Women's Sports Blog

Local Ownership Groups A Boon For WNBA

Groups of investors passionate about the teams and their home cities, many of them women, are changing the face of pro ownership.  The latest successful buy keeps the Dream, a playoff team in only their second year, in Atlanta.  This sure beats linkage with NBA teams and their owners, sometimes people of dubious commitment to the women's side of the sport. 

The Tulsa Shock?

The city is in crisis, so let's take its team away.  More than that, let's take a successful team, which has made the playoffs seven consecutive years and won three championships.  The weirdest part for me is that the Shock have always been the most urban of WNBA teams, and I'm not using that as a racial euphemism.  Rather, they play a tough, gritty style that's very suited to Detroit.  I can't imagine how it will play in farm country, nor that the current set of players will be happy there.  This is a sad day for the league, which has shown that the historicity and importance of franchises is no barrier to change. 

Classic Finals Great For The WNBA

Not so happy for the Fever fans.  But high-scoring, close games pulled in a wide TV audience.  Plus the practice of buying out the upper decks inaugurated by Larry Bird put thousands of new fans in the seats, and these are people who are likely to come back, since WNBA tickets are among the cheapest in the sports world and the atmosphere is genial.  Message to the Fever ownership: DO NOT TAKE THE TEAM OUT OF INDIANAPOLIS.  Thank you. 

Douglas Disappearance Dooms Fever

Screw superstition, this has to be said.  Y'all know that White and Figgs were listening to the commentators and going 'Who was the leader of that '99 team?  Good to know.'  When she was the most important player, in 2001, she was so streaky that she could be counted on to show up every other game.  When she was hitting shots it was great, and she never gave up on defense, but she could grow stone cold with some regularity.  Connecticut also never got over the top on her watch (not entirely her fault, but still).  I love Katie Douglas, but 2-14 from the floor in a possible title contest is not going to cut it.   

Parsing Phoenix Versus Indiana

The Mercurcy have a good chance of winning this series, but paradoxically they may have the best chance of winning if they don't play entirely Mercury-like basketball.  A fast game could potentially benefit both teams, since the Fever thrive on turnovers and are good at transition offense.  Phoenix could probably outscore Indiana in an up-tempo game, but it's less sure than if they force the Fever into running slow half-court sets.  Last night's third quarter demonstrated the Fever's trouble scoring in that type of offense and also their deficiencies in mental toughness during the run of play (as opposed to at the line).  There's a huge edge to the Mercury's finals experience, since Indiana's two best players tend to get nervous in big game situations.  Had Detroit's physical play not undermined them, allowing the Fever to shoot an enormous number of free throws down the stretch, the outcome would have been different.

N.B.- Why yes, I am incredibly superstitious about my sports teams, thanks for asking

Sparks With Little To Answer Mercurcy

With their three scoring threats not being defensive stalwarts, and Lennox off the bench who is known for selfish play, who steps up on Penny Taylor?  Milton-Jones needs to play well on both ends, and perhaps one of the stars needs to step back into a different role for the team to be successful.  That's leaving aside their lack of a truly dynamic point guard at the moment.  On paper, the Sparks should be better than they are on the court.  But when you have Leslie, Parker, and Thompson all putting up big numbers and you still get trounced....

Meanwhile, Deanna Nolan is getting on my last nerve. 

This is What She Uses To Hide The EVIL

Allegedly Lieberman's makeup table, via @rebeccalobo.  

Comebacks, Successful and Not, Mark Beginning of Playoffs

Phoenix and the Storm were unable to complete theirs, while Detroit took advantage of Atlanta's inexperience to rally back, and the Fever kept the season sheet clean against the Mystics by coming from behind to win.  The Merc probably just ran out of time.  Seattle played quite well for stretches, even without the MVP and their top outside shooter.  Batkovic impressed me, too.  If a concussed Nolan is kept off the floor for game two of the Dream/Shock series, the Dream are in good position to win at home.  The cliche is that basketball is a game of runs, and it seems that the first round is going to be about who can withstand them and who has the discipline not just to draw close but to go over the top.

WNBA: Western Conference Playoff Schedule

Here's the deal from the W.  That TBD spot will probably go to the Silver Stars, since the Lynx must win both their remaining games to catch up.  One of those games is at Los Angeles.  The Stars can also control their own fate (that cliche's a contradiction in terms, isn't it?) with a win over the Storm, but don't bet on it. 

Down To The Wire Once Again In the WNBA

With nine days of competition left in the regular season, there are just two and a half games separating the 2nd through 5th teams in the East, and three games separating the 3rd through 5th teams in the West.  Since the schedule is loaded toward in-conference match-ups, each team can directly help or hurt its own cause.  Phoenix plays at Seattle on the 10th as a possible conference final preview.