Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Monday, October 05, 2009

There was this game, see.... But some of us were teaching all day Sunday so we haven't got a chance to view the tape. And some of us intended to blog, but the site was down and the window of opportunity was lost....

Anyhoo - enough with the excuses:

Justine Larbalestier was pumped for the game.

Someone else "discovered" the game: WNBA Finals proves to be just as exciting as NBA (focus on the sentiment, not the spelling)

Zakk realizes he was "Wrong About the WNBA" (seems there's been a lot of that going on -- so, how much did those roster cuts hurt?)
But it was in Atlanta when my mouth got me in trouble (this time with the WNBA, any ways). While on air to promote their franchises first-ever game two members of the Atlanta Dream, Ivory Latta and Chioma Nnamaka, sensed my pretentiousness and challenged me (and my traffic guy, Denzil) to a game of H-O-R-S-E. If I won, I'd get to address the WNBA crowd and show highlights of my victory over their star players. But if I lost, Ivory and Chioma decided, I'd have to perform a karaoke version of a song of their choice while dressed like "Jackie Moon".

I'll show them why guys are better, or so I thought, and showed up to the grudge match already dressed like the Will Farrell character. If my shooting skills or "Y" chromosome wouldn't provide me an advantage, then my intimidating uniform would, or so I thought.

I thought wrong.
Add this from the Blog of Bill: Stop the Ignorance...
I have made no pretense with this platform about how the WNBA is a sport that people need to put aside their petty displeasures and take a long deep breath and watch from beginning to end. Yes it is womens basketball, and yes, they play with a smaller ball. And oh yes, even manly men like Zakk of Indy SportsNation.com have put down their bad beers to finally say, ” these girls got game !”
Oh, and it seems Larry Fitzgerald, the Arizona Cardinal wide receiver was at the game, which is cool, but I ain't linking you to the site that told me that for reasons of taste.

And that guy Bird, remember the one who can't dunk so didn't really play such great basketball? Anyhoo, he was mouthin' off about the W saying stuff like
“They’re as good as anyone in the world. They’re are the best talent in the world. They come to play every night. They’re very well coached. They work hard in practice”
The game report by the AP's Cliff Brunt was picked up by a lot of papers.

From Bob Kravitz at the Indy Star: Sunday of great moments
This was another double-dip to etch into the memory. It featured another ho-hum dose of brilliance from Peyton Manning in front of a sellout crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium and a 76-second-long 10-point outburst by the Fever's Briann "Not Quite Reggie'' January that moved Indiana past the Phoenix LifeLocks in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals before another sellout crowd at Conseco Fieldhouse.
Richard Essex noted: Fever fans set WNBA Finals record

Curt Cavin, "Special for The Republic" (which means they hired a local), opens his piece: This is not how the WNBA Finals are suppose to go for the Mercury."

Curt also wrote for his paper, the Indy Star: It's Fever by a head-butt - Late technical foul on Taurasi results in 1 key free throw
No harm, probably no foul, the players involved said, but the dramatic contact in Sunday's Game 3 at Conseco Fieldhouse turned more than that: A technical foul and one of the key moments in these WNBA Finals.
Q does his usual stellar job over at Swish Appeal
It is almost inevitable that every now and then, a problematic call from a referee will cast a dark cloud over the outcome of a playoff game, even outside the WNBA.

As a Bay Area sports fan, the idiotic "Tuck Rule" that killed the Oakland Raiders' playoff run comes to mind and I'm pretty sure Phoenix Stan can think of a call or two from the Phoenix Suns past that still gets his blood boiling.

So it would be no surprise if Game 3 of the 2009 WNBA Finals is defined by "The Headbutt" in Phoenix Mercury fan-lore.
From Mechelle: Time on Fever's side in Game 3
It was a beautiful fall football afternoon here in the Heartland … but it was also a Sunday for hoops. The Colts were over in Lucas Oil Field finishing off the visiting Seahawks around tip-off time at sold-out Conseco Fieldhouse

About two hours, one popped-out shoulder, one questionable technical foul and numerous athletic drives to the basket later, what was left was 3.4 seconds. The Fever had a one-point lead; the Mercury had the ball.

And this WNBA Finals series once again had viewers on the edge of their seats.
And from Mechelle's blog: "Interesting day in Indy," where she flashes back and flashes forward.