Post your thoughts: SAC/CHI 6/19

mdme

Bench
Grind it out game but a win nonetheless.

First thing I'd say about this game is: WAY TO GO NICOLE!!! That's stepping up. :D:D:D

I hope Ticha is okay. It's a good thing that wasn't on her nose. Again, this game was a low scoring grind it out affair. I'm just pleased that down the line, they did execute pretty well BOTH on offense and defense.

This team is really 10+ deep.

Can't wait for the next game.:D
 
Again, the Monarchs show true grit in eeking out this win in Chicago. The Sky have been playing much better this year. We knew we could not waltz into Chicago and beat them up.

Congrats to both of our primary shooters, Lawson and Powell, who scored 19 and 16 respectively. They busted out of their slumps a bit, especially Nicole who scored the M's 1st few point and the last few points of the game for us. Her scoring was very timely.

Keep up the defense, ladies, while working on finding some consistant offense.

I'll take any wins we can get.

NOTE: Coach Ambers just reported on the post-game that Ticha has a slight concussion.
 
Someone is sure to say that I'm being hard on her, but Haynie has really dragged the offense down lately. I don't know whether Boucek has her on a short leash or what, but the offense has really been struggling when she's been on the floor. She's allegedly a better shot than Penicheiro, but she doesn't seem to do a very good job of getting the team into an offense that's not all that free-flowing to begin with. And it seems to me that she's still making "rookie" mistakes on the defensive end as well.

The rebounding was also disappointing. I understand that Yo Griffith is still hurting, and I'm quite happy to give her as much time as she thinks she'll need to get back on track, if there's a chance that she'll be the Yo Griffith of old (as opposed to an old-*** Yo Griffith) come playoff time. But there's got to be better production off the glass from the rest of the frontcourt; we can scarcely afford nights where Griffith, Brunson AND Williams are off...

I am liking what I'm seeing with Atkinson; she does look like she could develop into that rangy, do-everything defender that we lost when Maïga-Ba left. We still need an offensive option in the post, though... somebody should teach Williams that step-through move.
 
Slim, they are very valid points.

I for one think Haynie MUST do a better job. I think she's really feeling the pressure. My opinion is that she feels she's on a tight leash (whether that's is indeed the case or not, I don't really know). On another note, she DOES make good passes it's just that a number of those passes don't get converted into points (see: passes to Yo and Bek). I think she's still trying to find her place/role in the offense (and struggling mightily at it). I hope her confidence doesn't suffer because I think it already is. We've seen what she can do, if only she'd relax and be patient.

On a lighter note:

I actually saw williams make the step-through in one game (can't remember which though).

Haynie's first stat on the stat sheet is usually a TO.

AND yes, we need the Yo of old. hopefully this is all "saving herself for the playoffs".
 
On another note, she DOES make good passes it's just that a number of those passes don't get converted into points (see: passes to Yo and Bek).
I would certainly say that this is true of Penicheiro; I saw at least three potential assists get bricked tonight. Maybe that happens more often for Haynie in the games that I don't get to see, but many of the passes that she was trying to make tonight were genuinely bad passes; they were either wide, or too low on the bounce, and there were a couple of times that the shooters received the ball out of their regular rhythm. Penicheiro is definitely much better at getting the ball to the shooters when they're open and/or in rhythm to shoot, or so it seems to me.
 
That was ugly. A win, to be sure, but that was not fun to watch at all.

What was with that awful cacophony of noise they played in the arena when the Monarchs had the ball? I could hardly hear the announcers. It was so grating to me, that I finally listened to KHTK, even tho the feed's way behind the picture.

I could not go to a game at that arena, with that gawd awful racket going on so much of the time. It was close to nails on a blackboard for me. Actually worse, since I don't mind the nails thing that much.
 
