WNBA: Washington Looks to Spoil New York's 'Garden' Party and Move to East Finals

By Rob Knox @knoxrob1

WASHINGTON – This is it.

The Washington Mystics and New York Liberty meet in the decisive third game of the Eastern Conference semifinals Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden beginning at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN2.

The Mystics have won all three games at MSG this season, including last Friday’s pulsating, 86-83 double overtime triumph in the series opener.

They have also captured four of the six matchups between the two teams this season. The winner of the series will meet the Indiana Fever in the Eastern Conference Finals.

If New York wins it will host game one on Wednesday.

If the Mystics win they will travel to face Indiana in the opening game on Thursday night.

Washington won the season series with Indiana, which won its season series with New York, which does not have the luxury of looking ahead.

“We know this is going to be the hardest game that we played all year long,” New York head coach Bill Laimbeer said. “We are going to play in the Garden.

Last time in the Garden, the fans were unbelievable. It was a lot of fun to be there. The players enjoyed it.

"They really felt bad they missed an opportunity to connect with the fans in a wining environment so we had to come today, get this win, and go back there.” he said here on Sunday after the Liberty extended the series.

New York’s Tina Charles was personally responsible for bringing the Mystics and the series back to the Big Apple.

Her electric 22-point performance in Sunday’s 86-68 victory was special.

She scored 17 points in the third quarter to help the Liberty gain the separation needed to extend its season.

The 18-point win was New York’s largest margin of victory on the road in a playoff game in franchise history. The Liberty outscored the Mystics, 36-10, in the paint.

Charles has been a thorn in the Mystics' side during this series.

She scored 22 points in each game and is shooting 41.7 percent from the field.

While this is her first playoff series as a member of the Liberty, performing well under the bright lights is normal for Charles, who in nine-career playoff games is averaging 18.0 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.

Ironically, in the other games she was playing for then-Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault, who has been in charge of the Mystics the past three seasons, including this one.

While Charles' playoff stats to date are nice, she is only looking forward.

“We just need to stay consistent with communication, defensive rotations, executing on offense, not settling for a shot, and defending the three better,” Charles said on the key to winning the third game.

Epiphany Prince is averaging 18.5 points per game in this series.

She set a new Liberty playoff single-game scoring record with 26 points in Game One against Washington.

She surpassed the previous New York record of 24 points, from Tari Phillips against Houston in game one of the WNBA Finals in 2000.

Prince shot 11-of-16 from the field and also had five rebounds and four assists.

Her previous personal best for a playoff game was 19 points against Atlanta last season when she was a member of the Chicago Sky.

Once Ivory Latta and Tayler Hill departed Sunday’s post-game press conference, the Game Two setback was a distant memory.

They were both around two years ago when the Mystics opened the playoffs with a win in Atlanta and then dropped the final two games, which included a loss at home in the second game.

The pair, who combined for 34 points Sunday, are looking to write a different ending.

Hill has been strong in the first two games. She scored 13 points in the opening game victory and delivered a playoff career best 19 points Sunday.

She also tied Latta’s franchise postseason record with six three-pointers made. She is averaging 16 points in this series while Latta is averaging 15 points.

The Mystics understand where they must thrive in order to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2002.

“Defense for sure.” Hill said. “That is most important for us.

"If we don’t play defense first we cannot generate our offense. Defense and rebounding is number one. Our offense will come.

"We can execute on offense if we can get stops and we are able to run. We are a deep team and we can run all 12 but it is hard when you are not getting any stops.”

In both games, the Liberty have shot over 40 percent while the Mystics have failed to crack that sacred shooting standard.

Washington could also use a better start offensively Tuesday other than the one where it started 4-for-22.

Another key for Washington is getting a better combined performance from All-Stars Emma Meesseman and Stefanie Dolson. They combined for 26 points and 19 rebounds in the game one victory.

In game two, the same pair combined for 14 points and 10 rebounds.

“We beat them on their court,” Thibault said. “They beat us on our court. It is 1-1. It is a one game series to advance.

"We have to let it all out there and not hold anything back. I thought we hesitated on shots and struggled with passing decisions.

"The biggest thing is to be positive about it. The series did not end today. It is 1-1.

"In tennis they say they held serve…but we broke serve. It is a one game series.”


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WNBA: New York Rides Charles' Outburst To Even Series With Washington and Head Back Home

By Rob Knox @knoxrob1

WASHINGTON – Playing with purpose and passion, the New York Liberty kept its season alive by controlling Game 2 of its 86-68 wire-to-wire Eastern semifinals victory over the Washington Mystics at the Verizon Center Sunday afternoon.

Fueled by Tina Charles’ awesome show, the Liberty forced a decisive third game Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden on ESPN2 beginning at 7:00 p.m.

The winner will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the survivor of the Fever-Sky series. Game Three is Monday night in Chicago.

Charles scored 17 of her 22 points in the third quarter to help the Liberty stretch a 44-37 halftime lead into a comfortable 70-52 bulge entering the final quarter.

Charles outscored the entire Mystics team, 17-15, in the decisive quarter.

She faced up at the basket and drained jumpers like Steph Curry. Charles also made baskets while shooting off one foot. She was sensational, unstoppable and angry.

“I just was not satisfied with the way I played the first half,” Charles said. “I thought I could have been smarter and more efficient. Once I saw a couple shots go in from 15 feet, I just got confident and I kept attacking.

"If there is one person that tells me not to settle, it is Tanisha (Wright). I just kept attacking, I was in the zone. I just played like it was my last. That is all I kept saying: I want to see Tuesday, we want to see Tuesday.”

During her third quarter burst, Charles hit three long jumpers consecutively, but with the lead still only at eight, she drained a pair of mid-range fade away 11-footers to push New York’s lead back into double figures.

She ended her third-quarter with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, just her second of the season and third of her career.

With Epiphany Prince and Carolyn Swords opening the game by combining for 17 points in the first10 minutes, the Liberty sprinted to a 23-15 lead after the first quarter.

Prince set the tone early, completing a four-point play on the very first possession of the game, and then finished an and-one opportunity to give the Liberty a 9-2 lead 94 seconds into the game.

Sugar Rodgers, who was scoreless in Friday’s double overtime loss to the Mystics, immediately got into the groove by making her first two baskets.

Rodgers, who starred here at nearby Georgetown in the mega wars of the old Big East, helped the Liberty open the second quarter with an 11-0 burst to take a 34-15 lead.

She finished with 15 points on 6-of-11 accuracy.

Overall, The Liberty scored 32 bench points on Sunday after getting just six points from its reserves in game one.

Essence Carson added nine timely points and Candice Wiggins was a factor defensively. The Liberty did plenty correct in evening up the series.

“We knew we didn’t play at the level we were capable of on Friday so today our goal was to give our team what we needed,” Rodgers said. “We wanted to defend and share the ball. When Tina got hot, it was definitely fun to watch.”

The Liberty outrebounded Washington 33-24 and outscored the Mystics in the paint 36-10.

New York turned it over eight times after committing 18 turnovers in Game One. The Liberty also made 47.6 percent of its shots. Swords finished with 12 points and Prince added 11 points for New York.

“I thought our team played focused,” New York head coach Bill Laimbeer, who entered the postgame press conference looking for a bite to eat. “We were focused last game. Unfortunately, we did not get the job done. Things did not go our way, but tonight we played a good solid mental game.”

The Liberty’s early surge rendered Washington’s dynamite 3-point shooting meaningless.

Led by a postseason career-high 19 points from Tayler Hill, the Mystics tied a franchise playoff record with 11 3-pointers.

Hill had five of her six triples in the first half. Her six 3-pointers also tied a Mystics franchise record for most by an individual in a playoff game.

Ivory Latta scored 15 points for Washington.

“We didn’t respond,” Washington head coach Mike Thibault said. “We got off to a bad start with the two and one plays on Epiphanny Prince.

"We fouled her on a three and a jump shot. Tonight we let Tina [Charles] get going for the third quarter. We called a couple time outs and kept doubling but, she stepped out every time and made shots that she didn’t make the same way.”

The Mystics are confident this game won’t linger heading back to New York as They will look to advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time since 2002.

“When I leave here this game is over with,” Latta said. “It’s a new day. We are going to come back here and watch film, correct the things that we need to correct, practice, get on the train or bus and head back to New York.

"It is a mindset. Like coach always tell us, 'next play.' It’s the next game for us now. Everyone has to stay focused and we have to lift each other up. It is not the end of the road. We still have a chance of moving on.”


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Opinion: ESPN-W Women's Bracket to Name All-Time Player Is Guilty By Omission

Guru’s note: All-Time great Teresa Edwards, a Naismith and Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer, who starred at Georgia, the Olympics, the ABL and WNBA, and is soon to launch her own blog, has submitted the following guest opinion piece taking issue with the newly started ESPN-W bracket contest for fans to name the all-time best player.

By Teresa Edwards

TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN: AT ESPN-W

I usually stay out of the "Riff Raft" of the here and now postings as they relate to women in sports, let alone Women's Basketball Players...

However, Today, I'm compelled to have my say and to be done again so here goes;

The ESPNW Bracket of the best WBB players ever truly sets us back yet again.

You are women representing women, Do your homework Ladies!!!

The Trouble with the bracket, Any Bracket, without Lusia Harris and Katrina McClain is already Flawed!!!!

Come On...

I’M NOT EVEN GONNA ASK HOW YOU RATED US but let’s compare our old school group against the new school players in your bracket:

... (Read on)

A) Old School vs New School Theory - No contest People! (Seriously... Heart vs TV Appearances).

B) Game Stats & Performances (Check it out... 3 Point line was painted in 1986-87) And Old School Players still averaged more points.

C) Equipment: That small ball (In my opinion) is for kids.

D) Forget what your Team did... New school, What Skills pays the Bills? Old School... What Part of your Game, Made your Name!

E) This is not a popularity contest or latest is the greatest Fan festival!

THIS IS BALLING SO LISTEN UP:

Let's squash this and create 2 Brackets:
My Top Picks for Old school Players Bracket in no particular Order because we were so good, it depended on what day of the month it might be to have an off day.

1. Kim Mulkey, Louisiana Tech
2. Teresa Edwards, Georgia
3. Cheryl Miller, Southern Cal
4. Lusia Harris, Delta State
5. Latanya Pollard, Long Beach State
6. Joyce Walker, LSU
7. Anne Meyers, UCLA
8. Lynette Woodard, Kansas
9. Anne Donovan, Old Dominion
10. Janet Harris, Georgia
11. Carol Blazejowski, Montclair State
12. Katrina McClain, Georgia
13. Janice Lawrence, Louisiana Tech
14. Nancy Lieberman, Old Dominion
15. Cindy Brown, Long Beach State

Footnote to really knock your boots... Cynthia Cooper belongs here to complete the field, but not because she was great as a youngster.

Coop was a Great Pro Player in which she garnered her acclaim abroad.

As timing can be everything, Cooper was in the right place at the right time and over due for her stage here in America in the WNBA. (There are more names...)

BEST INTERNATIONAL EVER: Brazilian, Hortencia could also be here.

And don’t get me started about Dawn Staley!

My only regret for her comes in her timing, because Dawn's game was so solid at the point, she changed the standard and the one dimensional play out top. (Athletic, scorer and poised to control tempo at all time.)

She can be place in both, the old school or the new school bracket. But, don't even think about rating her below top 5! Are you kidding me?

Now make your New School Bracket.

Lastly, It’s nearing 20 years of Professional Basketball here in America for women, it's high time we tell the stories of the ladies written above. It's our true history and we will never grow forward without acknowledging them properly.

Now... I gotta get back to the Grind of life... Stop wasting words.

