WNBA – Saison 2007



09/05/07

Un petit mot pour dire que la saison 2007 de basket US féminin va bientôt reprendre (courant Mai). Et histoire d’avoir un avant-goût, la Draft a eu lieu mercredi dernier. Je vous rappelle les billets de l’année dernière pour savoir ce que c’est.

Cette année, de bonnes joueuses arrivent depuis les collèges, mais pas de méga-vedettes comme l’année dernière (ou l’année prochaine où, en principe, C. Parker aura fini ses études).

En fait, le gros boum de cette journée ne fut pas de savoir quelle joueuse allait dans quelle équipe, mais le fait que certaines équipes ont profité de cette journée pour procéder à des échanges. Et le plus gros échange concerne une des équipes que je suis, soit les Liberty de New York : Accrochez-vous à vos fauteuils ! Pour obtenir la deuxième joueuse de la draft, ils ont donné en échange leur joueuse vedette, Becky Hammon ! Capitaine de l’équipe, figure emblématique du basket féminin et de New York. C’est comme si on avait échangé Zidane contre je ne sais pas qui…. C’est énorme !!!!! Et donc, sous réserve d’un examen médical, Becky Hammon va rejoindre les Silver Stars de San Antonio.

Comment expliquer cet échange… je n’ai pas vu grand-chose sur le sujet (je n’ai pas trop cherché en fait), mais il peut y avoir plusieurs raisons.

  1. B. Hammon a eu une méchante entorse la saison dernière et bien que ses stats soient au meilleur de sa carrière, les dirigeants de l’équipe s’inquiètent peut-être qu’elle “vieillisse” (elle a eu 30 ans le 11 mars dernier et elle joue “pro” dans la WNBA depuis 1999).
  2. NewYork a commencé à rajeunir son équipe l’année dernière après de nombreux départs et continue à bâtir cette nouvelle équipe. Le fait est que plusieurs jeunes femmes ont pu remplacer B. Hammon pendant son arrêt. Et ces jeunes femmes auront un an de plus, peut-être après être allées jouer en Europe cet hiver.
  3. B. Hammon a peut-être demandé à partir. C’est une situation qui se voit parfois. Des joueuses ont fait toute leur carrière dans une équipe et veulent voir comment ça se passe ailleurs. Souvent, elles souhaitent aller dans une équipe où elles peuvent tenter de gagner un championnat (ce que BH n’a jamais connu avec New York) mais sa nouvelle équipe n’en est pas là. Celle-ci est également en reconstruction. Il y a deux ans, elle était au fond du classement. L’année dernière, elle avait progressé et n’était pas passée loin des play-offs. On peut également penser qu’une de ses très bonnes copines de New York est partie à San Antonio l’année dernière et lui a peut-être dit que c’était bien.
  4. En tout état de cause, ce mouvement est très valorisant pour elle de se voir échanger contre la deuxième de la draft alors qu’à ses début, elle n’avait pas été draftée (pour cause de pléthore de joueuses cette année-là) et avait été affectée par la ligue à l’équipe de New York.
  5. L’équipe de San Antonio, en pleine reconstruction, va bénéficier de l’expérience de meneuses au sein de ses nouvelles joueuses.
 Becky Hammon

Yapuka attendre et voir comment ça se passe. Mais je sais que de nombreux supporters de New York ont le coeur brisé !

 

 

 

 

10/05/07

Erin Philipps

Je continue de suivre la pré-saison de la WNBA. Je vous avais parlé du transfert de B. Hammon de New York à San Antonio. Il y en a eu d’autres comme celui de Taj McWIlliams Franklin qui quitte les Suns du Connecticut pour les Sparks de Los Angeles où elle assurera, entre autre, le remplacement de la superstar Lisa Leslie (MVP pour la 3ème fois l’année dernière) et qui attend un heureux évènement dans les semaines qui viennent. Elle a plus que tenu sa place dans leur premier match face à Pheonix (sans ses deux marqueuses).

Avec ce départ et dans l’attente du retour d’Europe de ses joueuses vedettes, les Suns se cherchent : ils ont gagné à l’arrachée contre New York, puis ont pris une déculottée face à Seattle (également sans vedettes). Au fait, “ma” petite australienne (Erin Philpps) ne devrait pas jouer cette saison, elle vient de se bousiller un genou.

