and clap for the biggest load of crap I've seen all year.
I'll address both issues. The first one, apparently, is about how she doesn't know how to play defense. Obviously the person who posted this has not seen a Storm game. If she/he had, she/he would realize that LJ blocks shots to a tune of 1.52 blocks a game, which is fifth in the league. An amazing feat considering she's doing it in thirty minutes and it's not like she can cleanly jump off the ground with her shin splints. Again in limited play, her rebounding is incredible. I'm counting this as a defensive trait because it limits the other team's second chance points and gives the Storm more chances to score. LJ has 7.9 rebounds a game. Apart from this, LJ is always in the middle of the lane affecting the shots of the other team. She doesn't always get the stat for the block, but she certainly has something to do with it. Quoting David Locke, LJ "stonewalls" the players driving through the lane. To say that she doesn't play defense well is preposterous and, frankly, makes me boiling mad. LJ gives everything out there offensively and she goes back to the other end of the floor and gives even more defensively. Don't knock LJ on that because, seriously, if you've seen a Storm game or listened to one over the radio, you'd know that that is a pile of bull. With all that she goes through for the team and with all that she has put herself through to play well on defense, she does not deserve this crap.
As for the other statement, calling LJ the dirtiest player in the league, I beg to disagree. It doesn't hurt that the person that the poster said she heard say this is Cheryl Ford, from a dirty-playing team, the Detroit Shock. LJ doesn't mug people like the Shock do or like the LA Sparks do. She doesn't take swings at them like Mwadi Mabika did against the Silverstars or Michelle Snow did right before the All-Star game. I won't even go into detail into all the crap the so-called role model of the WNBA, Lisa Leslie, pulls every single game. It's really no surprise she is booed in practically every arena she plays in. I was watching a game once and the announcers said that she gets booed because she is such a good player and so we pay attention to her. While she is a good player (ugh), I can guarantee that that isn't why people are booing. They're booing because of all the dirty play and unsportsmanlike conduct Lisa has been known for through the years. Lauren Jackson plays a physical game, I can admit that. But, by far, she is not the dirtiest player in the league. She isn't even close, in my opinion.
I'm extremely pissed off, especially because the person that wrote this comment has made some very negative statements in the past about Storm fans and about the Storm, while in the guise of being a Storm fan. The sheer lack of knowledge this person possesses leads me to believe that he/she is just a troll, someone trying to stir the pot because they have nothing better to do. I'd like to suggest that before stirring the pot, get your facts straight first and read up more on what you are saying.
I'm done ranting for now.
I'll address both issues. The first one, apparently, is about how she doesn't know how to play defense. Obviously the person who posted this has not seen a Storm game. If she/he had, she/he would realize that LJ blocks shots to a tune of 1.52 blocks a game, which is fifth in the league. An amazing feat considering she's doing it in thirty minutes and it's not like she can cleanly jump off the ground with her shin splints. Again in limited play, her rebounding is incredible. I'm counting this as a defensive trait because it limits the other team's second chance points and gives the Storm more chances to score. LJ has 7.9 rebounds a game. Apart from this, LJ is always in the middle of the lane affecting the shots of the other team. She doesn't always get the stat for the block, but she certainly has something to do with it. Quoting David Locke, LJ "stonewalls" the players driving through the lane. To say that she doesn't play defense well is preposterous and, frankly, makes me boiling mad. LJ gives everything out there offensively and she goes back to the other end of the floor and gives even more defensively. Don't knock LJ on that because, seriously, if you've seen a Storm game or listened to one over the radio, you'd know that that is a pile of bull. With all that she goes through for the team and with all that she has put herself through to play well on defense, she does not deserve this crap.
