I know I risk ridicule by starting this thread (especially after a late-running game drew the ire of MLS fans the other night), but this is the first year I've ever paid attention to the WNBA, and it's the playoffs, so .... ignore if you want. The WNBA has a ridiculous format for the first round of the playoffs. It's best-of-3, but the lower seed gets the first game at home. I guess this is to save travel expenses between Games 2 and 3, but it is sort of unfair to the team who earned the higher seed, and it seems the league is risking having some of their best teams knocked out in the first round. I'm sure the league woud love the New York team to become a Cinderella story, but that would knock out Bill Laimbeer's defending champions from Detroit (yes, they play a hard-nosed style, as you might expect with him as their coach). Meanwhile, the top seed in the West is Phoenix, which is coached by Paul Westhead and play like Suns-lite. The Mercury are off to a good start in the playoffs. I can only imagine the guffaws in the media if Phoenix meets San Antonio in the conference finals. Anyway, sure enough, after one game, 3 of the 4 lower seeds are winning their series: Round 1 schedule and results (all times Eastern): Eastern Conference Detroit (1) vs New York (4) Aug 24 - New York 73 Detroit 51 Aug 26 - Detroit 76 Detroit 73 Aug 28 - Detroit 71 New York 70 (OT) Detroit wins series, 2-1 Indiana (2) vs Connecticut (3) Aug 23 - Connecticut 93 Indiana 88 (3 OT) Aug 25 - Indiana 78 Connecticut 59 Aug 27 - Indiana 93 Connecticut 88 Indiana wins series, 2-1 Western Conference Phoenix (1) vs Seattle (4) Aug 24 - Phoenix 101 Seattle 84 Aug 26 - Phoenix 95 Seattle 89 Phoenix wins series, 2-0 San Antonio (2) vs Sacramento (3) Aug 23 - Sacramento 86 San Antonio 65 Aug 25 - San Antonio 61 Sacramento 86 Aug 27 - San Antonio 80 Sacramento 78 San Antonion wins series, 2-1
Phoenix finished off their first-round series vs Seattle last night, and the higher seed forced Game 3's in all the other series. Maybe playing that first game on the road isn't all that bad after all. Phoenix awaits the winner of tonight's Sacramento at San Antonio game. The Western Conference final gets started on Thursday, again with the lower seed at home first. Phoenix will host Games 2 and, if necessary, Game 3 on Saturday and Sunday.
Close wins for San Antonio and Indiana last night, so no lower seeds into the conference finals yet. Western Conference finals schedule is set: Thu Aug 30 - Phoenix at San Antonio (8 pm - ESPN Classic) Sat Sep 1 - San Antonio at Phoenix (7 pm - NBA TV) Sun Sep 2 - San Antonio at Phoenix (if necessary, 5:30 pm - ESPN2)
Detroit edges New York in OT to complete the first-round sweep by the higher-seeded teams. Eastern Conference Finals schedule: Fri Aug 31 - Detroit at Indiana (8 pm - ESPN2) Sun Sep 2 - Indiana at Detroit (1 pm - ABC) Mon Sep 3 - Indiana at Detroit, if nec (6 pm - NBA TV)
Phoenix took the opener in San Antonio, 102-100. I have to say this was a great game of basketball. The WNBA has 10-minute quarters, and both teams cracked 100. Both teams shot the lights out. Phoenix shot 48.6% from the field, including 55.6% from behind the 3-point line. SA shot better than 40% as well. The game was played at a fast pace, but the turnover count was just 11-9. Game was tied 11 times with 14 lead changes. And it was Phoenix-San Antonio, so the game naturally ended in controversy. SA clawed their way back from 8 points down with under a minute left to tie the game on a Becky Hammon 3-pointer with 3 seconds left, only for a debatable foul to be called on the in-bound pass, and Cappie Pondexter of the Mercury made the subsequent foul shots to win the game (although not until a 3/4-court shot at the buzzer just bounced off the rim). Even though I'm a woman, I've never been much of a follower of women's sports, but this was just a great contest.
Good article about last night's game, from the San Antonio press, comparing SA's PG Becky Hammon (who played out of her head) to Steve Nash. Short in size and luck - Hammon as another Nash http://www.mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA083107.01D.NZ.Metro.1Dbuck_0831.en.3a242a1.html
I am pulling for Phoenix, thanks for asking. Are you interested? I was feeling pretty lonely here in this thread but wasn't terribly surprised by that. Plenty of soccer fans like other sports (hence, the need for this section) but not too many seem to like women's basketball. The WNBA seems to be a target of special disdain from many MLS fans because it's viewed as a competitor for spectators, TV rights and sponsorships - or perhaps more accurately because they feel it should NOT be viewed as that.
