A dogged bunch - SacBee.com
A dogged bunch
Underdog tag? The Monarchs ignore it.
By Melody Gutierrez -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Thursday, August 31, 2006
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C1
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Monarchs have gotten used to being the underdogs. They've taken it in stride, holding their tongues as teams counted them out.
And the results this postseason have looked eerily similar as Sacramento rolled over Detroit 95-71 in Wednesday's opening game of the WNBA Finals in front of an announced crowd of 9,581 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The win came one day after Shock coach Bill Laimbeer guaranteed his team would defeat the Monarchs in the best-of-five series.
"OK, well obviously that was not our best performance," Laimbeer said. "I thought Sacramento played very well as a basketball team."
The action continues with Game 2 on Friday at the Palace before moving to Arco Arena on Sunday.
"We aren't worried about what other people say," Yolanda Griffith said. "We just worry about us. We don't go out there to set records or dominate a team."
But that's exactly what Sacramento did Wednesday. Kara Lawson set a Finals record with six three-pointers for 22 points. Sacramento, meanwhile, eclipsed Finals marks for most points in a game (95) and most points in a half (53).
Nicole Powell finished with 21 points, including four three-pointers.
Griffith and DeMya Walker led a strong interior game as each finished with 17 points. Sacramento outscored Detroit 38-28 in the paint and outrebounded the Shock 31-29.
The Monarchs shot 53 percent (35 of 66) from the field, which resembled their performances in several of their dominating victories en route to the Finals.
Perfect in five postseason games, Sacramento has defeated three opponents by an average of 16.8 points. However, the Monarchs have yet to be a clear favorite entering a playoff series.
"No one gives us credit," Powell said. "We're the defending champions, and we are still the underdogs. But we can't worry about that. We think we can do this, and that's what matters."
In the first round of playoffs, Houston players were picking their second-round opponents before they played Sacramento. Los Angeles entered the Western Conference finals with a confident stride and home city advantage.
Laimbeer's guarantee of a Finals championship didn't seem to faze Monarchs coach John Whisenant.
"He guaranteed a win last year. He said he would meet me in the Finals," Whisenant said. "And he didn't show up. Being arrogantly confident is just Bill's way. I'm more concerned about those players he's got."
Such as Cheryl Ford, who scored a career playoff-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting. There appeared to be some internal strife for the Shock as Ford and Laimbeer bickered on the court during the game. Laimbeer benched Swin Cash for all but 11 minutes of the game, saying she wasn't ready to play basketball. Cash was 0 for 2 with no points, one rebound and one turnover.
"She showed up to play a basketball game, didn't show up to win a basketball game," Laimbeer said.
Monarchs point guard Ticha Penicheiro said Detroit players were getting frustrated.
"You notice it," said Penicheiro, who had six assists and three points. "This is a team that has a lot of confidence, and when things go wrong, you see them pointing fingers."
But that's the other team. Sacramento's players repeatedly say they don't worry about their opponent, just the Monarchs, who look good for underdogs.
A dogged bunch
Underdog tag? The Monarchs ignore it.
By Melody Gutierrez -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:01 am PDT Thursday, August 31, 2006
Story appeared in Sports section, Page C1
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- The Monarchs have gotten used to being the underdogs. They've taken it in stride, holding their tongues as teams counted them out.
And the results this postseason have looked eerily similar as Sacramento rolled over Detroit 95-71 in Wednesday's opening game of the WNBA Finals in front of an announced crowd of 9,581 at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The win came one day after Shock coach Bill Laimbeer guaranteed his team would defeat the Monarchs in the best-of-five series.
"OK, well obviously that was not our best performance," Laimbeer said. "I thought Sacramento played very well as a basketball team."
The action continues with Game 2 on Friday at the Palace before moving to Arco Arena on Sunday.
"We aren't worried about what other people say," Yolanda Griffith said. "We just worry about us. We don't go out there to set records or dominate a team."
But that's exactly what Sacramento did Wednesday. Kara Lawson set a Finals record with six three-pointers for 22 points. Sacramento, meanwhile, eclipsed Finals marks for most points in a game (95) and most points in a half (53).
Nicole Powell finished with 21 points, including four three-pointers.
Griffith and DeMya Walker led a strong interior game as each finished with 17 points. Sacramento outscored Detroit 38-28 in the paint and outrebounded the Shock 31-29.
The Monarchs shot 53 percent (35 of 66) from the field, which resembled their performances in several of their dominating victories en route to the Finals.
Perfect in five postseason games, Sacramento has defeated three opponents by an average of 16.8 points. However, the Monarchs have yet to be a clear favorite entering a playoff series.
"No one gives us credit," Powell said. "We're the defending champions, and we are still the underdogs. But we can't worry about that. We think we can do this, and that's what matters."
In the first round of playoffs, Houston players were picking their second-round opponents before they played Sacramento. Los Angeles entered the Western Conference finals with a confident stride and home city advantage.
Laimbeer's guarantee of a Finals championship didn't seem to faze Monarchs coach John Whisenant.
"He guaranteed a win last year. He said he would meet me in the Finals," Whisenant said. "And he didn't show up. Being arrogantly confident is just Bill's way. I'm more concerned about those players he's got."
Such as Cheryl Ford, who scored a career playoff-high 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting. There appeared to be some internal strife for the Shock as Ford and Laimbeer bickered on the court during the game. Laimbeer benched Swin Cash for all but 11 minutes of the game, saying she wasn't ready to play basketball. Cash was 0 for 2 with no points, one rebound and one turnover.
"She showed up to play a basketball game, didn't show up to win a basketball game," Laimbeer said.
Monarchs point guard Ticha Penicheiro said Detroit players were getting frustrated.
"You notice it," said Penicheiro, who had six assists and three points. "This is a team that has a lot of confidence, and when things go wrong, you see them pointing fingers."
But that's the other team. Sacramento's players repeatedly say they don't worry about their opponent, just the Monarchs, who look good for underdogs.