As for the other statement, calling LJ the dirtiest player in the league, I beg to disagree. It doesn't hurt that the person that the poster said she heard say this is Cheryl Ford, from a dirty-playing team, the Detroit Shock. LJ doesn't mug people like the Shock do or like the LA Sparks do. She doesn't take swings at them like Mwadi Mabika did against the Silverstars or Michelle Snow did right before the All-Star game. I won't even go into detail into all the crap the so-called role model of the WNBA, Lisa Leslie, pulls every single game. It's really no surprise she is booed in practically every arena she plays in. I was watching a game once and the announcers said that she gets booed because she is such a good player and so we pay attention to her. While she is a good player (ugh), I can guarantee that that isn't why people are booing. They're booing because of all the dirty play and unsportsmanlike conduct Lisa has been known for through the years. Lauren Jackson plays a physical game, I can admit that. But, by far, she is not the dirtiest player in the league. She isn't even close, in my opinion.
I'm extremely pissed off, especially because the person that wrote this comment has made some very negative statements in the past about Storm fans and about the Storm, while in the guise of being a Storm fan. The sheer lack of knowledge this person possesses leads me to believe that he/she is just a troll, someone trying to stir the pot because they have nothing better to do. I'd like to suggest that before stirring the pot, get your facts straight first and read up more on what you are saying.
I'm done ranting for now.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Seattle Storm vs. Washington Mystics
Storm- 86
Mystics- 78
Kindly excuse me as I get my heart to function normally again.
This was another close game that really kind of made me feel sick from the opening tip. Despite an early 12-1 run by the Storm, I still wasn't feeling very optimistic. Hopeful, yes. Sure enough, the Mystics caught up and by halftime they were up by 1 point. While the Mystics are a good team, I knew that the Storm were just better than them, which made me worried as to the halftime score. It wasn't just the halftime score that worried me though. I thought that Lauren Jackson had played a significant amount of minutes in the first half already, which must mean that she'd play less in the second half due to her limit of thirty minutes a game (Actually, I'm not sure how her minutes played out because the scoreboard thing on wnba.com wasn't exactly working for me).
If you guys aren't familiar with women's basketball, let me try to explain to you what this means. Lauren Jackson is, simply put, the best player currently playing and possibly the best player to ever play the game. Lauren Jackson wills the Storm to win most of the time. I forgot exactly what the stat is but it's something around a +166 rating for the Storm when she is on the court and a -88 when she is off the court. As such, limited play for LJ in the second half was not something I was particularly looking forward to.
The Storm played better in the second half and we managed to get a win. In fact, while I was worried at the beginning, I have to say that the Storm WON that game. They took it when they could and they secured a win. This ends a horrendous losing run at home, thankfully.
Big keys for the game and big stats for bigtime players.
Iziane Castro Marques had a fantastic night with 22 points and 2 steals. She shot 7 of 10 from the field. Apart from this, I think she was really the difference maker because she just kept making shots at the right time for the team.
Lauren Jackson had 27 points, 3 blocks, 2 steals and shot 13-13 from the free throw line. This was in only about 31 minutes with plantar fascitis and stress fractures on her shins. Seattle's extremely lucky to have such a gifted player with an even better attitude.
Janell Burse had 18 points and 6 rebounds. I'm SO happy JB is back. In fact, I'm ecstatic. When JB is in the game, it just feels like we have a much higher chance of winning. She shot 70% from the field as well. When I first saw JB starting in 2005 (preseason game in New York), I'll admit I wasn't too high on her. She just kept dropping too many passes that were in her hands already. MUCH IMPROVED. I used to cringe whenever they'd pass the ball to her in the paint. Since about the middle of last year, I'd feel confident with the ball in her hands. As much as she can score, the best thing about her is that she usually goes up and gets the rebound when she misses. Ridiculously good. I can't wait to see her completely healthy next season. She should be even better.
Sue Bird had 13 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals. This was an awesome overall game for Sue. She only had 1 turnover the whole game. Scary moment of the game: Sue gets popped in the nose. She immediately grabs at the nose and has to foul someone to get out of the game, still looking like she's going to cry and holding her nose. At this point, you could hear the arena let out a nervous gasp. I was screaming over here too. No more broken noses, please. She went back in the game a few moments later after determining that it wasn't broken and a relieved cheer rose from the crowd. I started thanking my lucky stars over here. After breaking her nose two seasons in a row (2004 and 2005), she was obviously very nervous and concerned about it. Storm fans like me are nervous as well. The last thing that the team can take right now is an injury to their floor leader. It would just break the season, in my opinion. I wonder if she can wear her mask just for sure without affecting her game too much. For some strange reason, she keeps getting hit in that general area a lot.
