What's good, folks? Figured I'd throw up a season joint for the 4 of us to talk shit in. Season opener coming up. What's that, Youtube TV? WNBA Season Pass...24.98 for the whole season? That's a light lunch for me at Outback...I'll take two! So...I'm gonna go through and give a quick lil spit on each team. OFf the top, nothing super in-depth. Just a primer.

Eastern Conference:
Atlanta Dream: Protect Renee Montgomery at all costs. She has been super positive for that team and the league in general. Things are turning around. Three top 15 picks in this year's draft are signed.

Chicago Sky: James Wade looking around like the Fresh Prince 'how come he don't want me?' meme. Ace, Quigs, Sloot gone. Kahleah is in full control.

Connecticut Sun: JJ gone, Curt Miller jetted to LA. They were so good...just kept running into Vegas. They got a good core remaining, though. Dewanna and Alyssa gotta step up.

Indiana Fever: Well, you got Ms. Boston...that's a start. Gonna be lean times, though.

NY Liberty: Yall know how I feel about Jonquel Jones, so I'll try not to gush. That would be a HUGE get, anywhere, anytime...but adding Stewie AND CVS (I just made that up) is overkill. I don't see how this team doesn't win 25-30 games.

Washington Mystics: EDD says this is the strongest she's been in a long time. She had a moment in the playoffs where she had it all going. She's 33, but she's got a lot of hoops left if her body holds up.

Western Conference:
Dallas Wings: Arike gets some help with Natash Howard coming in. Gonna be a long season, though. Diamond DeShileds and Lou Lopez Senechal set to miss major time with knee injuries.

Las Vegas Aces: Breaking: Really good team adds really good players. Candace Parker and Alysha Clark come into a LOADED locker room. The Dearica stuff is a bummer. For her part, Becky says she in no way ever bullied Dearica while she was pregnant. Neither her suspension nor the 2025 draft pick loss will affect them on the court.

Los Angeles Sparks: Curt Miller left the Sun, where it seemed he just couldn't get over the hump, to go back to the first WNBA org he ever worked for. He says he is a team builder. He damn well better be. Nneka, Chiney, the aforementioned Hamby and Katie Lou Samuelson give him a decent start.

Minnesota Lynx: Sylvia gone. SALUTE! Napheesa back for a full season and Diamond Miller was drafted #2 out of Maryland. Gonna be some lean times in Minny.

Phoenix Mercury: BRITT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Apparantly DT been working her ass off and is in amazing condition. Cool. No Skylar as she will be out indefinitely with the birth of her 2nd child. Mercury are guard heavy, though. A lot of meat on the bone, there.

Seattle Storm: It's a new day, breh! (c)Tupac in Above the Rim
Sue gone. Stewie gone. I do love, love, love the Ezi Mags and Kia Nurse signings. Kia was a dawg before she tore her ACL and missed an entire season.

>What's good, folks? Figured I'd throw up a season joint for
>the 4 of us to talk shit in. Season opener coming up. What's
>that, Youtube TV? WNBA Season Pass...24.98 for the whole
>season?

LMAO! We subscribed to it too. The little lady wanted to watch some of the Athletes Unlimited hoops games and they came with the package. You're right though, $25 is an absolute steal.

>Eastern Conference:
>Atlanta Dream: Protect Renee Montgomery at all costs. She has
>been super positive for that team and the league in general.
>Things are turning around. Three top 15 picks in this year's
>draft are signed.

Atlanta has been bad for too long. I like Renee so I hope she can turn things around here.

>Chicago Sky: James Wade looking around like the Fresh Prince
>'how come he don't want me?' meme. Ace, Quigs, Sloot gone.
>Kahleah is in full control.

KFC plus they got Courtney Williams who can flat out score. I like Emma Meeseman too. They got lots of holes to fill but I don't think they'll be completely awful.

>Connecticut Sun: JJ gone, Curt Miller jetted to LA. They
>were so good...just kept running into Vegas. They got a good
>core remaining, though. Dewanna and Alyssa gotta step up.

