Lots on tap tonight if you’re a sports fan: USA v. Canada World Baseball Cup Bronze medal game, Japan v. Chinese Taipei Gold medal game, WNBA playoff, USWNT, Williams v. Williams…. A virtual cornucopia of excellence and intrigue.
Something to read (while you’re working, of course):
.com: (stole my line, I see…) Recapping An Amazing Start To #WNBAPlayoffs
AP: Mystics hope to have Delle Donne available vs. Dream
Mystics game is (close to) SOLD OUT.
AP: Mystics Set To Host Dream in Game 3 With Series Tied
WaPo: Elena Delle Donne getting ‘round-the-clock rehab’ for bone bruise, status for Game 3 in doubt
Albert: Analysis: How will the Mystics adjust with Elena Delle Donne not at full strength?
Hayes, the eternal sidekick, has become the team’s centerpiece, but she still can’t seem to shake her Robin status. Her stats aren’t as gaudy as peers like Liz Cambage and Breanna Stewart and she’s not an endless highlight reel like Diana Taurasi or Delle Donne, though Hayes’ mean left-right cross has been known to break Skylar Diggins’ ankles.
The same trait that made the Dream such an unlikely threat also makes Hayes one of the league’s best kept secrets: balance. Now that they’re finally center stage, it’s becoming obvious to the rest of the league that she’s the perfect star for a team without stars. Instead of a signature move or otherworldly skill, Hayes’ biggest strength is not having a weakness.
Swish Appeal: Hoops Happening: Can Phoenix keep ‘The Chase’ for another title alive with a Game 3 win at home against Seattle?
Diana Taurasi didn’t get to be the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) without acquiring keen sensibilities and a heck of a lot of wisdom. When I spoke to Taurasi before the season, she had this to say about what it takes for a team to win it all:
I’ve said it a lot, where you go into a training camp and all you talk about is championships and you forget to do all the work and the next thing you know, you lose in the semifinals.
Winners and Whiners: Storm vs. Phoenix Mercury, 8-31-18 – WNBA Prediction and preview
Carl for SNY: Bird-Taurasi playoff matchup on Geno’s watch list – Storm lead Mercury 2-0 in thrilling WNBA semis
“I made a comment to a guy in an interview before the first game about what to watch for,” Auriemma said. “With those two, it’s always fascinating to watch how they will impact the game and they will do it at the most crucial moments. Sue will do something that will put Seattle in charge and then D will respond, and they’ll go back and forth, back and forth.
“That’s how it was Tuesday night and they do it in different ways.”
NCAA
Don’t do stupid stuff: Tennessee sophomore guard Anastasia Hayes has been dismissed from the team “due to a violation of team rules.”
Road trip? College basketball: Texas, Missouri, Duke highlight 2018 women’s Gulf Coast Showcase field
Upcoming
FIBA WORLD CUP!!! Some interesting perspective from Coach Reeve on the difference between the Olympics and the World Cup. Gonna make the trip out to Bridgeport to see USA v. Canada. Hoping work allows me to hop the train to see Japan v Canada on Friday.
Japan women’s basketball team steadily gathering speed on road to Tokyo Olympics
In 2017, the senior “Akatsuki Five” team completed a three-peat at the FIBA Asian Cup, while Japan also captured its first silver medal at the University Games in half a century in Taiwan. Japan made it to the semifinal round (finishing fourth) at the FIBA Under-19 Women’s World Cup as well.
But the Japan Basketball Association and its respective national teams will not rest on their laurels, and aim to achieve bigger things going forward.
Canada women’s basketball building toward major event medal
Proud to play: No-one missing as Canadian basketball women gather for camp
The Canadian Senior Women’s National Team – Road to the FIBA World Cup Part III
The Canadian Senior Women’s National Team is back in action. Today, they kicked off the start of their training camp where the invited players will have a chance to compete for a spot on the World Championship team.
The Canadian team is currently ranked 5th in the world and have a great shot to medal at the upcoming World Championships, so picking the right roster is very important.
Speaking of Canadians: Rookie Diary: The Sign Off By Kia Nurse – WNBA.com – Official Site of the WNBA
Toronto Star: Canadian basketball star Natalie Achonwa has always had a head for the game
One of Natalie Achonwa’s great basketball traits has always been her mind, her ability to think the game and know where to be and when to maximize her physical talents.
Having come off a breakthrough season with the WNBA’s Indiana Fever, the 25-year-old from Guelph thinks that now, finally, both facets of her game have meshed.
Women's Hoops Blog 