Bad spot of the night was that the bench just scored 2 points. Then again, they didn't shoot a low field goal percentage and they didn't commit a lot of turnovers. This means that they didn't really take bad shots or make errors. They just didn't get a lot of time but I think they still gave "quality" minutes, although I'd like to see them get more aggressive offensively when they are in. The two bench players I'd like to see more aggressive would be Barbara Turner and Edwige Lawson, particularly because I think that they can really do damage. BT can basically just power inside the lane when she wants. As For Edwige, she can take really nice jumpers from just within the three point line or from beyond it. I really think they can do it. It would be awesome to have both of them next year. I'm not sure about what the contract situation is but I feel confident in Edwige as our backup point. She's a smart player and she's a true point guard. What else can you really ask for? I might change my opinion depending on the offseason next year but as of now, I'd like to stick with Edwige.
Next game is the final home game vs. Charlotte on Saturday. It should be a packed Key Arena
Go STORM!!
Mystics- 78
Kindly excuse me as I get my heart to function normally again.
This was another close game that really kind of made me feel sick from the opening tip. Despite an early 12-1 run by the Storm, I still wasn't feeling very optimistic. Hopeful, yes. Sure enough, the Mystics caught up and by halftime they were up by 1 point. While the Mystics are a good team, I knew that the Storm were just better than them, which made me worried as to the halftime score. It wasn't just the halftime score that worried me though. I thought that Lauren Jackson had played a significant amount of minutes in the first half already, which must mean that she'd play less in the second half due to her limit of thirty minutes a game (Actually, I'm not sure how her minutes played out because the scoreboard thing on wnba.com wasn't exactly working for me).
If you guys aren't familiar with women's basketball, let me try to explain to you what this means. Lauren Jackson is, simply put, the best player currently playing and possibly the best player to ever play the game. Lauren Jackson wills the Storm to win most of the time. I forgot exactly what the stat is but it's something around a +166 rating for the Storm when she is on the court and a -88 when she is off the court. As such, limited play for LJ in the second half was not something I was particularly looking forward to.
The Storm played better in the second half and we managed to get a win. In fact, while I was worried at the beginning, I have to say that the Storm WON that game. They took it when they could and they secured a win. This ends a horrendous losing run at home, thankfully.
Big keys for the game and big stats for bigtime players.
Iziane Castro Marques had a fantastic night with 22 points and 2 steals. She shot 7 of 10 from the field. Apart from this, I think she was really the difference maker because she just kept making shots at the right time for the team.
Lauren Jackson had 27 points, 3 blocks, 2 steals and shot 13-13 from the free throw line. This was in only about 31 minutes with plantar fascitis and stress fractures on her shins. Seattle's extremely lucky to have such a gifted player with an even better attitude.
Janell Burse had 18 points and 6 rebounds. I'm SO happy JB is back. In fact, I'm ecstatic. When JB is in the game, it just feels like we have a much higher chance of winning. She shot 70% from the field as well. When I first saw JB starting in 2005 (preseason game in New York), I'll admit I wasn't too high on her. She just kept dropping too many passes that were in her hands already. MUCH IMPROVED. I used to cringe whenever they'd pass the ball to her in the paint. Since about the middle of last year, I'd feel confident with the ball in her hands. As much as she can score, the best thing about her is that she usually goes up and gets the rebound when she misses. Ridiculously good. I can't wait to see her completely healthy next season. She should be even better.
Sue Bird had 13 points, 8 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals. This was an awesome overall game for Sue. She only had 1 turnover the whole game. Scary moment of the game: Sue gets popped in the nose. She immediately grabs at the nose and has to foul someone to get out of the game, still looking like she's going to cry and holding her nose. At this point, you could hear the arena let out a nervous gasp. I was screaming over here too. No more broken noses, please. She went back in the game a few moments later after determining that it wasn't broken and a relieved cheer rose from the crowd. I started thanking my lucky stars over here. After breaking her nose two seasons in a row (2004 and 2005), she was obviously very nervous and concerned about it. Storm fans like me are nervous as well. The last thing that the team can take right now is an injury to their floor leader. It would just break the season, in my opinion. I wonder if she can wear her mask just for sure without affecting her game too much. For some strange reason, she keeps getting hit in that general area a lot.
