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| Total Votes : 20 |
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Shades
Joined: 10 Jul 2006
Posts: 63780
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 Posted: 10/20/23 8:24 pm ::: |
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| pilight wrote: |
| PUmatty wrote: |
| If we ever need proof that draft luck trumps everything, this series should wipe out any doubt. |
Which is why they should take the luck out of it and slot the non-playoff teams in reverse order of which team had the #1 pick most recently. For this year that would be...
1 Los Angeles last had the #1 pick in 2012
2 Phoenix last had the #1 pick in 2013
3 Seattle last had the #1 pick in 2016
4 Indiana had the #1 pick last year |
Wow, the biggest conspiracist against Sparks drafting history is coming up with a system that helps the Sparks? Never thought I’d see this.  I’m happy this won’t happen.
Not only that, you’d be taking away Indiana’s chance at two #1 picks in a row at possibly the worst time, which could be transformative for the team. Is it bad for a team to transform? Do you want to see PUmatty cry for the next ten years about the draft?
And it’s not just about getting #1 picks. You have the keep those #1 picks happy and together through thick and thin, which is not an easy task in the “results now” expectations of sports in general and especially in the WNBA.
Remember how rocky the Stars’ relationship started out with Plum? Plum’s agent demanded the Stars not draft her if they weren’t going to start her. I recall Plum being considered a draft bust until she injured her Achilles, the moment that changed her life because her rehab person taught her how important it was to take care of her body. The things Plum learned from her rehab person she passed along to Young, who most people thought was a draft mistake given the options available. She’s improved every year. Neither Plum or Young were ROY. Doesn’t that imply draft mistakes were made, or do we want to conveniently forget about that since it doesn’t fit whatever agenda we have against the current draft system? Sure they got their choice of players for three years, with A’ja Wilson being the one magnetic KEY player in all of it. But it took a lot of luck to go along with it for them to make it to the point of two championships in a row, which almost didn’t happen. They only won by one point in Game 4 and who knows what might have happened in Game 5. If the Liberty would have won the series (they did win the Commissioner’s Cup), then the talking points would have steered away from the draft and onto how terrible the current free agency system is for the WNBA because it allows super teams (like they have in the NBA), even though viewership of the Finals has been the highest it’s been in 20 years.
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010
Posts: 9627
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| Posted: 10/20/23 9:12 pm ::: |
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| scullyfu wrote: |
Like Silky, my post wasn’t meant to be insensitive.
Check the time stamp, I posted that before pilight’s message from Queenie, I wouldn’t have seen it. Had I seen it, I wouldn’t have posted. |
I wasn't suggesting you saw pilight's post before making your post. I should have said "in addition to the tweet pilight posted". I bolded part of it to emphasize the degree of what she said, not as in "you missed this part". Since another person was also asking about Queenie I shouldn't have done my post as a reply to you.
| Quote: |
| Somehow you’ve managed to mansplain the New York situation (which I’m fully aware of) & post shame me all at once. A twofer. Must be some sort of precedent, even for you. |
The Queenie tweets were directed to you with regard to "are you OK?". The last part was not specifically to you. It was me being struck by and noting just how bad of a scenario it was for a Liberty fan.
Last edited by tfan on 10/20/23 9:21 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010
Posts: 9627
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| Posted: 10/20/23 9:20 pm ::: |
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#1 picks are game changers. Unless you got one in the 2021 WNBA draft. I was looking at who was available instead of Charlie Collier and there are no all-stars on the list.
From the first round
Awak Kuier
Aari McDonald
Michaela Onyenwere
2nd round
Dana Evans
Dijonai Carrington
3rd round
Maya Caldwell
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2021_WNBA_draft
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Queenie
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
Posts: 18031
Location: Queens
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| Posted: 10/20/23 11:44 pm ::: |
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| Silky Johnson wrote: |
| tfan wrote: |
| scullyfu wrote: |
It’s a good 12 hours past game time & still not a peep.
Queenie, please let us know you’re okay.  |
She's not OK. As pilight posted:
| Quote: |
| Discord notifications are off and I am not looking at social media until college season. (Literally went straight to the compose tweet URL for this.) |
Also tweeted:
| Quote: |
| But if I think too much about last night I am going to either not stop crying or not stop screaming. |
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Well damn, that sucks. I wasn't trying to troll Queenie, I just wanted the takes while they were still piping hot. |
The piping hot takes included "I AM NOT WATCHING THAT FUCKING RUSSIAN WHORE CELEBRATE ON OUR FUCKING COURT" as I powerwalked out of the arena and across Flatbush Avenue, if that helps.
