Go figure, just an hour after I post that Evina Maltsi would probably start another game (or two) as Nykesha Sales gets eased back into the Sun’s rotation, Sales is listed in tonight’s starting lineup.
It’s not surprising, really -- Sales said she felt fine before and after Sunday’s game in New York, and said she hasn’t felt the effects from her mild concussion since about last Thursday.
Here are the rest of tonight’s starters:
Connecticut Sun (14-12)
Forward – Asjha Jones
Forward – Nykesha Sales
Center – Margo Dydek (her first start since Friday)
Guard – Lindsay Whalen
Guard – Katie Douglas
Chicago Sky (12-14)
Forward – Candice Dupree
Forward – Stacey Dales
Center – Chasity Melvin
Guard – Dominique Canty
Guard – Armintie Price
Check the front page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at halftime (around 8 p.m.) and following the game.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
A Huskies update (3rd edition)
Here’s the weekly update on UConn alums around the league, with their season averages in key categories:
Connecticut Sun:
(1) Nykesha Sales (UConn, 1998): 13.5 points, 4.17 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game
Low-down: Sales (mild concussion) officially returned to the Sun this week, contributing four points, three assists and three rebounds in roughly 13 minutes in the Sun’s 67-61 win over New York. Evina Maltsi will probably keep her spot in the starting lineup at least for another game or two while Sales gets eased in, but as she proved in her last return from injury, Sales is still capable of putting up big numbers; she topped 20 points twice in the five games before the concussion.
(2) Asjha Jones (2002): 15.6 points, 6.12 rebounds, 45.7 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Jones had a solid week, scoring 12 points twice and 16 another time. She didn’t shoot particularly well (38.3 percent in three games) but in two games against New York, she mostly relied on jumpers from the outside, most of which came from the top of the key or the elbows extended. Don’t expect Jones to abandon her inside game, though – she is still very capable, especially tonight against Chicago, a team she scored 22 against on 9-of-12 shooting last time out.
Detroit Shock:
(1) Swin Cash (2002): 11.7 points, 6.27 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Low-down: With Cheryl Ford sidelined for at least the rest of the regular season, Cash is going to be relied upon even more for rebounds, and she’s responded. In her last four games, she’s averaged 7.25 boards per game and has grabbed 10 twice. She added 16 points in Detroit’s last game, a 75-73 win over Los Angeles on Sunday.
Indiana Fever:
(1) Ann Strother (2006): 2.5 points, 0.88 rebounds (in eight games played)
Low-down: Seeing action for the first time in six games on Friday, Strother responded by scoring 11 points and grabbing four rebounds in 14 minutes, the most she’s seen in one game all year. She followed that with six points in eight minutes a game later. The Fever, however, are still struggling without Tamika Catchings, as they’ve lost their last six contests.
New York Liberty:
(1) Ashley Battle (2005): 8 points, 4.04 rebounds, 1.00 steal
Low-down: Battle somewhat struggled in two games against the Sun this past week, scoring 10 points in 36 minutes between the two contests. The performances hardly compared to her last showing against the Sun when she netted 18 points in 30 minutes. It doesn’t help the Liberty are in a huge rut at the moment, having lost six straight.
Phoenix Mercury:
(1) Diana Taurasi (2004): 18.3 points, 4.46 rebounds, 4.3 assists
Low-down: After a relatively quiet stretch two weeks ago, Taurasi turned it on in her last three games, topping 15 points and four 3-pointers in all three contests. She was especially dominant in the Mercury’s 98-96 win over Chicago last Friday, scoring 26 on 10-of-14 shooting and dishing out five assists. Oh yeah, she also nailed the game-winner with five seconds left.
(2) Kelly Schumacher (2001): 4.5 points, 4.12 rebounds, 46.0 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Schumacher wasn’t a factor in any of the Mercury’s three wins last week, netting a total of seven points and seeing 15-plus minutes just once. She only hit two field goals between the three games and didn’t score in the team’s victory over Chicago. But considering the Mercury’s style of play, Schumacher is prone to stretches like this.