--T. Time

http://espn.go.com/espnw/news-commentary/slideshow/13656129/best-women-basketball-player-ever-bracket


Teresa Edwards, President
Dream Faith Productions, LLC
Tdreamfaith@gmail.com



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WNBA: Youth Has Served Washington Well to Send Mystics to Three Straight Playoff Appearances

By ROB KNOX (@knoxrob1)

WASHINGTON -- Natasha Cloud’s memorable 2015 is about to get better as she prepares for her first taste of playoff action when the fourth-seeded Washington Mystics meet the top-seeded New York Liberty Friday night at Madison Square Garden in the first game of a best of three Eastern Conference semifinal.

The game starts at 7:00 p.m. on NBA-TV.

This will be the team’s third straight trip to the playoffs under the leadership of general manager and head coach Mike Thibault.

It is also the first playoff meeting between the Liberty and Mystics since a thrilling 2002 Eastern Conference final series won in three games by New York.

Cloud made an immediate impact on the Mystics success this season.

With the Saint Joseph’s product leading her rookie class and finishing second on the team in assists per game (3.4), the Mystics set franchise records for most assists in a season (606), assists averaged in a game (17.82) and most assists in a game (30) against the San Antonio Stars on July 31.

Other franchise records for the Mystics this season included fewest turnovers in a game (five) against the Chicago Sky on August 2 and most blocked shots per game (4.8).

Cloud led the Mystics in assists in 13 games this season which included a career high 11 in their matchup against the Los Angeles Sparks on September 3.

Her court vision and play-making ability will be crucial as she’ll be matched against experienced guards Tanisha Wright out of Penn State and Epiphany Prince out of Rutgers during the next few days.

“We’re looking forward to Friday night,” Cloud said Sunday afternoon following the Mystics regular season finale against the Dream. “We just have to put all of the pieces together.

"It’s been a surreal feeling to be able to contribute this season. We have to stick to what we do best as a team if we’re going to get past New York.”

During the season, Cloud handed out at least five assists in a game seven times.

One of her best stretches of basketball was during the Mystics five-game winning streak in late July where she had 28 assists against one turnover.

That’s a pretty impressive number even for a seasoned veteran, but for a rookie to do that says something special about the six-foot Cloud, who started 22 games and averaged 19.3 minutes.

Cloud, a Cardinal O'Hara grad from Broomall, Pa., in the Philly western suburbs also demonstrated her Delco toughness when she had a tooth knocked out of her mouth during a game against Seattle.

She missed a few minutes of game action, but eventually returned to the contest.

Cloud, who has been thankful to contribute and play a critical role in the Mystics success this season, is one of the few players who have played every game since arriving in D.C. after being picked in the second round.

Washington is still relatively young as it features seven players who have three or fewer years of experience.

“We’re the youngest team in our conference in the playoffs,” Thibault said. “So hopefully playing in some of these (close) games we’ve played in this season will help prepare our young ones.

"It’s a little scary sometimes as a coach to look out there and see four players out there with three years or less of experience. Then you’re looking at teams that have had players play in the WNBA Finals and know how to do that.”

The Mystics rookie class of 2013 – Emma Meesseman, Tayler Hill and Tierra Ruffin-Pratt – had standout seasons this year.

Meesseman was the only player for the second consecutive year to start in all 34 regular season games.

An All-Star, Meesseman finished second on the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game and first in rebounds with 6.3 per game along with three doubles-doubles.

She posted a career high 24 points in the Mystics matchup against the Tulsa Shock on June 19.

Hill posted a career high of her own with a 20 point performance against Connecticut on August 9. She saw action in 32 games this season and finished fifth on the team in scoring (7.5 points per game). She scored in double figures nine times this season.

Ruffin-Pratt started in 31 out of 32 games played and also had a career high performance scoring 20 points in their victory over the Los Angeles Sparks on June 23.

A candidate for all-defensive team, Ruffin-Pratt averaged 23.9 minutes per game and 7.4 points per game in the regular season.

“That’s part of the growing up process,” Thibault said. “You have to go through it to be prepared and be better at it.

"I hope that last year’s playoff experience will help Emma, Stef and TRP be more prepared. I remember going through that at Connecticut with young players. You just have to go through it a couple of times. Now we may be more ready for it now than we were a year ago.”

Hill played sparingly in last year’s playoff series against Indiana.

Ruffin-Pratt left Game Two early with a shoulder injury in a contest the Mystics dropped in overtime.

Second-year players Bria Hartley and Stefanie Dolson, both UConn products, saw significant action against the Fever in last season’s playoff series.

“The last two years we have been in the playoffs but, we have not gone as far as we’ve wanted to,” Dolson said. “We want the team to go far this year.

"With the chemistry we have as a team, we are excited for the playoffs and we know we can do well as long as we play our game. I think we are all just ready and anxious for practices and the games to start.”

The Mystics will have a full roster heading to New York.

Kara Lawson, who missed the final eight regular season games, is expected to play.

She’ll be able to provide leadership and experience along with Ivory Latta, the Mystics’ leading scorer at 11.2 points per game. Latoya Sanders and Arminite Herrington also provide experience for the Mystics.

The second game of the series will be at the Verizon Center Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. The game will be televised on ESPN with Pam Ward and Carolyn Peck on the call and LaChina Robinson reporting.

If a third game is needed, it will be back in New York on Tuesday night on ESPN2.

“Playoff basketball is completely different than the regular season,” Dolson said. “It is more physical. The stars on each team are going to be on the ball way more. We just have to be ready and go in mentally prepared for what they are going to throw at us. We just have to be focused on every possession.”



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WNBA: Hartley Healthy for Washington Heading to New York for Playoff Opener

By ROB KNOX (@knoxrob1)

WASHINGTON – Bria Hartley has her swagger back.

Not that the ultra-confident second year Washington Mystic guard ever lost confidence or anything like that, but the year hasn’t gone as expected for Hartley, who had a terrific training camp following a strong season playing in Hungary.

Unfortunately for most of the 2015 season, Hartley was grounded by a stress fracture in her right foot that limited her effectiveness and time on the court. Her patience was tested.

As the fourth-seeded Mystics prepare to open the WNBA Playoffs Friday night against top-seeded New York at Madison Sqaure Garden (7:00 p.m. NBA-TV), those struggles are a thing of the past.

Hartley is playing her best basketball of the season at the most important time. Over the Mystics final nine regular season games, she averaged 6.2 points off the bench.

“I feel good and haven’t had any problems as of late so that’s good and positive,” Hartley said Sunday night following the Mystics 73-71 loss to the Atlanta Dream at the Verizon Center. “I hope it keeps going like that.”

She was solid during the recent four-game road trip where she scored a season-high 11 points against the Los Angeles Sparks and 10 points against the Atlanta Dream in her next game.

However, more important then her scoring has been watching The former University of Connecticut standout demonstrate her trademark explosiveness on drives to the basket and locking up opponents on the defensive end.

The Mystics had five days off between games against Chicago and Phoenix in late August, which could have contributed to Hartley’s getting healthier.

“I didn’t do anything different,” Hartley said of the break. “We had a day off like we normally do. I just tried to stay in my same routine and stay in shape. Fortunately during our practices, we’re able to go at each other and stay in game shape.”

Hartley is excited for the playoffs to begin. Her first experience of playoff action lasted three days last year as a rookie. The Mystics were eliminated by the Indiana Fever in two intense games.

This year it’s even better that she’s opening the playoffs on Broadway in shadow of her Long Island home.

Of course, Hartley’s not exactly focused only on the storyline of defeating her hometown team in the playoffs.

“It’s cool,” Hartley said. “It’s good for my family to come and see me play in both New York and Washington during this series. Our main focus as a team is to go out and play well and do what we need to do to earn the win.”

Hartley played in two of the four meetings against the Liberty this season.

She scored five points in 15 minutes in 79-76 overtime loss to the Liberty on July 9 and then dropped seven points last week in an 82-55 victory in Madison Square Garden.

Overall, the Mystics won the season series 3-1 against the Liberty, but that statistic is useless now with each team being 0-0 in the best-of-three series.

“This is a position that we wanted to be in at the start of the season,” Hartley said. “To make sure we keep going forward, we have to go out and give everything we’ve got. We also have to do the little things, take care of the ball and rebound.”



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WNBA: Washington Upbeat Despite Pre-Playoff Loss to Atlanta

By ROB KNOX (@knoxrob1)

WASHINGTON – For the first time since 2002, the Washington Mystics will meet the New York Liberty in a playoff series.

The Mystics cemented their trip back to the Big Apple by dropping a 73-71 decision to the Atlanta Dream Sunday afternoon at the Verizon Center.

Washington, which finished the regular season with an 18-16 record, is in the playoffs for a third consecutive season, all which have come since Mike Thibault was grabbed as coach following the Connecticut Sun ousting him after a decade of success but devoid of a title.

For the Mystics, it's the first time in franchise history that they have qualified for the playoffs in three straight seasons.

They will be the No. 4 seed.

The Liberty finished with the WNBA’s best overall record with 23 being their most-ever total wins in the regular season.

In 2010 Washington with its best total at 22 tied New York and won the deadlock to gain the East's top seed, only to be eliminated in the first round by Atlanta.

Game one of the New York-Washington best-of-three series starts Friday at Madison Square Garden at 7:00 p.m.

The Mystics will host the second game Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. in a game that will be televised on ESPN.

Should a third game be necessary, the Liberty will host it on Tuesday, Sept. 22 on ESPN2 at a time to be determined.

Washington will be looking to advance past the first round.

In recent times, the Mystics lost to the Dream in three games in 2013 and to the Indiana Fever in two games last summer.

The other opening series in the East has Indiana meeting No. 2 Chicago, which won the Eastern playoffs a year ago despite being the fourth seed.

This past season, the Mystics won three of the four New York matchups, including 82-55 last Friday night.

In that game, the Liberty’s top players saw limited action so that result will probably matter little.

“Going into playoffs, everybody is 0-0,” Washington guard Ivory Latta said. “Those games against New York this season don’t mean anything now. It is what I call the ‘money time.’

"You have to get ready. It is an exciting time," the former North Carolina star guard said.

"We worked hard to get to this position and we are not going to get complacent just making it to the playoffs. We have to be focused. They are a great team so we just have to be ready.”

Thibault experimented and tinkered with his lineups throughout Sunday’s regular season finale against the Dream.

Yet he still was slightly annoyed following the game after watching the Mystics waste a 16-point second quarter lead, a 10-point halftime bulge and allow 49 points to the Dream after intermission.

“We have a lot of work to do before we get to a playoff game on Friday night,” Thibault said. “I hope that our players are not fooled by what happened in New York the other night.

"New York is going to be a little bit of a different team come Friday night than they were the other night. Hopefully we will be better too.”

Thibault added: " I had already made up my mind that I had a minute limit on some of our players too.

"I decided to go with the group that was out there but our turnovers were just terrible. That led to a lot of points for them. Twenty-eight or thirty percent of their points came off of our 16 turnovers.”

Three Mystics players scored in double figures led by Latta, who scored 14 points, shooting 5-for-13 from the field, 2-for-5 from three-point range and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

Latta enjoyed a couple of highlights in which she broke a pair of Dream ankles with nice moves that resulted in made baskets.

Mystics guard Tayler Hill added 12 points along with center Kia Vaughn who scored 11 points.

Natasha Cloud handed out four assists and she’s looking forward to her first playoff experience after being drafted in the second round out of Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia.

“We’re looking forward to Friday night,” Cloud said. “We just have to put all of the pieces together.

"It’s been a surreal feeling to be able to contribute this season. We have to stick to what we do best as a team if we’re going to get past New York.”

Meanwhile, the Dream finished with a 15-19 record.

Veteran forward Angel McCoughtry ended her season with a flourish by scoring 13 of her game-high 24 points in the fourth quarter. She made 10-of-20 from the field.

