7 points separating them. Hell, yeah, welcome to the WNBA playoffs! *ahem* Somethin’ that sorta rhymes – if you squint real hard.
Haters gonna hate
And miss something great
But we appreciate
The quality to date…’cause we’re smart and aren’t misogynists!
which sometimes means you give/get new kicks!
(@WNBAKicks says:@24Bazemore has been running with the@atlantadream all season long and it’s pretty dope!)
So… about those games…. MORE PLEASE!!!
Read (and listen) all about it:
Red v. Sky Blue
ESPN: Delle Donne, defense lead Mystics to Game 1 road win over Dream
Elena Delle Donne did what she does: Pour in points, grab rebounds and generally wear out the opposition. At 6-foot-5, she can be practically unstoppable.
But the third-seeded Mystics’ 87-84 victory over the No. 2 Dream in Game 1 of their WNBA semifinal series on Sunday was not just a Delle Donne tour de force.
Yes, she had 32 points and 13 rebounds. But perimeter defense, led by guards Natasha Cloud and Ariel Atkins, was the other huge factor for Washington. When the Mystics had to have stops — including in the game’s final sequence — those two led the way in getting them.
Washington Post: The pressure is off the Mystics after stealing Game 1 on the road
Heading into the WNBA semifinals, Washington Mystics Coach Mike Thibault deployed some gamesmanship in assessing the Atlanta Dream’s home-court advantage in the best-of-five series.
Thibault suggested it was the Mystics instead who might be in a position of strength, knowing at least one victory in the first two matchups at McCamish Pavilion could alter the complexion of the series, even more so if that triumph came in Game 1.
Bullets Forever: Mystics at Dream final score: Delle Donne leads Washington to 86-71 win
AJC (Yo – this article is BURIED. Not a good look, AJC): Dream fall to Mystics in Game 1 of WNBA Eastern Conference final (great picture, tho)
The Atlanta Dream’s league-leading defense didn’t show up Sunday in its WNBA Eastern Conference final matchup against the Washington Mystics until it was too late.
It cost them the game.
Green v. Orange:
ESPN: Young Storm survive first test in WNBA playoffs
It didn’t take long for the top-seeded Seattle Storm to get their first test of the WNBA playoffs.
Looking for their first playoff win since 2012 as they hosted Game 1 of their best-of-five WNBA semifinal matchup with Phoenix, the Storm saw a lead as large as 16 in the third quarter dwindle to two when Mercury center Brittney Griner scored on a putback with 1 minute, 40 seconds remaining.
Could the young Storm, only two of whom were on the roster back in 2012 (Sue Bird and Alysha Clark), hold off an experienced Mercury team looking to replicate Thursday’s comeback win at Connecticut that sent them to the semifinals?
Diana Taurasi wasn’t trying to kill anybody. That was just what Taurasi said the officials’ reaction felt like.
“I was just going to talk to my teammates,” she said of the technical foul she received heading into halftime, her first since receiving a suspension for her seventh in July.
The technical gifted newly minted MVP Breanna Stewart a foul shot to begin the second half, one of her game-high 28 points, and kickstarted a Storm run that opened up what proved to be an insurmountable 16-point lead as the Mercury fell 91-87 in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals at a sold-out KeyArena on Sunday.
It’s Episode 102 of the Rey-Rey Is Fundamental podcast.
More WNBA talk in this house. And we bring back an old friend!
The excellent Jasmine Brown (@jasmined_brown) of High Post Hoops (Fansided‘s hub for women’s basketball), WNBAInsidr, and Through The Pen Sports returns for the third time as we talk WNBA Playoffs! We also talked about how WNBA has been hot this year, especially with Skylar Diggins-Smith speaking out about pay disparity. Is one-and-done good for the playoffs? And what about them Washington Mystics, huh?
In other news….
Been waiting for something like this: From The Athletic: Sparks have some catching up to do after being passed by changing WNBA
How they respond in 2019 will be a result of how accurately they assess 2018, both the good and the bad.
And when they look at the bad, it starts with an antiquated offense. Offensive schemes are evolving rapidly, and Los Angeles has some catching up to do.
In a game that is embracing and prioritizing speed and flow, the Sparks managed to rank just 10th in transition opportunities. Considering that both starting frontcourt players are capable of beating opposing bigs down the floor (and finishing fast breaks), this is a missed opportunity for efficient offensive opportunities.
Similar vein: Changes Coming As Lynx Work To Build The Next Dynasty
The end of this Lynx season represented somewhat of an end of an era for the team.
We’ve known for a while that 2018 would be Lindsay Whalen’s last season, and while it sounds like Rebekkah Brunson and Seimone Augustus will be returning next year, their roles have changed from when they were Minnesota’s primary stat producers.
Like it or not, there’s change coming down the pipeline for this franchise.
Speakin’ of youth and futures: From A’ja at the Players Tribune:
So, you know, to fall short of the playoffs here … I’m not shedding any tears over that. I know, and this team knows, and our fanbase knows, and the rest of the league most definitely knows, how hard the Aces worked this season, and how much grinding we did — just to get ourselves into this position where there were even playoffs to fall short of. And I’m incredibly proud of this group for that. We were 5–11 around the end of June — and we took this thing all the way to 12–13 by the end of July. That’s perseverance. And you know what else it is?
It’s motivation.
So with all due respect to the assignment the Players’ Tribune gave me — which was to rank the seven best players, 25 and under, in this year’s playoffs — I’m going to have to call an audible here, and do a different kind of playoff preview.
We’ll do the five best players, 25 and under, in the playoffs.
But then I’m going to have to go ahead and save two of these spots for the Aces.
Because whoever the young guns on our team are a few years from now, I need something for them to go back and read.
Fever Fingers Crossed: The draft lottery is cause for excitement in Indiana.
Why the heck not: You’re The Real MVP: Choosing an MVP From Each Team
Yup. But we saw it live: Someday Everyone Will Know Lindsay Whalen Was Amazing
Last Tuesday night one of the most amazing careers in WNBA history finally came to an end. When the Los Angeles Sparks eliminated the Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the 2018 WNBA playoffs, Lindsay Whalen’s 15-year WNBA career was finally over.
The game was broadcast on ESPN2 and when the game ended ESPN2 went directly to ESPN SportsCenter. And immediately, the anchors launched into a discussion of August baseball games. No mention was made at that moment that Whalen’s amazing career had just ended.
Speaking of careers that have ended, have you been paying attention to Across the Timeline‘s Salute To WNBA Greats? Thank you, Tari! Tari! Tari!