Monarchs now 13-5
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"Best start in Franchise history"--It was begining to sound like a broken record, but this is one tune that I like! It seems like after every game and certainly in the begining of the season, thats what every sports caster said in their nightly sports cast when talking about the M's. I am still in awe by this team.
The graphic they showed during the game should be blown up and displayed atop of Arco if you ask me. #1 in practically every defensive category! Who knew defense could be so fun
The graphic they showed during the game should be blown up and displayed atop of Arco if you ask me. #1 in practically every defensive category! Who knew defense could be so fun
I'll tellya what, there were a couple of things that impressed me about their play on Saturday night....first...Ticha looked very comfortable offensively. Second, their passing looked very crisp and purposeful again. Except for the point at which they let the Mystics back into the game in the first half, and let them hang around in the 2nd half - the defense was pretty stellar too.
With a major negative for me continuing to be their lackadasical approach to FT shooting, I gotta say I agree with JD that they have not yet peaked as a team. My expectation for them in the 2nd half of the season - and it appears from Kara's address at the end of the game that they are heading in a good direction to achieve this - is that they act no differently than they've acted in the 2nd halves of the previous seasons. And by that I mean that the bear down and work towards playing their best basketball down the stretch so they can go into the post season red-hot. They say their goal is to go undefeated at home the rest of the way. I'm totally down with that, but continue their good play on the road as well. And continue to play as if they have no intention of giving any team in the west the impression that the top spot is still up for grabs. Play for home court throughout their run in the postseason.
It's time to start dominating and coming as close to playing solid basketball over a full 40 minutes.
Good golly, whichever of the Monarchs players were responsible for including coach T's photo in the game on the jumbotron - that was priceless. Whatever the payback is that he exacts for that is going to be well worth it, that was very very good and very slickly pulled off.
With a major negative for me continuing to be their lackadasical approach to FT shooting, I gotta say I agree with JD that they have not yet peaked as a team. My expectation for them in the 2nd half of the season - and it appears from Kara's address at the end of the game that they are heading in a good direction to achieve this - is that they act no differently than they've acted in the 2nd halves of the previous seasons. And by that I mean that the bear down and work towards playing their best basketball down the stretch so they can go into the post season red-hot. They say their goal is to go undefeated at home the rest of the way. I'm totally down with that, but continue their good play on the road as well. And continue to play as if they have no intention of giving any team in the west the impression that the top spot is still up for grabs. Play for home court throughout their run in the postseason.
It's time to start dominating and coming as close to playing solid basketball over a full 40 minutes.
Good golly, whichever of the Monarchs players were responsible for including coach T's photo in the game on the jumbotron - that was priceless. Whatever the payback is that he exacts for that is going to be well worth it, that was very very good and very slickly pulled off.
MBF - agreed on all counts. Ticha's assists are down, but her overall game is up. She is actually looking for shots and I like that she has incorporated a mid-range jumper too. Her points are up even though her minutes are down. She has shown herself to be a solid floor leader this season.
I went and checked the FT shooting percentages and was shocked. Kara and Miao are perfect (3/3 and 4/4 respectively), followed by Haynie 92% and Ticha 89% (which is a remarkable improvement from her 66% lifetime average). Then Powell at 79%. Then another drop: Yo 69%, Walker 66%, Newton 62%, Erin 58%, Brunson 51%, OSR 50% and finally Maiga at 14% (2/14).
The Monarchs have always struggled with lack of sustained mental focus and the "killer instinct". Now is the time to continue to play to win, and not play not to lose. Home court advantage is huge. They really control their own destiny heading towards the post-season.
Too cute of Coach T. I would love to see baby pics of the whole team!
I went and checked the FT shooting percentages and was shocked. Kara and Miao are perfect (3/3 and 4/4 respectively), followed by Haynie 92% and Ticha 89% (which is a remarkable improvement from her 66% lifetime average). Then Powell at 79%. Then another drop: Yo 69%, Walker 66%, Newton 62%, Erin 58%, Brunson 51%, OSR 50% and finally Maiga at 14% (2/14).
The Monarchs have always struggled with lack of sustained mental focus and the "killer instinct". Now is the time to continue to play to win, and not play not to lose. Home court advantage is huge. They really control their own destiny heading towards the post-season.
Too cute of Coach T. I would love to see baby pics of the whole team!
How did I miss the Coach T pic?!?! I don't know what I was looking at, but apparantly it wasn't the jumbotron!
I, probably more than anyone else, am loving what Ticha is doing this season. I love that she has become the technical foul free throw shooter. It shows the confidence that she has in herself (finally) and confidence from her teammates. The shots she's taking from the floor all look good, even the ones that rim out. She doesn't seem to care about any of her individual stats this season. She's not #1 in assists this year, and I don't think she cares. I liked her quote from the Bee the other day that said, "I don't care about All-Star. I want to be a champion." I think it shows. The other night against Washington she was getting knocked around like a bowling pin, but kept her head in the game. She keeps the team focused (she tried w/Yo the other day ), and is running our show.
I think Chelsea has been the most underrated rookie this year. She has started every single game and has been a huge factor in our success. Much like Ticha, I don't think that stats do Chelsea any justice. She's a smart player and a huge reason why we are winning.
Overall, the Monarchs could still use some major improvement. FT shooting is just horrible. I almost cringe when any of our posts get to the line. This could really come back to bite us in the end. Then there are turnovers, which I actually feel like the Monarchs ARE improving on (knock on wood). But if these two areas can be cleaned up, we'll be in even better shape.
I, probably more than anyone else, am loving what Ticha is doing this season. I love that she has become the technical foul free throw shooter. It shows the confidence that she has in herself (finally) and confidence from her teammates. The shots she's taking from the floor all look good, even the ones that rim out. She doesn't seem to care about any of her individual stats this season. She's not #1 in assists this year, and I don't think she cares. I liked her quote from the Bee the other day that said, "I don't care about All-Star. I want to be a champion." I think it shows. The other night against Washington she was getting knocked around like a bowling pin, but kept her head in the game. She keeps the team focused (she tried w/Yo the other day
), and is running our show. I think Chelsea has been the most underrated rookie this year. She has started every single game and has been a huge factor in our success. Much like Ticha, I don't think that stats do Chelsea any justice. She's a smart player and a huge reason why we are winning.
Overall, the Monarchs could still use some major improvement. FT shooting is just horrible. I almost cringe when any of our posts get to the line. This could really come back to bite us in the end. Then there are turnovers, which I actually feel like the Monarchs ARE improving on (knock on wood). But if these two areas can be cleaned up, we'll be in even better shape.