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pilight
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 Posted: 07/21/14 7:34 am ::: Changes |
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Team TY LY
+8 Phoenix 18-3 10-11
+3 Atlanta 15-6 13-9
+3 Connecticut 10-14 7-17
+3 San Antonio 11-12 8-15
+1 Tulsa 8-15 7-16
0 Indiana 11-12 11-12
0 Minnesota 17-6 17-6
0 Washington 10-13 10-13
-1 New York 8-13 9-12
-2 Seattle 9-15 11-13
-5 Los Angeles 10-12 15-7
-7 Chicago 8-14 15-7
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Shades
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| Posted: 07/21/14 9:08 am ::: |
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| COY is gonna be a tough race. Look at MIN with the same record as last year even with their huge injury situation this year, and having a non-elite rookie as a starter. Amazing.
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SpaceJunkie
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justintyme
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SpaceJunkie
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BamaEd
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| Posted: 07/21/14 12:56 pm ::: |
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| I think the way Brondello has changed Phoenix from a fun & gun offensive juggernaut to a team that plays defense is big work. You have that much length on the floor how can you not have them play defense? They are a scary machine right now.
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justintyme
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Shades
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ucdt3
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| Posted: 07/21/14 4:43 pm ::: |
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| justintyme wrote: |
| SpaceJunkie wrote: |
| Shades wrote: |
| COY is gonna be a tough race. Look at MIN with the same record as last year even with their huge injury situation this year, and having a non-elite rookie as a starter. Amazing. |
I'm not that impressed by MIN as you are.  |
That is just silly. To have the same record as a year ago after losing Augustus, Brunson, Wright, and Peters for extended time? Against a league that collectively has more talent than a year ago. You must have some rediculous expectations. |
Just proves Maya's value at MVP was just as strong LAST season (when she didn't win because lots of people thought she had the most help out of all the candidates). |
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jlight
Joined: 26 Feb 2014
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| Posted: 07/21/14 4:49 pm ::: |
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| Katie Douglas predicts mercury to go the finals this year.
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"It's not necessarily about out-working the person across from me. It's out-working that voice inside me that says, "I'm too tired. I don't feel like doing it. I can settle." - Maya Moore.
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SpaceJunkie
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justintyme
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SpaceJunkie
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| Posted: 07/21/14 9:17 pm ::: |
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| justintyme wrote: |
So you think the Lynx team is equal to their Championship team last year, even though 4 of their top 8 players from last year have been out injured? Including their single best overall defender and last year's best perimeter defender?
As I said, you have ridiculously high expectations. And before you point to Maya, her numbers are actually lower than last year (ts%), she is just playing more minutes and taking more shots because others are out. So it's not like she improved dramatically from last year (besides a bit on the defensive end), it's just that she has had to carry the team more. |
I'm not pointing to Maya; I've had Taurasi as MVP the past month for the same reasons.
Last year, the Lynx should've won more games than they did. This year, the Lynx haven't had any impressive wins except the win at Chicago when Chicago was still undefeated (the wins at LA would be, but the Sparks have fallen off a cliff this year). Beating San Antonio and Tulsa doesn't impress me, as I expect the Lynx to be able to still beat those teams (along with Seattle).
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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| Posted: 07/21/14 9:31 pm ::: |
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| justintyme wrote: |
| SpaceJunkie wrote: |
| justintyme wrote: |
| SpaceJunkie wrote: |
| justintyme wrote: |
| SpaceJunkie wrote: |
| Shades wrote: |
| COY is gonna be a tough race. Look at MIN with the same record as last year even with their huge injury situation this year, and having a non-elite rookie as a starter. Amazing. |
I'm not that impressed by MIN as you are. |
That is just silly. To have the same record as a year ago after losing Augustus, Brunson, Wright, and Peters for extended time? Against a league that collectively has more talent than a year ago. You must have some rediculous expectations. |
I expected the Lynx not to lose to Seattle twice and at New York. |
And they lost to Washington twice and Tulsa at home last year with everyone healthy. Bad losses will happen in sports. To not have more of them with such significant pieces out injured is amazing. |
A Washington loss last year was without McCarville and the Tulsa loss without Brunson. I'm not amazed by the Lynx's record this year as it isn't any better than it should be. |
So you think the Lynx team is equal to their Championship team last year, even though 4 of their top 8 players from last year have been out injured? Including their single best overall defender and last year's best perimeter defender?
As I said, you have ridiculously high expectations. And before you point to Maya, her numbers are actually lower than last year (ts%), she is just playing more minutes and taking more shots because others are out. So it's not like she improved dramatically from last year (besides a bit on the defensive end), it's just that she has had to carry the team more. |
MM is getting to the line much more than a year ago. More shooting opportunities, sure. But man, she gets way more attention and has been more than up to the task. She's a significantly better player than a year ago. Shooting .486 in order to average 24 ppg with all those free throws...and without two important players. I think that is a huge achievement.
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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| Posted: 07/21/14 9:40 pm ::: |
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| SpaceJunkie wrote: |
| justintyme wrote: |
So you think the Lynx team is equal to their Championship team last year, even though 4 of their top 8 players from last year have been out injured? Including their single best overall defender and last year's best perimeter defender?
As I said, you have ridiculously high expectations. And before you point to Maya, her numbers are actually lower than last year (ts%), she is just playing more minutes and taking more shots because others are out. So it's not like she improved dramatically from last year (besides a bit on the defensive end), it's just that she has had to carry the team more. |
I'm not pointing to Maya; I've had Taurasi as MVP the past month for the same reasons.