I think their window has closed. It's too bad because they had a great squad. Bonner is one of my favorites to watch.

>Indiana Fever: Well, you got Ms. Boston...that's a start.
>Gonna be lean times, though.

They've been terrible for a loooong time. They gotta start making things happen.

>NY Liberty: Yall know how I feel about Jonquel Jones, so I'll
>try not to gush. That would be a HUGE get, anywhere,
>anytime...but adding Stewie AND CVS (I just made that up) is
>overkill. I don't see how this team doesn't win 25-30 games.

LOL! I like CVS! I'mma start using that. This team is a juggernaut. Only thing that can stop them is bad chemistry. I got my eye on Han Xu too. Word on the street is that she actually grew another inch or 2.

>Washington Mystics: EDD says this is the strongest she's been
>in a long time. She had a moment in the playoffs where she
>had it all going. She's 33, but she's got a lot of hoops left
>if her body holds up.

EDD has legit game but she cannot stay healthy. She's on that Zion Williamson.

>Western Conference:
>Dallas Wings: Arike gets some help with Natash Howard coming
>in. Gonna be a long season, though. Diamond DeShileds and
>Lou Lopez Senechal set to miss major time with knee injuries.

I'm a big Diamnd DeShields fan but injuries are taking big chunks out of her career. Arike is still a killer,

>Las Vegas Aces: Breaking: Really good team adds really good
>players. Candace Parker and Alysha Clark come into a LOADED
>locker room. The Dearica stuff is a bummer. For her part,
>Becky says she in no way ever bullied Dearica while she was
>pregnant. Neither her suspension nor the 2025 draft pick loss
>will affect them on the court.

They may be the only squad that can hang with NY. And I agree, the Dearica stuff is a real letdown. I don't think they'll let it affect them on the court though. We'll have to see.

>Los Angeles Sparks: Curt Miller left the Sun, where it seemed
>he just couldn't get over the hump, to go back to the first
>WNBA org he ever worked for. He says he is a team builder.
>He damn well better be. Nneka, Chiney, the aforementioned
>Hamby and Katie Lou Samuelson give him a decent start.

I think Miller is one of the better coaches in the league. I think he's gonna have LA looking up.

>Minnesota Lynx: Sylvia gone. SALUTE! Napheesa back for a
>full season and Diamond Miller was drafted #2 out of Maryland.
> Gonna be some lean times in Minny.

Yeah, they're in serious rebuild mode.

>Phoenix Mercury: BRITT BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>Apparantly DT been working her ass off and is in amazing
>condition. Cool. No Skylar as she will be out indefinitely
>with the birth of her 2nd child. Mercury are guard heavy,
>though. A lot of meat on the bone, there.

Glad to see BG back. I keep thinking DT is gonna fall off but she keeps bringing it. old girl is timeless.

>Seattle Storm: It's a new day, breh! (c)Tupac in Above the
>Rim
>Sue gone. Stewie gone. I do love, love, love the Ezi Mags
>and Kia Nurse signings. Kia was a dawg before she tore her
>ACL and missed an entire season.

Co-sign this. I'm a Kia Nurse fan too (she looks like she could be Drake's sister). I hope she can rise above the injuries and show us something.

..Hoping more people give the WNBA a chance this season.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

much more interest for the regular season. Carry over from NCAAW?

>much more interest for the regular season. Carry over from
>NCAAW?

I feel like overall the women's game is getting better, for better or worse the Brittney Griner situation will have a lot more attention on the WNBA, I feel like individually the players are expressing themselves more in various ways

plus there's only 36 games. The games are super important. 12 teams and 8 make the playoffs. You can fuck around and miss the playoffs by that random Tuesday night game where you didn't go hard.

lol jokes aside, I get it but i think best case scenario is that maybe casual fans tune in for the playoffs but i don't see a huge increase in viewership/attendance for the regular season this year.

>lol jokes aside, I get it but i think best case scenario is
>that maybe casual fans tune in for the playoffs but i don't
>see a huge increase in viewership/attendance for the regular
>season this year.

not "huge" but incremental, they say viewership was up 16% last year, if they could be a similar bump or more this year that would be progress

got you.

