Vote daily: 2009 WNBA All-Stars
Photo: Rick
» Friday, July 3, 2009
All-Star voting (08:1918
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2009 WNBA All-Star Balloting presented by
T-Mobile First Returns Announced : WNBA : Cappie Pondexter is leading the ballot for Western Conference forwards. LJ is barely hanging on to 2nd - by just a couple hundrer over rookie Bonner. With LJ's form so far this season, surely she deserves more votes! Vote now, vote daily!
» Thursday, July 2, 2009
Seattle @ Phoenix (19:19)
- Go 2 Guy: Storm gets knocked around, but not off course : Seattle P-I : Jim Moore on the refs - "If I'm a member of the Storm, the next time ... I'm bringing a helmet and pads and a fat pocketbook to pay the fines for my technical fouls."
Jodie's recap: Seattle @ Phoenix (16:31)
As mentioned below in the recap, admin only caught half of the game.
With thanks to Jodie once again, you can read her recap of the whole game here.
Diverting to WNBL news for a moment:
She followed Matt to Perth, to Melbourne. and now to Adelaide... the Adelaide Lightning have signed Shelley Hammonds!
- Love and Lightning win over the boom times : Adelaide Advertiser
Admin recap: Seattle @ Phoenix (14:24)
(Admin only caught the second half of this game)
Phoenix outplayed Seattle 93-81 to send the Storm back home winless on this roadtrip. The Mercury were sharper and hungrier than the Storm. On top of that, home-court bias was brought to another level.
Mugged, tripped, hacked, splattered on the floor... Phoenix were allowed to man-handle Seattle in the third quarter. Seattle were fuming, and rightfully so, but the Mercury were playing to what the refs were calling. The Storm didn't help themselves either with stagnant offense and little defense.
LJ rolled over her ankle enroute to 17 points and 6 boards. Cash joined her with 17 and 9 as all Seattle starters reached double figure points.
The third quarter was ugly - or super defense if you take the Phoenix slant. The refs swallowed their whistles much to the dismay of Seattle. Phoenix put together 11 points before Seattle found a bucket four minutes into the quarter. The dribble penetration of the Mercury and their sheer speed made Seattle look awfully clumsy - epitomised by a flagrant foul from Tanisha Wright (an out of position high shot/reach around Bonner's head).
With three minutes left in the quarter, LJ had possession and went for a turnaround jumper, but the double team came and tripped her (no call of course), forcing her to fall over her right ankle and temporarily out of the game. From there, things continued to head south into a double figure deficit. Seattle could not handle the physicality as the refs allowed Phoenix to body up as a second skin on Storm players.
Come the fourth quarter, Seattle came out much more composed. Having faced the brunt of a quarter of poor no calls, the Storm somehow managed to re-focus to make it a three-point ball game. However, the shift in momentum was short-lived. Always willing to jack up shots, an 11-0 Phoenix run midway through the quarter was enough to quash Seattle out of a frustrating game and roadtrip.
So what have we learnt from this two-game roadtrip? If the referees decide to allow extreme physicality, Seattle will get flustered and lose their way.
» Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Hello July (19:18)
Seattle at Phoenix tomorrow should be a good one. Both teams are coming off sizable defeats; LJ and Taurasi are both coming off single-figure scoring nights. It will be a 7pm local tip-off - midday AEST.
For the superstitious, admin will likely miss this game too (although I might be able to catch the back end of it). So if you'd like to submit your game report, please email me. Thanks!
Don't forget to cast your All-Star votes too!
» Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Stephen Litel article (17:21)
- Seattle Storming Early : SLAM Online
WNBA on ESPN Aus (09:04)
Aussie WNBA fans can watch Atlanta v Minnesota on TV on Wednesday. Coverage will be on the ESPN channels:
- ESPN HD : 9am LIVE with a 10pm replay
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ESPN: 12pm delayed telecast
» Monday, June 29, 2009
Seattle @ LA (16:41)
WHAT was that?!
Admin's record isn't looking too crash hot at the moment for games missed... just 1 win and now 3 bad losses.