Seattle Storm:
(1) Sue Bird (2002): 10.1 points, 4.9 assists, 1.71 steals
Low-down: Bird had perhaps her best game since returning from her knee injury on Sunday, scoring 17 points, making three steals and dishing out five assists. Unfortunately it came in a 92-88 loss to San Antonio and Bird also committed five turnovers. Two games prior – another Seattle loss – Bird scored 12 points and added seven assists, but went 0-for-6 from behind the 3-point arc.
Los Angeles Sparks:
(1) Jessica Moore (2005): 4.0 points, 2.67 rebounds, 39.4 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Moore has started her team’s last four games and she hasn’t disappointed. Since the last Huskies Update, she’s averaged 8.3 points per game – more than double her season average – and scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting on Sunday. But, like many of her fellow UConn alums this week, her performances have all come in losses, as Los Angeles has lost 10 of its last 11 games.
Houston Comets:
(1) Barbara Turner (2006): 5.3 points, 1.88 rebounds, 42.9 field-goal percentage
Low-down: In the Comets’ only two games this week, Turner had contrasting performances, scoring two points in seven minutes one game before netting 11 in 20 minutes her next. In that second game – an 88-70 loss to Chicago – Turner made 8-of-9 field goals and hit her only field goal – a 3-pointer.
Minnesota Lynx:
(1) Svetlana Abrosimova (2001): 8.7 points, 4.11 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Low-down: Don’t look now but the Lynx have won two straight to end a 10-game losing streak and Abrosimova remained a big part of the team’s success. She tied a game-high of 23 points in Minnesota’s first win, hitting 9-of-16 shots, and followed that with a 10-point, five-assist performance two nights later.
(2) Tamika Raymond (2002): 0.9 points, 1.14 rebounds
Low-down: Raymond scored zero points in her team’s last three games, seeing eight minutes between the contests. She saw just one minute of action in the team’s 78-73 win over Sacramento on Sunday, the same night Seimone Augustus torched the Monarchs for 39 points.
Connecticut Sun:
(1) Nykesha Sales (UConn, 1998): 13.5 points, 4.17 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game
Low-down: Sales (mild concussion) officially returned to the Sun this week, contributing four points, three assists and three rebounds in roughly 13 minutes in the Sun’s 67-61 win over New York. Evina Maltsi will probably keep her spot in the starting lineup at least for another game or two while Sales gets eased in, but as she proved in her last return from injury, Sales is still capable of putting up big numbers; she topped 20 points twice in the five games before the concussion.
(2) Asjha Jones (2002): 15.6 points, 6.12 rebounds, 45.7 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Jones had a solid week, scoring 12 points twice and 16 another time. She didn’t shoot particularly well (38.3 percent in three games) but in two games against New York, she mostly relied on jumpers from the outside, most of which came from the top of the key or the elbows extended. Don’t expect Jones to abandon her inside game, though – she is still very capable, especially tonight against Chicago, a team she scored 22 against on 9-of-12 shooting last time out.
Detroit Shock:
(1) Swin Cash (2002): 11.7 points, 6.27 rebounds, 2.5 assists
Low-down: With Cheryl Ford sidelined for at least the rest of the regular season, Cash is going to be relied upon even more for rebounds, and she’s responded. In her last four games, she’s averaged 7.25 boards per game and has grabbed 10 twice. She added 16 points in Detroit’s last game, a 75-73 win over Los Angeles on Sunday.
Indiana Fever:
(1) Ann Strother (2006): 2.5 points, 0.88 rebounds (in eight games played)
Low-down: Seeing action for the first time in six games on Friday, Strother responded by scoring 11 points and grabbing four rebounds in 14 minutes, the most she’s seen in one game all year. She followed that with six points in eight minutes a game later. The Fever, however, are still struggling without Tamika Catchings, as they’ve lost their last six contests.
