by Ethan Johnson
July 2, 2008
(No) Thanks to the WNBAs dismal TV coverage nationally, and the fact that we have access to the MSG Network, I can't see as much of the LA Sparks as I would like, but can follow much more of the exploits of the Liberty. I like New York, so that's helpful. It would be beneficial locally if I could see more of Houston or San Antonio (I prefer San An), but failing that New York is fun to watch. So I got the double whammy with this game:
The game was played at 12:30pm Pacific Time. I wondered what made July 1 a date that lent itself to afternoon WNBA games (on a Tuesday), let alone early releases of new movies (Hancock - which we plan to see soon). Turns out that this game was "Camp Day": Lots of kids from area day camps (and similar), which meant not only the coveted 10,000+ crowd numbers, but LOUD kids. We're talking House of Pain stuff, here.
In the first quarter there was plenty of action. Especially for LA. Candace Parker and Lisa Leslie combined for 18 of the teams's 24 first quarter points. Yes, this means that the rest of the players (bench or starters) contributed the other 6. Ouch. Leslie got into early foul trouble.
The stand-out player for New York was Shamika Christon. 28 points, 6-for-8 3-point shooting. The second highest scorer was Janel McCarville with 15. Incredibly, 5' 5" Leilani Mitchell was 4th with 13. Starter Loree Moore, who was supposed to make me/us forget all about Mitchell scored a big ole ZERO. She sat out the entire 4th quarter as Mitchell had the hot hand. My favorite Leilani Mitchell moment: She gets the ball in the 4th, thinks about passing, and decides to drive the lane. No basket, but she drew the cheap foul. Guts for miles. Sadly, I really think players of her height (or worse, LA's Tameka Johnson - 5' 3", 6 points for the game) are an endangered species in pro basketball. If players like Lisa Leslie and Katie Feenstra become closer to "average height" for basketball I can't imagine anyone under 6' getting a close look at tryouts/the draft. The fact that either of these "short" players can contribute with significant stats says something about how hard they're working out there. Enjoy it while it lasts, I say.
LA seemed to have the game well under control in the first half, even going on a 10-3 run late in the 2nd quarter. 36-43 LA at halftime.
Not only was LA's Lisa Leslie in early foul trouble (she ultimately fouled out about 3 minutes into the 3th quarter), but rookie sensation Candace Parker was having major shoulder problems. I wasn't aware that she wore a shoulder brace because she separated her shoulder TWICE during the 2008 NCAA women's basketball tournament. This is a weird thing to glom onto, but Parker's shoulder brace gives her ample Cool Points with me. It looks cool, and seems to bolster her on-court presence. Of course, the shoulder injury is not "cool" and hurts like hell, I'm sure, but to me it is an iconic symbol on an iconic symbol.
Unfortunately for CP3, she was scoreless until late in the third quarter after putting up 8 in the first. New York went on a 12-4 run in the third quarter, but Candace Parker stepped up and got into double-double territory (12 pts/10 rebounds) to help LA stay ahead. 51-62 at the end of the third.
New York was on FIRE in the fourth quarter, eating up the 17 point deficit and tying the game at 68-all. With 3:15 remaining, New York had gone on a 26-8 run, with amazing performances from Shamika Christon and Leilani Mitchell. Yes, I'm an unapologetic Leilani fanboy, but come on: She rarely puts up double-digit scoring numbers (as she is mostly a ball mover, not shooter), and scored 5 points with 6:15 remaining in the 4th. As mentioned earlier, that number inflated to 15 for the day. Not bad for being the backup.
LA choked big time to go down 89-78 in front of 10,000+ screaming kids. In fact, the screaming kids were a detriment as they drowned out the LA players and coaches at a critical time, leading to blown scoring chances. Kids aside, LA also suffered from porous defense, short of waiting at the other end for the ball and letting New York score whatever they felt like tossing up.
Next: LA stays home to face Minnesota, and New York travels upward to Seattle (both on July 3). Check your local listings. <EM>
(The full WNBA archive may be found here.)