Carla Cortijo (13 points), Reshanda Gray (10 points before being ejected after committing a flagrant foul with 8:11 remaining) and Tiffany Hayes (10) all reached double figures for the Dream.

Atlanta center Sancho Lyttle pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and collected a game high four steals.

The Dream, who were eliminated from playoff contention following the Mystics overtime win over Indiana on September 8, completed a 4-0 sweep over the Mystics in the regular season.

Atlanta now enters the WNBA Draft Lottery and is assured of no worse than the fourth overall pick.

Joining the Seattle Storm, San Antonio Silver Stars and Copnnecticut in the lottery, the Dream will learn if Lady Luck smiles down on the night of September 24 when the draw of the four teams will be announced live on ESPN2 from the ESPN campus at halftime of the opener of the Easstern Conference final.

Barring a blockbuster trade involving the rights to the number one pick, the lottery winner will most likely choose University of Connecticut senior and two-time reigning national player of the year Breanna Stewart, who is considered the grand prize and one of the more lucrative talents available in the history of the draft.

The Dream, off a series of trades, will also have four of first 16 selections in next spring’s selections.

“We didn’t want to end the season on a bad note especially when we know we’re a better team than our record,” Hayes said.

“We’re just giving teams a little taste of what they’re going to see next year because we turned it on at the end of the season and it was too late for us.”

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WNBA Guru's Bio of Lisa Leslie for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Printed Program

(Guru's note: Here is the Guru contribution for induction night ceremony. Looks like it survived totally clean in the editing process.)

By Mel Greenberg

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. -- As the best of her era and worthy of having her likeness sculpted onto a Mount Rushmore of Women’s Basketball, Lisa Leslie has arrived in Springfield tthis weekend with an extra special notation – elected to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on her first eligibility for induction.

She had the same honor earlier this summer when Leslie, now 43, was part of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame induction class, also on her first eligibility, in Knoxville, Tenn.

And why not?

Just google her name on the internet with the word “first” and you will find enough items to fill half this printed program. And then add the many statistical achievements that cement her as one of the all time greats in her sport and basketball in general and that will take care of the other half but by doing all that we wouldn’t be fair to the space needed to talk about the other inductees being enshrined tonight.

In college at Southern California, besides being named national freshman of the year and in her senior year in 1994, earning national player of the year, Leslie set career records in the then-Pac-10 conference for scoring (2,414 points), rebounding (1,214), and blocked shots (321). She still holds the USC single season record for blocks at 95.

In the WNBA, she became the first to score 6,0000 career points.

She was the first in the league to hit the MVP triple, earning the citation for the season, the All-Star game and the playoffs.

Few can be both pioneer and also a standout when the trailblazing starts to take hold.

But as a founding player of the WNBA back in 1997 with special marketing status along with former UConn star Rebecca Lobo and former Texas Tech star Sheryl Swoopes, Leslie’s play helped the pro league take hold and then she continued to set standards until her retirement in 2009.

And after the seasons of 40 minutes of glory were done, Leslie, who grew up in Los Angeles, was still making history.

She became the first person to play in the league and become a part owner, being with the Los Angeles Sparks for both, though since then that group gave way to one which has former Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson on board.

Recently, Leslie became part of the first all-female television hosting panel discussing sports We Need to Talk as presented on the CBSSports network.

In Leslie’s life, tall came well before basketball, being 6-foot in the sixth grade, 6-4 by the ninth, and then her full 6-5 in the 11th.

In that period, she credits her mom Christine, herself 6-3, for telling her to stay positive and love herself in being taller than most of her classmates.

Christine was sort of a heroine starting her own trucking business to care for Leslie and two other daughters after Leslie’s father left the household before she ever knew him.

What really got Leslie’s juices flowing toward her destiny was being exposed to the Showtime Lakers in the early 1980s and when James Worthy was referred to as L.A.’s go-to guy, Leslie knew what she had to become.

“That’s it. I want to be a go-to player. I want my team to throw me the ball.”

As Leslie became more immersed in hoops, by the 11th grade, she recalls, “Basketball was this thing – oh, I get it, this thing can really help me here.”

At Morningside High, she won back-to-back national championships in 1988-89 and 1989-90. Her senior year in one game she scored 101 points in a half in just 16 minutes.

Leslie, a perennial All-Star in the league, became the first to dunk in a WNBA game playing with Los Angeles.

In the USA Basketball system, she was a true golden girl, becoming the first individual to win four straight gold medals in a team sport from 1996 through 2008.

Four coaches each had influences on Leslie, who developed a tremendous work ethic to become the best.

“I became a student of the game. I could learn from anybody. I can watch kids. I watched men play. I watched other women play,” she explained.

Her high school coach spent hours going over the many skill levels.

At USC in future Women’s Basketball Hall of Famer Marianne Stanley, Leslie had someone to challenge her.

As a freshman, Leslie recalled Stanley told her, “You can’t be a leader (of a team) until you lead by example. You have to do it every day, not just in games, but in practice. I remember the conversation like it was yesterday. Every day you have to show up. And it was about being consistent.”

Stanley, who actually also helped coach Leslie for a time in the WNBA with the Sparks, is now an assistant to Mike Thibault on the Washington Mystics.

“Lisa has been the prototype for the current stretch fours,” she explained. “She’s been a tremendous ambassador for our game at all levels. Four time Olympian – what else can you say, coming at a time when we’ve had great, great Olympic teams.”

Stanford’s Naismith Hall of Famer Tara VanDerveer was one of Leslie’s Olympic coaches and then there was Michael Cooper, a Showtime Laker himself, now with the WNBA Atlanta Dream, but coached Leslie on the Sparks when they won back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002.

“He was an early riser like me. We would meet every morning at 6:30 a.m. to work on individual skills,” Leslie related.” Every season I wanted to learn three moves and I picked three and we worked on them every day.

“That was the difference for me. I wanted to learn. And it was my mental toughness and my ability. – yes, I’m good. But how do I reach greatness.”

Cooper said the same thing recalling their time together. “Every year she wanted to get better and never stopped learning. She was always a student of the game. That’s half the battle with superstar players. They think they know everything and Lisa wasn’t like that.”

Leslie, who has also been a model and actress, married Michael Lockwood in 2006 and the couple have two children: Lauren Jolie and Michael Joseph Lockwood II.

She wrote an autobiography in 2008, entitled, “Don’t Let the Lipstick Fool You.”

Chamique Holsclaw, who played with Leslie in the Olympics and with the Sparks, related, “She used to tell me (Naismith Hall of Famer) Katrina McClain was the best post player she ever played against, but when I look at the best post player I’ve played with and against, it’s Lisa Leslie.

“She not only played like a legend. She walked like a legend. On the Sparks with her knowledge, I got to see her helping other players on the team.”

There wasn’t much exposure to women’s basketball initially when Leslie came on the scene to watch those before her, though,Cheryl Miller was in her backyard and also played at USC a decade earlier, but Leslie has now been a model for younger generations of women’s stars.

“I remember the first time I saw her play with the 1996 Olympic team,” said former Tennessee star Tamika Catchings of theWNBA Indiana Fever who herself will be retiring next year. “That’s the first recollection I have of really wanting to play on the elite level with USA Basketball.

I was like, `My God, if I could ever get on the court with her – she’s just definitely one of the sweetest people I ever met and from the basketball side, someone that consistently challenged me to be better with my game just on and off the court.”

“She had the fire in her belly and just outworked people,” WNBA Chicago Sky coach Pokey Chatman said. “I think what people don’t talk about, she’s among that first group of post players who thought the game like a guard.”

After the American Basketball League folded, DeLisha Milton Jones landed on the Sparks but also had played with Leslie in the Olympics.

“Playing alongside Lisa, I learned how to be a professional,” she said. “Even more so, how to be a lady on and off the court. She was all about wearing lip gloss and the lipstick, but that didn’t stop her from being a fierce competitor. She put the fear factor in me and I appreciate that.”

When the WNBA hit one of its milestone seasons several years ago, Leslie was named one of the top 15 all-time players in a fans vote.

For all her acclaim heading into the start of the WNBA, Leslie did not have a stellar inaugural summer, and was overshadowed by another former USC star: Houston’s Cynthia Cooper.

“It was an adjustment for all of us. I thought it was going to be reversible jerseys and a typical summer league,” Leslie said.

“I had signed a modeling contract with Wilhelmina and I was in New York right after the Olympics in ’96. I had not even been back on the court till we played in the WNBA.

“But I had no idea it was going to be the same arena as the Lakers and all the celebrities coming out. It turned out to be a big deal. And I was not prepared. But I did learn how to be a professional. My first year was dismal for my standards,” she said.

“But I figured it out quickly. I went overseas. I figured out how train in the offseason in L.A. Getting up every morning at 6:30 four days a week. I also hired a trainer. Then, of course, eating better.

“I figured out how to be a pro real fast.”

Leslie continues to pass her experiences down to succeeding generations as a motivational speaker. She is also a mentor to several WNBA players. Lisa is the brand ambassador for Capital One, UPS and American Federation for Children inspiring leadership, business and thought leaders in the community. Lisa is currently working on her second book, "From The Court to The Boardroom" available in December.




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WNBA: Washington Win Helps Atlanta Back into Last Slot in the Four-Team Slide for Stewie Race

(Guru’s note: Fuller Washington game story and stretch drive for playoffs in separate post below this post)

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

WASHINGTON – In the world of the Slide for Stewie Standings here, in speaking of prized talent University of Connecticut senior Breanna Stewart, the Washington Mystics twice blew 11-point deficits against the Indiana Fever Tuesday to get forced into overtime and no thanks to Latoya Sanders’ putback as time flowed into the last minute of the extra period, beat the visitors 76-72 the earn a spot in the postseason for the third straight summer, all under coach Mike Thibault.

As a result Washington is no longer a factor in what will be one of the all-time No. 1 selections for the team that gets to call Stewart’s name next April in the draft. The Atlanta Dream stopped a string of playoff involvement by backing into the last of the four Stewie/lottery slots as the regular season comes to a close Sunday.

But all is not done in the backwards race for Stewie since the San Antonio Silver Stars, who have this year’s worst record at 7-22 to qualify for the lottery, fell Tuesday night to the Tulsa Shock 74-64, while the Seattle Storm, who is right behind, fell to Western Conference leading Minnesota Lynx 73-67 in Minneapolis to stand at 9-23.

The Connecticut Sun, who go to the Eastern Conference regular season-winning New York Liberty Wednesday night, had already clinched a lottery slot for the third straight season.

But the Mystics dispensed with a thrilling dynamic in which they had been plunging for the last two weeks and seemed destined for a Sunday showdown here with Atlanta that would amount to both a loser and winner take all game.

Either team would be and Atlanta is fourth best in terms of getting the best odds out of the ping pong ball drops, which is coming sooner rather than later on Sept. 24 when the pecking order for the four teams will be announced at halftime during the opener of the best-of-three Eastern Conference final.

Connecticut can do no worse or better than third going in but that may not be the Sun’s ultimate fate thanks to several lottery alterations the WNBA announced several weeks ago.

The move, in part, was made to avoid any team so lustful of landing the top pick from going into tank formation. But it was also made to address what many seemed to be a wrong two seasons ago when Washington finished with the worst record but was unable after the summer of 2012 to land any of three jewels – Brittney Griner (Phoenix Mercury), Elena Delle Done (Chicago Sky), and Skylar Diggins (Tulsa Shock) – thus getting the fourth slot.

This time around if the team with the worst record does not get to choose first or second, they will automatically get the right to pick third, thus bumping Connecticut unless the Sun manages to get the first or second pick.

Of course, nothing is ultimately decided until the ping pong balls do their thing so on lotto night, Connecticut with the third best odds could still be announced fourth.