New York Liberty:
(1) Ashley Battle (2005): 8 points, 4.04 rebounds, 1.00 steal
Low-down: Battle somewhat struggled in two games against the Sun this past week, scoring 10 points in 36 minutes between the two contests. The performances hardly compared to her last showing against the Sun when she netted 18 points in 30 minutes. It doesn’t help the Liberty are in a huge rut at the moment, having lost six straight.
Phoenix Mercury:
(1) Diana Taurasi (2004): 18.3 points, 4.46 rebounds, 4.3 assists
Low-down: After a relatively quiet stretch two weeks ago, Taurasi turned it on in her last three games, topping 15 points and four 3-pointers in all three contests. She was especially dominant in the Mercury’s 98-96 win over Chicago last Friday, scoring 26 on 10-of-14 shooting and dishing out five assists. Oh yeah, she also nailed the game-winner with five seconds left.
(2) Kelly Schumacher (2001): 4.5 points, 4.12 rebounds, 46.0 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Schumacher wasn’t a factor in any of the Mercury’s three wins last week, netting a total of seven points and seeing 15-plus minutes just once. She only hit two field goals between the three games and didn’t score in the team’s victory over Chicago. But considering the Mercury’s style of play, Schumacher is prone to stretches like this.
Seattle Storm:
(1) Sue Bird (2002): 10.1 points, 4.9 assists, 1.71 steals
Low-down: Bird had perhaps her best game since returning from her knee injury on Sunday, scoring 17 points, making three steals and dishing out five assists. Unfortunately it came in a 92-88 loss to San Antonio and Bird also committed five turnovers. Two games prior – another Seattle loss – Bird scored 12 points and added seven assists, but went 0-for-6 from behind the 3-point arc.
Los Angeles Sparks:
(1) Jessica Moore (2005): 4.0 points, 2.67 rebounds, 39.4 field-goal percentage
Low-down: Moore has started her team’s last four games and she hasn’t disappointed. Since the last Huskies Update, she’s averaged 8.3 points per game – more than double her season average – and scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting on Sunday. But, like many of her fellow UConn alums this week, her performances have all come in losses, as Los Angeles has lost 10 of its last 11 games.
Houston Comets:
(1) Barbara Turner (2006): 5.3 points, 1.88 rebounds, 42.9 field-goal percentage
Low-down: In the Comets’ only two games this week, Turner had contrasting performances, scoring two points in seven minutes one game before netting 11 in 20 minutes her next. In that second game – an 88-70 loss to Chicago – Turner made 8-of-9 field goals and hit her only field goal – a 3-pointer.
Minnesota Lynx:
(1) Svetlana Abrosimova (2001): 8.7 points, 4.11 rebounds, 2.3 assists
Low-down: Don’t look now but the Lynx have won two straight to end a 10-game losing streak and Abrosimova remained a big part of the team’s success. She tied a game-high of 23 points in Minnesota’s first win, hitting 9-of-16 shots, and followed that with a 10-point, five-assist performance two nights later.
(2) Tamika Raymond (2002): 0.9 points, 1.14 rebounds
Low-down: Raymond scored zero points in her team’s last three games, seeing eight minutes between the contests. She saw just one minute of action in the team’s 78-73 win over Sacramento on Sunday, the same night Seimone Augustus torched the Monarchs for 39 points.
Changing face of the East
Two weeks ago, following the WNBA All-Star break, the Eastern Conference playoff picture seemed pretty predictable:
The Detroit Shock and Indiana Fever, fresh off two of the best first halves in conference history, looked to be locked in a battle for the regular-season title; the Sun, building momentum, were playing the New York Liberty for third; and the Chicago Sky, then losers of five straight, seemed to be playing themselves out of contention. The Washington Mystics, meanwhile, were a dangerous team but probably too outmatched to make a push for a postseason berth.