Once again, thanks go out to Jodie who has provided us with this game report:
Storm went down to the Sparks today 82 to 55 in a very physical and frustrating game. LA managed to silence LJ and Bird and outplayed Storm offensively and defensively. LJ only managed 9 points for the game, with LJ and Bird sitting out the fourth quarter. Maybe the long minutes the starters played against LA at Seattle had taken their toll!
The first quarter was close on the scoreboard with Seattle leading 17 to 15 but the signs were not good. Sparks managed to deny LJ the ball by mixing up their defence, sometimes double teaming her and other times guarding her with Thompson, Milton-Jones or Hayden - there was a lot of pushing and holding! Seattle’s relatively weak transition game was being shown up; they turned the ball over 6 times. LA players were much keener to shoot the ball than they were at Seattle; they were more focused and confident tonight.
The second quarter saw LA take control of the game; they managed the pace and were again able to deny LJ the ball. Hayden in particular was able to “out muscle” LJ and Milton-Jones decked LJ with a left forearm…no foul called, crikey!!!! Seattle weren’t able to unleash any other shooters. LA’s bench was reduced due to Lisa Leslie and Candice Parker being unavailable but it didn’t seem to matter much, their girls really stepped up. Seattle were unable to hold onto the ball, turning it over another 6 times in this quarter. LA were forcing Seattle to take tough shots and simply outplayed them in transition. At the end of the half Seattle were down by 11 (41 to 30) and had let LA score 19 points from 12 turnovers.
Sue Bird tried to change the momentum early in the third quarter, scoring a couple of quick baskets against the run of play. It didn’t look like anyone was going with her though and LA managed to silence Bird by stepping up to her and not letting her get the outside shot. Unfortunately for the Storm it was more of the same in this quarter. LJ was visibly frustrated (being relentlessly taken out of her comfort zone) and ended up committing a flagrant foul late in the quarter. LA led 67 to 45 with 30 of LA’s points coming from the 18 turnovers to date.
Seattle’s starters sat out the final quarter, giving their bench some valuable playing time. However, they were outclassed by LA who managed the pace of play well by drawing contact fouls. Seattle’s bench lacked confidence and direction and their shooting was off. LA won 82 to 55 in a match where Seattle had no answer for the match-ups thrown at LJ or for the superior LA transition game. Seattle’s 22 turnovers cost 36 points.
Let’s hope Seattle’s bench gets much better very quickly and that Phoenix didn’t watch this game!
» Sunday, June 28, 2009
Seattle v LA (15:32)
The second game between Seattle and LA is on tomorrow (6.30pm local tip-off, 11.30 am AEST), this time on the Sparks' home court.
Admin will need help with a game report - you know my email!
Seattle v LA (09:08)
Rick's pics:
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Seattle Storm vs Los Angeles Sparks June 26, 2009
» Saturday, June 27, 2009
Seattle v LA (14:21)
At times it looked to be a game Seattle would win by a double figure margin, but ended up as a 69-67 grind that could have swung the other way. Seattle held on for the win despite not being as convincing as they ought to have been.
In what was almost a flawless first half from LJ, Seattle failed to capitalise on their leads to constantly let LA back in the game. However, down the stretch, LJ and Bird steered the team with some timely plays.
LJ finished with 32 points on 12/15 shooting to go with 8 boards. Sue Bird added 15 points and 4 assists whilst Tanisha Wright had a team-high 5 offensive boards.
The refs decided to get involved early with two quick whistles on LJ and Bird. Elbows were flying, but both teams were able to connect on a decent percentage of jumpshots. Even though Tina Thompson was on-song for LA, Seattle gained ascendency over the latter part of the quarter as LJ and Bird went to work. LJ's efforts on the offensive glass paid off for 11 points and 5 boards in Seattle's 25-16 lead.
LJ continued to do it ALL in the second quarter. She was picking passes out of the air that would have easily eluded other players and recorded the 500th block of her career.
A few turnovers and missed block-outs contributed to a 6-0 LA run before the half ended 36-28 in Seattle's favour. It was actually a rather scrappy quarter, but the quality of play from LJ was something else - 20 points, 8/8 from the field and 6 boards!
Despite Seattle seemingly in control of game, they weren't quite able to shake off the Sparks in the first half. A 6-0 Storm run to start the second half showed potential of Seattle sustaining a double-figure buffer, but LA responded with their own run. Momentum swung back and forth dangerously for Seattle, still unable to build and maintain a convincing lead.