Phoenix 98 San Antonio 92 Phoenix wins the series 2-0 and advances to the WNBA finals. SA led much of the game because they were shooting lights-out from 3 point range and were able to take away a lot of the vaunted Phoenix running game. But Cappie Pondexter (33 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists) proved to be too much, and when SA started missing shots down the stretch, the Mercury were able to build a lead and hold on.
Sunday's result: Detroit 77 Indiana 63 Series comes down to tonight's decider in Detroit. The finals start on Wednesday night either in Phoenix (if Indiana wins) or in Detroit.
Detroit 81 Indiana 65 The Finals Schedule (times Eastern) Wed Sept 5 - Phoenix at Detroit (7:30 pm - ESPN2) Sat Sept 8 - Phoenix at Detroit (3:30 pm - ESPN) Tue Sept 11 - Detroit at Phoenix (9 pm - ESPN2) Thu Sept 13 - Detroit at Phoenix (8:30 pm - ESPN2, if nec) Sun Sept 16 - Phoenix at Detroit (4:30 - pm ESPN2, if nec)
Game 1 goes to Detroit, 108-100. Detroit now owns the record for most points scored in a game in the finals, although it seems sort of silly because they only scored that many because of the way Phoenix drives the pace of a game. Phoenix lost because they couldn't keep Detroit (particularly Kara Braxton) off the offensive boards. And because Diana Taurasi got in early foul trouble and apparently does not know how to play without fouling. Despite her early fouls, Paul Westhead kept putting her back in the game, knowing the Mercury really need her, and she kept fouling almost as soon as she got back in. Penny Taylor's great game (32 pts) wasn't enough to make up the difference. And despite the high scoreline, Detroit was really good at getting back to take away most of Phoenix's running game. I just wish they wouldn't mike the coaches during the games because every time I hear Bill Laimbeer talking, I'm reminded of why I always hated his guts. Game 2 is Saturday afternoon on ESPN. Which surprises me because I thought there was NOTHING but college football on any of the ABC networks on Saturdays in September.
Phoenix totally blew out Detroit in Game 2, 98-70. This time, Taurasi didn't get into foul trouble and responded with 30 points. The Mercury vigorously denied entry passes and doubled down whenever it did get inside, and the Shock were not able to take advantage by hitting open shots from outside. The result was a totally dominating performance by Phoenix, and Bill Laimbeer left speechless for once. The next two games are back in Phoenix, with Game 3 taking place on Tuesday night. I'm sure Detroit will be inspired after this humbling.
Game 3 Result: Detroit 88 Phoenix 83 A really ugly game - especially the second half - unless you're a Detroit fan, of course. Phoenix couldn't hit anything from 3 pts all night but still trailed by only 5 points at halftime. The halftime score was 50-45 Detroit, thanks mostly to Katie Smith's rediscovered shooting touch. That is Phoenix's pace though, and the game seemed on track to break more scoring records. But Detroit really got things into a walk-it-up, grind-it-out halfcourt game in the second half, and Phoenix could never get a run to make up that 5-point deficit. If they could've just hit one or two shots down the stretch (they missed their last 12 shots, if I heard correctly), they still might've pulled it out. The key stretch was, with the score 79-75, Phoenix had a series of rare offensive boards but failed to score on 6 straight chances. Ack. Anyway, Game 4 is back in Phoenix on Thursday night, and the Mercury have to win to extend the series to a deciding Game 5 in Detroit on Sunday.
Phoenix won the championship!! Proving that, at some levels at least, talent and will CAN overpower size and brute force. Facing elimination on Thursday, the Mercury won another grind-it-out affair at home in Game 4, in a 77-76 nailbiter. In Sunday's decider in Detroit, they pretty much ran away with the game, taking an early lead on hot shooting and never letting the defending champs get any real momentum, despite being backed by a crowd of over 22,000. The final score was 108-92. Cappie Pondexter was the deserving MVP of the series. She took the team on her back down the stretch in Game 4, and every time Detroit scored a couple of baskets to whittle the lead to 11 or 12 in Game 5, she had an answer. Bill Laimbeer, who'd had his mic removed for Game 5, could pretty much only pout. Rumors are strong that Paul Westhead will leave the Mercury coaching job and join PJ Carlesimo as a Sonics' assistant this season.