But this is why they played the second half.
Between injuries, a few unexpected runs and a few more unexpected stumbles, the stretch run for the Eastern Conference playoffs should make for an interesting three weeks.
Detroit, though seemingly comfortable up four games in first place, lost All-Star Game MVP Cheryl Ford for the rest of the regular season to a knee injury and possibly for the playoffs.
Indiana, after losing Tamika Catchings to a foot injury, is suddenly in a free fall, losing six straight after starting the season at 16-4.
Meanwhile, the Sun, as many around the team and league expected, have turned it around and with two straight wins over New York, are still climbing the standings. New York has also lost six straight, despite playing well in many of those games; and the Sky are riding a stretch of four wins in five games and took down Detroit last week.
The Mystics are still in last place but are by no means out of it. At 10-14, they are tied with New York and sit just a game back of Chicago (12-14) for the final playoff spot.
Indiana’s fall from grace may be the most interesting – and surprising – development. Catchings, who partially tore the plantar fascia in her left foot, was a big blow, and, according to Sun Mike Thibault, may force the Fever to find a different identity with her sidelined. She is expected to miss two to three weeks after suffering the injury on July 20. If she stays on schedule, she would return either for the end of the regular season or right before the playoffs, given the Fever make it.
The Sun are currently two games behind Indiana and two games up on Chicago for third. Here are the full standings on WNBA.com.
The Detroit Shock and Indiana Fever, fresh off two of the best first halves in conference history, looked to be locked in a battle for the regular-season title; the Sun, building momentum, were playing the New York Liberty for third; and the Chicago Sky, then losers of five straight, seemed to be playing themselves out of contention. The Washington Mystics, meanwhile, were a dangerous team but probably too outmatched to make a push for a postseason berth.
But this is why they played the second half.
Between injuries, a few unexpected runs and a few more unexpected stumbles, the stretch run for the Eastern Conference playoffs should make for an interesting three weeks.
Detroit, though seemingly comfortable up four games in first place, lost All-Star Game MVP Cheryl Ford for the rest of the regular season to a knee injury and possibly for the playoffs.
Indiana, after losing Tamika Catchings to a foot injury, is suddenly in a free fall, losing six straight after starting the season at 16-4.
Meanwhile, the Sun, as many around the team and league expected, have turned it around and with two straight wins over New York, are still climbing the standings. New York has also lost six straight, despite playing well in many of those games; and the Sky are riding a stretch of four wins in five games and took down Detroit last week.
The Mystics are still in last place but are by no means out of it. At 10-14, they are tied with New York and sit just a game back of Chicago (12-14) for the final playoff spot.
Indiana’s fall from grace may be the most interesting – and surprising – development. Catchings, who partially tore the plantar fascia in her left foot, was a big blow, and, according to Sun Mike Thibault, may force the Fever to find a different identity with her sidelined. She is expected to miss two to three weeks after suffering the injury on July 20. If she stays on schedule, she would return either for the end of the regular season or right before the playoffs, given the Fever make it.
The Sun are currently two games behind Indiana and two games up on Chicago for third. Here are the full standings on WNBA.com.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Sun, Liberty take two
The Sun and Liberty tip off shortly here at Madison Square Garden. Here are some quick notes entering the second of two straight match-ups between the two teams:
(1) Nykesha Sales (mild concussion) isn’t in the Sun’s starting lineup and is listed as questionable on the media game notes. But she was participating in the pre-game shoot around just a few minutes ago, and looks ready to play for the first time in four games.
When Sales came back from her ankle injury a few weeks ago, the supposed plan was to ease her back into her regular minutes. But with two overtime contests in her first three games back out West, she played major minutes (40 the first, 27 the second and 39 the third).
Expect Sun coach Mike Thibault to be a little more cautious this time around, especially with Sales’ replacement in the starting five, Evina Maltsi, playing so well as of late. In his defense, he didn’t really have the choice not to play Sales last time.
