Recap 13: The Storm are beatable, avoid Sue Bird in the lunch line, avoid Diana Taurasi in the lobby, and everything else to know
What a weekend for beef.
Hello, it’s me, Matt.
I can’t believe we’ve only got three weeks of regular season play left. I don’t want this to end :’(
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Ok, I’ll shut up now.
Here’s Basketball.
The Storm are beatable
In Seattle’s first 12 games (11-1), it looked virtually unbeatable, save for a fluke loss to the Washington Mystics. They won seven games by double digits, including five in a row. Now, thanks to the Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever, the Storm have lost two games in a row, and neither were particularly close.
On Saturday, the Aces knocked off the Storm, 82-74, in a game that wasn’t competitive until the final few minutes. A’ja Wilson feasted in the paint for 23 points (nine made free throws), Danielle Robinson worked the mid-range for 16 points, and Angel McCoughtry scored 13 points with 14 boards. Vegas was supposed to be the outdated antithesis to Seattle’s court-spacing, four-out shooter spread. Instead, they bully-balled the Storm to bits.
Breanna Stewart was still excellent with 29 points on 25 shots with 18 rebounds. Seattle also played without Sue Bird for the second straight game due to the same knee injury that cost her five games before. But even at full capacity, the Storm aren’t guaranteed champions, like we thought a week ago. The playoffs might be spicier than we thought they could be.
The Aces are damn good
Las Vegas came into the season with a handful of ready-made excuses should the team have floundered. Kelsey Plum tore her Achilles prior to tip-off, and Liz Cambage is out this season with a medical exemption. McCoughtry is playing her first season after a major knee injury.
But Wilson and McCoughtry have instead been damn freight trains all season long, leading Vegas to the second-best record in the league, just a half-game back of Seattle with nine more games to play.
Hell, even Bill Laimbeer showed his appreciation for this group.
Nothing the Aces do screams 2020 basketball. Vegas shoots seven less three-point shots per game than the Sparks, which rank 11th in attempts. The Aces’ leading scorer shoots the second-most mid-range shots in the league. But this team is clicking, and they’ve already proven they can beat the best team in the W.
Let’s consider Candace Parker for MVP
Candace Parker needs to be involved in the MVP conversation with Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson, and Courtney Vandersloot, especially as her team sits just a half-game out of first place. Parker looks as good as she did in 2016, when L.A. won it all, which is impressive as hell considering she’s a decade older than Wilson.
Parker is doing everything at both ends for L.A., and this weekend was the perfect showcase. In an overtime win over Atlanta on Friday, she scored 17 points with nine rebounds and five assists. In Sunday’s win over the Wings, she scored 22 points with 14 rebounds and six assists. And yes, she’s showed greatness on defense, too.
On the season, Parker’s averaging 14 points, 10 rebounds and four assists, hitting 47 percent of her shots from the field, and 39 percent from range. If L.A. can maintain this pace, and finish in the top-3, give Parker a look for MVP.
Sue Bird and the Indiana Fever have beef
Bird sat out Thursday night’s game against Indiana due to a knee injury that’s bothered her all season, yet the Fever decided to call her out after their upset win???
Here’s what the team said postgame, per Ben Rosof of The Next:
“[Coach Marianne Stanley] didn’t want Sue Bird to sit, she wanted the whole team,” said Kennedy Burke. “It was kind of like a slap in the face, I guess.”
…
“I think we got underestimated today,” said Stanley. “It’s why we play sports. If the game was decided beforehand, why would we play? If you play with a big heart and you play for other people around you and give it your all, good things usually happen.
“I know nobody in this damn building except us expected us to win. Shame on everybody, we just spanked you and taught you a lesson. Yeah I’m pissed, because I got a good team.”
Yikes!!! That’s a lot from a team that uhh is clinging on to a playoff spot by a half-game.
Bird went back at the Fever after she sat the next game against Vegas, too.
LMFAO.
I’m so excited for these teams to play against each other tomorrow night.
Diana Taurasi told a ref to meet her in the lobby
ailgserb3wbgilseb47ru5gils7beirlgbils23ergb that is not a typo either i meant it. ailgserb3wbgilseb47ru5gils7beirlgbils23ergrb.
Diana Taurasi scored 34 points while honoring Kobe Bryant
On Bryant’s birthday on Sunday, Taurasi wore his name on her jersey, along with his No. 8. She led the Mercury to an 88-87 win over the Mystics, scoring 34 points with four rebounds and three assists.
She’s auctioning the jersey for the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation. The link is here.
Additional notes:
Sue Bird, Chennedy Carter, Brittney Griner, Sabrina Ionescu, Sylvia Fowles, Moriah Jefferson, Tiffany Mitchell, Stephanie Muvunga, Aerial Powers, Morgan Tuck, and Victoria Vivians all missed games due to previously noted reasons
Brittney Griner left the bubble for personal reasons on Saturday, per the Mercury
Nia Coffey missed Game 13 with a hand injury, Emma Meesseman missed Game 11 and Game 12 with a shoulder strain, Diamond DeShields missed Game 14 with a quad injury, Isabelle Harrison missed Game 13 with an ankle injury, and Azura Stevens was rested for Game 14
Scores:
Friday:
Sparks 93, Dream 85 (OT)
Wings 101, Mystics 92 (OT)
Lynx 90, Mercury 80
Saturday:
Aces 82, Storm 74
Sky 87, Fever 76
Sun 82, Liberty 65
Sunday:
Dream 78, Lynx 75
Sparks 84, Wings 81
Mercury 88, Mystics 87
Standings:
Storm, 11-3
Aces, 10-3
Sparks, 10-3
Sky, 10-4
Lynx, 9-4
Mercury, 7-7
Sun, 6-8
Fever, 5-8
Wings, 5-9
Mystics, 4-9
Dream, 3-11
Liberty, 1-12
Matt’s power rankings:
Storm
Aces
Sparks
Sky
Lynx
Mercury
Sun
Fever
Wings
Mystics
Dream
Liberty
Matt’s MVP rankings:
Breanna Stewart
Candace Parker
A’ja Wilson
Courtney Vandersloot
Angel McCoughtry
Matt’s Rookie of the Year rankings:
Crystal Dangerfield
Julie Allemand
Satou Sabally
Chennedy Carter
Ezi Magbegor
Ok, that’s it from me.
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I find you descriptions of the games quite accurate. I wonder, however, why you feel so strongly that Candace Parker should get the MVP for doing the same thing she did not 2017. Vandersloot has been killing it for years with so little official WNBA recognition of such powerful play. I think part of the problem of the WNBA's artificially-created "star" status system is that journalists seldom look beyond the "favored few" which results in some of our best players never being officially recognized. Please look beyond the traditional choices at the real impact so many exceptional players have on their teams.