http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/14309695p-15203925c.html
Ailene Voisin: Yo, yo: Griffith's not going anywhere
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, August 27, 2006
ANAHEIM -- She weaved her way into the aisles and into the stands. She danced on the sidelines and sang for her fans, some 300 Monarchs partisans who had trekked to some place called the Pond. She worked the room like an old pro, never stopped smiling for the camera, never stopped playing to the crowd. She never wanted to call it quits, after all.
Her team is going back to the WNBA Finals, going back for seconds, and Yolanda Griffith is coming back for another season.
"Yeah, I'm good," she said after her team had swept the the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference finals Saturday night. "I'll be back."
Yo is better than good, of course. Yo was so good against Lisa Leslie during these two games, such a dominant presence as the anchor of the Monarchs' oppressive defense, that Sparks coach Joe Bryant will spend another offseason obsessing about the team that plays better defense, plays with more cohesiveness, plays at the highest level when it matters most.
Compared with Thursday's gulp-gulp-gulp comeback victory at Arco Arena, Saturday night's win was astoundingly easy. This was a walk in the park, a stroll down the lane, a dip in the, uh, old pond. The Monarchs took control emotionally and physically in the opening minutes and, except for a brief lull in the second half, were left only to wonder about the identity of their future opponent.
Will it be the Detroit Shock or a rematch against the Connecticut Sun?
Will there be another parade?
Will the bandwagon still bring up the rear?
"We hung together through some tough times," acknowledged Monarchs coach John Whisenant, "and I'm real proud of the girls. We always knew we belonged."
It all seems so long ago, all the distractions that appeared certain to doom the season. There was Whisenant's emotional struggles following the death of his mother, coinciding with his ill-fated interest in the Kings' coaching vacancy. There was a mysterious ailment that slowed Kara Lawson, who was no sprinter to begin with, yet, as has become increasingly apparent, whose value as a shooter and playmaker increases by the game. There was DeMya Walker's recovery from the birth of her daughter. There was Griffith limping around throughout the first half of the season on sore knees, prompting her to broach the possibility of retirement.
And what about Yo? What about her recovery? The way she accepted Whisenant's suggestion that she play fewer minutes to regain her health? The way she forced the taller, longer Leslie away from the basket throughout this series? The way she blocked out on the boards, slithered inside for crucial field goals, dictated the mood of this latest evening with a powerful baseline drive in the opening seconds? The way she pushes and prods her teammates, often scolding and embracing them in successive possessions, and all the while demanding they follow her lead?
"Lisa is one of those all-world players, obviously the premier player in the WNBA," Whisenant said. "But Yo is an underrated, great player and a great competitor. I always say that one reason we're able to play well against the Sparks is because Yo plays so well against Lisa."
Initially, Saturday night's matchup between two of the league's most heated rivals had all the ambience of an early-round NCAA Tournament game, played on a neutral court in a nearly empty building, with smatterings of loyal fans in attendance. Leslie, who bitterly complained about the game's location after the series opener in Sacramento, had every reason to scream for a foul: The Sparks, who worked all season to secure the homecourt advantage, learned just before the playoffs that Staples Center, their usual home, would be unavailable for Game 2 of the conference finals because of a scheduling conflict with the "American Idol" tour.
In other words, the pros were forced off the stage by a bunch of crooning amateurs.
In her postgame news conference, Griffith, alluding to the sparse crowd (6,852) and the Sparks' lack of familiarity with the facility, volunteered that the venue change was "unfair." She had Leslie's back, in somewhat of a fitting finale, much as she had leaned on her former U.S. Olympic teammate's derrière during the entire series. No, there was no restraining Yo in the late hours Saturday night, no crashing her party or ruining her latest accomplishment.
Soon after the final buzzer sounded, she sang, she danced, she laughed. Best of all, she's coming back.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
Ailene Voisin: Yo, yo: Griffith's not going anywhere
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Columnist
Published 12:01 am PDT Sunday, August 27, 2006
ANAHEIM -- She weaved her way into the aisles and into the stands. She danced on the sidelines and sang for her fans, some 300 Monarchs partisans who had trekked to some place called the Pond. She worked the room like an old pro, never stopped smiling for the camera, never stopped playing to the crowd. She never wanted to call it quits, after all.
Her team is going back to the WNBA Finals, going back for seconds, and Yolanda Griffith is coming back for another season.
"Yeah, I'm good," she said after her team had swept the the Los Angeles Sparks in the Western Conference finals Saturday night. "I'll be back."
Yo is better than good, of course. Yo was so good against Lisa Leslie during these two games, such a dominant presence as the anchor of the Monarchs' oppressive defense, that Sparks coach Joe Bryant will spend another offseason obsessing about the team that plays better defense, plays with more cohesiveness, plays at the highest level when it matters most.
Compared with Thursday's gulp-gulp-gulp comeback victory at Arco Arena, Saturday night's win was astoundingly easy. This was a walk in the park, a stroll down the lane, a dip in the, uh, old pond. The Monarchs took control emotionally and physically in the opening minutes and, except for a brief lull in the second half, were left only to wonder about the identity of their future opponent.
Will it be the Detroit Shock or a rematch against the Connecticut Sun?
Will there be another parade?
Will the bandwagon still bring up the rear?
"We hung together through some tough times," acknowledged Monarchs coach John Whisenant, "and I'm real proud of the girls. We always knew we belonged."
It all seems so long ago, all the distractions that appeared certain to doom the season. There was Whisenant's emotional struggles following the death of his mother, coinciding with his ill-fated interest in the Kings' coaching vacancy. There was a mysterious ailment that slowed Kara Lawson, who was no sprinter to begin with, yet, as has become increasingly apparent, whose value as a shooter and playmaker increases by the game. There was DeMya Walker's recovery from the birth of her daughter. There was Griffith limping around throughout the first half of the season on sore knees, prompting her to broach the possibility of retirement.
And what about Yo? What about her recovery? The way she accepted Whisenant's suggestion that she play fewer minutes to regain her health? The way she forced the taller, longer Leslie away from the basket throughout this series? The way she blocked out on the boards, slithered inside for crucial field goals, dictated the mood of this latest evening with a powerful baseline drive in the opening seconds? The way she pushes and prods her teammates, often scolding and embracing them in successive possessions, and all the while demanding they follow her lead?
"Lisa is one of those all-world players, obviously the premier player in the WNBA," Whisenant said. "But Yo is an underrated, great player and a great competitor. I always say that one reason we're able to play well against the Sparks is because Yo plays so well against Lisa."
Initially, Saturday night's matchup between two of the league's most heated rivals had all the ambience of an early-round NCAA Tournament game, played on a neutral court in a nearly empty building, with smatterings of loyal fans in attendance. Leslie, who bitterly complained about the game's location after the series opener in Sacramento, had every reason to scream for a foul: The Sparks, who worked all season to secure the homecourt advantage, learned just before the playoffs that Staples Center, their usual home, would be unavailable for Game 2 of the conference finals because of a scheduling conflict with the "American Idol" tour.
In other words, the pros were forced off the stage by a bunch of crooning amateurs.
In her postgame news conference, Griffith, alluding to the sparse crowd (6,852) and the Sparks' lack of familiarity with the facility, volunteered that the venue change was "unfair." She had Leslie's back, in somewhat of a fitting finale, much as she had leaned on her former U.S. Olympic teammate's derrière during the entire series. No, there was no restraining Yo in the late hours Saturday night, no crashing her party or ruining her latest accomplishment.
Soon after the final buzzer sounded, she sang, she danced, she laughed. Best of all, she's coming back.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