Another lineup note: Erika de Souza is making her first career start in place of Margo Dydek. This is solely because of the match-up problems New York center Janel McCarville creates.
(2) One of the hottest players in the league right now, Lindsay Whalen enters tonight eight assists shy of 600 in her career. Katie Douglas, who has already set a new single-season high with 99 dimes, needs one more to give the Sun two players with 100 assists in the same season for the first time in franchise history.
Check the front page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at halftime (around 5 p.m.) and following the game.
(1) Nykesha Sales (mild concussion) isn’t in the Sun’s starting lineup and is listed as questionable on the media game notes. But she was participating in the pre-game shoot around just a few minutes ago, and looks ready to play for the first time in four games.
When Sales came back from her ankle injury a few weeks ago, the supposed plan was to ease her back into her regular minutes. But with two overtime contests in her first three games back out West, she played major minutes (40 the first, 27 the second and 39 the third).
Expect Sun coach Mike Thibault to be a little more cautious this time around, especially with Sales’ replacement in the starting five, Evina Maltsi, playing so well as of late. In his defense, he didn’t really have the choice not to play Sales last time.
Another lineup note: Erika de Souza is making her first career start in place of Margo Dydek. This is solely because of the match-up problems New York center Janel McCarville creates.
(2) One of the hottest players in the league right now, Lindsay Whalen enters tonight eight assists shy of 600 in her career. Katie Douglas, who has already set a new single-season high with 99 dimes, needs one more to give the Sun two players with 100 assists in the same season for the first time in franchise history.
Check the front page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at halftime (around 5 p.m.) and following the game.
Friday, July 27, 2007
A few minutes with Sun GM Chris Sienko
Not to harp on the passed WNBA trade deadline – which, for all intents and purposes, was just another day considering no deals were made – but here is a transcript of a quick interview with Sun general manger Chris Sienko regarding possible moves the team might have made that didn’t make it into Friday’s stories (game story, sidebar):
Norwich Bulletin: Considering the confidence you had a few weeks that this team could turn around its season around, these are pretty much results you expected.
Chris Sienko: It’s exactly what I expected. You have a senior group – there are some rookies who are sprinkled in there – but you have people who know the system and you have to expect things are going to turnaround.
NB: The trade deadline passed on Tuesday (July 24) and obviously no moves were made around the league. But did you and the Sun have any discussions with anyone (about a deal)?
Sienko: We talk to a lot of different teams, but again, what people are offering and what you’re offering and what people want in return are very different. And then you have teams who think they’re going to make, teams they don’t think they’re going to make it so the disparity is great.
And there are very few that are out of the playoffs already. So there is very limited chance to do stuff. It’s not (surprising) to not have any trades.
NB: Anything in particular you discussed?
Sienko: We talked to some teams about stuff that we wanted to do but we had no takers.
NB: It’s hard (to trade) anyway now, with the salary caps the way they are around the league.
Sienko: But that’s not really that big of an issue. You can either cut a player or you can trade a couple for a certain amount of players. You can give two $30,000 players for a $60,000 player so there are always ways to make it work.
NB: Even though you didn’t make any trades, the play of Evina (Maltsi) lately, considering she was as an in-season signing, must seem like a trade in itself.
Sienko: She’s fantastic. People aren’t expecting her ability but we know what it is. But to have a 28-year-old rookie is always a big plus because she has played so well overseas. So to come here and she started to get into the program, it’s going to take time for things to gel.
Norwich Bulletin: Considering the confidence you had a few weeks that this team could turn around its season around, these are pretty much results you expected.
Chris Sienko: It’s exactly what I expected. You have a senior group – there are some rookies who are sprinkled in there – but you have people who know the system and you have to expect things are going to turnaround.
NB: The trade deadline passed on Tuesday (July 24) and obviously no moves were made around the league. But did you and the Sun have any discussions with anyone (about a deal)?