The draft will be next April, possibly at the Mohegan Sun again for the third straight year in Uncasville, Conn, the home of the Sun, but with ESPN’s new studios in place on the TV sports giant’s campus, the selections could return to Bristol, Conn.

The other change, which now goes into play with all four teams determined, is the odds will be based on the records of last season and this and because of that a horserace continues to at least Friday night.

In the old world, the Texans would have locked the best odds, but with the combined two-year records and updating with Tuesday’s games, Seattle has the edge with the lotto standings looking like this:

Seattle 45-21
San Ant. 44-23
Conn. 39-27
Atl. 33-32

The Storm, who threatened Minnesota, host the Lynx Friday night and could clinch the top spot with a loss but if not, they will have to do it Sunday night hosting San Antonio or the teams could finished tied.

Based on the past, ties have resulted in odds being shared by the teams involved though one wonders whether a new wrinkle might emerge in lieu of all the moves Tuesday announced by the NBA in its playoff seedings.

If so, head-to-head could break the tie with the question left in that regard as to whether a two- or one-year head-to-head would lead to the 1-2 order of the top odds.

So that is where we are but before leaving you with the stats below, directly below and carried over from the last post are the ways Connecticut gets bumped and other shuffles if the team with the worst record doesn’t land in either of the top two spots.

Team 4, Team 2, TEAM 1, Team 3
Team 2, Team 4, TEAM 1, Team 3

The other team guaranteed third slots combinations would be

Team 4, Team 3, TEAM 1, Team 2
Team 3, Team 4, TEAM 1, Team 2
Team 2, Team 3, TEAM 1, Team 4
Team 3, Team 2, TEAM 1, Team 4

Now, here are today’s updates and this will update again after Sunday’s games.

Slide For Stewie Standings
(Thru Tues., Sept. 8)
Team L W *-GBO *-GBL MNL

%-San Ant. 26-7 -- --
%-Seattle 23-9 2.5 -- --
%-Atlanta 18-13 7.0 --
%-Conn. 18-14 7.5 -- --

*- GBO is Overall Games Behind Worst Record. GBL is Games Behind Lottery Slot, MNL is Magic Number to Clinch Lottery
#-Top Team Below Lottery Cut in Each Division
%-Clinched 2016 Lottery Draw

Combined Divisions Adjusted Lottery Positions With Two-Year Records
(Thru Tues.., Sept. 8)
Team L W *-GBO *-GBL GMS LEFT

%-Seattle 45-21 -- -- Remain-2
%-San Ant. 44-23 1.5 – Remain-1
%-Conn. 39-27 6.0 – -- Remain-2
Atlanta 33-32 11.5 – Remain-3

%-Clinched 2016 Lottery Draw

Remaining Games Among Lottery Teams
(Thru Tues., Sept. 8)

Seattle 45-21 (2) Minn-Fri; !-San Antonio-Sun

San Ant. 44-23 (1) !-@Seattle-Sun

Conn. 39-27 (2) @-New York-Wed; Chi-Sun

Atl 33-32 (3) LA-Wed; Ind-Fri; @-Wash-Sun

!-A head-to-head Stewie game.

Results Five Points Or Less
Most Recent at Top Thru Tues., Sept. 8
!-Games Against Other Lottery Contenders
(Playoff teams being retained for end of season analysis)

Washington 76, Indiana 72, ovt.
New York 75, Minnesota 71
!-Connecticut 73, San Antonio 72
Los Angeles 93, Washington 91
New York 80, Atlanta 75, ovt.
Connecticut 72, Chicago 68
Chicago 98, Atlanta 96
Phoenix 81, Connecticut 80
Los Angeles 81 Indiana 79
Indiana 80, New York 79
Chicago 66, Washington 64
Chicago 87, Washington 85
Tulsa 84, Conn. 76, ovt.
Minnesota 84, Atlanta 82
Washington 66, San Antonio 63
Chicago 71, Washington 68
Los Angeles 80, San Antonio 78
Phoenix 71, Atlanta 68
!-Connecticut 67, Seattle 66
Phoenix 89, Chicago 87, ovt.
Connecticut 78, Minnesota 77
Indiana 75, Connecticut 73
New York 81, Seattle 77
Chicago 97, Atlanta 92
Los Angeles 75, Phoenix 70
Atlanta 76, Los Angeles 72
Indiana 83, Tulsa 80
New York 79, Washington 76
New York 75, Phoenix 73
Phoenix 94, New York 91
Los Angeles 98, Tulsa 93
Chicago 77, Connecticut 74
Tulsa 93, Seattle 89
!-San Antonio 73, Seattle 71
Atlanta 82, Washington 79
Connecticut 80, Los Angeles 76
San Antonio 76, Phoenix 71
Chicago 100, Atlanta 96
Washington 84, Los Angeles 80
Atlanta 74, Chicago 73
Atlanta 64, Washington 61
Indiana 77, Phoenix 74
Connecticut 67, Chicago 65
!-Atlanta 72, San Antonio 69
!-Connecticut 75, Atlanta 70
Washington 67, New York 62
Washington 73, Connecticut 68
Phoenix 76, San Antonio 71

!-Games Against Other Lottery Contenders

Reverse Overall Performance in Close Games

Team L W

Seattle 4-0
San Antonio 5-2
Atlanta 8-3
Connecticut 5-5


Reverse Close Game Performance Against Other Lottery Contenders

Team L W

San Antonio 4-1
Washington 3-3
Seattle 1-0
Connecticut 0-3
Atlanta 1-4

Reverse Overall Performance Against Other Lottery Contenders

Team L W GMRL
San Antonio 11-4 1
Connecticut 4-9 0
Seattle 6-7 1
Atlanta 4-4 1

GMRL-Games Remaining Against Lottery Contenders

That’s it for now.

-- Mel






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WNBA: Washington Rallies for an Overtime Win Against Indiana to Gain Playoffs

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

WASHINGTON -- The last piece of suspense as to who will be the final overall team in the WNBA playoff field was stretched out all night here at the Verizon Center with the struggling host Washington Mystics riding LaToya Sanders’ putback in the last minute of overtime to a pulsating 76-72 victory over the Indiana Fever (18-14), who had already clinched a league record 11th straight appearance in the postseason.

The Mystics had found all kinds of ways, many coming from ahead, in the last two weeks to fail to come up with that last necessary win and it appeared that a winner/loser-take-almost-all here Sunday afternoon loomed with the Atlanta Dream in which the winner goes playoff bound but the loser would become the fourth and final team in the lucrative lottery hunt that offers University of Connecticut senior Breanna Stewart as the top prize.

But either Atlanta, which now joins the San Antonio Silver Stars, Seattle Storm, and Connecticut Sun, as Stewie hopefuls, or Washington, looking to the night of Sept. 24 when the draft pecking order is announced on ESPN2 at halftime, were and are going to be fourth-best odds needing a ping pong ball miracle to be announced No. 1.

So the Mystics, who twice rallied from 11-point deficits in the second half, with the win had the effect of a cueball in pool within the eight-team playoff field.

The New York Liberty, who the Mystics visit in Madison Square Garden Friday night, had already wrapped up the top seed in the East for the first time in more than a decade and looks to clinch overall home-court advantage through the finals when they host the Connecticut Sun Wednesday night.

Washington, with the win, gained the second seed and other home-court first-round advantage in the conference for the defending Eastern playoff champion Chicago Sky.

The Mystics (17-15) with the triumph claimed the overall series with Indiana so if Washington minimally splits its last two games while the Fever lose at Atlanta Friday night and to New York Sunday, then Washington gains the third seed, which means opening with Chicago.

So is that better than playing the Liberty in the opening round?

“I’m not saying who,” Washington coach Mike Thibault said after guiding his team to the postseason in each of the three seasons he had been at the helm after being let go from a decade coach Connecticut, which has not since seen playoff action.

“I’ve learned be careful of getting what you wished for,” Thibault said.

If Washington was going to be a long shot in the Stewie chase, this long shot on the competitive side exists that if they and Indiana would emerge from the first round, the Mystics would get the home court advantage in the best-of-three finals.

Meanwhile, across the aisle in the West, Minnesota’s win at home over Seattle 73-67 clinched the Storm’s participation in the lottery and the top seed in the conference for the Lynx over the defending champion Phoenix Mercury, which already claimed the second seed.

The Tulsa Shock, who are bound for Dallas next season, clinched the third slot and first non-losing season with a 74-64 win over the San Antonio Silver Stars since moving from what was the three-time champion Detroit Shock, coached by Bill Laimbeer, who has now revived New York’s fortunes.

The loss for San Antonio, already in the lottery, kept the Texans one game behind Seattle in two-year combined won-loss records for the best odds to land Stewie.

Los Angeles, which claimed the playoffs this weekend, can no longer move up after Tulsa’s win. The Sparks finish up at Atlanta, Wednesday, and then visiting Phoenix Friday.

And now to flip our WNBA tracking to the final week of the regular season instead of our ongoing bottom’s up posts on the race for the top lottery picks.

Here are all the latest
permutations in terms of finishes for the playoffs and magic number or what teams have to do to reach each attainable position. Though most of which has just been spoken to.

Eastern Playoff Hunt

First let’s take the East with standings and games left.

$-New York 22-9 (3) Conn. (Wed); Wash (Fri); @Ind (Sun).
Chicago 20-12 (2) Tulsa (Fri); @ Conn. (Sun).
Indiana 18-14 (2) @ Wash @ Atlanta (Fri); New York (Sun).
Wash 17-15 (2) Ind at New York (Fri); Atlanta (Sun.)

New York has clinched the No. 1 seed in the East for the first time since 2002 after winning at Minnesota Sunday in a narrow finish to sweep their two cross-divisional games with the Western Conference leaders.

The Liberty are in the driver’s seat after tying their all-time regular season win record at 22 to gain home court overall if they get to the finals with the Lynx trailing by one game.

However, Minnesota will finish visiting fifth place Seattle on Friday so if they get to 23 the Liberty will need to win one more against Connecticut at home Wednesday, or against Washington on Friday at home, or at Indiana Sunday.

A footnote, with the success to date let the Guru be the first to note that first-year president Isiah Thomas now has a better track record in the front office of the Liberty then he did down the hall in the past overseeing the NBA Knicks.

Meanwhile, the defending Eastern playoff champion Chicago Sky, holding second at 20-12, as mentioned, clinched second backing in on Indiana’s loss to Washington here.

The Fever, at 18-14 but in the playoffs for the 11th straight season, need to finish one game ahead of Washington for third and visiting Atlanta Friday and hosting New York Sunday.

Washington, as mentioned several times, goes to New York Friday and hosts Atlanta Sunday.

For the Mystics, either going 2-0 while Indy goes 1-1 or goes 1-1 while Indy goes 0-2, earns a move up to third seed.

Of course those of us in the East looking for cheap travel budgets. can take solace that a New York/Washington first round matchup gets us to all games, if necessary, and guarantees a stop at either one (Washington) or two (New York), if necessary, in the Eastern finals.

Western Playoff Race

Minnesota 22-11 (1) at Seattle (Fri).
Phoenix 19-13 (2) Los Angeles (Fri); at Tulsa (Sun).
Tulsa 17-15 (3) @ Chicago (Fri); Phoenix (Sun).
Los Angeles 14-18 (2) @ Atlanta (Wed); @ Phoenix (Fri).

Everything in the West is now decided except Minnesota needing to get to 23 wins and hope New York finishes with a three game losing streak to gain overall home court advantage through the finals.

Phoenix clinched second and Tulsa clinched third leaving Los Angeles to be fourth, though Minnesota takes no joy opening with the Sparks whose late season with Candace Parker on the roster are far more dangerous than the front part of the season when she wasn’t.