Bad spot of the night was that the bench just scored 2 points. Then again, they didn't shoot a low field goal percentage and they didn't commit a lot of turnovers. This means that they didn't really take bad shots or make errors. They just didn't get a lot of time but I think they still gave "quality" minutes, although I'd like to see them get more aggressive offensively when they are in. The two bench players I'd like to see more aggressive would be Barbara Turner and Edwige Lawson, particularly because I think that they can really do damage. BT can basically just power inside the lane when she wants. As For Edwige, she can take really nice jumpers from just within the three point line or from beyond it. I really think they can do it. It would be awesome to have both of them next year. I'm not sure about what the contract situation is but I feel confident in Edwige as our backup point. She's a smart player and she's a true point guard. What else can you really ask for? I might change my opinion depending on the offseason next year but as of now, I'd like to stick with Edwige.
Next game is the final home game vs. Charlotte on Saturday. It should be a packed Key Arena
Go STORM!!
USA team to Practice at Duke
How cool is this. Duke is my favourite college team and the USA team will practice there come September. Even cooler is that they will play an exhibition game against Australia at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Technically, if I go (crossing my fingers), I get to do three things I would absolutely die to do.
1.) I get to cheer on the US team with Birdy, Anne Donovan and Gail Goestenkors there.
2.) I get to cheer for the Australian team with Lauren Jackson. Heck, maybe I'd even wear my #15 jersey just to show her some love in NC.
3.) I get to see the Duke campus and the arena where they play. I love the Blue Devils, particularly Lindsey Harding and Abby Waner (I have a thing for guards), which I probably would never be able to do given that I have school and stuff when they play there.
It seems perfect. Heck, it is perfect. Unfortunately, there are a few things going against me here.
1.) It's frosh week at the University of Toronto. I'm not sure I want to skip the final two days of Frosh week to go to North Carolina to cheer at an exhibition game. I could, definitely, but then I'd waste the money I put in for the entire week of activities at the U of T.
2.) Money...Money...Money...Plane tickets aren't cheap, especially considering I'm only going to be there for about two days or something. I mean, I have to see which one I'd rather do. I could do this or I could save up money to purchase those season tickets next year.
3.) I hate airports. I don't even want to think about the hassle of going through those long lines with my Philippine passport. The last time I traveled to watch a basketball game, the guy behind the desk was glaring at me suspiciously because he couldn't believe I'd fly to Seattle just to catch a basketball game. Yeah, they'd be even less likely to believe I'm a Filipino living in Canada wanting to travel to the US to catch the US team in an exhibition game against Australia....Sure....
1.) I get to cheer on the US team with Birdy, Anne Donovan and Gail Goestenkors there.
2.) I get to cheer for the Australian team with Lauren Jackson. Heck, maybe I'd even wear my #15 jersey just to show her some love in NC.
3.) I get to see the Duke campus and the arena where they play. I love the Blue Devils, particularly Lindsey Harding and Abby Waner (I have a thing for guards), which I probably would never be able to do given that I have school and stuff when they play there.
It seems perfect. Heck, it is perfect. Unfortunately, there are a few things going against me here.
1.) It's frosh week at the University of Toronto. I'm not sure I want to skip the final two days of Frosh week to go to North Carolina to cheer at an exhibition game. I could, definitely, but then I'd waste the money I put in for the entire week of activities at the U of T.
2.) Money...Money...Money...Plane tickets aren't cheap, especially considering I'm only going to be there for about two days or something. I mean, I have to see which one I'd rather do. I could do this or I could save up money to purchase those season tickets next year.