Sienko: We talk to a lot of different teams, but again, what people are offering and what you’re offering and what people want in return are very different. And then you have teams who think they’re going to make, teams they don’t think they’re going to make it so the disparity is great.
And there are very few that are out of the playoffs already. So there is very limited chance to do stuff. It’s not (surprising) to not have any trades.
NB: Anything in particular you discussed?
Sienko: We talked to some teams about stuff that we wanted to do but we had no takers.
NB: It’s hard (to trade) anyway now, with the salary caps the way they are around the league.
Sienko: But that’s not really that big of an issue. You can either cut a player or you can trade a couple for a certain amount of players. You can give two $30,000 players for a $60,000 player so there are always ways to make it work.
NB: Even though you didn’t make any trades, the play of Evina (Maltsi) lately, considering she was as an in-season signing, must seem like a trade in itself.
Sienko: She’s fantastic. People aren’t expecting her ability but we know what it is. But to have a 28-year-old rookie is always a big plus because she has played so well overseas. So to come here and she started to get into the program, it’s going to take time for things to gel.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Sun host New York tonight
The Sun and Liberty renew their rivalry at 7 p.m. tonight. As expected, Nykesha Sales is out of the starting lineup as she still recovers from a mild concussion. Here are the full starting fives for both teams:
Connecticut Sun (12-12):
Forward – Asjha Jones
Forward – Evina Maltsi
Center – Margo Dydek
Guard – Katie Douglas
Guard – Lindsay Whalen
New York Liberty (10-12):
Forward –Shameka Christon
Forward – Catherine Kraayeveld
Center – Janel McCarville
Guard – Loree Moore
Guard – Erin Thorn
Some notes:
(1) The Sun jumped out to 17-0 lead on the Liberty last time at Mohegan Sun Arena, but New York switched to a zone defense and the Sun, then struggling to hit shots from the outside, made just eight of 24 3-pointers. Connecticut also made what was then a season-high 23 turnovers.
But the Sun have vastly improved in that department. In the first four games of their homestand, they’ve committed nine, 10, 14 and 10, respectively, for an average of 10.8 per game. Not bad.
Check the home page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at halftime (around 8 p.m.) and following the game.
Connecticut Sun (12-12):
Forward – Asjha Jones
Forward – Evina Maltsi
Center – Margo Dydek
Guard – Katie Douglas
Guard – Lindsay Whalen
New York Liberty (10-12):
Forward –Shameka Christon
Forward – Catherine Kraayeveld
Center – Janel McCarville
Guard – Loree Moore
Guard – Erin Thorn
Some notes:
(1) The Sun jumped out to 17-0 lead on the Liberty last time at Mohegan Sun Arena, but New York switched to a zone defense and the Sun, then struggling to hit shots from the outside, made just eight of 24 3-pointers. Connecticut also made what was then a season-high 23 turnovers.
But the Sun have vastly improved in that department. In the first four games of their homestand, they’ve committed nine, 10, 14 and 10, respectively, for an average of 10.8 per game. Not bad.
Check the home page of NorwichBulletin.com for updates at halftime (around 8 p.m.) and following the game.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
A story and a note
Here’s a copy of the notebook that ran in the first edition of Wednesday’s Bulletin. Many of you probably didn’t get a chance to see it, so here it is:
By MATT STOUT
Norwich Bulletin
MOHEGAN -- Back in 2004, when the Detroit Shock were defending their first WNBA title, they didn’t quite realize how hard it would be.
They watched the finals on television that year.
Three years -- and one more championship -- later, the Shock entered Tuesday’s night showdown with the Connecticut Sun as they have most games this season: focused, intense and, most importantly, well aware of what it takes to accomplish the one goal to elude them.
That is, winning two straight WNBA titles.