-- Mel




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A Reflection on Lisa Leslie's Hall of Fame Career at the WNBA Level

(Guru's note: With the arrival of induction night and related activities beginning Thursday at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., the Guru offers this tribute on WNBA great Lisa Leslie, also an Olympic standout and national collegiate player of the year at Southern Cal, from Larry Burnett who broadcast her Los Angeles Sparks career from 1998-2013 and also collaborated on her autobiography, "Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You."

The Guru's program piece for Naismith will become public this weekend.

By Larry Burnett

My most vivid memories of her playing time were Lisa's graciousness, gracefulness, kind heart and caring for others…combined with an incredible work ethic, confidence and tenacity.

Somehow, she managed to balance sensitivity and femininity with amazing intensity, physicality and a never-ending will to succeed.

I would watch Lisa prance down the court after making a basket. She could look like an elegant deer with her head high and her arms at waist level.

Then seconds later, Lisa would be in "battle mode". She would be in hand to hand, elbow to elbow, body to body contact, ready to tear an opponents head off in order to secure a rebound.

The title " Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You" came from an incident Lisa had with Latasha Byears, when Toto was playing for the former Sacramento Monarchs.

The two were jostling for position as they waited for a free throw to be shot. It was always intense when those two got together. Byears called Lisa a filthy name and Lisa responded with, "Don't Let the Lipstick Fool You. I will knock you out!"

Ironically, it was Byears who assisted on Lisa's history making first dunk in WNBA competition.

That event sticks out in my mind when I think about Lisa.

I called it from high above Staples Center, on July 30, 2002, as Lisa broke away, got the pass and took a clear path to the basket against the former Miami Sol.

Betty Lennox got the closest look at it.

I said on the air, "What's she going to do?" and then " She dunked it! For the first time in WNBA history..."

That was exhilarating! That was headline material! That was history!

Lisa had so many "moments" during her high school, college, Olympic, and WNBA career, but it was her day-to day, practice-to-practice, game- to-game consistency that was so impressive. That, and her faith and concern for others.

I did not find out until two years ago that, on the night of the dunk ( July 30, 2002) the Miami Sol team bus was harassed and threatened on their drive back to the hotel.

A driver carrying a gun forced the bus to pull over to the shoulder.

He got out of his car, brandished the gun and marched back to the crowded bus.

As this terrifying scene is unfolding, a car pulled over to the shoulder. The driver recognized the team bus and wanted to make sure that everybody was okay. That driver was Lisa Leslie.

On one of the biggest nights of her life, Lisa was driving home, by herself, on a dark Los Angeles evening.

She could have been celebrating or thinking about her accomplishment.

Instead, she took the time to care about the welfare of that night's opponents as they waited in fear in that bus on the side of the freeway.

That is the Lisa Leslie that I will always admire and remember. So much more than just a basketball player.


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WNBA: Seattle Joins the Lottery in the Slide for Stewie Race

(Guru's Note: Directly under this post is the upside of the final week going over race for playoff seed slots)

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Things got slightly more focused but nothing yet definitively in terms of the odds for the Breanna Stewart family on Sunday as to where they will be spending travel dollars next summer to watch the current University of Connecticut senior put her stamp on the WNBA in terms of what franchise will she call home.

The suspense will stay alive until the night of Sept. 24 at halftime of the Eastern Conference final on ESPN2 when the ping pong balls will have done their thing and league president Laurel Richie will step up to the podium and announce the lottery order which will involve the four teams who did not make the playoffs.

As of Sunday only one more is to be determined and that could go to the wire as several horse races within our Slide for Stewie Standings remain with the final week of the WNBA regular season getting under way Tuesday night in key games in Washington and Minnesota.

Here is where we are since the last post here 48 hours ago.

The San Antonio Silver Stars on Saturday night fell at home to the Phoenix Mercury in a lopsided game that kept the Texans on the heels of the Seattle Storm in their 1-2 race for best odds.

The Phoenix win (read the playoff post for more detail) kept the defending WNBA champion Mercury in pursuit of the top spot in the West chasing the Minnesota Lynx.

A wipeout by the Chicago Sky at home Sunday in a cross-divisional game with Seattle while out West the Los Angeles Spark’s similar home wipeout of the Tulsa Shock officially dropped the Storm into the WNBA lottery while Los Angeles became the last team out West to qualify for the postseason in that conference.

The Washington Mystics, who have played more close outcomes then anyone else in the league, failed to close out a playoff spot again, falling in a head-to-head match in Atlanta against the Dream, which will stay alive until either Washington wins a game between now or Sunday or they lose one.

They meet again Sunday in the nation’s capital and if the Mystics continue their real slide of the past few weeks Atlanta will miraculously be in the postseason again and Washington’s two-season playoff run will come to an end.

Either team will be fourth best, especially with the recent procedural change that calls for overall won-loss records of this season and last for the four teams who land in the lotto draw.

Right now Atlanta and Washington have identical 33-32 records which will be good enough for fourth best behind the Connecticut Sun 39-27 in the third slot.
Of course dismay will quickly dissipate if Lady Luck shows up and smiles on the Mystics after Mr. Bad Luck in 2013 managed to stick Washington, then with the worst record, with the fourth pick behind the three prizes of Brittney Griner (Phoenix), Elena Delle Donne (Chicago), and Skylar Diggins (Tulsa).

Indeed, that situation led to the aforementioned change that also calls for the team with the worst record to get the No. 3 pick if it does not finish first or second.

This means Connecticut could be bumped to fourth and the permutations are listed below.

If Washington reverses itself, the win on Tuesday will be big because it will give the Mystics the season series over Indiana and a chance to finish third if the Fever were to lose at Atlanta Friday and at home on Sunday to the New York Liberty.

Washington will travel to the Liberty Friday night before hosting Atlanta Sunday.

Atlanta will also host Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Meanwhile Seattle overall at 44-21 and San Antonio at 43-23 are in the 1-2 race with the Storm traveling to Minnesota on Tuesday and then hosting the Lynx Friday night before facing the Texans at home Sunday.

San Antonio visits Tulsa Tuesday and then wraps it up Sunday in Seattle though at the moment it seems unlikely that the Storm will sweep the Lynx, which with a loss by the Stars at Tulsa will have the teams meet at the finish with identical 44-23 records.

So that is where we are but before leaving you with the stats below, directly below and carried over from the last post are the ways Connecticut gets bumped and other shuffles if the team with the worst record doesn’t land in either of the top two spots.

Team 4, Team 2, TEAM 1, Team 3
Team 2, Team 4, TEAM 1, Team 3

The other team guaranteed third slots combinations would be

Team 4, Team 3, TEAM 1, Team 2
Team 3, Team 4, TEAM 1, Team 2
Team 2, Team 3, TEAM 1, Team 4
Team 3, Team 2, TEAM 1, Team 4

Now, here are today’s updates and this will update again after Sunday’s games.

Slide For Stewie Standings
(Thru Mon., Sept. 7)
Team L W *-GBO *-GBL MNL

%-San Ant. 25-7 -- --
%-Seattle 22-9 2.5 -- --
Atlanta 18-13 5.5 -- MNL-1
%-Conn. 18-14 7.0 -- --
#Washington 15-16 9.5 4.5

*- GBO is Overall Games Behind Worst Record. GBL is Games Behind Lottery Slot, MNL is Magic Number to Clinch Lottery
#-Top Team Below Lottery Cut in Each Division
%-Clinched 2016 Lottery Draw

Combined Divisions Adjusted Lottery Positions With Two-Year Records
(Thru Mon., Sept. 7)
Team L W *-GBO *-GBL MNL GMS LEFT

Seattle 44-21 -- -- Remain-3
%-San Ant. 43-23 1.5 – Remain-2
Conn. 39-27 5.5 – -- Remain-2
Atlanta 33-32 11.0 – MNL-1 Remain-3
#-Wash 33-32 11.0 Remain-3

%-Clinched 2016 Lottery Draw #-Team Below Cut
MNL-Magic Number for Slot

Remaining Games Among Lottery Contenders
(Thru Mon., Sept. 7)

Seattle 44-21 (3) @-Minn-Tu; Minn-Fri; !-San Antonio-Sun

San Ant. 43-23 (2) @Tulsa-Tues; !-@Seattle-Sun

Conn. 39-27 (2) @-New York-Wed; Chi-Sun

Atl 33-32 (3) LA-Wed; Ind-Fri;!- @-Wash-Sun

#-Wash 33-32 (3) Ind-Tues; @-NY-Fri; !-Atl-Sun

!-A head-to-head Stewie game.

Results Five Points Or Less
Most Recent at Top Thru Sun., Sept. 6
!-Games Against Other Lottery Contenders
(Playoff teams being retained for end of season analysis)

New York 75, Minnesota 71
!-Connecticut 73, San Antonio 72
Los Angeles 93, Washington 91
New York 80, Atlanta 75, ovt.
Connecticut 72, Chicago 68
Chicago 98, Atlanta 96
Phoenix 81, Connecticut 80
Los Angeles 81 Indiana 79
Indiana 80, New York 79
Chicago 66, Washington 64
Chicago 87, Washington 85
Tulsa 84, Conn. 76, ovt.
Minnesota 84, Atlanta 82
!-Washington 66, San Antonio 63
Chicago 71, Washington 68
Los Angeles 80, San Antonio 78
Phoenix 71, Atlanta 68
!-Connecticut 67, Seattle 66
Phoenix 89, Chicago 87, ovt.
Connecticut 78, Minnesota 77
Indiana 75, Connecticut 73
New York 81, Seattle 77
Chicago 97, Atlanta 92
Los Angeles 75, Phoenix 70
Atlanta 76, Los Angeles 72
Indiana 83, Tulsa 80
New York 79, Washington 76
New York 75, Phoenix 73
Phoenix 94, New York 91
Los Angeles 98, Tulsa 93
Chicago 77, Connecticut 74
Tulsa 93, Seattle 89
!-San Antonio 73, Seattle 71
!-Atlanta 82, Washington 79
Connecticut 80, Los Angeles 76
San Antonio 76, Phoenix 71
Chicago 100, Atlanta 96
Washington 84, Los Angeles 80
Atlanta 74, Chicago 73
!-Atlanta 64, Washington 61
Indiana 77, Phoenix 74
Connecticut 67, Chicago 65
!-Atlanta 72, San Antonio 69
!-Connecticut 75, Atlanta 70
Washington 67, New York 62
!-Washington 73, Connecticut 68
Phoenix 76, San Antonio 71

!-Games Against Other Lottery Contenders

Reverse Overall Performance in Close Games

Team L W

Seattle 4-0
San Antonio 5-2
Washington 7-4
Atlanta 8-5
Connecticut 5-5


Reverse Close Game Performance Against Other Lottery Contenders

Team L W

San Antonio 4-1
Washington 3-3
Seattle 1-0
Connecticut 0-3
Atlanta 1-4

Reverse Overall Performance Against Other Lottery Contenders

Team L W GMRL
San Antonio 11-4 1
Connecticut 4-9 0
Seattle 6-8 1
Atlanta 4-6 1
Washington 4-7 1

GMRL-Games Remaining Against Lottery Contenders

That’s it for now.

-- Mel





- Posted using BlogPress from the Guru's iPad

WNBA: New York Takes First While Other Playoff Seeds Up for Grabs in Final Week

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

And now to flip our WNBA tracking to the final week of the regular season instead of our ongoing bottom’s up posts on the race for the top lottery picks.

Here are all the latest
permutations in terms of finishes for the playoffs and magic number or what teams have to do to reach each attainable position.

Eastern Playoff Hunt

First let’s take the East with standings and games left.

$-New York 22-9 (3) Conn. (Wed); Wash (Fri); @Ind (Sun).
Chicago 20-12 (2) Tulsa (Fri); @ Conn. (Sun).
Indiana 18-13 (3) @ Wash (Tue); @ Atlanta (Fri); New York (Sun).
Wash 16-15 (3) Ind (Tue); at New York (Fri); Atlanta (Sun.)
Atlanta 13-18 (3) Los Angeles (Wed); Ind (Fri); @ Wash (Sun).