En fait, cette saison devrait être très intéressante avec de nouvelles joueueses, le retour d’anciennes, plein de nouveux entraîneurs (dont plusieurs femmes), de nombreuses équipes en pleine mutation… oui, on devrait s’attendre à quelques surprises.

Voici un article trouvé il y a peu de temps sur la carrière de Becky Hammon qui semble dire que si les dirigeants avaient en vue ce transfert depuis un certain temps, B. Hammon a été la dernière informée. J'ai lu ailleurs qu'une autre joueuse de l'équipe de New York a réalisé, à l'occasion de cet échange, que le basket aux USA, c'est d'abord un business !



Hammon ready to prove herself (again) in San Antonio

By Kate Fagan - Special to ESPN.com - Updated: May 17, 2007, 1:38 PM ET



Becky Hammon sat near the end of the New York Liberty bench. In the summer of 1999, her rookie season in the WNBA, she played sparingly, registering six minutes a game. Some games, she didn't play at all. In training camp, and through the beginning of that season, the veterans on the Liberty knocked her around like the new kid at recess.

Hammon kept her mouth shut. She took the hits. She got up. She waited.

She waited for a moment like the one after a Liberty playoff game later that season. During the game, Liberty coach Richie Adubato looked down the bench at his rookie guard and considered sticking her in the mix. Adubato thought about it. He wanted to call her name, send her to the scorer's table. But he didn't -- too young, too much pressure, he reasoned.

Adubato pulled Hammon aside after the game and told her his thought process. Hammon responded like the WNBA All-Star she became: Don't let that keep you from putting me in a game. I'm going to go out there and play fearlessly, and you have to be fearless with me.

During Game 2 of the 1999 WNBA Finals against the Houston Comets, Adubato played Hammon. She scored 10 points (four times her average) and the Liberty rallied to force Game 3. The next season, Hammon averaged 11 points for New York. Fans entering Madison Square Garden began buying her jersey. Pretty soon, the 5-foot-6 girl from Rapid City, S.D., became the face of the franchise. She was on billboards in Manhattan. If she can make it there, she can make it …

In San Antonio. On draft day in April, the Liberty traded Hammon to the Silver Stars. The move blindsided the star guard, who will play in colors other than blue and orange for the first time in her eight-year WNBA career. It'd be easy to point to that playoff game against Houston and say, "This is when Becky Hammon proved herself." But that would be too easy. That would exclude the gym rat days growing up in Rapid City. The four years at Colorado State University, where she whipped the town into a frenzy. The spring she gutted out a spot on the Liberty roster.

And now, the challenge that awaits her in a new city as the point guard for a club with championship aspirations. Really, when it comes right down to it, Hammon is always proving herself.

A week, two weeks … eight years

So, what does scoring 2,740 points at CSU to pass Keith Van Horn for the WAC record get you? If you're Hammon, it doesn't get you drafted in the 1999 WNBA draft. (In fairness to WNBA general managers, the '99 draft included veteran players from the disbanded American Basketball League. Out of 50 selections, only 12 college players were picked.)

The league assigned Hammon to New York as a free agent. The organization told Hammon her chances of making the team were slim. She packed accordingly -- filling a bag with enough gear for a week, maybe two. She knew the Liberty would be looking for reasons to cut a small, slow guard from a mid-major school trying to earn a spot on a marquee WNBA team when ABL professionals swarmed for every available roster spot.

That year was Adubato's first coaching women's basketball. In 1996-97, he served as interim head coach for the Orlando Magic. He spent 19 seasons in the NBA as an assistant and head coach. Hammon believes Adubato, who cared only about her ability on the court, opened a door that would otherwise have remained closed.

"Because he was a new coach, from the men's side, he wasn't caught up in the women's politics," Hammon said. "He didn't care that I didn't go to a big school. Had I been brought in with a coach from the women's basketball world, I don't think I would have gotten a fair shake."