“In 2004, we were real young,” said Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer. “We were a bunch of babies and we didn’t realize how hard we had to play to defend the championship and we got caught up in some problems. We don’t have that right now.”
Detroit’s 15-5 start stands as one of the best in league history -- only this year’s Fever team’s 16-4 mark, an Eastern Conference record, was better through 20 games -- and it included some dandies.
The Shock scored a league-record 72 second-half points in a 111-82 win over Phoenix on July 8, the first victory in their six-game win streak entering Tuesday. Less than three weeks later, they held Washington to 13 first-half points, the third fewest in WNBA history.
Then of course, there’s the Shock 89-80 win over Indiana last Friday – a victory that, with Indiana’s loss the next night to Chicago, moved them into first.
A big part of their success has been UConn grad Swin Cash, who after injuring her knee at the end of the 2004 season, has seemed to regain that edge she had prior to going down, when she averaged more than 16 points per game for two straight seasons.
The forward is averaging 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and has played a big role in place of Cheryl Ford, who sat out Tuesday for the second straight game with a sprained knee – the same injury that kept her sidelined for a handful of games earlier in the year.
“She wills herself to work hard,” Laimbeer said of Cash. “She goes out and gets out there after rebounds. If you play hard in this league, you’re going to get results. And with Cheryl being out, we needed her rebounding more this year.”
A quick note:
The WNBA trade deadline passed Tuesday rather quietly. Actually, it passed very quietly -- no trades were made anywhere in the league. It was expected, though -- current salary caps around the league make it harder to deal than in the past. As of a couple weeks ago, with the Sun struggling, there was a chance they could have pushed for a trade, but with the team’s improved play and the emergence of Evina Maltsi (an early-season signing) there really was no need.
By MATT STOUT
Norwich Bulletin
MOHEGAN -- Back in 2004, when the Detroit Shock were defending their first WNBA title, they didn’t quite realize how hard it would be.
They watched the finals on television that year.
Three years -- and one more championship -- later, the Shock entered Tuesday’s night showdown with the Connecticut Sun as they have most games this season: focused, intense and, most importantly, well aware of what it takes to accomplish the one goal to elude them.
That is, winning two straight WNBA titles.
“In 2004, we were real young,” said Detroit coach Bill Laimbeer. “We were a bunch of babies and we didn’t realize how hard we had to play to defend the championship and we got caught up in some problems. We don’t have that right now.”
Detroit’s 15-5 start stands as one of the best in league history -- only this year’s Fever team’s 16-4 mark, an Eastern Conference record, was better through 20 games -- and it included some dandies.
The Shock scored a league-record 72 second-half points in a 111-82 win over Phoenix on July 8, the first victory in their six-game win streak entering Tuesday. Less than three weeks later, they held Washington to 13 first-half points, the third fewest in WNBA history.
Then of course, there’s the Shock 89-80 win over Indiana last Friday – a victory that, with Indiana’s loss the next night to Chicago, moved them into first.
A big part of their success has been UConn grad Swin Cash, who after injuring her knee at the end of the 2004 season, has seemed to regain that edge she had prior to going down, when she averaged more than 16 points per game for two straight seasons.
The forward is averaging 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game, and has played a big role in place of Cheryl Ford, who sat out Tuesday for the second straight game with a sprained knee – the same injury that kept her sidelined for a handful of games earlier in the year.
“She wills herself to work hard,” Laimbeer said of Cash. “She goes out and gets out there after rebounds. If you play hard in this league, you’re going to get results. And with Cheryl being out, we needed her rebounding more this year.”
A quick note:
The WNBA trade deadline passed Tuesday rather quietly. Actually, it passed very quietly -- no trades were made anywhere in the league. It was expected, though -- current salary caps around the league make it harder to deal than in the past. As of a couple weeks ago, with the Sun struggling, there was a chance they could have pushed for a trade, but with the team’s improved play and the emergence of Evina Maltsi (an early-season signing) there really was no need.
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