New York has clinched the No. 1 seed in the East for the first time since 2002 after winning at Minnesota Sunday in a narrow finish to sweep their two cross-divisional games with the Western Conference leaders.

The Liberty are in the driver’s seat after tying their all-time regular season win record at 22 to gain home court overall if they get to the finals with the Lynx trailing by one game.

However, Minnesota will finish hosting last place Seattle Tuesday and visiting the Storm on Friday so if they get to 23 the Liberty will need to win one more against Connecticut at home Wednesday, or against Washington on Friday at home, or at Indiana Sunday.

A footnote, with the success to date let the Guru be the first to note that first-year president Isiah Thomas now has a better track record in the front office of the Liberty then he did down the hall in the past overseeing the NBA Knicks.

Meanwhile, the defending Eastern playoff champion Chicago Sky, holding second at 20-12 needs to win one of its last two games hosting the Tulsa Shock Friday night in a cross-divisional game or at the Connecticut Sun on Sunday.

Connecticut is already in the lottery for the third straight year but would take satisfaction at being a spoiler to knock the Sky out of a home advantage in the first round if the Sky need to win that game. Chicago won the season series with Indiana.

The Fever, at 18-13 but in the playoffs for the 11th straight season, need Chicago to lose its last two and win its final three at Washington Tuesday, at Atlanta Sunday and hosting New York on Sunday.

They can clinch third at worst with a win at Washington on Tuesday or otherwise if they win their remaining two games or they split their last two and so does Washington.

In the event Washington decides to right the ship they must beat Indiana on Tuesday to gain the season series and have a shot at third by winning their last two at New York and hosting Atlanta while Indiana splits their remaining games.

In any event, to make the playoffs the Mystics need to win one of their remaining games.

Of course those of us in the East looking for cheap travel budgets. can take solace that a New York/Washington first round matchup gets us to all games, if necessary, and guarantees a stop at either one (Washington) or two (New York), if necessary, in the Eastern finals.

If Atlanta continues to win beating Los Angeles Tuesday night and Indiana Friday and Washington loses its next two it will come down to winner take all four fourth and loser good luck landing Breanna Stewart following Sunday’s game.

Western Playoff Race

Minnesota 21-11 (2) Seattle (Tues); at Seattle (Fri).
Phoenix 19-13 (2) Los Angeles (Fri); at Tulsa (Sun).
Tulsa 16-15 (3) San Antonio (Tues); @ Chicago (Fri); Phoenix (Sun).
Los Angeles 14-18 (2) @ Atlanta (Wed); @ Phoenix (Fri).

Minnesota needs one win or Phoenix loss to clinch West since Mercury won season series otherwise Lynx drop at worst to second. The Lynx must also sweep and need New York to lose all three of its remaining games to gain home court all the way if they get to the finals.

Phoenix needs to sweep two games and Minnesota to lose twice to Seattle to finish first in season series win to gain first place tie breaker.

Phoenix has clinched second at worst since the defending WNBA champions have won the season series over Tulsa.

The Tulsa (16-15) magic number to finish third is one win at San Antonio Tuesday, at Chicago Friday or over Phoenix at home Sunday because Los Angeles’ win this past Sunday gave the Sparks the season series.

Likewise Los Angeles (14-18) must win at Atlanta on Wednesday and at Phoenix Friday while the Shock lose all three for the Sparks to move up to third.
-- Mel






- Posted using BlogPress from the Guru's iPad

WNBA: Get Your Magic Numbers and What's Needed for Seeds by Teams in Playoff Hunt

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

And now to flip our WNBA tracking to the end of the regular season instead of our ongoing bottom’s up posts on the race for the top lottery picks here are all the permutations in terms of finishes for the playoffs and magic number or what teams have to do to reach each attainable position.

First let’s take the East with standings and games left.

New York 21-9 (4) @ Minn (Sun), Conn. (Wed); Wash (Fri); @Ind (Sun).
Chicago 19-12 (3) Seattle (Sun); Tulsa (Fri); @ Conn. (Sun).
Indiana 18-13 (3) @ Wash (Tue); @ Atlanta (Fri); New York (Sun).
Wash 16-14 (4) @ Atlanta (Sun); Ind (Tue); at New York (Fri); Atlanta (Sun.)
Atlanta 12-18 (4) Wash (Sun); Los Angeles (Wed); Ind (Fri); @ Wash (Sun).

Eastern Playoff Race
New York to finish first has a magic number 1 over Chicago and Indiana after the Fever loss Friday to Minnesota. If Chicago gets to 22, New York owned the Sky during the season.

Chicago must sweep and New York lose all four games to finish first.
There can be a three-way tie for first but we will not pursue that unless still alive later in the week.
The Sky magic number to finish over Indiana in second is two since Chicago won season series.

Indiana with a sweep and New York losing all four can finish first since the Fever won the season series over the Liberty.
The Fever need to finish one better than Chicago for second since the Sky won the season series.
Indiana also needs to win two to clinch third since Fever won season series over Washington.

Washington can finish second by sweeping last four games and Chicago losing its three. Sky won season series.
The Mystics can finish at least third going either 4-0, assuming Chicago got to 21 wins for second, and Indiana losing two or Washington goes 3-1 and Indiana going 1-2 and losing to Washington on Tuesday to lose season series which is tied.
Washington needs one win for fourth to knock out Atlanta or at least one Dream loss.

Atlanta must win all its remaining games to finish fourth and send Washington to the lottery.

Western Playoff Race

Minnesota 21-10 (3) New York (Sun), Seattle (Tues); at Seattle (Fri).
Phoenix 18-13 (3) @ San Antonio (Sat), Los Angeles (Fri); at Tulsa (Sun).
Tulsa 16-14 (4) @ Los Angeles (Sun), San Antonio (Tues); @ Chicago (Fri); Phoenix (Sun).
Los Angeles 13-18 (3) Tulsa (Sun); @ Atlanta (Wed); @ Phoenix (Fri).
Seattle 9-21 (4) @ Chicago (Sun); @ Minn. (Tues); Minn. (Fri); San Antonio (Sun).

Minnesota needs one win or Phoenix loss to clinch West since Mercury won season series otherwise Lynx drop at worst to second.

Phoenix needs to sweep three games and Minnesota to lose all three to finish first in season series win to gain first place tie breaker.
Mercury magic number to finish second over Tulsa is two since Phoenix won season series.
The worst Phoenix can finish is third.

Tulsa needs to go 4-0 or 3-1 to finish second over Phoenix and needs to beat the Mercury in their last meeting in this equation.
The Shock magic number to finish third is one win or Los Angeles loss but note the Sparks and Tulsa are tied 2-2 in series so Sunday’s game in Los Angeles is big.

Los Angeles needs a win or Seattle loss to clinch a playoff berth in fourth. The Sparks can finish third by going 3-0 and Tulsa going 0-4.

Seattle needs to win its last four games while Los Angeles loses its remaining three games to bump the Sparks out of the playoffs, winning the season series serving as a fourth-place tiebreak for the Storm.

That’s it and after the weekend, the Guru will also return to this to update the playoff seed race.

-- Mel





- Posted using BlogPress from the Guru's iPad

WNBA: Bone's Game Winner in Texas for Connecticut Sets Up Seattle/San Antonio Showdown in Stewie Race

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

What irony.

In the Slide for Stewie race – to see who will land Connecticut senior Breanna Stewart as the No. 1 overall pick in next April’s WNBA resulting from the lottery draw – a WNBA Connecticut Sun player Friday night potentially became the “Tina Thompson Moment” of the 2015 season to determine who gets the rights to pick the native of Syracuse.

The Guru in the ongoing storylines of lottery emphasis in years superior talent exists for teams in the top of the draft order so named the Tina Thompson moment for a game in the final two weeks of the 2010 season.

That summer the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks were tied in the season series at the bottom of a woeful West loaded with weak teams behind the Seattle Storm machine from second place down in terms of making the fourth and final playoff slot in the conference.

It was Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve’s first season at the helm and enduring the same kind of mass number of injuries that Sun coach and Hall of Famer Anne Donovan has had to deal with this time around.

Anyhow with about four seconds to go in that game the Lynx went ahead only to see Thompson just before time expired launch a long shot to give Los Angeles the victory.

Since the games that followed to conclude the regular season went as predicted Los Angeles with a tiebreaker landed in the playoffs and Minnesota entered the lottery as the No. 2 team in the four-team pecking order but got help from Lady Luck in the drop of the ping pong balls to earn the rights to the No. 1 pick and so selected UConn great Maya Moore.

The native of Georgia in her rookie season the following year helped Minnesota dominate to win its first WNBA title after years as a doormat, then in 2012 the Lynx finished second before they won it again in 2013.

Well, it could be that a similar moment arrived Friday night in the Lone Star State of Texas where Kelsey Bone lifted Connecticut to a 73-72 win over the San Antonio Sliver Stars that set up the home team to a toe-to-toe finish for worst record with Seattle, whom coincidentally San Antonio will visit a week from Sunday in the final game of the regular season.

The shot also eliminated any chance with one exception for Connecticut to catch San Antonio for second worst record and the Sun will be third regardless if either the Washington Mystics or Atlanta Dream are the other team out of the East.

Mathematically, if Los Angeles loses its remaining three games hosting the Tulsa Shock Sunday, and visiting Atlanta Wednesday and the Phoenix Mercury Friday while Seattle were to win at Chicago Sunday, sweep Minnesota Tuesday and Thursday and then beat San Antonio, the Storm would win the season tiebreak with Los Angeles sending the Sparks to the lottery.

Then either Connecticut would be in the No. 2 lottery slot or share the odds with Los Angeles if the Sun were to beat host New York on Wednesday and then visiting Chicago next Sunday.

If not for a change in the lottery drill several weeks ago San Antonio would be in the driver’s seat with a two-game lead and three remaining games while Seattle has four contests left including the game the two play against each other.

But once the four teams are determined – San Antonio and Connecticut are already in the group and Atlanta is one Washington win or Dream loss away while likewise Seattle is one loss or Los Angeles win away – the combined two-year records of the quartet will be used to determine the best odds in order for the group from worst record to fourth worst with odds to be shared in any tie-breaking situation.

Though the numbers in that standings are below here is how they stand also up here as part of this narrative after Friday night’s action with records reversed to L-W. Remaining games are also listed in parenthesis with the schedules.

It also should be noted that nothing is easy as of this moment because teams in the playoff fields are fighting for seed positions and home court advantage.

Seattle 43-21 (4) at Chicago (Sun), at Minn. (Tue), Minn (Thu); San Ant. (Sun).
%San Ant. 42-23 (3) Phoenix (Sat), at Tulsa (Tue), at Seattle (Sun).
%Conn. 39-27 (2) at New York (Wed); Chicago (Sun-9/13).
#Los Angeles 36-29 (3) Tulsa (Sun), at Atlanta (Wed), at Phoenix (Fri).
Atlanta 33-31 (4) Washington (Sun), Los Angeles (Wed); Indiana (Fri), at Washington (Sun).
#Washington 32-32 (4) at Atlanta (Sun), Indiana (Tue), at NY (Wed), Atlanta (Sun).

%-Clinched lottery position
#-Currently holding 4th place playoff positions.

So if Seattle goes 1-2 with an upset in one of its next three games and San Antonio wins its next two they will be tied for worst two-year record going into their meeting in the Northwest.

Meanwhile, its very simple in the fight between Atlanta and Washington that includes two head-to-heads. An Atlanta sweep, which would include the two left with the Mystics, and a continued Washington slide ties the two at the finish and playoff rights go Atlanta with what would be a 3-2 capture of the season series.