Fairly well shaken could describe Hammon after each day of preseason camp. She began questioning herself. The Liberty veterans, Hammon said, "would take their shots and see who could hit me the hardest." The goal? To break this rookie guard from … wait, where did she play her college ball?

Later, Adubato told her he couldn't cut her because he couldn't remember her missing any shots.

Liberty fans still wear Hammon jerseys to MSG. In a preseason game against Houston on Saturday, dozens still wore the No. 25 jersey.

Hammon found out about the trade while watching ESPN. The move shipped Hammon and a second-round pick in 2008 to San Antonio for Ohio State All-American Jessica Davenport and a 2008 first-round pick. The news arrived without warning from the Liberty front office. Hammon said she was shocked. New York officials declined to comment on their lack of communication, but said the trade was made "with decidedly mixed emotions."

The emotions of many of the Liberty faithful appear clear: They are disappointed. Michelle Frumberg, a season-ticket holder since the league's inception, heard about the trade on draft day, too. She said she felt the decision was a mistake, and that her opinion was not in the minority.

Perhaps Rachel Wolff of Brooklyn summarized best the feelings of Liberty fans: "She was great … she is great. She's just not great here."

8,741

In 1995, as college freshmen, Hammon and teammate Katie Cronin walked through Moby Arena on the way to their dorm room. They stopped and looked up from the court and said, "Some day we're going to fill this place." The Rams averaged 751 fans per game the previous season.

In 1999, Hammon had the Rams ranked No. 4 in the nation. CSU, a No. 2 seed, hosted the first and second rounds of the 1999 NCAA Tournament. A sold-out, green-and-gold crowd of 8,741 watched CSU advance to the Sweet 16 for the first time in program history. During that season, CSU averaged crowds of 4,765. When Hammon and Cronin went to Outback Steakhouse for dinner, fans offered to pay for their food. (The duo declined, per NCAA rules.)

What happened in Fort Collins, Colo., could have happened to a number of college towns across the country -- had they given Hammon the opportunity. But instead of begging for her services, a lot of top-tier college programs crossed her off their recruiting lists. One school called to tell her they were no longer interested. Hammon remembers a big shot on the recruiting circuit telling her she couldn't play at Purdue (she later scored 23 points against the Boilermakers). He told her to "think about schools a little bit lower."

Tom Collen inherited Hammon when he took over the CSU program in 1997. He came from Arkansas, where he coordinated recruiting. By 1997, Hammon was 1,212 points into her career. Collen, poking fun at himself, went back and looked at his recruiting notes. He reported his findings to the Hammon family. Next to Becky's name he had written: "Small, slow, white girl."

When Hammon was a younger small, slow, white girl, she played two-on-two with her father, Martin, against her older brother, Matt, and his friend, Rod. They played, weather permitting, every night. It was there that Hammon developed her creativity. Her spin on the ball, her deceptive moves to the basket; they were born of necessity.

The change

Silver Stars coach Dan Hughes called New York every year since 2003 to see if the Liberty would trade Hammon. He said the deal between the two clubs was in the planning stages for a while, but the discussions took on more sincerity as draft day approached.

Now Hughes, who has coached against Hammon 30 or 40 times, has his guard. He also has veterans Ruth Riley, Vickie Johnson and Helen Darling to complement a bench filled with young talent like Kendra Wecker, Sophia Young and Shanna Crossley.

"I think the general feeling here is folks are anxious for us -- to watch us, to see us, to grow with us," Hughes said. "We wanted to be good, now."

Hammon misses New York. She misses the city, the Garden and her teammates.

Still, she is excited about the chemistry building on the Silver Stars. She said it's good to be back in a locker room with championship talk. But with that talk comes more questions about her ability. Why did the Liberty trade her? Is she past her prime? Can she win a title in San Antonio?

With these new questions pending, Hammon does the same thing that got her through seasons past: She laughs as much as possible. On a recent preseason road trip, her abs hurt from laughing. She's constantly quoting movies, especially "Talladega Nights," "Anchorman" and "Napolean Dynamite." She does a mean Jim Carrey as The Grinch impression, but says it requires a level of comfort to contort her face in such a way. She'll bust loose with the imitation when least expected.