3.) I hate airports. I don't even want to think about the hassle of going through those long lines with my Philippine passport. The last time I traveled to watch a basketball game, the guy behind the desk was glaring at me suspiciously because he couldn't believe I'd fly to Seattle just to catch a basketball game. Yeah, they'd be even less likely to believe I'm a Filipino living in Canada wanting to travel to the US to catch the US team in an exhibition game against Australia....Sure....
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
An Act of Kindness
Okay, I'm getting a little teary here just thinking about it. If anyone needs any more proof of why being a Storm fan is so great, here it is.
I've been wanting to get a Storm media guide for ages. Like, when I visited Seattle, I asked if they were selling it, but they weren't. I found one on eBay and was bidding for it until it reached like forty dollars or something. I wondered if it was any good anyway and if it was worth me bidding higher and higher for it. I asked around on the stormfans.org forum and found out that it wasn't really worth forty bucks or higher. End of story, right?
No. Just as I was resigning myself to the fact that I would probably never see one in my life as long as I lived away from Seattle, I got a message from one of the board members. She offered to give me a media guide free of charge. She didn't know me personally, and I hardly post on the board. But there she was offering to GIVE me one for FREE. All she asked in return was to repay this act of kindness to someone else and continue to support the Storm.
Why am I getting teary? This is what makes me glad I'm a Storm fan. It's such a unique and genuine community of people who are kind and generous. It's a great community to "feel" like a part of. It's a great community to learn from.
It brings me back to the time I visited Seattle for the games. The people there were just as accommodating and generous. Remember the guy that gave me tons of Storm stuff free of charge, just because I was a fan?
I don't want to compare but, when I went to the Storm games, people smiled at me and were polite. When I'd accidently bump into someone, I'd apologize and it would all be okay and over. I went to a Blue Jays game a few weeks ago and this drunk girl practically bit my sister's head off for stepping on her foot. I was a little freaked out by that and I ended up never leaving my seat so as not to encounter her wrath.
I'm even willing to go as far as saying that the fans a team has helps make it what it is. Yeah, now I know even more why the Seattle Storm are such a great team.
I've been wanting to get a Storm media guide for ages. Like, when I visited Seattle, I asked if they were selling it, but they weren't. I found one on eBay and was bidding for it until it reached like forty dollars or something. I wondered if it was any good anyway and if it was worth me bidding higher and higher for it. I asked around on the stormfans.org forum and found out that it wasn't really worth forty bucks or higher. End of story, right?
No. Just as I was resigning myself to the fact that I would probably never see one in my life as long as I lived away from Seattle, I got a message from one of the board members. She offered to give me a media guide free of charge. She didn't know me personally, and I hardly post on the board. But there she was offering to GIVE me one for FREE. All she asked in return was to repay this act of kindness to someone else and continue to support the Storm.
Why am I getting teary? This is what makes me glad I'm a Storm fan. It's such a unique and genuine community of people who are kind and generous. It's a great community to "feel" like a part of. It's a great community to learn from.
It brings me back to the time I visited Seattle for the games. The people there were just as accommodating and generous. Remember the guy that gave me tons of Storm stuff free of charge, just because I was a fan?
I don't want to compare but, when I went to the Storm games, people smiled at me and were polite. When I'd accidently bump into someone, I'd apologize and it would all be okay and over. I went to a Blue Jays game a few weeks ago and this drunk girl practically bit my sister's head off for stepping on her foot. I was a little freaked out by that and I ended up never leaving my seat so as not to encounter her wrath.
I'm even willing to go as far as saying that the fans a team has helps make it what it is. Yeah, now I know even more why the Seattle Storm are such a great team.
Seattle Storm vs. Minnesota Lynx
Storm- 77
Lynx- 75
I think that this game was a lot closer than was expected. In fact, I'd say it was too close for comfort. Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled that the Storm won this game, but Minnesota is currently in last place in the West. It's not even like we were dominating the game from the beginning and they just managed to catch up at the end. It was more like they were leading pretty much the whole way even if it was only by a tiny margin. The Storm won on a miraculous three pointer by Betty Lennox which she hit after going 0 for 3 the whole game. A pair of Lauren Jackson freethrows helped the Storm eke out a win over the Lynx.