It is so nice to know people were actually concerned about a fellow fan- oh wait no y'all just wanted the Board Junkie equivalent of the hallway cam on Chelsea Gray. I hope your favorite player reenacts the Sideshow Bob scene with the rakes.
This team had one fucking job and once fucking again fucking Lucy pulls away the fucking football because I forgot we're not allowed to have nice things. Fuck this team for making me initially believe in them and fuck me for this being the longest relationship I've ever been a part of, and for good measure absolutely get fucked with a cactus Kelsey Plum's big fucking mouth.
I tried to stay off social media but I have this thing where I sort of want to know what's going on in the world (why, I don't know, because the answer everywhere is "unmitigated, undiluted stupid fucking shit, TAKE ME NOW SWEET METEOR O' DEATH") and even muting a bunch of W-related terms wasn't enough unless I went through and blocked half my timeline. And honestly, much like our perimeter defense, I'm too lazy for that. So I came back from hiatus early. Clearly mistakes were made.
I'm just so. fucking. tired. of this. I thought, stupid fucking me, we had a chance and instead we just shit the bed with a thoroughness I have not seen since the last time someone let Carol Blazejowski make a major trade. I was ready to go to Las Vegas for Game 5! I had a ticket purchased! I would have shelled out the money for the flight and cut my budget to the bone for months to make up for it! At least this team saved me from doing something objectively stupid by completely forgetting how to do their fucking jobs!
The next fucking time some shithead starts an MVP chant for Breanna Stewart I am shoving her playoff stats in the shithead's face. Give Alyssa her goddamn trophy. No, not the third-place finisher and her whiny-ass stans. The player who actually got the most first-place votes. The player who did things no one else in the fucking league could do and carried the biggest load because she wasn't surrounded by #1 picks or other franchises' best players.
Congratulations. The bad guys won. Fuck Hammon and fuck Plum's big mouth and fuck Wilson's stank-ass ego and fuck Clark's elbows. I actually don't have beef with the rest of that roster, to be honest, but that goddamn Russian whore with the bad dye job and the worse makeup is a problem.
At least my college teams can't disappoint me. They're all gonna suck. Everyone transferred or graduated or graduated and then transferred. I have no idea who about 60% of them even are. I have no expectations and they can't hurt me.
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Queenie
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
Posts: 18031
Location: Queens
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| Posted: 10/20/23 11:50 pm ::: |
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| zune69 wrote: |
| At the end of the day/game, You have to put this loss on Stewart.....3 for 17 in a 1 pt game. |
and the shots she missed... Jesus Christ she was so exposed on some of those I thought Marta was going to raise objections
but the second she did anything, the MVP chants were up. Because of course. "Stew York City" kiss my substantial pasty white kiester SHE'S FROM FUCKING UPSTATE
For someone who's so good in championships she absolutely shit the bed this series, and if she isn't hiding an injury she has no excuse. She had one job and holy fuck did she not do it.
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Silky Johnson
Joined: 29 Sep 2014
Posts: 3318
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| Posted: 10/21/23 1:57 am ::: |
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| Queenie wrote: |
| Silky Johnson wrote: |
Well damn, that sucks. I wasn't trying to troll Queenie, I just wanted the takes while they were still piping hot. |
The piping hot takes included "I AM NOT WATCHING THAT FUCKING RUSSIAN WHORE CELEBRATE ON OUR FUCKING COURT" as I powerwalked out of the arena and across Flatbush Avenue, if that helps.
It is so nice to know people were actually concerned about a fellow fan- oh wait no y'all just wanted the Board Junkie equivalent of the hallway cam on Chelsea Gray. I hope your favorite player reenacts the Sideshow Bob scene with the rakes.
This team had one fucking job and once fucking again fucking Lucy pulls away the fucking football because I forgot we're not allowed to have nice things. Fuck this team for making me initially believe in them and fuck me for this being the longest relationship I've ever been a part of, and for good measure absolutely get fucked with a cactus Kelsey Plum's big fucking mouth.
I tried to stay off social media but I have this thing where I sort of want to know what's going on in the world (why, I don't know, because the answer everywhere is "unmitigated, undiluted stupid fucking shit, TAKE ME NOW SWEET METEOR O' DEATH") and even muting a bunch of W-related terms wasn't enough unless I went through and blocked half my timeline. And honestly, much like our perimeter defense, I'm too lazy for that. So I came back from hiatus early. Clearly mistakes were made.