As unexpected as, say, those nifty shots in the lane that baffle opposing post players; or that record-setting college career; or those eight years as the golden girl in a city known for its cynicism.

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18/05/07

La saison WNBA commence officiellement demain. Pour l’instant, je constate que rien ne passe sur la TV française avec la disparition de la chaîne NBA +. La chaîne Sport+ passe à 1 heure du mat’ les matchs de palyoffs du championnat masculin. Attendons de voir comment ça évolue, Sport+ passait un match tous les lundis soirs à 20 h 30 l’année dernière.

J’ai déjà fait quelques commentaires depuis la draft. Cette saison devrait s’annoncer très intéressante. Il y a eu de gros transferts, certaines équipes sont en pleine reconstruction, il y a 4 (ou 5) nouveaux entraîneurs dont plusieurs femmes (j’avais lu une fois une fan qui disait en substance “pourquoi chercher des entraîneurs hommes dans la NBA pour des équipes WNBA alors qu’ils ne rêvent que d’une chose, retourner à la NBA et ce, alors qu’il y a plein de femmes compétentes qui auront une autre attitude parce qu’elles auront une vision à moyen/long terme de leur mission ?)

Les équipes que je veux suivre plus spécialement cette année :

Liberty de New York : il n’y a plus personne du cinq de départ d’il y a deux ans après le transfert surprise de Becky Hammon, c’est une équipe qui repart presque de zéro en terme de leadership. Il faudra voir ce que vont faire des joueuses comme Erin Thorn qui avait commencé à briller pendant l'absence de B. Hammon l'année dernière pendant sa blessure. L’équipe a joué deux matchs de pré-saison, en a perdu un de très peu et en a gagné un de belle façon (mais sans les stars en face).

Je regarderai aussi un peu ce qui se passera à Chicago dans sa deuxième année d’existence, un nouvel entraîneur, des transferts intéressants, les résultats de l’équipe ne peuvent que s’améliorer.

Beaucoup pensent que Detroit, champion 2006, qui n’a presque pas changé, a toutes ses chances pour conserver son titre cette année.

Erin Thorn des New York Liberty

A noter que les Sun du Connecticut, finalistes en 2004 et 2005 et finalistes de conférence l’année dernière, ont toujours une bonne chance. Mais la pré-saison, sans les vedettes toujours en Europe, a été difficile et marque peut-être un manque de profondeur du banc. A noter que les Sun ont signé Sandrine Gruda de l'équipe de Valancienne (Champion de France 2007) et de la sélection nationale française et qui avait fait un beau championnat du monde à l’automne dernier. Il semble cependant qu’elle ne jouerait pas cette année aux USA (je n’ai pas trouvé pourquoi, peut-être un accord avec son équipe ou la fédération française).

Ca, c’était pour la conférence Est. A l’Ouest, je regarderai

Silver Stars de San Antonio : sûrement l’équipe qui va attirer le plus les regards, elle a bénéficié des transferts de B. Hammon (de New York), de Ruth Riley (de Détroit - un peu en perte de vitesse, mais une joueuse très solide avec une grande expérience) et de Erin Buescher (de Sacramento - nommée “most improved player” pour 2006 soit la joueuse ayant le plus progressé). L’équipe a également plusieurs jeunes à qui il ne manque que de l’expérience. Les Silver Stars ont gagné leurs trois matchs de pré-saison et pourraient sans surprise gagner une des 4 places de playoffs de leur conférence.

Toujours de l’intérêt pour les Monarchs de Sacramento (champions 2005 et finaliste 2006) , qui gardent l’essentiel de leur équipe sans E. Buescher et qui gagne une nouvelle entraîneuse.

Erin Buescher

Idem pour les Sparks de Los Angeles, sans Lisa Leslie (MVP l’année dernière pour la troisième fois, première joueuse à atteindre 5000 points, première joueuse à avoir dunké en match) car elle attend un bébé pour les semaines qui viennent, mais avec Taj MacWilliams Franklin qui vient des Sun, joueuse solide de grande expérience. L’équipe retrouve l’entraîneur de ses débuts avec qui avaient été gagnés deux championnats en 2000 et 2001.