If I choose to be negative about this, I'd say that we should have blown them out or at least won by a comfortable margin. I'd say that they needed to play better defense because Minnesota shot incredibly well from the field.
However, I choose to be positive about this. A win is a win, after all, and San Antonio lost yesterday which gives us a bit of a cushion.
Apart from this, Betty Lennox got out of her funk starting from that last play in the LA game to hit the game winner (pretty much). It shows me, thankfully, that that little brain fart she may have had at the end of the other game has not diminshed her confidence, which will only bode well for the Storm in the next few games and even in the playoffs.
Lauren Jackson had another typically amazing LJ night with 20 points.
Sue Bird had 21 points, 7 assists and 3 rebounds. See, as a Storm fan, I'm ecstatic with a win. As a Birdy fan, however, I LIVE for games like these. Woohoo!!
Big contributions too from Iziane Castro-Marques and Janell Burse. I'm so happy JB is back. It just makes everything happening in the game more comfortable when Janell Burse is out on the floor. I think the Storm need her to be healthy the rest of the way now.
Next game is on Thursday against the Washington Mystics over at KeyArena.
GO STORM!!!
Lynx- 75
I think that this game was a lot closer than was expected. In fact, I'd say it was too close for comfort. Don't get me wrong. I'm thrilled that the Storm won this game, but Minnesota is currently in last place in the West. It's not even like we were dominating the game from the beginning and they just managed to catch up at the end. It was more like they were leading pretty much the whole way even if it was only by a tiny margin. The Storm won on a miraculous three pointer by Betty Lennox which she hit after going 0 for 3 the whole game. A pair of Lauren Jackson freethrows helped the Storm eke out a win over the Lynx.
If I choose to be negative about this, I'd say that we should have blown them out or at least won by a comfortable margin. I'd say that they needed to play better defense because Minnesota shot incredibly well from the field.
However, I choose to be positive about this. A win is a win, after all, and San Antonio lost yesterday which gives us a bit of a cushion.
Apart from this, Betty Lennox got out of her funk starting from that last play in the LA game to hit the game winner (pretty much). It shows me, thankfully, that that little brain fart she may have had at the end of the other game has not diminshed her confidence, which will only bode well for the Storm in the next few games and even in the playoffs.
Lauren Jackson had another typically amazing LJ night with 20 points.
Sue Bird had 21 points, 7 assists and 3 rebounds. See, as a Storm fan, I'm ecstatic with a win. As a Birdy fan, however, I LIVE for games like these. Woohoo!!
Big contributions too from Iziane Castro-Marques and Janell Burse. I'm so happy JB is back. It just makes everything happening in the game more comfortable when Janell Burse is out on the floor. I think the Storm need her to be healthy the rest of the way now.
Next game is on Thursday against the Washington Mystics over at KeyArena.
GO STORM!!!
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
WNBA Games August 1
Mystics beat the Sparks 84-74
Sun beat the Liberty 66-52
Mercury beat the Sky 90-70
Sting beat the Silverstars 68-65
Shock beat the Fever 70-66
Storm beat the Lynx 77-75
Monarchs beat the Comets 74-62
i got 5 out of the seven right! And I knew that Phoenix was going to win but I needed Chicago to win so technically I got that right too....
More importantly, the Storm win a game that had me fist pumping, pulling my hair out and nearly having a heart attack. Just another game in the life of a Storm fan.
Sun beat the Liberty 66-52
Mercury beat the Sky 90-70
Sting beat the Silverstars 68-65
Shock beat the Fever 70-66
Storm beat the Lynx 77-75
Monarchs beat the Comets 74-62
i got 5 out of the seven right! And I knew that Phoenix was going to win but I needed Chicago to win so technically I got that right too....
More importantly, the Storm win a game that had me fist pumping, pulling my hair out and nearly having a heart attack. Just another game in the life of a Storm fan.
WNBA Buffet tonight
Seven WNBA games are going to be on tonight, meaning that all teams are playing!!