.

I'm default Sparks but I rock with Candace everywhere so I'll definitely be checking for the Aces, I was wondering about James Wade in Chicago too, I think everybody will be rooting for Britt in Phoenix, Napheesa is from the crib so I always rock with her

Friday:
Connecticut @ Indiana
New York @ Washington
Chicago @ Minnesota
Phoenix @ Los Angeles (10 pm ESPN)

Saturday:
Atlanta @ Dallas (Noon ABC)
Las Vegas @ Seattle (surprised the champs don't get opening night at home) (2 pm ABC)

Sunday:
Washington @ Connecticut
Indiana @ New York (1 pm on Twitter (@WnbaLive))
Chicago @ Phoenix (3 pm ESPN)

that’s all I got

missed it, yesterday evening and I needed to see how that final score came about. Defense, missed shots and turnovers. Hey, man...Washington was hooping. NY had a lot of goofball turnovers. Washington sped them up. They were trying to force All Star game passes to one another, too. Washington was turning defense to offense like a mofo...think like 20-2 on fastbreak points. Lastly...NY missed TONS of shots. Contested, uncontested, smooth walk up threes, layups at the rim, free throws...SO many misses. They'll be fine. Shout out to Washington, though.

..the balance on this roster is impressive.

Shoutout to Griner & the Mercury.

The Liberty have quite a bit of work ahead of them, but they'll be fine.

Still wish Candace returned to LA, but looking forward to her debut tonight with Las Vegas.



*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

probably the only person on close is Chelsea Gray.

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1659981104827490304?t=H2IY9Aro7T4COf3r_4IDLQ&s=19

*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

..while I can't say that the media has ignored this situation, it still feels like this should be a bigger story.




*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

But the story seemed to drop, pick up attention for a day, and everyone went back to watching the games.

The lack of fixation the press/fans had on the story could be because Becky is everyone's darling, and we don't want to see one of the league's stars become deluged in negative press, even if it is rightfully earned.

Also, because Hammond is a woman and not a man, do her statements come off as less sexist? And in that case, the story may have shorter "legs?"

..for women in professional sports.

The laws governing maternity leave are pretty simple, but people like Hammond get away with bullshit like this in the name of being "competitive."




*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

But in this case, there was too much toxicity.

.

Storm are currently ranked 11 outta 12 teams by ESPN.

one HOF'er retired, and another bailed.

they are in straight rebuild mode.

The Aces could probably hang w/ the USA Olympic team.

Seem like they come at you in waves. They're so deep and talented. Like, 5 players were in double figures, and they scored 94, despite shooting only ~35% from 3 and CP only scoring 3 pts.

I haven't seen NY yet, but Vegas is looking like the leader out of the gate. From what the announcers said on the telecast, their schedule is going to stiffen over the next number of games. We'll have a better sense of their abilities in a couple of weeks, I guess.

Aces/Liberty Finals now. But, it was for the reasons you mentioned. They’re SO deep and everyone coming off the bench can do it to you…there’s no big huge drop offs. The Liberty started Game 1 a touch shaky, but sheer talent always prevails. Stewie dropped 45 in their second game. It’s gonna take a lil second for them to feel one another about, during real games. Sabrina is used to having the ball in her hands and putting pressure on the defense because she’s so fast with the ball. Then you have CVS who can push it or play a half court game and dot you with perfect passes. Shit, JJ hasn’t even found her stride yet. In the meantime, they’ll just out talent teams, but when they figure it out…it’s a wrap.

These 2 squads have been doormats in the league for too long.

Last night, Indiana went blow for blow against a tough Connecticut team and only lost by 3 points. The game was close the whole way. And they ended that terrible losing streak the game before. This young squad is showing me something right now.

Same with Atlanta. They put a beating on Chicago last night. I wasn't convinced on Rhyne Howard after her senior college season but last years Rookie of the Year award and her play so far have changed my mind.