Enfin, toujours un oeil sur les Lynx du Minnesota avec la N°1 de la draft l’année dernière et Rookie de l’année 2006 et la N°1 de la draft de cette année suite à un échange. Un nouvel entraîneur. Beaucoup d’espoirs sur cette équipe également.

Je ne parle pas des Mercury de Phoenix avec leur stratégie toute à l’offensive et deux des trois meilleures marqueuses de l’année dernière, les Storm de Seattle avec les championnes Sue Bird et Lauren Jackson (la grande championne australienne) ou les Comets de Houston (quatre fois champions - mais l’effectif vieillit et la relève a du mal à s’affirmer comme on a pu le voir en matchs de pré-saisons et pour la première fois depuis la création de la WNBA, l’équipe a une nouvelle entraîneuse).

Vous pourriez vous dire que je cite presque tout le monde, mais avec une ligue qui ne compte que 13 équipes, ce n'est pas difficile. Et comme j'aime le beau jeu et que je n'ai pas un attachement particulier à une franchise....

En résumé, il peut y avoir beaucoup de surprises les quatre mois qui viennent !

Taj McWilliams Franklin

 

 

 

 

25/05/07

Mes commentaires sur la première semaine de WNBA :

Detroit (Champion 2006) a gagné ses deux premiers matchs sans tergiverser. Le champion en titre a toujours une belle cible dans les dos pour les autres équipes, mais là, je pense que l’équipe n’abandonnera pas son titre sans combattre à fond (sauf blessure etc…)

New York a fait une belle impression en gagnant ses deux premiers matchs, l’un contre le benjamin de la ligue, Chicago (dans sa deuxième année d’existence) ce qui était un peu logique et le second contre les Mystics de Washington, qui était à leur portée même si cette dernière équipe avait eu une place en playoffs l’année dernière.

Chicago a perdu ses deux premiers matchs. Ce n’est pas étonnant, mais il reste beaucoup à faire même si l’on constate des progrès.

A l’ouest,

Les Silver Stars de San Antonio ont perdu, assez logiquement leur premier match contre les Mercury de Phoenix, mais ont gagné le deuxième contre les Sun du Connecticut, ce qui est plus étonnant (et qui traduit entre autre, ce que je dissais la dernière fois sur le manque de profondeur du banc des Sun). Cela signifie aussi qu’avec le temps, les automatismes entre joueuses apparaissant, les Silver Stars pourraient faire de belles choses.

Les Monarchs de Sacramento ont perdu le match d’ouverture contre Detroit, puis gagné logiquement contre les Lynx de Minnesota et les Mystics de Washington. Il faudra cependant que l’équipe fasse attention car les vétéranes “vieillissent” (Ma mère me le dit pourtant assez souvent qu’il ne faut pas vieillir !) et les plus jeunes doivent apprendre à monter en première ligne.

Los Angeles a gagné contre Chicago (logiquement une fois de plus), mais a perdu face aux Fever d’Indiana. L’équipe souffre de l’absence de Lisa Leslie en congé maternité et de T. Johnson (vous savez, cette meneuse explosive d’1,60 m et Rookie (débutante) de l’année pour 2005), blessée. Et les deux ou trois marqueuses ne peuvent pas tout faire. Les autres doivent mouiller leur maillot.

Les Lynx du Minnesota ont perdu leurs deux premiers matchs malgré un beau jeu de S. Augustus (Rookie de l’année pour 2006 et deuxième meilleure marqueuse de la ligue l’année dernière), mais là aussi, il faut que le reste de l’équipe s’y mette.

A noter que les Storms de Seattle (qui ont gagné leurs deux premiers matchs après s’être fait peur) ont battu un record de l’équipe en atteignant le score de 100 points (sans prolongation) contre les Mercury de Phoenix.

01/06/07

A l’issu d’une deuxième semaine un peu plus calme pour cause de jour férié aux USA, des tendances se dessinent.

San Antonio a remporté deux de ses matchs sur trois soit contre Seattle et Houston, deux équipes statistiquement plus fortes. B. Hammon explose ses stats et mène son équipe à la marque, ce qui lui a permis d’être désignée “Peak Performer” de la deuxième semaine. Le match perdu est contre Phoenix qui l’a déjà fait tomber le premier jour.