Meanwhile, as mentioned in the previous post on the Stewie Standings but repeated here, with Connecticut likely in the third slot, the Sun could get bumped to fourth under another part of the lottery changes in which the team with the worst record, if not finishing first or second in the draw, would be guaranteed the third pick.


These are the ways Connecticut gets bumped.

Team 4, Team 2, TEAM 1, Team 3
Team 2, Team 4, TEAM 1, Team 3

The other team guaranteed third slots combinations would be

Team 4, Team 3, TEAM 1, Team 2
Team 3, Team 4, TEAM 1, Team 2
Team 2, Team 3, TEAM 1, Team 4
Team 3, Team 2, TEAM 1, Team 4

One thing that has been determined since the Guru’s last post is that the suspense over all this will end sooner rather than later after the league announced Thursday that the results will air on ESPN2 on Sept. 24 at halftime of the Eastern Conference best-of-three opener of the conference finals.

Now, here are today’s updates and this will update again after Sunday’s games.

Slide For Stewie Standings
(Thru Fri., Sept. 4)
Team L W *-GBO *-GBL MNL

%-San Ant. 24-7 -- --
Seattle 21-9 2.5 -- MNL- 1
#Los Angeles 18-13 5 3.5
Atlanta 18-12 5.5 -- MNL-1
%-Conn. 18-14 6.5 -- --
#Washington 14-16 9.5 4.5

*- GBO is Overall Games Behind Worst Record. GBL is Games Behind Lottery Slot, MNL is Magic Number to Clinch Lottery
#-Top Team Below Lottery Cut in Each Division
%-Clinched 2016 Lottery Draw

Combined Divisions Adjusted Lottery Positions With Two-Year Records
(Thru Wed., Sept. 2)
Team L W *-GBO *-GBL MNL GMS LEFT

Seattle 43-21 -- -- MNL-1 Remain-4
%-San Ant. 42-23 1.5 – Remain-3
Conn. 39-27 5.0 – -- Remain-2
#-LA 36-29 7.5 3.5 Remain-3
Atlanta 33-31 10.0 – MNL-1 Remain-4
#-Wash 32-32 11.0 Remain-4

%-Clinched 2016 Lottery Draw #-Team Below Cut
MNL-Magic Number for Slot

Remaining Games Among Lottery Contenders
(Thru Mon., Aug. 31)

Seattle 43-21 (4) @Chi-Sun; @-Minn-Tu; Minn-Fri; !-San Antonio-Sun

San Ant. 42-23 (3) Phnx-Sat; @Tulsa-Tues; !-@Seattle-Sun

Conn. 39-27 (2) @-New York-Wed; Chi-Sun

#-LA 36-29 (3) Tulsa-Sun; !-@Atl-Wed; @-Phnx-Fri

Atl 33-31 (4) !-Wash-Sun; !-LA-Wed; Ind-Fri; @-Wash-Sun

#-Wash 32-32 (4) !-@Atl-Sun; Ind-Tues; @-NY-Fri; !-Atl-Sun

!-A head-to-head Stewie game.

Results Five Points Or Less
Most Recent at Top Thru Fri., Sept. 4
!-Games Against Other Lottery Contenders

!-Connecticut 73, San Antonio 72
!-Los Angeles 93, Washington 91
New York 80, Atlanta 75, ovt.
Connecticut 72, Chicago 68
Chicago 98, Atlanta 96
Phoenix 81, Connecticut 80
!-Los Angeles 81 Indiana 79
Indiana 80, New York 79
Chicago 66, Washington 64
Chicago 87, Washington 85
Tulsa 84, Conn. 76, ovt.
Minnesota 84, Atlanta 82
!-Washington 66, San Antonio 63
Chicago 71, Washington 68
!-Los Angeles 80, San Antonio 78
Phoenix 71, Atlanta 68
!-Connecticut 67, Seattle 66
Phoenix 89, Chicago 87, ovt.
Connecticut 78, Minnesota 77
Indiana 75, Connecticut 73
New York 81, Seattle 77
Chicago 97, Atlanta 92
Los Angeles 75, Phoenix 70
!-Atlanta 76, Los Angeles 72
Indiana 83, Tulsa 80
New York 79, Washington 76
New York 75, Phoenix 73
Phoenix 94, New York 91
Los Angeles 98, Tulsa 93
Chicago 77, Connecticut 74
Tulsa 93, Seattle 89
!-San Antonio 73, Seattle 71
!-Atlanta 82, Washington 79
!-Connecticut 80, Los Angeles 76
San Antonio 76, Phoenix 71
Chicago 100, Atlanta 96
!-Washington 84, Los Angeles 80
Atlanta 74, Chicago 73
!-Atlanta 64, Washington 61
Indiana 77, Phoenix 74
Connecticut 67, Chicago 65
!-Atlanta 72, San Antonio 69
!-Connecticut 75, Atlanta 70
Washington 67, New York 62
!-Washington 73, Connecticut 68
Phoenix 76, San Antonio 71

!-Games Against Other Lottery Contenders

Reverse Overall Performance in Close Games

Team L W

Seattle 4-0
San Antonio 5-2
Washington 7-4
Atlanta 8-5
Connecticut 5-5
Los Angeles 4-5


Reverse Close Game Performance Against Other Lottery Contenders

Team L W

San Antonio 4-1
Los Angeles 3-3
Washington 3-3
Seattle 1-0
Connecticut 0-3
Atlanta 1-4

Reverse Overall Performance Against Other Lottery Contenders

Team L W GMRL
San Antonio 11-4 1
Los Angeles 9-5 1
Connecticut 4-9 0
Seattle 6-8 1
Atlanta 4-7 3
Washington 5-7 2

GMRL-Games Remaining Against Lottery Contenders

That’s it for now.

-- Mel




- Posted using BlogPress from the Guru's iPad

WNBA: Connecticut Officially Joins San Antonio in the Slide for Stewie Stakes

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Connecticut’s wipeout Tuesday night at the hands of host Indiana Fever that earned the home team its 11th straight playoff appearance in the WNBA also officially put the Sun as the third team in the lottery, also known as the Breanna Stewart sweepstakes in honor of the University of Connecticut’s and nation’s top senior this winter who then becomes eligible for the WNBA draft in April.

But sometime to be determine in the fall will be likely known where the native of Syracuse will be heading once the lottery order for best percentages out of the ping pong ball permutations is decided.

So far the San Antonio Silver Stars and Connecticut are officially in the mix with the Atlanta Dream one loss or Washington Mystics win away from becoming the third participant.

The Seattle Storm is the fourth most likely team but technically the Los Angeles Sparks in the West are alive until they make the playoffs and in that direction the magic number for the Californians is three.

Ironically, Thursday night they host Washington, which is still holding the magic number of one for a third straight postseason appearance.

This week with the field reduced the Guru incorporated in a separate set of standings the new WNBA adjustment that calls for a combined two-year record to determine the reverse order of worst-to-best to determine the lineup of the four teams.

And just as at the other end of the playoff-bound race where there are tight races for seedings, there is a battle for the top spot or worst overall among Seattle, San Antonio and Connecticut.

The Sun with three games left will have trouble catching Seattle if the Storm lose more than not in their remaining five games but starting with a head-to-head meeting in San Antonio Friday night, they mathematically might catch the Silver Stars to at least share the number two percentages.

On the other hand Seattle and San Antonio for overall number one in the lottery could go to the final night of the regular season a week from Sunday when the two meet in Seattle.

The two-year combined records of each of the three remaining with number of games left show: Seattle at 42-21 with five left; San Antonio at 41-23 with four left; and Connecticut at 39-26 with three left.

Incidentally if Washington loses all its remaining games that conclude at Atlanta a week from Sunday and Atlanta wins all its games, the Mystics will drop into the lottery because the two teams will be tied on season record and the Dream with two of its remaining games against Washington will win the 2015 series between the two.

The tables below have been readjusted with Indiana out of the mix and while they are also part of the charts, here is what’s left in terms of the schedules for the five just discussed.

Seattle 42-21 vs. Tulsa-Thu; @Chicago-Sun; @Minn-Tues; vs. Minn-Fri; vs. San Antonio Sunday. San Antonio 41-23 vs. Conn-Fri; vs. Phoenix-Sat; @Tulsa-Tues; @Seattle-Sun.
Connecticut 39-26 @San Antonio-Fri; @New York-Wed; vs. Chicago-Sun.

Atlanta 33-31 vs. Washington-Sun; vs. Los Angeles-Wed; @Indiana-Fri; @Washington-Sun.
Wash 31-32 @Los Angeles-Thu; @Atlanta-Sun; vs. Indiana-Tues; @New York-Fri; vs. Atlanta-Sun.

While Connecticut is projecting third best, the Sun, if they don’t land 1-2 could be bumped to fourth if the team with the fourth best odds gets lucky and gets ahead while the worst team doesn’t land 1-2 and then, under the rule, is guaranteed the third slot.

These are the ways Connecticut gets bumped.

Team 4, Team 2, TEAM 1, Team 3
Team 2, Team 4, TEAM 1, Team 3

The other team guaranteed third slots would be

Team 4, Team 3, TEAM 1, Team 2
Team 3, Team 4, TEAM 1, Team 2
Team 2, Team 3, TEAM 1, Team 4
Team 3, Team 2, TEAM 1, Team 4

Now, here are today’s updates and this will update again sometime Friday morning since we will be in New York for the Chicago game Thursday night.

Slide For Stewie Standings
(Thru Wed., Sept. 2)
Team L W *-GBO *-GBL MNL

%-San Ant. 23-7 -- --
Seattle 20-9 2.5 -- MNL- 3
#Los Angeles 18-12 5 2.5
Atlanta 18-12 5.0 -- MNL-1
%-Conn. 18-13 5.5 -- --
#Washington 13-16 9.5 4.5

*- GBO is Overall Games Behind Worst Record. GBL is Games Behind Lottery Slot, MNL is Magic Number to Clinch Lottery
#-Top Team Below Lottery Cut in Each Division
%-Clinched 2016 Lottery Draw

Combined Divisions Adjusted Lottery Positions With Two-Year Records
(Thru Wed., Sept. 2)
Team L W *-GBO *-GBL MNL GMS LEFT

Seattle 42-21 -- -- MNL-3 Remain-5
%-San Ant. 41-23 1.5 – Remain-4
Conn. 39-26 4.5 – MNL-1 Remain-3
#-LA 36-28 6.5 2.5 Remain-4
Atlanta 33-31 10.0 – MNL-1 Remain-4
#-Wash 31-32 11.5 Remain-5

%-Clinched 2016 Lottery Draw #-Team Below Cut
MNL-Magic Number for Slot

Remaining Games Among Lottery Contenders
(Thru Mon., Aug. 31)

Seattle 42-21 (5) Tulsa-Th; @Chi-Sun; @-Minn-Tu; Minn-Fri; !-San Antonio-Sun

San Ant. 41-23 (4) !-Conn-Fri; Phnx-Sat; @Tulsa-Tues; !-@Seattle-Sun

Conn. 39-26 (4) !-@San Ant.-Fri; @-New York-Wed; Chi-Sun

#-LA 36-28 (4) !-Wash-Thur; Tulsa-Sun; !-@Atl-Wed; @-Phnx-Fri

Atl 33-21 (5) !-Wash-Fri; !-LA-Wed; Ind-Fri; @-Wash-Sun

#-Wash 30-32 (6) !-@LA-Thur; !-@Atl-Fri; Ind-Tues; @-NY-Fri; !-Atl-Sun

#-Ind (5) @-Minn-Fri; !-@Wash-Tues; @-Atl-Fri; NY-Sun

!-A head-to-head Stewie game.