Also from last night...look, I know that it can take a while for the Liberty to get their team chemistry right. They have to figure each other out and try to get in sync. But even with all that, I still think they should have clobbered Seattle last night. Instead we had a close competitive game. I think they'll figure it out but they shouldn't wait too long to get it gear.

We wanted to see this NY superteam in action, so we planned an all-sports weekend. NY Liberty @ Atlanta Dream on Friday and then the Nationals @ Braves on Saturday afternoon.

The lady has been saying that NY needs more time to get their chemistry together. Maybe I'm being impatient but I feel like they should be better than they are. I think they're definitely a playoff team but I thought they would be dominating more.

lol...that is SO dope, bro. Good for yall. On the Liberty...I want to agree with your lady...but then I look over at Vegas and that shit looks seamless. Also, Connecticut is fucking jamming after having lost JJ and plugged in a couple of lesser parts. I knew DeWanna had this in her, but damn. The thing that settles me down about NY is that they are simply TOO good individually for them not to figure it out.

>lol...that is SO dope, bro. Good for yall.

Thanks man. it should be a good time.

>but then I look
>over at Vegas and that shit looks seamless.

Yup. They're looking unstoppable.

>Also, Connecticut
>is fucking jamming after having lost JJ and plugged in a
>couple of lesser parts. I knew DeWanna had this in her, but
>damn.

Yes! I expected them to struggle after losing JJ! But they're out here looking great after losing one of the best players in the league!

>The thing that settles me down about NY is that they
>are simply TOO good individually for them not to figure it
>out.

I think you're right. Once they get in a groove, they should be unstoppable. We'll have to see how long that takes.

41 points to hand Vegas their first loss of the season.

She's always been mad underrated. She deserves more shine.

She doesn't look like herself. It's like there's a lack of fire in her game now.

We were at the Dream vs Liberty game and she had 11 pts (4-10 shooting) and 8. Other games I've watched, she just looks like she's going through the motions. She's not the same player as last season or the year before that.

I hope that it's something minor. I hope it's just her adjusting to the new team. I don't want it to be an injury or something serious off the court.

I was watching that game. I keep waiting. I don't think it's anything physical, but something is absolutely different. She's not hyped at all, she sulks everytime she gets a foul called on here....like you said, just no fire.

..NY was shorthanded this past week, but you're not wrong about the difference in Jones energy on the floor.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

Stewie, Sabrina and CVS don't seem to be having that problem, but everyone is different. I just know JJ plays with a lot of joy and energy. She's constantly talking to her teammates and encouraging them. She just looks kinda lifeless, most times.

Marina Mabry is out of her mind, right now. She can't miss. 34 at the end of the 3rd quarter. The Fever are gonna have some struggles as expected, but Aliyah Boston is AS ADVERTISED! She has legit hit the ground running.

.

.

they said the Sky just found out this morning...but, she was on the bench in a Missy Elliott video, puffy coat.

She is balling her a$$ off. I have her in my all-star voting. She should be in the running for Most Improved Player this season.

I got Allisha Gray running a close second.

Who yall got in the all star voting?

She's averaging a double-double...just dominating the boards.

AS voting was tough! But, with the spots they give you, I had:

Frontcourt:
Stewie
Napheesa
Nneka
Cheyenne Parker
Dewanna B.
A'ja

Guards:
Jewell
Arike
Marina Mabrey
Alisha Gray

Here's my All-star ballot:

Frontcourt
Satou
Napheesa
A'ja
Boston
C.Parker
Nneka

Backcourt
Jewell Loyd
Jackie Young
Alisha Gray
Kelsey Mitchell

but, I figured she's got ROY on lock. Damn, it's tough. Great selections, btw. Kelsey Mitchell is another really good nod.

GUARDS
Jewel Loyd
Arike Ogunbowale
Sabrina Ionescu
Alisha Gray

FRONTCOURT
Brianna Stewart
Satou Sabally
Jasmine Thomas
Aja Wilson
Dewanna Bonner
Nneka Ogwumike

I like what Napheesa is doing but I left her off because Minnesota hasn't looked too good. I like how Rhyne Howard has played too.

man, what a rough tenure.
Brit being imprisoned
The Tina Charles beef with the org
Skylar/DT beef...then Vanessa botching the comment about DT not making the All-Star team and Skylar reacting on social.
Starting the season 2-10 was the last straw for her. Damn, even the Fever already has 5 wins. That ties their total for the ENTIRE '22 season. Dallas and Atlanta are looking better, the fucking Lynx have 4 wins...and the Mercury are sitting there butt naked last in the league. No way Ishbia wasn't gonna make a move.

