[PHO/SAC] Discussion thread
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As I was standing at ARCO after the game and checking out some of the stats, there were 4 #'s that jumped right out at me (about Phoenix).
Cappie had 33 pts.
Taurasi had 20 pts.
Phoenix shot 50% from the field.
Phoenix scored 97 pts.
You would think that Phoenix killed the Monarchs. But no, the best # of the night was...
Monarchs scored...
105 pts!!!
You gotta love it.
Cappie had 33 pts.
Taurasi had 20 pts.
Phoenix shot 50% from the field.
Phoenix scored 97 pts.
You would think that Phoenix killed the Monarchs. But no, the best # of the night was...
Monarchs scored...
105 pts!!!
You gotta love it.
What a great game last night. Some of the keys were the Monarchs ability to match the offensive firepower of the Mercury. I did not realize this, but the Monarchs had lost to Phoenix 6 straight games going back to the "Ring Ceremony Game" of May 2006.
I also went back into the Media Guide and found that the Monarchs also set a Team Record with 39 Free Throws made. That was the key last night. The aggressiveness to attack that "weak", "soft" zone defense that Phoenix throws up which led to 43 free throws, including "Ms. Free Throw" herself Crystal Kelly and Chelsea Newton going a combined 20 of 20. Seriously, has anybody ever seen Phoenix play Man to Man Defense???????
The key play of the night was in the middle of the third quarter and the Monarchs (particularly Powell and Kelly) got not one, not two, not three, NOT FOUR, BUT FIVE BIG GIGANTIC OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS that led to two Kelly Free Throws. At that point of the game, the Monarchs were once again getting killed on the glass by a soft rebounding team, but that one sequence alone show the grit and never say die attitude of this team.
I have to admit that after the Seattle game earlier in the week, I thought this season was over. Now I have to say that with the West in the situation that it is in, the fourth playoff spot is up for grabs. And I don't know about anybody else, but I would rather go to the playoffs and lose in the first round, then to take my chances in the lottery and get another mediocre pick.
. I also went back into the Media Guide and found that the Monarchs also set a Team Record with 39 Free Throws made. That was the key last night. The aggressiveness to attack that "weak", "soft" zone defense that Phoenix throws up which led to 43 free throws, including "Ms. Free Throw" herself Crystal Kelly and Chelsea Newton going a combined 20 of 20. Seriously, has anybody ever seen Phoenix play Man to Man Defense???????
The key play of the night was in the middle of the third quarter and the Monarchs (particularly Powell and Kelly) got not one, not two, not three, NOT FOUR, BUT FIVE BIG GIGANTIC OFFENSIVE REBOUNDS that led to two Kelly Free Throws.
At that point of the game, the Monarchs were once again getting killed on the glass by a soft rebounding team, but that one sequence alone show the grit and never say die attitude of this team.I have to admit that after the Seattle game earlier in the week, I thought this season was over. Now I have to say that with the West in the situation that it is in, the fourth playoff spot is up for grabs. And I don't know about anybody else, but I would rather go to the playoffs and lose in the first round, then to take my chances in the lottery and get another mediocre pick.
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Unlike the conundrum Kings fans faced in the Mussleman era with their lins/wosses countdown, it to me is much more satisfying to continue to make playoff appearances or at least play above .500 ball the rest of the way than to leave one's fate in the hands of a bunch of ping pong balls.
As I posted in the Seattle thread, this team is too damn up and down for me to write off the season after a game. I figured they show up for nat'l tv games against LA, and upthread here, I figured that since coach has been saying in her radio interviews that she wants this team to run, that they would be able to run with and beat Phx if they were able to mix some defense in every once in a while. They accomplished both.
I see the Atlanta game being a bit more difficult than it would appear on paper, because of the addition of Bales, and Feenstra's propensity to show up in games. Mix in some athleticism in the back court and wing, that's an invitation for a derailment. I think they'll handle their business tho.
I don't think it's just the 4 spot that's up for grabs either. Seattle is about to play a string of games without Lauren Jackson. Yo appears to be priming to get ready to assume more of a role in picking up the slack in LJ's absence, but who on the bench is going to pick up her production. And LA? well...geez, I thought we were supposed to hand them the trophy opening day....
All it's going to take is being around .500, and I absolutely agree with your assessment earlier this season PR, that may very well be where the Monarchs are supposed to be. And that's not a bad thing apparently this year for this conference.
As I posted in the Seattle thread, this team is too damn up and down for me to write off the season after a game. I figured they show up for nat'l tv games against LA, and upthread here, I figured that since coach has been saying in her radio interviews that she wants this team to run, that they would be able to run with and beat Phx if they were able to mix some defense in every once in a while. They accomplished both.
I see the Atlanta game being a bit more difficult than it would appear on paper, because of the addition of Bales, and Feenstra's propensity to show up in games. Mix in some athleticism in the back court and wing, that's an invitation for a derailment. I think they'll handle their business tho.
I don't think it's just the 4 spot that's up for grabs either. Seattle is about to play a string of games without Lauren Jackson. Yo appears to be priming to get ready to assume more of a role in picking up the slack in LJ's absence, but who on the bench is going to pick up her production. And LA? well...geez, I thought we were supposed to hand them the trophy opening day....
All it's going to take is being around .500, and I absolutely agree with your assessment earlier this season PR, that may very well be where the Monarchs are supposed to be. And that's not a bad thing apparently this year for this conference.
At the beginning of the season here was my assessment of a playoff run during our Monarchs preview thread:
At the half way point the Monarchs are 2-3 against Phoenix, Seattle and San Antonio and 3-3 against the rest of the West. That's pretty good guessing ain't it?
