MONARCHS vs Shock Game 5
- Thread starter slugking50
- Start date
Bill Laimbeer didn't win the game for the Shock, if it comes to that. There were officiating gifts/non calls on both ends of the court.
I absolutely HATE to see people resort to using excuses when their team doesn't win.
IMHO, the Monarchs collapsed in the third quarter and it apparently killed them. It was, however, as slug says "a fun ride" while it lasted.
And the Monarchs still have my utmost respect.
I absolutely HATE to see people resort to using excuses when their team doesn't win.
IMHO, the Monarchs collapsed in the third quarter and it apparently killed them. It was, however, as slug says "a fun ride" while it lasted.
And the Monarchs still have my utmost respect.
You know, basketball is a funny sport. There is no other team game where the performance of one or two players can so greatly affect the rest of the team, both for the good and for the bad. It shouldn't happen that way, and individuals should do their thing no matter what, but the phenomenon exists.
The difference in this Finals series was how Nolan carried Detroit to higher heights and Ticha had the opposite effect on Sacramento.
Both players caused momentum swings with their play.
I'm sure there will be lots of post-series discussion here, like what happened to Nicole in the last 2 games, what happened or Becky for an even longer period, this is a team sport and everyone had room for improvement, and on and on. But in the end, it will boil down to Nolan and Ticha. This was all about them and their impacts on their teams' fortunes.
Congratulations to the Monarchs on a great season!
What they did to the Western Conference playoff opponents was just a tad bit short of a miracle. The ladies were great. It's too bad that they couldn't put together just one more better offensive performance as they did in Games 1 and 3 of the Finals.
Witnessing what happened this season should make us all realize even more how difficult it is to win a championship like we did last year...and appreciate the one we got in 2005 even more. I am proud of our ladies and applaud them for giving us another season of thrills, even though the last game's outcome was not what we wanted to see: 5 points short of a repeat.
The difference in this Finals series was how Nolan carried Detroit to higher heights and Ticha had the opposite effect on Sacramento.
Both players caused momentum swings with their play.
I'm sure there will be lots of post-series discussion here, like what happened to Nicole in the last 2 games, what happened or Becky for an even longer period, this is a team sport and everyone had room for improvement, and on and on. But in the end, it will boil down to Nolan and Ticha. This was all about them and their impacts on their teams' fortunes.
Congratulations to the Monarchs on a great season!
What they did to the Western Conference playoff opponents was just a tad bit short of a miracle. The ladies were great. It's too bad that they couldn't put together just one more better offensive performance as they did in Games 1 and 3 of the Finals.
Witnessing what happened this season should make us all realize even more how difficult it is to win a championship like we did last year...and appreciate the one we got in 2005 even more. I am proud of our ladies and applaud them for giving us another season of thrills, even though the last game's outcome was not what we wanted to see: 5 points short of a repeat.
Thanks to the Monarchs for a heck of a finals.
Of all the teams in the west, Sacramento was the one I wanted to see in the finals, because they're not prima donnas like LA or Connecticut. That's the team I wanted to see my ladies play in the finals.
It felt like a real basketball series. Hopefully we can go best of 5 in all rounds from now on.
Anyway, my respect goes out to the Monarchs for giving us a real fight. I love the fact that they don't take anything for granted and they scratch and claw for everything they get. They forced us to elevate our game to our very best, which very few teams can bring out in us.
Of all the teams in the west, Sacramento was the one I wanted to see in the finals, because they're not prima donnas like LA or Connecticut. That's the team I wanted to see my ladies play in the finals.
It felt like a real basketball series. Hopefully we can go best of 5 in all rounds from now on.
Anyway, my respect goes out to the Monarchs for giving us a real fight. I love the fact that they don't take anything for granted and they scratch and claw for everything they get. They forced us to elevate our game to our very best, which very few teams can bring out in us.
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Yeah, we ought to take into consideration what the Monarchs did throughout this season and see it as a success.
We got off on a rough start to the season, eventually came back to become the 2nd seed of the Western Conference, and ousted the Sparks in the 2nd round. And of course, this Finals game showed that we had capable players--and shooters--such as Kristin Haynie who is capable of drilling shots even in the most toughest of situations. Lawson also showed her veteran poise, savvy and leadership and hit shots when we needed them the most. Maiga also looks like she's developing more of an offensive prowess where she can use her slithery athletic body to score around the painted area. We've learned a lot this season--and saw progress in our players.
But we've also got to give Detroit credit--their defense was suffocating. Plenette Pierson in particular was in top form today, scoring, getting to the line, showing great intangibles and helping the cause to win. Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith, of course, continued their relatively hot shooting. Cheryl Ford, Pierson, Riley and Braxton comprised a tough frontcourt which really caused problems. They do have the talent--and the toughness--to get it done. They really got their act up together and put up a spectacular effort on their part.
We got off on a rough start to the season, eventually came back to become the 2nd seed of the Western Conference, and ousted the Sparks in the 2nd round. And of course, this Finals game showed that we had capable players--and shooters--such as Kristin Haynie who is capable of drilling shots even in the most toughest of situations. Lawson also showed her veteran poise, savvy and leadership and hit shots when we needed them the most. Maiga also looks like she's developing more of an offensive prowess where she can use her slithery athletic body to score around the painted area. We've learned a lot this season--and saw progress in our players.
But we've also got to give Detroit credit--their defense was suffocating. Plenette Pierson in particular was in top form today, scoring, getting to the line, showing great intangibles and helping the cause to win. Deanna Nolan and Katie Smith, of course, continued their relatively hot shooting. Cheryl Ford, Pierson, Riley and Braxton comprised a tough frontcourt which really caused problems. They do have the talent--and the toughness--to get it done. They really got their act up together and put up a spectacular effort on their part.
Well that last quarter in game 2 came back to haunt us, real shame. I'm a little disappointed, but I'll take second place knowing what we had to go through...and knocking LA as a lower seed out of the playoffs again is always fun.
I've believed for a while that if our team had players who could create their own shots, we'd be almost unbeatable. Detroit had that over us and I think that's what ultimately got them the series...moreso than them exploiting Penicheiro's scoring ability or lackthereof.
Anyway, congratulations to Detroit. It'll be tough holding onto that trophy next year. Get rid of Ruth Riley (she's just not good anymore) and get some more ball handling and you should be alright.
I've believed for a while that if our team had players who could create their own shots, we'd be almost unbeatable. Detroit had that over us and I think that's what ultimately got them the series...moreso than them exploiting Penicheiro's scoring ability or lackthereof.
Anyway, congratulations to Detroit. It'll be tough holding onto that trophy next year. Get rid of Ruth Riley (she's just not good anymore) and get some more ball handling and you should be alright.
Agreed. If we had a Deanna Nolan on our team...Ya we would be unstoppable. I give Deanna Nolan much credit for being a great shooter. But you can't forget what Sacramento has had to overcome to reach the finals, and thinking of that...makes this loss just a little more bearable. I do admire KLaw for not giving up in the waning minutes, and Haynie for making big shots when needed. Once Kristin's defense gets better (hopefully over the offseason) she'll be great for us. So with that I say Congrats Monarchs on overcoming the obstacles during the season and making it to the finals, unfortunately it didn't work out the way we wanted it to in the end. Just because Detroit has that trophy now, doesn't mean we can't win it back again!