Results Five Points Or Less
Most Recent at Top Thru Mon., Aug. 31
!-Games Against Other Lottery Contenders

New York 80, Atlanta 75, ovt.
Connecticut 72, Chicago 68
Chicago 98, Atlanta 96
Phoenix 81, Connecticut 80
!-Los Angeles 81 Indiana 79
Indiana 80, New York 79
Chicago 66, Washington 64
Chicago 87, Washington 85
Tulsa 84, Conn. 76, ovt.
Minnesota 84, Atlanta 82
!-Washington 66, San Antonio 63
Chicago 71, Washington 68
!-Los Angeles 80, San Antonio 78
Phoenix 71, Atlanta 68
!-Connecticut 67, Seattle 66
Phoenix 89, Chicago 87, ovt.
Connecticut 78, Minnesota 77
Indiana 75, Connecticut 73
New York 81, Seattle 77
Chicago 97, Atlanta 92
Los Angeles 75, Phoenix 70
!-Atlanta 76, Los Angeles 72
Indiana 83, Tulsa 80
New York 79, Washington 76
New York 75, Phoenix 73
Phoenix 94, New York 91
Los Angeles 98, Tulsa 93
Chicago 77, Connecticut 74
Tulsa 93, Seattle 89
!-San Antonio 73, Seattle 71
!-Atlanta 82, Washington 79
!-Connecticut 80, Los Angeles 76
San Antonio 76, Phoenix 71
Chicago 100, Atlanta 96
!-Washington 84, Los Angeles 80
Atlanta 74, Chicago 73
!-Atlanta 64, Washington 61
Indiana 77, Phoenix 74
Connecticut 67, Chicago 65
!-Atlanta 72, San Antonio 69
!-Connecticut 75, Atlanta 70
Washington 67, New York 62
!-Washington 73, Connecticut 68
Phoenix 76, San Antonio 71

Reverse Overall Performance in Close Games

Team L W

Seattle 4-0
San Antonio 4-2
Los Angeles 4-4
Washington 6-4
Atlanta 8-5
Connecticut 5-4
Indiana 1-4

Reverse Close Game Performance Against Other Lottery Contenders

Team L W

San Antonio 3-1
Los Angeles 3-2
Washington 2-3
Seattle 1-0
Connecticut 0-3
Atlanta 1-4

Reverse Overall Performance Against Other Lottery Contenders

Team L W GMRL
San Antonio 10-4 2
Los Angeles 9-4 2
Connecticut 4-8 1
Seattle 6-8 1
Atlanta 4-7 3
Washington 4-7 3

GMRL-Games Remaining Against Lottery Contenders

That’s it for now.

-- Mel




- Posted using BlogPress from the Guru's iPad

WNBA: Two-Year Slide-for-Stewie Records Show San Antonio and Seattle Battling for Overall Worst

By Mel Greenberg @womhoopsguru

Welcome to week five in our Slide for Stewie Standings, the tongue-in-cheek reverse look at the other race down the stretch of the WNBA regular season toward this fall’s lottery to determine who will have the best shot at landing UConn senior Breanna Stewart, the grand prize in next April’s draft.

The Syracuse native exists in the spirit of such previous gems and themes as the 2013 Three-to-See: Brittney Griner, Elena Delle Donne, and Skylar Diggins out of the 2012 summer; the 2011 haul of Maya Moore out of 2010 and the year before Tina Charles out of the 2009 summer.

Before going further, if this your first time visiting this ongoing post, you might need to go to back to the first in a series to understand terminology.

But this week we have major shifts in our report with but two weeks left in the regular season. As teams that were in the lottery hunt, as was the entire Eastern Conference, began making their way into the postseason such as New York and Chicago, the duo have been dropped from the lottery group, though some of their numbers are being retained to examine key moments that determined seed positions in the playoffs.

Washington and Indiana are on the verge of making the postseason but since they are also technically alive in the lottery race, they remain in the mix which has been adjusted. The Los Angeles Sparks are close to also making the playoffs as the last qualifier in the West.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Silver Stars are the first to clinch a seat on lottery night with the Seattle Storm right behind and the magic number is one, two at worst for the Connecticut Sun and Atlanta to wrap up the other two lottery slots out of the East.

But this week per the lottery change several weeks ago, coincidentally two days after the Guru started this exercise, this week besides the standings we have kept, we are now adding last season’s won-loss records to everyone still alive since that will be the procedure once the four lottery teams are determined.

We also added a list of who has to play who in the final two weeks among the lottery contenders with denotations when games involve both teams in the hunt.

By doing this several things are coming into focus. There is a horse race between San Antonio and Seattle are in a horse race for worst record and Connecticut still in the hunt, though the next loss by San Antonio and Seattle or Connecticut win will push the Sun into third.

In the past week, we had four close games of five points or less – games lost by more after holding a lead as Washington did at Seattle will be addressed later if necessary – and the narrow outcomes were the buzzer-beating 81-79 win by Los Angeles at Indiana, likewise with the 81-80 Phoenix Mercury triumph at Connecticut, the 98-96 Chicago Sky win at Atlanta that put the defending Eastern playoff champs back in the postseason, and Connecticut’s 72-68 rally Sunday over Chicago on the road.

San Antonio helped itself with a 2-0 week in terms of no victories – remember we do this backwards – while Connecticut was 2 losses and a win. Indiana lost three straight but still would have to really slide to not make another playoff trip.

Right now unlike other years there will be some separation barring unforeseen results between the last playoff fourth-place qualifier in each conference.

So there will be no pointing to such an outcome in the final weeks as to who gets in and not as was the case in 2010 when Tina Thompson’s buzzer beater basically became the key play that sent Los Angeles to the playoffs and the Minnesota Lynx to the lottery where as number two in line, the ping pong balls combined with lady luck to produce Maya Moore.

However, we are already seeing some key elements to look at: Connecticut will have to rely mostly on luck but the Sun might have been in the statistical driver’s seat had not they got off to that 7-1 winning start or managed to eke out some close wins over Seattle and San Antonio.


All that said, all the numbers are listed below and some of it will be updated the rest of the way daily such as the combo records. Once teams make the playoffs, they will be removed from the draft contender list and the records against each other will be re-adjusted.

There still is a chart for overall loss-won games of five points or less.

On Tuesday night, in a game at the Garden we’ll attend, a New York Liberty win against Atlanta would put Bill Laimbeer and company on the doorstep of finishing first while an Atlanta loss pretty much puts the dream into the lottery mix.

Connecticut will be at Indy where a host Fever win gets them into the postseason and officially knocks the Sun in the postseason for the third straight year.

Ironically, San Antonio and Seattle finish the regular season off Sunday night and that game could very well determine who gets the best odds and who will have to rely even more on luck of the bounce.

Incidentally, as much as the focus is on Stewie, more and more in the underbelly is being said about George Washington’s Jonquel Jones, who may up becoming better than a consolation prize for one of the three teams who fail to get Stewie.

Slide For Stewie Standings
(Thru Mon., Aug. 31)
Team L W *-GBO *-GBL MNL

%-San Ant. 23-7 -- --
Seattle 20-9 2.5 -- MNL- 3
#Los Angeles 18-12 5 2.5
Atlanta 17-12 5.5 -- MNL-1
Conn. 17-13 6.0 -- MNL-1
#Washington 12-16 10 4
Indiana 12-17 10.5 4.5

*- GBO is Overall Games Behind Worst Record. GBL is Games Behind Lottery Slot, MNL is Magic Number to Clinch Lottery
#-Top Team Below Lottery Cut in Each Division
%-Clinched 2016 Lottery Draw

Overall Adjusted Lottery Positions With Two-Year Records
(Thru Mon., Aug. 31)
Team L W *-GBO *-GBL MNL GMS LEFT

Seattle 42-21 -- -- MNL-3 Remain-5
%-San Ant. 41-23 1.5 – Remain-4
Conn. 38-26 4.5 – MNL-1 Remain-4
#-LA 36-28 6.5 2.5 Remain-4
Atlanta 32-31 10.0 – MNL-1 Remain-5
#-Wash 30-32 11.5 Remain-6
#-Indiana 30-33 12.0 Remain-5

%-Clinched 2016 Lottery Draw #-Team Below Cut
MNL-Magic Number for Slot

Remaining Games Among Lottery Contenders
(Thru Mon., Aug. 31)

Seattle 42-21 (5) Tulsa-Th; @Chi-Sun; @-Minn-Tu; Minn-Fri; !-San Antonio-Sun

San Ant. 41-23 (4) !-Conn-Fri; Phnx-Sat; @Tulsa-Tues; !-@Seattle-Sun

Conn. 38-26 (4) !-@Ind-Tue; !-@San Ant.-Fri; @-New York-Wed; Chi-Sun

#-LA 36-28 (4) !-Wash-Thur; Tulsa-Sun; !-@Atl-Wed; @-Phnx-Fri

Atl 32-21 (5) @-NY-Tues; !-Wash-Fri; !-LA-Wed; !-Ind-Fri; @-Wash-Sun

#-Wash 30-32 (6) @Phnx-Wed; !-@LA-Thur; !-@Atl-Fri; !-Ind-Tues; @-NY-Fri; !-Atl-Sun

#-Ind (5) !-Conn-Tues; @-Minn-Fri; !-@Wash-Tues; @-Atl-Fri; NY-Sun

!-A head-to-head Stewie game.

Results Five Points Or Less
Most Recent at Top Thru Mon., Aug. 31
!-Games Against Other Lottery Contenders

Connecticut 72, Chicago 68
Chicago 98, Atlanta 96
Phoenix 81, Connecticut 80
!-Los Angeles 81 Indiana 79
Indiana 80, New York 79
Chicago 66, Washington 64
Chicago 87, Washington 85
Tulsa 84, Conn. 76, ovt.
Minnesota 84, Atlanta 82
!-Washington 66, San Antonio 63
Chicago 71, Washington 68
!-Los Angeles 80, San Antonio 78
Phoenix 71, Atlanta 68
!-Connecticut 67, Seattle 66
Phoenix 89, Chicago 87, ovt.
Connecticut 78, Minnesota 77
!-Indiana 75, Connecticut 73
New York 81, Seattle 77
Chicago 97, Atlanta 92
Los Angeles 75, Phoenix 70
!-Atlanta 76, Los Angeles 72
Indiana 83, Tulsa 80
New York 79, Washington 76
New York 75, Phoenix 73
Phoenix 94, New York 91
Los Angeles 98, Tulsa 93
Chicago 77, Connecticut 74
Tulsa 93, Seattle 89
!-San Antonio 73, Seattle 71
!-Atlanta 82, Washington 79
!-Connecticut 80, Los Angeles 76
San Antonio 76, Phoenix 71
Chicago 100, Atlanta 96
!-Washington 84, Los Angeles 80
Atlanta 74, Chicago 73
!-Atlanta 64, Washington 61
Indiana 77, Phoenix 74
Connecticut 67, Chicago 65
!-Atlanta 72, San Antonio 69
!-Connecticut 75, Atlanta 70
Washington 67, New York 62
!-Washington 73, Connecticut 68
Phoenix 76, San Antonio 71

Reverse Overall Performance in Close Games

Team L W

Seattle 4-0
San Antonio 4-2
Los Angeles 4-4
Washington 6-4
Atlanta 7-5
Connecticut 5-4
Indiana 1-4

Reverse Close Game Performance Against Other Lottery Contenders

Team L W

San Antonio 3-1
Los Angeles 3-2
Washington 2-3
Seattle 1-0
Indiana 0-0
Connecticut 0-3
Atlanta 1-4

Reverse Overall Performance Against Other Lottery Contenders

Team L W GMRL
San Antonio 11-5 2
#-Los Angeles 10-5 2
Connecticut 8-8 2
Seattle 8-8 1
Atlanta 6-8 4
#-Washington 6-9 4
#-Indiana 5-10 3

GMRL-Games Remaining Against Lottery Contenders

That’s it for now.

-- Mel







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