Last year, the Lynx should've won more games than they did. This year, the Lynx haven't had any impressive winsexcept the win at Chicago when Chicago was still undefeated (the wins at LA would be, but the Sparks have fallen off a cliff this year). Beating San Antonio and Tulsa doesn't impress me, as I expect the Lynx to be able to still beat those teams (along with Seattle). |
I'm just curious what it is that you expect. Only 2 other teams besides Minnesota have winning records and many teams are within shouting distance of .500. But if you have only 2 teams with winning records, both healthy, with one being 18-3, not sure how much more you can expect than what Minnesota has given. They're 0-3 against ATL and PHX, but 2 of those 3 were on the road and they lost to Atlanta by 3, even though they were undermanned. The league this year doesn't provide much opportunity for "impressive" wins in terms of winning teams. But there's no pushovers anywhere in the league. Tulsa beat Phoenix earlier this year just to illustrate the point.
I don't know. I think it's a pretty big achievement to be 17-6 with all those injuries. NY has been wrecked by injuries (players playing through them) and I would be thrilled to be 11-10 instead of 8-13 right now. Chicago has been wrecked as well, and I bet any of their fans would love to be 12-10 right about now.
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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| Posted: 07/21/14 9:44 pm ::: |
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| BamaEd wrote: |
| I think the way Brondello has changed Phoenix from a fun & gun offensive juggernaut to a team that plays defense is big work. You have that much length on the floor how can you not have them play defense? They are a scary machine right now. |
I said years back I thought Brondello was a good coach. She obviously has great talent now. But not everyone wins with great talent, and she has certainly altered their style of play to fit the personnel. The two previous coaches couldn't do it. Obviously they didn't have a healthy Taylor, but I think the performance this year goes beyond just that.
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justintyme
Joined: 08 Jul 2012
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| Posted: 07/21/14 9:47 pm ::: |
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| NYL_WNBA_FAN wrote: |
| justintyme wrote: |
| SpaceJunkie wrote: |
| justintyme wrote: |
| SpaceJunkie wrote: |
| justintyme wrote: |
| SpaceJunkie wrote: |
| Shades wrote: |
| COY is gonna be a tough race. Look at MIN with the same record as last year even with their huge injury situation this year, and having a non-elite rookie as a starter. Amazing. |
I'm not that impressed by MIN as you are. |
That is just silly. To have the same record as a year ago after losing Augustus, Brunson, Wright, and Peters for extended time? Against a league that collectively has more talent than a year ago. You must have some rediculous expectations. |
I expected the Lynx not to lose to Seattle twice and at New York. |
And they lost to Washington twice and Tulsa at home last year with everyone healthy. Bad losses will happen in sports. To not have more of them with such significant pieces out injured is amazing. |
A Washington loss last year was without McCarville and the Tulsa loss without Brunson. I'm not amazed by the Lynx's record this year as it isn't any better than it should be. |
So you think the Lynx team is equal to their Championship team last year, even though 4 of their top 8 players from last year have been out injured? Including their single best overall defender and last year's best perimeter defender?
As I said, you have ridiculously high expectations. And before you point to Maya, her numbers are actually lower than last year (ts%), she is just playing more minutes and taking more shots because others are out. So it's not like she improved dramatically from last year (besides a bit on the defensive end), it's just that she has had to carry the team more. |
MM is getting to the line much more than a year ago. More shooting opportunities, sure. But man, she gets way more attention and has been more than up to the task. She's a significantly better player than a year ago. |
She is being asked to play a different style this year, but I don't think she is playing "significantly" better. That isn't to say she isn't the MVP this year or that is isn't ridiculously good, it's that she was, in my opinion, the MVP and ridiculously good last year too. She just didn't have the raw numbers because she had more help and didn't have to carry the team as much.
She gets to the line more because she is being asked to take it to the rim more, along with playing the 4. You don't tend to get to the line when you are a jumpshooter (which is what she was asked to do last year). She has improved, mostly in her post game, her defense, and even with her handle. But these improvements aren't game changers, and she isn't shooting the three as well this year as she did last.
She does get more attention, and that is to her great credit that she is able to continue to play at that level while being the main focus of the opponent's game plan, but she could have done that last year too if it had been asked of her. So basically, what I am saying is that Maya didn't improve so much between last year and this year so that her net gain was equal to the loss of Augustus, Brunson, Wright, and Peters. Which was what the original debate was about: whether or not the Lynx this year without those players are as talented of a team as they were last year with them. Since they have the same record, that would suggest that what this team has done is quite impressive, and a lot of that should fall on the shoulders of the coach--especially since the health of the Lynx and their talent has been used to mitigate the accomplishments of Reeve in the past.
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NYL_WNBA_FAN
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| Posted: 07/21/14 10:06 pm ::: |
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I think that's partially true, but I think from day 1 she was carrying the team even when Augustus was playing, and I think it's because she uses her strength so well around the basket. I certainly think a part of it is how she is used, but I also think she is a flat-out better finisher at or near the rim...a fact that percentage-wise P.D.'s numbers support. She attempts near the rim, and finishes them, at a higher rate than 2013.
So in short I think it's a mixture of both. Yes she is allowed to do more around the rim, but numbers-wise there is no questioning that she is more efficient in those areas.
2014
1-5 feet 89-123 .724
6-10 feet 15-34 .441
2013
1-5 feet 90-133 .677
6-10 feet 3-13 .231
P_D_ Swanson's numbers are one of this boards most invaluable resources.
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