jap
Joined: 01 Apr 2007
Posts: 7922
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 Posted: 08/04/18 11:01 am ::: |
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What the hell is going on in Hollywood this season? Our multi-talented leader, Ace, who's finely crafted offensive finesse game usually falls apart whenever she gets a little tired---like having to play two games within a three day period---has been smoking as a one player gang after the Sparks went through one of the roughest congested game series in franchise history. Apparently, Candace has been eating her Wheaties!. Furthermore, the recent absence of our other MVP, Nneka, and our defensive Queen, Alana, has prompted CP3 to increasingly galvanize her game on all fronts in efforts to squeeze out wins despite a depleted roster. Her first coach, her own father, drilled her thoroughly on the offensive game for all five positions, but he was clearly not nearly as heavy on the defensive front. But now we have CP3 showing up as a defensive force against Las Lynx? What gives? Has she finally started paying full attention to Brian? Has she finally consented to having Alana coach her on defensive techniques using the Vulcan Mind Touch a la everyone's favorite Vulcan, Spock?
Nneka & Alana are now both back, but Ace continues to lead the LA charge with double doubles and frequent flirtations with triple doubles over the past month. I had Candace as my dark horse for MVP for this season since I suspected she took the 2017 championship loss to Las Lynx much harder than most seemed to suspect. But I never expected her to toughen herself up enough to play like a gangbuster through a tight stretch of games where in the past her finesse game usually evaporated, and she would appear to be running on fumes.
Has our former Golden Child discovered a fountain of youth somewhere in Hollywood. Or has some sage mind (or two or three or . . . ) whispered to her that she needed to up her fitness level so she can be a dominant force over multiple games in a tight stretch of contests---like a 5-game championship series?
Candace has filled me with pride & frustration similar to that as another LA icon---Kobe Bryant. Both of them came out of high school accustomed to regularly tearing through 3-5 defenders on coast-to-coast forays to the hoop. Both of them wear their hearts very nakedly on the sleeves, emoting heavily whenever called for fouls or---sin of all freaking sins!---having defenders who they felt got away with fouls. They both rip into refs so emotionally they risked ticking off every man or woman who ever suited up in referee attire, even when their protests are justified.
We are still a game behind the Atlanta Dream track & fielders and 4.5 games behind the league leading Storm. We can still manage to secure one of the top two spots, but it is going to require an extremely serious team focus & effort. If Candace is going to continue to sell herself out completely for the team, what can her Sisters do but support her completely? Naturally, of course, the league has scheduled our final game against the Atlanta Roadrunners as the second leg of a back-to-back. They always! seem to schedule the Dream as the second leg of a back-to-back every single damn year, virtually guaranteeing a loss on that second leg game when the gassed Sparks have to try and contain the Atlanta Dream sprinters. However, if Ace is fit enough to keep flying high, I expect her Sister Sparks to join her up there in the clouds throughout the rest of this season.
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Regards,
J A P
Last edited by jap on 08/04/18 11:41 pm; edited 4 times in total |
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