And she didn't do much to make it look better. Still, they barely gave her a season and a half.

Cold world.

what two teams would be head and shoulders above the rest of the league...what you would NOT have heard me say is Vegas and Connecticut...but, I'll be damned if that isn't what it is. Vegas is an obvious juggernaut, but the Sun???? Lost Curt and JJ and didn't miss a beat. They just churn through teams, playing fast as fuck! Alyssa T notched her 4th triple-double of the season...most in WNBA history...a third of the way through the season, though. The Liberty definitely aren't bad...but they're more up and down than I expected. They just haven't hit that Rocky IV, 8th gear in the Ferrari that I thought they would have hit by now.

She's playing her ass off this year.

And you're right, I didn't see the Sun looking this good after Miller & JJ left.

Team Captains:
A'ja Wilson
Breanna Stewart

Remaining starters:
Aliyah Boston
Britney Griner
Nneka O.
Satou Sabally

Chelsea Greay
Jewell Loyd
Arike O.
Jackie Young

https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/37911561

..icing on the cake!


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

probably the best PURE BUCKET GETTER in the league (Arike and Jackie Young close), but still has THAT in her bag.

Yikes. I didn't think they would be this dominant this year. But they're slapping teams around.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2023/06/27/las-vegas-aces-wnba-favorites/

..instead of resting on their laurels, they added Clark & Parker and clearly look to continue their current momentum.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

like...yall done? NOPE! Be like the Chiefs winning the SB then signing Cook and Hopkins, this offseason.

She went AWF. 41 on a 15-35 FG/4-9 3PT/7-8 FT split. She set a new career high.

...

But she dribbled the ball off her feet with less than 10 seconds left. MIN got the ball and scored with a little under two seconds to take the lead in OT.

#CantWinForLosing


-----------------------

I didn't realize the Aces and Liberty were playing today. I would have laid out my schedule in the evening differently had I known. Was that game on streaming or cable today?

that was a GOOD game, though. Napheesa won't get the top billing, but damn she balled. 31,8,5 and 6 blocks. Lynx looking much improved.

and made it look pretty easy. Every starter had double digits. They play like those early Warriors teams where everyone is just down to WIN. Looks like they read each other's minds on offense. They make the pass THEN another pass. Any night, someone new can give it to you.

.

taking an assistant job with the Raptors.

their level of communication on the court is insane. They know they're good as shit, but they are going hard AF at all times...plus, their defense is lowkey great.

https://twitter.com/LVAces/status/1675223892733083650?s=20

..what's really crazy is that the chemistry is still growing.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

Damn, she was young. This is sad as hell.

***

https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/story/_/id/37974296/women-basketball-star-coach-nikki-mccray-penson-51-dies

Nikki McCray-Penson, who helped lead the famed 1996 Olympic team that started the United States' current run of seven consecutive gold medals, has died at the age of 51, it was announced Friday.

McCray-Penson starred for the Tennessee Lady Vols in the 1990s in her native state of Tennessee before playing in the ABL and WNBA and later becoming a college basketball head coach.

She served as an assistant women's basketball coach last season for Rutgers, which confirmed her death. The cause of death has not been announced. McCray-Penson and her husband, Thomas Penson, have a son, Thomas Jr., who turned 10 in February.

McCray-Penson was diagnosed with breast cancer in November 2013, during her tenure with South Carolina, where she was an assistant to her close friend and Olympic teammate Dawn Staley. She was part of Staley's staff as the Gamecocks won the 2017 NCAA championship. Soon after, she took her first head coaching job, with Old Dominion.