"They are really turning some heads right now." Says Seattle Storm coach Anne Donovan about the new-look Silver Stars after dropping her first game of the season 82-71 on Friday (May the 25th), to the San Antonio News-Express

Chicago a gagné son match contre Minnesota (qui n’a rien gagné encore) et a perdu contre Connecticut, mais après les avoir contraint aux prolongations.

L’équipe de Detroit reste invaincue.

Sacramento a perdu deux matchs et en a gagné deux.

Los Angeles n’a perdu qu’une rencontre sur trois.

Certains disent que c’est un peu tôt, mais le championnat va vite et tous les matchs comptent. Une équipe qui a perdu ses quatre premiers matchs va avoir du mal à remonter.

Parlant d’une équipe qui a perdu ses 4 premiers matchs, Washington a acquis la semaine dernière, dans un échange avec Chicago, Monique Curie, 3ème sélectionnée dans la Draft de l’année dernière et on apprend ce soir que l’entraîneur “démissionne”. Ses assistants vont assurer l’intérim. C’est dur de perdre son entraîneur quelques heures avant un match !



B. Hammon a été nommée "Peak Perfomer" de la deuxième semaine du Championnat :

WNBA Peak Performer of the Week : May 30, 2007: Becky Hammon, S.A. Silver Stars

Have you gotten used to it yet? That is, seeing Becky Hammon in the silver and black. The WNBA Peak Performer of the Week goes to the San Antonio Silver Stars guard who has her team off to a hot start.

Hammon led the Silver Stars to their first win of the season in the home opener on Wednesday night, a 74-71 win over the perennially-strong Connecticut Sun. After the Silver Stars got out to a big lead, the experienced Sun made a run of their own. But Hammon sealed the deal from the free throw line, going 9-for-10 from the charity stripe. In her second game of the week, an 82-71 win over the previously undefeated Seattle Storm, Hammon led all scorers with 21 points on 5-for-9 from beyond the 3-point arc. She also had nine assists, which was just one fewer than her longtime teammate Vickie Johnson.

But it was her third game of the week, last night in Houston, that was truly her best performance yet. She hit six 3's on 10-of-17 from the floor to score 26 points, but the nine assists for the second straight game and six boards were most impressive. With the 82-71 win over the Comets, the Silver Stars have won three straight and are currently tied with the Mercury for first place in the Western Conference.

As the floor leader on the surging Silver Stars (up to fifth in this week's Power Rankings), Hammon has been a flawless fit with the rest of the new pieces on the Silver Star roster and has San Antonio on pace to make the postseason for the first time since their arrival from Utah in 2003. Hammon is currently one of only three players to lead her team in scoring in each of her team's games this season (Seimone Augustus was another, and the last was actually her replacement in New York and Eastern Conference Player of the Week, Erin Thorn).

Becky Hammon

Stats de B. Hammon au cours des trois derniers matchs

Date Opp Result Min FG 3P FT ORB DRB TOT AST ST BL TO PF PTS
May 29 at. Hou W 82-71 33 10-17 6-9 0-0 1 5 6 9 0 1 3 0 26
May 25 vs. Sea W 82-71 33 8-16 5-9 0-0 0 1 1 9 1 1 3 0 21
May 23 vs. Con W 74-71 33 4-9 0-2 9-10 0 2 2 4 1 0 6 0 17

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02/06/07

J'ai regardé cette nuit sur Internet le match opposant les Liberty de New York aux Lynx de Minnesota.

Il avait été dit jusqu'à présent que NY semblait surmonter le départ de sa marqueuse, B. Hammon, après avoir gagné ses deux premiers matchs. Les deux équipes rencontrées étaient Chicago, l'équipe née l'année dernière et qui continue de progresser, mais que NY avait toujours dominé et Washington, monté en playoffs l'année dernière, mais qui a fait un début de saison dramatique malgré une absence de gros changement dans le cinq de départ.