I'm just so. fucking. tired. of this. I thought, stupid fucking me, we had a chance and instead we just shit the bed with a thoroughness I have not seen since the last time someone let Carol Blazejowski make a major trade. I was ready to go to Las Vegas for Game 5! I had a ticket purchased! I would have shelled out the money for the flight and cut my budget to the bone for months to make up for it! At least this team saved me from doing something objectively stupid by completely forgetting how to do their fucking jobs!
The next fucking time some shithead starts an MVP chant for Breanna Stewart I am shoving her playoff stats in the shithead's face. Give Alyssa her goddamn trophy. No, not the third-place finisher and her whiny-ass stans. The player who actually got the most first-place votes. The player who did things no one else in the fucking league could do and carried the biggest load because she wasn't surrounded by #1 picks or other franchises' best players.
Congratulations. The bad guys won. Fuck Hammon and fuck Plum's big mouth and fuck Wilson's stank-ass ego and fuck Clark's elbows. I actually don't have beef with the rest of that roster, to be honest, but that goddamn Russian whore with the bad dye job and the worse makeup is a problem.
At least my college teams can't disappoint me. They're all gonna suck. Everyone transferred or graduated or graduated and then transferred. I have no idea who about 60% of them even are. I have no expectations and they can't hurt me. |
<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/a0Lgc1JvbfS4o" width="480" height="360" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>
SOMEBODY PUT THE ETHER BEAT BEHIND THIS, RIGHT NOW!
10/10, no notes!
#HateHard APPROVED!
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My team no longer exists, so I'll have to settle for hating yours.
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Silky Johnson
Joined: 29 Sep 2014
Posts: 3318
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| Posted: 10/21/23 1:58 am ::: |
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| Queenie wrote: |
| zune69 wrote: |
| At the end of the day/game, You have to put this loss on Stewart.....3 for 17 in a 1 pt game. |
and the shots she missed... Jesus Christ she was so exposed on some of those I thought Marta was going to raise objections
but the second she did anything, the MVP chants were up. Because of course. "Stew York City" kiss my substantial pasty white kiester SHE'S FROM FUCKING UPSTATE
For someone who's so good in championships she absolutely shit the bed this series, and if she isn't hiding an injury she has no excuse. She had one job and holy fuck did she not do it. |
And came back out for a curtain call! Bellissima!
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ChiSky54
Joined: 19 Jun 2019
Posts: 667
Location: Chicago
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| Posted: 10/21/23 3:05 am ::: |
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Queenie, in all sincerity, I feel your pain - certainly not to the depths that you do.
Sandy was not retained in Phx for a reason.
Some folks mvp can't live up to the hype. Why the heck did they keep her in there when she couldn't hit the ocean from a dinghy?
All season long, I kept saying "That team has too many former Sky players on it - they'll muck it up."
It's a horrible sight and feeling losing a decisive game at home in front of such an enthusiastic crowd (took me back to 2014 when the Sky got swept and the final game was at the U of I Pavilion since Allstate wasn't available).
I'm glad you could vent here.
What the heck was that last play? Even I knew it sucked!
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Queenie
Joined: 18 Nov 2004
Posts: 18031
Location: Queens
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| Posted: 10/21/23 7:06 am ::: |
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| ChiSky54 wrote: |
Queenie, in all sincerity, I feel your pain - certainly not to the depths that you do.
Sandy was not retained in Phx for a reason.
Some folks mvp can't live up to the hype. Why the heck did they keep her in there when she couldn't hit the ocean from a dinghy?
All season long, I kept saying "That team has too many former Sky players on it - they'll muck it up."
It's a horrible sight and feeling losing a decisive game at home in front of such an enthusiastic crowd (took me back to 2014 when the Sky got swept and the final game was at the U of I Pavilion since Allstate wasn't available).
I'm glad you could vent here.
What the heck was that last play? Even I knew it sucked! |
respectfully, I do not want even well-meant sympathy from fans of expansion teams with championships
That last play was run with all the confidence, finesse, and reliability of a Yugo. On cinderblocks. And possibly on fire.
That being said, while Sandy was not retained in Phoenix for a reason, my impression was that the reason was that she was trying to pivot the team away from Taurasi, and Taurasi having all the ability to go away gracefully that, frankly, I do, it wasn't gonna end well for Sandy.
We kept playing Breanna because our other options were either run Kayla Thornton into the ground or even more useless than Breanna. Why we didn't run more plays for JJ or Betnijah, that I don't know. (I'd say Sabrina, but apparently there were multiple instances of literal barfing instead of metaphorically barfing, so I will be magnanimous.)