In all, including last season at Rutgers, McCray-Penson had 16 years of college coaching experience, serving as head coach at Mississippi State and ODU. After consecutive 20-win seasons, she left the Monarchs to take over the Bulldogs, who went 10-9 during the COVID-19 impacted 2020-2021 season. In October 2021, before the start of what would have been her second season at MSU, she stepped down to focus on her health.

She returned to coaching this past season, becoming an assistant to Coquese Washington at Rutgers.

"Heart hurts like crazy over this one," two-time WNBA MVP and Las Vegas Aces standout A'ja Wilson, star of South Carolina's 2017 title team, wrote on Twitter. "Such a fighter and a warrior with the sweetest gentle soul! Coach McCray you've helped me in many, many ways and you were a true gift from God! Truly will be missed! No more suffering, no more pain! God got a good one."

A native of Collierville, Tennessee, McCray-Penson helped the Lady Vols win three SEC regular-season championships, two SEC tournament titles, and make a women's Final Four appearance in 1995, when Tennessee fell in the championship game to Connecticut.

McCray-Penson was then named to the U.S. national team, which trained and toured together from the fall of 1995 until going to the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. That U.S. team's popularity and success was seen as the springboard to the launch of the WNBA in 1997, and was chronicled in the ESPN 30 For 30 special, "Dream On," that was released last year.

McCray-Penson played nine seasons in the WNBA. and won gold medals with Team USA in the 1996 and 2000 Summer Olympics.

"We are heartbroken to hear this news," Indiana Fever general manager Lin Dunn said on Twitter. "Nikki was a part of our first Fever playoff team; our thoughts and prayers go out to her family."

McCray-Penson also led the Columbus Quest to the 1997 ABL championship, as she played in that league before moving to the WNBA. She was the ABL's MVP in 1997.

"Nikki was a tremendous competitor," Brian Agler, who coached McCray-Penson with the Quest, told ESPN. "She could dominate a game with her defensive abilities and her aggressive offensive style. She had such a tremendous work ethic. I know her Columbus Quest family, friends and fans respect her and will miss her."

She was inducted in the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

I always picture her with the perm and the orange Tennessee uni, playing for coach Summit. Rest easy, ma'am.

Team Stewie cooking them. Sabrina wild with the 4 pointers, but Jewel Lloyd broke the All Star game scoring record...she will probably grab the MVP. Super fun game, though. So cool to see the former players in the house, BG dunkiand smiling, A'ja mic'd up. Good night.

Maybe because I'm less emotionally invested in the W than the NBA, but I thought the level of competitiveness fine, even if it wasn't as high as a well-played WNBA game.

It was nice to see Jewel win the MVP. She deserves something for being the lone bright spot in the Storm's season.

I'm not a W historian, but this year's Aces has to be in the top handful of teams all-time, right?

They're 21-2 with a +15.5 differential.

I know it isn't cool to compare the W and the NBA, but in comparison, the best differential for the Warriors was '16-'17, when they were +11.6. Another comp is the 69-win '96-'97 Bulls which had a +10.8 net rating.

The Aces lead the league in PPG, and FG%. They're 2nd in 3PT% and assists, while also leading the league in fewest turnovers. As Thanos said, "they are inevitable."

Where do they rank all time? And can anyone beat these women in a series? I think the Liberty is playing well, but Vegas has a gear I haven't seen from NY yet.

But their start has been legendary.

It is worth mentioning that the only two games they've lost this season have been because they've played teams on a B2B, a format similar to what they may face in the playoffs. (Sheryl Swoopes' co-host mentioned this idea recently) The co-host suggested that after teams get a chance to make adjustments, the Aces' advantages fade. (or Vegas just gets bored.)

Vegas: 27-3, New York: 24-6. I think they were split, head to head, before last night. 3-2 for the Liberty, this season with 2 ass whoopings. Vegas has been more dominant, but they do not scare the Liberty, at all. Stewie and Sabrina have figured out how to play together. They take turns taking over games, seemingly figuring it out, in game. The only other team with single digit losses, is the surprising Sun.

..NY is firing on all cylinders.