Turnovers were costly in the fourth quarter for Seattle as things unravelled with LJ being denied touches. LA tied the ball game off a Hayden bucket in the paint, but LJ fought for an offensive board that led to Sue Bird hitting a clutch shot. Typically not given credit for her defense, Bird stepped up on the next play to draw a charge on Betty Lennox. LJ hit the next five points, but in the closing seconds LA were still in with a chance until Swin Cash stole the ball to prevent Tina Thompson from getting off a potential game-tying shot.
» Friday, June 26, 2009
Bird and LJ (09:27)
It's back to basketball tomorrow with Seattle hosting LA.
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Storm’s Superstars Playing at High Level : Seattle Storm
» Tuesday, June 23, 2009
PotW (09:32)
With wins over Minnesota and Phoenix, LJ has been named Western Conference Player of the Week! It's the 14th time she has earned Player of the Week honours.
Sue Bird also deserves an honourable mention, as she could have easily won the award had she been the Storm's nominee.
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Alana Beard and LJ Named WNBA Players of the Week : WNBA
STH Event fun:
A few days ago we posted a link to Rick's pics of the Storm's "Meet Your Team" event. As an addition, Rick has also posted a clip from the event on YouTube... A "Storm Family Feud" 6-18-09... be sure to check it out!
WNBA on ESPN Aus:
On Wednesday, Aussie viewers can catch San Antonio hosting Phoenix. ESPN Australia will have a delayed telecast from midday AEST.
» Monday, June 22, 2009
Seattle @ Phoenix (21:17)
Woohoo! Not a jinx!
Today's game report brought to you by Jodie:
Seattle were convincing winners over Mercury tonight, 93-84, in a good contest between the league’s defensive (Seattle) and offensive leaders. Storm combined well as a team with four of their shooters in double digits, LJ again with the game high of 25 points. Better energy and some visible mismatches saw them lead Phoenix 10 to 4 in offensive rebounds and 37 to 22 in total rebounds.
Seattle came out firing in the first quarter making 60% of their FG’s. LJ wasn’t double teamed and slipped some screens to score close in while a seemingly constant mismatch with Mazzante enabled Cash to add 10 points. The pace was fast but the game looked under control with Storm leading all the way, 34 to 20 at end of the quarter.
Seattle’s defence was good in the second quarter. Phoenix were unable to find their rhythm early and were forced into an outside game, taking long shots which didn’t drop. The first FG for the quarter came in the 4th minute. Phoenix switched to double team LJ, forcing her to pass. The highlights of the quarter were LJ’s sharp cut through Taurasi, an offensive foul (LJ’s 3rd) and Taurasi’s late offensive surge, she too was in foul trouble. Both coaches stuck by their stars! Phoenix got within 4 points by the end of the quarter (48 to 44).
The third quarter saw Phoenix go to the lead early with a 6 nil run. Mercury’s defence led their recovery forcing some quick, careless turnovers. They tried to get LJ to foul by taking the offence right at her; Phoenix’s coach was getting frustrated at the officiating. The game was tied up again half way through the quarter and LJ started to land some 3 pointers. Phoenix tried to pick up the pace to tire Seattle. The score was 68 to 65 and the end of the quarter.
The 4th quarter saw Bird and LJ do their stuff …LJ setting big screens and Bird scoring 3 quick baskets for 7 points. Taurasi was guarding Cash but not successfully. Cash’s speed and hard cuts created gaps that enabled quality shots. LJ came up with some fantastic blocks and Storm slowed play by running down the shot clock. Storm’s flexibility began to show with Johnson freeing Bird up to shoot. Phoenix again got frustrated at the officiating, LJ making a vital 3 pointer when Phoenix were looking for free throws to get within a point. With only a few seconds left to play, Coach Gaines went off his head and was ejected, his own players ushering him from the court.
Overall, a quality performance by the Storm which showed some great signs for the future. Let’s hope their 4 day break puts them in good shape to beat LA in their back to back clash. Let’s also hope that Lisa Leslie (or Bling as I like to call her…wearing all of those medals) recovers from her knee injury and is fit to play.