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ClayK
Joined: 11 Oct 2005
Posts: 11150
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| Posted: 10/21/23 9:53 am ::: |
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I have been lurking for a long time, but I have to come back to applaud that epic rant.
No one does it better ...
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GlennMacGrady
Joined: 03 Jan 2005
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tfan
Joined: 31 May 2010
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| Posted: 10/21/23 9:13 pm ::: |
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In looking at the highlights I am surprised that it was mostly a statistical battle between the two power forwards. Normally Jonquel Jones was covering Wilson and George or Clark were covering Stewart.
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mercfan3
Joined: 23 Nov 2004
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eyevolley4
Joined: 27 Apr 2006
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| Posted: 10/22/23 8:07 am ::: |
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I found myself assuming, right up to the very end, that Stewie would hit that one last shot - the shot that they needed to overcome - just barely doing enough to get to the next stage.
I primarily assumed this because we saw it happen multiple times this season and we’ve mostly become accustomed to watching Stewie win.
It’s a real oddity to see Stewie perform the way she did for an extended stretch because she has been so consistently good for the duration of her career. I just don’t think it was unreasonable to assume she would find one last trick to pull in spite of it all.
Now - the Aces also had Clark who knows Stewie as well or better than anyone in the league and undoubtedly was prepared to make a difference in a key moment.
Where does it all go from here?
Assuming New York goes into run it back mode and makes minimal changes beyond the likely Stef/Marinne/JW changes that appear imminent (perhaps Stef takes a pay cut to stay), you still end up with the bulk minutes going to the same characters. Contracts indicate you have one more year of Sloot before they have to hunt for a pivot in lead guard. Quigley as a Marinne replacement doesn’t suck but doesn’t feel like progress. The post availability to replace Stef doesn’t seem great so my guess is you land right back where you are today. Maybe Han and JW both are replaced. The facts are, likely new supporters, but not likely dramatic change.
New York can still win a title by outclassing the league in offensive firepower. It seems prudent to try and make JJ a more prominent offensive player for the team and continue to let BL expand her role. Sabrina and Sloot’s defense remains the kryptonite though Sloot was more effective on Plum when Plum became the primary ball handler role.
Then you look over at the Aces. This is scary. This team has $150k to spend on reinforcements even if they brought Parker and Stokes back at current levels. They could give Stokes a pay increase and still have money for a reasonable mid level vet. Or they could give a big contract to one player.
2024 feels positioned for a Part 2 of this rivalry and I don’t hate it.
The scud missile becomes, is any other franchise positioned to make a Super Team play. Joining Nneka and Skylar with a core seems like that path. Seattle may have a way to make that happen with Jewel. Chicago could even be an option. Indiana and Atlanta may have paths.
If you want to win a WNBA Championship, I perceive most teams are two pieces away from that ability (Dallas and Connecticut could be closer but have more complications in how to add prominent pieces).
I’ve veered off the Liberty only as a means to say - I do believe we are going to be revisiting this series next year. With more emotion and intensity and hopefully less injury (LV) and more guile (NY).
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Silky Johnson
Joined: 29 Sep 2014
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| Posted: 10/22/23 1:35 pm ::: |
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| mercfan3 wrote: |
| And Stewie, this was the first time she played a championship game where her team wasn’t significantly more talented than the opposing team. Hmmm. |
You know, now that you mention it, Maya Moore stopped dominating championship games around the same time that happened to her, too...
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zune69
Joined: 27 May 2010
Posts: 8183
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| Posted: 10/22/23 1:56 pm ::: |
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| mercfan3 wrote: |
And Stewie, this was the first time she played a championship game where her team wasn’t significantly more talented than the opposing team. Hmmm. |
This was also the first time Stewart had to help facilitate the offense & sporadically defend guards.........Brondello had Stewart doing too much. She was clearly gassed.