Things that NEED to happen:
1.) Washington Mystics defeat the LA Sparks
- Because I'm a Duke fan (Alana Beard) and I hate the Sparks
2.) Chicago Sky defeat the Phoenix Mercury
- To help the Storm in the playoff race, although I kinda doubt this is going to happen
3.) Charlotte Sting defeat the San Antonio Silver Stars
- For both reasons mentioned above put together
4.) Seattle Storm defeat the Minnesota Lynx
- Obviously....
Otherwise, I'd like to see the Connecticut Sun defeat the New York Liberty just because I'm a Whalen fan. I want the Indiana Fever to beat the Detroit Shock and the Sacramento Monarchs to beat the Houston Comets.
Of course, if none of these things happen, then I'll never write about who I want to win again lest I jinx any of the teams (particularly my team, yikes!)
I hope to get at least half of these right....
Things that NEED to happen:
1.) Washington Mystics defeat the LA Sparks
- Because I'm a Duke fan (Alana Beard) and I hate the Sparks
2.) Chicago Sky defeat the Phoenix Mercury
- To help the Storm in the playoff race, although I kinda doubt this is going to happen
3.) Charlotte Sting defeat the San Antonio Silver Stars
- For both reasons mentioned above put together
4.) Seattle Storm defeat the Minnesota Lynx
- Obviously....
Otherwise, I'd like to see the Connecticut Sun defeat the New York Liberty just because I'm a Whalen fan. I want the Indiana Fever to beat the Detroit Shock and the Sacramento Monarchs to beat the Houston Comets.
Of course, if none of these things happen, then I'll never write about who I want to win again lest I jinx any of the teams (particularly my team, yikes!)
I hope to get at least half of these right....
Shitty schedule
I got into most of the classes I wanted, but there were still some that totally pissed me off considering how "prepared" i was from the beginning. First, the economics class I wanted to take sooo badly was closed. It didn't even have a waiting list, so I had to back out of that plan. Instead of that, I decided to take another class that was on my backup list that didn't conflict with anything and that was open (Because I had another class on waiting list). I ended up with....anthropology. Hello?? What on earth was I thinking?? Anthropology?? Ugh.
Good news is that i got into my prerequisite POL103, which I guess is the most important one anyway. And I also got into the english class that i wanted and the first year seminar I wanted. It's entitled "Machiavelli and the Power Game". Now THAT should be a blast.
On the other hand, I'm wait listed for this 200-level POLSCI course that I want to take now so that I'll be more flexible in my future years as to what POLSCI courses I can take. This was the only other class without a prerequisite of one polsci credit. Unfortunately, I'm number 11 and 17 respectively for two sections of the class.
I have one class every frigging day (all anthropology's fault), which means I drag my butt out of bed every morning for a two hour class and then I just go home. Sigh. I'm hoping I get into the Thursday class of POL200 so I have Wednesday completely off.
Good news is that i got into my prerequisite POL103, which I guess is the most important one anyway. And I also got into the english class that i wanted and the first year seminar I wanted. It's entitled "Machiavelli and the Power Game". Now THAT should be a blast.
On the other hand, I'm wait listed for this 200-level POLSCI course that I want to take now so that I'll be more flexible in my future years as to what POLSCI courses I can take. This was the only other class without a prerequisite of one polsci credit. Unfortunately, I'm number 11 and 17 respectively for two sections of the class.
I have one class every frigging day (all anthropology's fault), which means I drag my butt out of bed every morning for a two hour class and then I just go home. Sigh. I'm hoping I get into the Thursday class of POL200 so I have Wednesday completely off.
How to pass time when it's early morning and you're bored
Okay, so here I am waiting for 7:55 to hit. I've been waiting for the past hour since my sister woke up at about that time to go to CDI. So, with all the anticipation and boredom, what do I find myself doing? I checked my email (yeah, that took about two minutes). I went around the different women's bball forums. I even logged onto stormfans.org even if it's like 4 am in Seattle and no one has really posted anything new since last night. I even looked around my room for this missing book I've been looking for for awhile. At least I finally found that one. Now, I sit and twiddle my thumbs, yawning like crazy. Ugh, I just want to get this over with so I can go back to sleep....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)