Parker's absence leaves quite a void for LV.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

I think they're my pick to go all the way.

We were watching and heard them say she had 30. We were like, "OK, A'ja is killin' it tonight." That game got out of hand so we switched to Dallas & Minnesota (which had a wild ass finish).

So the little lady checks the final score later on and says, "I think there's an error on the ESPN app. They're saying A'ja had 53."

ME - "Nah, that's gotta be an error. She had about 30 when we changed it. There's now way she could have got 53. They had to just mean 35."

Good lord.

..ATL put her on the line 21 times lol.

She gave them the complete business.

Crazy to think about what this team is capable of when healthy.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...

they’re here for it, every time. Sabrina took one step back and 100 steps forward. Holy shit, she’s getting better as the year goes on. She’s now an elite PG and scorer. It’s like a Vandersloot/Jackie Young hybrid. In the full court she can grab a board, take it the length of the court and get to the basket with ease or…dot up a cutter. In the half court is where she’s become lethal. She can take you off the dribble or pull up on you….and she pulls QUICK. She makes more threes than anyone. She doesn’t even have to be square with the basket. She can just release from any body position and she takes DEEP threes. It’s amazing how talented the league is and then you see singular talents like this getting even better..damn. Man, I hope Candace can make it back and be a part of this rivalry.

https://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/38335899/sun-alyssa-thomas-sets-wnba-single-season-assists-record

SIMHO, she's right there with Aja and Brianna. Thomas has had one hell of a season and her team is in contention.

The triple-doubles have been flowing freely. Last stat I saw was 6 triple-doubles in 38 games. She also broke Vandersloot's record for most assists in a season but it's fair to say that this season has 40 games compared to about 33 in previous seasons. Still, an impressive feat.

She doesn't get the publicity the other 2 get so she won't win. But she absolutely deserves to be there.

I'm amazed at how well she's been playing at her age and with her consistently jacked up shoulders.

when I thought about the Sun, before the season...I knew Dewanna could had another level...I did NOT know Alyssa had THIS level. Good on her and I agree...most valuable to her team? Who the eff has been more valuable to her team than Ms. Thomas and what she is doing. The Sun lost a former league MVP and if it were not for TWO juggernauts, the Sun are right there at the top.

Playoffs are set. Vegas clinched the #1 overall seed on the final day of the regular season, yesterday, by way of the Liberty losing to Washington (who they will face in the first round) on a last-second tip in.

1. Vegas vs. 8. Chicago

2. New York vs. 7. Washington

3. Connecticut vs. 6. Minnesota

4. Dallas vs. 5. Atlanta

>Playoffs are set. Vegas clinched the #1 overall seed on the
>final day of the regular season, yesterday, by way of the
>Liberty losing to Washington (who they will face in the first
>round) on a last-second tip in.
>
>1. Vegas vs. 8. Chicago

Vegas should cruise here. Chicago impressed me by making the playoffs but they don't have the firepower to hang with the Aces.

>2. New York vs. 7. Washington

New York should walk. I really try to like EDD but she can't stay healthy. She consistently misses like half the season.

>3. Connecticut vs. 6. Minnesota

Connecticut *should* win. When they're "on," they're as good as any team in the league. But when they're "off," they are REALLY, REALLY OFF. I feel like Minnesota is a team that'll punch you in the mouth hard and then get their asses kicked.

>4. Dallas vs. 5. Atlanta

I'm gonna pick Dallas but this young Atlanta squad has shown me something this year. They may make it interesting.

the 4/5 match-up is the only one I think will even be any question on. I love Renee Montgomery and root for Atlanta, but I think Dallas will be too much for them this time around.

and the Lynx put Connecticut on the brink. Third best team in the league for the entire season and it could be all over. These best of 3 series can be dream crushers.

I thought Conn was gonna tighten things up and roll thru this round. Alyssa & Dewanna better get everyone on the same page.

ashamed one of these teams’ season will be over, shortly.

every time New York tries to get things into a half court, Connecticut finds a way to pick up the pace.

..and I'm here for it.


*skatin' the rings of saturn*


..and miles to go before i sleep...