Last edited by zune69 on 10/22/23 2:19 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
Posts: 66920
Location: Where the action is
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| Posted: 10/22/23 2:15 pm ::: |
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| Silky Johnson wrote: |
| mercfan3 wrote: |
| And Stewie, this was the first time she played a championship game where her team wasn’t significantly more talented than the opposing team. Hmmm. |
You know, now that you mention it, Maya Moore stopped dominating championship games around the same time that happened to her, too... |
Maya just quit when she reached that point
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I ain't got a home
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GlennMacGrady
Joined: 03 Jan 2005
Posts: 8228
Location: Heisenberg
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| Posted: 10/22/23 2:20 pm ::: |
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| mercfan3 wrote: |
And Stewie, this was the first time she played a championship game where her team wasn’t significantly more talented than the opposing team. Hmmm. |
I, too, think this is an interesting point. I don't know about her overseas play, but it seems valid for her college and most of her WNBA career. However, she didn't shoot well against the Mystics or Sun either in the 2023 playoffs. The question may be whether her 10 game offensive funk was a fluke or a harbinger. |
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Rock Hard
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
Posts: 5377
Location: Chocolate Paradise
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| Posted: 10/22/23 2:33 pm ::: |
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| pilight wrote: |
| Silky Johnson wrote: |
| mercfan3 wrote: |
| And Stewie, this was the first time she played a championship game where her team wasn’t significantly more talented than the opposing team. Hmmm. |
You know, now that you mention it, Maya Moore stopped dominating championship games around the same time that happened to her, too... |
Maya just quit when she reached that point |
She went husband hunting. 👰🏿
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pilight
Joined: 23 Sep 2004
Posts: 66920
Location: Where the action is
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| Posted: 10/22/23 2:36 pm ::: |
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| Rock Hard wrote: |
| pilight wrote: |
| Silky Johnson wrote: |
| mercfan3 wrote: |
| And Stewie, this was the first time she played a championship game where her team wasn’t significantly more talented than the opposing team. Hmmm. |
You know, now that you mention it, Maya Moore stopped dominating championship games around the same time that happened to her, too... |
Maya just quit when she reached that point |
She went husband hunting. 👰🏿 |
That shouldn't prevent her playing. There are many married players in the league.
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I ain't got a home
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Silky Johnson
Joined: 29 Sep 2014
Posts: 3318
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| Posted: 10/22/23 3:16 pm ::: |
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| pilight wrote: |
| Rock Hard wrote: |
| pilight wrote: |
| Silky Johnson wrote: |
| mercfan3 wrote: |
| And Stewie, this was the first time she played a championship game where her team wasn’t significantly more talented than the opposing team. Hmmm. |
You know, now that you mention it, Maya Moore stopped dominating championship games around the same time that happened to her, too... |
Maya just quit when she reached that point |
She went husband hunting. 👰🏿 |
That shouldn't prevent her playing. There are many married players in the league. |
http://boards.rebkell.net/viewtopic.php?p=1629138#1629138
#ListenToMeNow #BelieveMeLaterOn
I be giving y'all prophecy.
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zune69
Joined: 27 May 2010
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| Posted: 10/22/23 3:33 pm ::: |
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The whole "Stewart didn't dominate because her team wasn't overly more talented than LV" makes no sense.....Stewart avg 29/9/3 on 54% FG last season during the semi finals vs literally the same Vegas team......Are we saying that last year's Seattle team is more talented than this year's Liberty team?..... Stewart was either gassed or nursing an injury.
Stewart shot 39% fg & 31% from 3 the last 17 games of the regular season
Stewart avg 3 more mpg and played 6 more games than the previous season
Minutes:
2022- 1052
2023- 1365
Stewart played 313 more minutes (RS) than she did in 2022
Sloot/Ionescu's mediocre defense really hurt NY.....Stewart/Laney had to exert more energy on that end than they should have to.
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Silky Johnson
Joined: 29 Sep 2014
Posts: 3318
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| Posted: 10/22/23 6:30 pm ::: |
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| zune69 wrote: |
| The whole "Stewart didn't dominate because her team wasn't overly more talented than LV" makes no sense.....Stewart avg 29/9/3 on 54% FG last season during the semi finals vs literally the same Vegas team.... |
Not dominant enough to win, though...
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Iluvacc
Joined: 11 Jun 2005
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zune69
Joined: 27 May 2010
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| Posted: 10/22/23 10:06 pm ::: |
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| Silky Johnson wrote: |
| zune69 wrote: |
| The whole "Stewart didn't dominate because her team wasn't overly more talented than LV" makes no sense.....Stewart avg 29/9/3 on 54% FG last season during the semi finals vs literally the same Vegas team.... |
Not dominant enough to win, though... |
Fair enough...but I can't put that on Stewart..She dropped 42 pts in gm 4
Tina went 1 for 7 in gm 4 and missed 2 FTs that would've secured the game 4 win for Seattle.
Magbegor played like a rookie and made multiple defensive errors down the stretch.
And coach Quinn...lol...coach Quinn....Seattle probably win the series if Kloppenburg was the HC.
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Aces had a huge coaching advantage.