Went over to ''Center Court'' & watched the 2nd half. They didn't have the sound on so I missed the arena noise...thank-you;)
I like the Sky's up-tempo style. It made Sacramento get out & running as well. I have to Agree with the assesment on Haynie, she still seems to be stuggling on the offensive end.
Nice play at the end & a rare timeout from coach B. Nicole should be able to get that shot most nights. She & Kara did a nice job executing.

No doubt happy for the win! Still lots of room for improvemet.

Really like Dupree & Price...the Sky is much improved. Stacy Dales sure did whine alot.
 
- Ugly win, but nonetheless a win
- I love me some Nicole Powell lol...Kara shot great as well.
- I agree on Haynie, I'm starting to dread when Ticha goes out of the game. Don't get me wrong, I know Haynie can run the point, she just hasn't done so effectively in the past games. Kara has been a better second option at the point.
-Atkinson should get more minutes. She looked great on the boards and the defensive end of the floor. However, she needs to be on the floor with Powell at the PF.
-Post players...no comment
-I'm kinda getting tired of seeing the same play run on offense. The point up top, two posts on opposite blocks, and the wings crossing down low. The point ten passes to a cutting wing player...Don't know if I'm the only one who notices that.
 
Oh yeah, I listened to a little of the post game interview on KHTK and I guess a some sort of drumline, or at least some resemblence of one, would play during the Monarch's offensive possessions. Kozimor made some sort of comment like that.
 
Damn

Just when I got the Bus all warmed up and Armor Alled the tires...

I have to say it... Crap!!!!

Nicole had a Nicole Powell Like ball game. (THANK YOU!!!)
She shot the ball and shot often. She went thru a dry spell and kept shooting. And the Ball was in Kara and Nicoles hands at winning time.

And.... I can't believe it. She went to the basket without hesitation.

I almost got choked up when I saw it.

It was a messy low scoring affair, but Kara and Nicole finished shots. Bekkah was still getting boards. But yeah we need some help on the boards. I would really like to get a Linda-Fro sighting. I would just feel better knowing that we actually have a 4th post player.

I miss DeMya so Much... But I digress.

Haynie really is struggling. It is strange because her ball handling actually seems decent but she seems to be having mental Block issues. Like her feet not working, or a really nice pass gooing to nobody. Must Kara is really improved at the Point. I like that line up for the end of close ball games.

Ohh and Tangie is officially off the SEE ME List in case I didn't post that earlier. She is alright.

Good Win Ladies...
 
From the radio call it seemed as ugly as the box score indicated. But 8-3, not bad and I don't think we get extra style points in the standings so I'll take it.

Not sure how many heard the pregame show today, but during the coach's interview, JB talked about how she is trying to get Haynie back on track - that she hasn't lost confidence in her and telling her she'll work herself out of this slump. Also didn't seem like JB had any idea why Haynie fell into this slump. If I could offer an answer you your question Slim, Haynie did not look like this the first 4 games of the season or at least hasn't consistently looked like this since before the LA game. The LA home opener was where she started looking like this. Can't remember which game it was where she had 0pts but 7assts, that might have been that game or the game that followed it. I just am finding it weird how her moderate improvements to start the season have regressed to this point. We need her to get better...soon.

I had been facetious when I said this, and I know I've mentioned it to folks who play the fantasy game...the Monarchs scoring mindset is also weird to me. This is not the first time this season that Kara and Nicole have carried the scoring load and nobody else can seemingly hit the broadside of the barn. Or one of the two perimeter scorers scores and the other one doesnt. Or the post players score and nobody else does. Its nice conceiveably that anybody can score, but I'll join the chorus that it is still a little unsettling to me.

I do agree that we'll get it together and hopefully are peaking nicely late August and whatever happens thereafter.

Nice win ladies...more work to be done this week. Run the table...let's set the tone for the conference.
 
Jenny called a timeout with time winding down in the 4th quarter ...