For the remaining 13 games for the season I believe the Monarchs must win at least 7 games, including finding a few road games to win. Hope Minnesota slides, because I do believe that Phoenix is way too talented to not make the playoffs, and in my view, it is not Minny's time yet. And I just don't think Houston is going to make it. Every game is key, we all know that, but the must win games for Sacramento are the following:
July 18 - VS ATLANTA
July 22 - at Atlanta (at 8am Pacific time, a 7:30am pre game show)
July 24 - VS PHOENIX
July 27 - at Seattle (without Lauren Jackson)
August 30 - VS HOUSTON
September 7 - VS MINNESOTA
And a split in the final Houston/San Antonio road trip September 12-13. There is your seven wins, and for good measure, get one more and we will see playoff basketball for the sixth straight season.
Minnesota still has 2 games against San Antonio, Seattle, Los Angeles and Phoenix a piece. And here is the key in their schedule; a big time 4 game West Road Trip September 1-7 AT LOS ANGELES, AT PHOENIX, AT SEATTLE and AT ARCO ARENA (on the second night of a back to back)
At the half way point the Monarchs are 2-3 against Phoenix, Seattle and San Antonio and 3-3 against the rest of the West. That's pretty good guessing ain't it?
For the remaining 13 games for the season I believe the Monarchs must win at least 7 games, including finding a few road games to win. Hope Minnesota slides, because I do believe that Phoenix is way too talented to not make the playoffs, and in my view, it is not Minny's time yet. And I just don't think Houston is going to make it. Every game is key, we all know that, but the must win games for Sacramento are the following:
July 18 - VS ATLANTA
July 22 - at Atlanta (at 8am Pacific time, a 7:30am pre game show
)July 24 - VS PHOENIX
July 27 - at Seattle (without Lauren Jackson)
August 30 - VS HOUSTON
September 7 - VS MINNESOTA
And a split in the final Houston/San Antonio road trip September 12-13. There is your seven wins, and for good measure, get one more and we will see playoff basketball for the sixth straight season.
Minnesota still has 2 games against San Antonio, Seattle, Los Angeles and Phoenix a piece. And here is the key in their schedule; a big time 4 game West Road Trip September 1-7 AT LOS ANGELES, AT PHOENIX, AT SEATTLE and AT ARCO ARENA (on the second night of a back to back
)
Here's how I'd handicap the race, I'd watch what happens to Seattle and LA too and how spot #3 goes and whether one of them falls...but focusing solely on the 4th spot, here's what I see.....
spot right now. Sacramento, hell because it's only by a half game.
they may be the only team who can keep Phoenix in the race, well
Sacramento can too but well...we'll see how they do the next few.
If any team has an advantage outright, I'm leaning Minnesota.......
for now. Whether Sac gets an advantage is TBD.
Advantage...fear us.....
- Phoenix - their problem is they have only beaten two western conference teams with 20 games off their books. Unless they get white hot I don't see how they overcome the hole they've dug themselves right now just on the conference schedule differential alone. The good news for them is that they'll see Sacramento 3 more times and Hou, Minn twice each. Buuuuuuuuuut...to take the head to head tie break, they'll need to beat Minny twice, Hou once and Sacramento three times. And of course at least play even with the rest of the 3 teams battling for spot #4 when they face Sea, LA and SA and whoever else they face in the east. If the Monarchs beat the Mercury just once, and manage to stay ahead of them otherwise in the standings - it's goodbye Phoenix in my estimation - again, unless either Sea or LA also fade and leave another spot open.
- Minnesota - they may be young, but they've got a lot of talent that's meshed together quickly and they've also withstood their swoon well too. Of the teams vying for spot #4, they've got the best conference record, they're at .500 now AND are the team currently in the spot. They own the tiebreaker against Hou,and need to only beat Phx once to own it against them. They play .500 the rest of the way? They force everybody else behind them to play above .500 the rest of the way. Shoot, they beat Phx and Sacramento beats them a couple of weeks from now, how does Phx overcome that? Minny's problem tho is they have a helluva lot of road games left - eight. Which may not actually phase them because relatively speaking, they've played the best on the road of any of the other three teams in this group.
spot right now. Sacramento, hell because it's only by a half game.
- Houston - now they're interesting. Might be easy to dismiss them, but they've got the best home record of the 4, and they've got five straight home games leading into the break, including games against LA, Minn and Phx and toss Det and Chi in there. They need all three of the West games obviously, and they get them and they are right back in the conversation and it obviously helps Sacramento. They may also have the heaviest post break schedule as well - eight games with half of those on the road and they're the worst road team of the group of four. They own a tie break against nobody but San Antonio who they've OWNED with a capital O. But they do see us twice.
they may be the only team who can keep Phoenix in the race, well
Sacramento can too but well...we'll see how they do the next few.
If any team has an advantage outright, I'm leaning Minnesota.......
for now. Whether Sac gets an advantage is TBD.
- Sacramento- M's just flat out have to get better on the road. But sitting a half game out it cool for them as crazy as they've played all season. They need for sure Minny to fade, but for that to make a difference they need to be playing well themselves. As you point out, they've got a goofy road trip with a goofy set up for a morning game after a travel day after a night game. I agree with you PR that they Ms need to play 1 game over .500, and they better make it their mission in life to beat more WC teams. How they play while Houston is at home forever will be key. They absolutely need to have that win against Minny, and I truly believe beating Phx could stick a fork in the defending champs.
Advantage...fear us.....