No repeat of the Phoenix home game this time, the Monarchs called timeout, and won the game. It was 48 - 52 Sky, then the Monarchs scored the last 6 points of the game, winning 54 - 52! Gritty, in the windy city!
 
That's My Girl

Nicole looked great last night as did Kara. Maybe NP is reading the board?

I love Jennie and all, but her substitution patterns are a bit odd to me. Long periods of time without Kara in the game towards the end. Many times without NP or KL either being on the floor. I like the depth of the team, but we don't always have to use it, do we?
 
I was able to record a replay of the game on NBATV(thank you NBATV for replaying it!) I didn't watch it in full flow, just stopped at various sections to get a feel of how things were going and to see the final shots of both teams. Let me first say that I was struck that at about 1:55 left in the 4th the game was tied @ 52. So it was another minute and a half before anybody scored again...THAT looked familiar. (Ugh). I also experienced why folks complained about the commentary... (Ugh) and the incessant drumbeat while the Ms were on offense (Ugh). From the radio call I knew Haynie had fallen untouched once, but she fell twice?!? (Ugh).

But I wanted to make the comment about Powell's game winning shot. Her move to free herself from the quicker and more athletlic Price was FREAKING IMPRESSIVE!!!! Memo to Doris Burke: I've got your "make me put the ball on the deck because I can't make moves to the basket" R I G H T... H E R E...!"
She appeared to take a move from Scho's arsenal. I mean shoot, if coach could draw up moves like that on the clipboard and that's all it took for NikkiP to do stuff like that? She should have been drawing stuff up like that a while ago! ;) :)


Re coach not repeating history? I guess she has a learning curve too. :)

Re: team depth and using it? Yes and No. I would agree that some of the sub patterns are odd. But in some of these games we could have Lawson and Powell on the floor and you wouldn't know they were there anyway so sometimes I don't miss them when they aren't in the game. I say that partly jokingly. Defensively we may get better without them over that same stretch, and right now I find myself very attached to the defense until their offense shows up more consistently. But relatedly, we have shortened to an 10 player rotation as it is, Yo has shorter minutes as is. So I'm not sure with as taxing they say this defensive is physically and mentally that we have the luxury to shorten our bench any further and play the two perimeter players more. I also think coach believes she has offensive flexibility when those two are not on the floor to run different variations to combat any defensive changes teams throw at us because our best two perimeter scorers aren't on the floor.

One down, two more to go to close out a strong week Ms!
 
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Not sure how many heard the pregame show today, but during the coach's interview, JB talked about how she is trying to get Haynie back on track - that she hasn't lost confidence in her and telling her she'll work herself out of this slump. Also didn't seem like JB had any idea why Haynie fell into this slump. If I could offer an answer you your question Slim, Haynie did not look like this the first 4 games of the season or at least hasn't consistently looked like this since before the LA game. The LA home opener was where she started looking like this. Can't remember which game it was where she had 0pts but 7assts, that might have been that game or the game that followed it. I just am finding it weird how her moderate improvements to start the season have regressed to this point. We need her to get better...soon.

that would be the LA game. 0pts, 7 assts, 2TOs in 14 minutes. I thought she played well enough given the minutes played in that game which I attributed to Ticha burning the hoops
 
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TP was burning the hoops AND being the better defender in the LA game. In that game Haynie had defensive matchups that were not beneficial to her. But up until that game Haynie I thought had looked worlds better than she had her previous two seasons but NEVER better enough for me to wonder if there was a PG controversy brewing to the extent the conversation started here and Gutierrez started playing one up in her blog.

Now Haynie is just downright off kilter for whatever reason. If Boucek had a leash on her, then Haynie would get even fewer minutes than she had. There were games on that home stand where she was not just off, but she was down right bad, but coach kept trotting her out there. I believe if anybody can get into Haynie's head and get her out of whatever this funk is she is in, I think Boucek can. If Whiz were still roaming the sidelines, Haynie would be sitting much more often than rotating in....sorta like she was last season.
 
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