Pour revenir aux Liberty, elles ont battu les Lynx menées par S. Augustus en petite forme (elle n'est pas immédiatement revenue des vestiaires au début de la seconde mi-temps). On rappelle que les Lynx est l'équipe qui a la moyenne d'âge la plus basse et compte 5 rookies et n'a pas beaucoup de joueuses d'expérience. Mais New York a également 5 rookies et ses joueuses plus expérimentées ne sont pas beaucoup plus vieilles.

Le sentiment à la fin du match : New York a fait de belles choses et certaines rookies (Davenport, Jackson) ont montré du talent. Mais il y a encore beaucoup de flottement et de précipitation. Et il n'est pas certain que ça passe de la même façon face à des équipes plus solides. Le premier test viendra demain face aux Mercury de Pheonix (avec leur tactique entièrement offensive).

Seimone Augustus en petite forme face à NY

L'autre match opposait Chicago à Washington et ces dernières ont perdu pour la cinquième fois d'affilée face à une équipe en progression, mais qu'elles dominaient sans difficulté l'année dernière. Le départ de leur entraîneur quelques heures avant le début du match n'a pas dû aider.

Chastity Melvin, échangée la semaine dernière par Washington contre Monique Currie, a joué contre son ancienne équipe avec le maillot de Chicago

 

 

 

 

03/06/07

San Antonio - Seattle :

Le jeu des Silver Stars est-il non-soluble pour les Storms ? Pour la 2e fois en 8 jours, les Stars ont gagné. Pourtant, elles ont bien marqué B. Hammon mais les vétéranes R. Riley et V. Johnson sont montées à l'attaque à sa place. Quelques paniers à 3 pts de Crossley (venant du banc) ont fait la différence.

New York - Pheonix :

Le premier véritable test pour les Liberty face à l'offensive des Mercury. Elles ont réussi à contrôler les attaquantes en restant collées au score. A 10 secondes de la fin, le score était de 80 à 82. Après un temps mort, NY récupère la possession, après deux passes, le ballon arrive entre les mains de J. Davenport (1,96 cm - rookie - 2e choix de la draft, échangée contre B. Hammon) qui réussit à faire rentrer le panier avec l'aide du panneau et gagna une faute en plus qu'elle transforma : 83-82 pour NY.

Les Mercury, avec 6 secondes, manquèrent un panier à 3 pts, puis se firent voler la balle par NY qui attendit la sonnerie de fin de match. Prochaine rencontre contre Indiana qui a battu Washington à l'issue d'un match qui ne restera dans les mémoires que comme ayant battu le record des pertes de balles (dans un match sans prolongation) chacune des équipes ayant sa part de responsabilité.

A noter également la 2e victoire de suite de Chicago (après celle contre Washington) et une 2e victoire contre Minnesota.

Connecticut’s Asjha Jones and San Antonio’s Becky Hammon Named WNBA Players of the Week Posted Jun 4 2007 2:44PM

NEW YORK, June 4, 2007 – Asjha Jones of the Connecticut Sun and Becky Hammon of the San Antonio Silver Stars were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, May 28 through Sunday, June 3.

[…]
Hammon led the Silver Stars in scoring in two of three games on the week, and in all but one game this season. She averaged 21 points, five assists, three rebounds and shot 47 percent (24-for-51) from the floor, 44 percent (10-for-23) from beyond the arc and 83 percent (5-for-6) from the free throw line as the Silver Stars posted a 2-1 record on the week. The Silver Stars' overall 4-2 record earns them the top spot in the Western Conference. On May 29, Hammon tallied 26 points, nine assists, six rebounds and hit 10-for-17 field-goals and 6-for-9 three-pointers in a 82-71 victory over the Houston Comets. Two days later, she scored 25 points against the Phoenix Mercury and recorded her third consecutive game with 20 or more points.

Source Web

05/06/07

Indiana Fever – New York Liberty

J'ai veillé une fois de plus pour voir New York contre Indiana, deuxième test après Pheonix. Cette dernière équipe, quand elle joue bien, est difficilement battable. Quand son attaque est moyenne, est jouable car sa défense est médiocre. Avec Indiana, autre équipe invaincue depuis le début du championnat, on passait aux choses un peu plus sérieuses. Et je dois dire que j'ai été épatée : Les Liberty ont vraiment haussé leur jeu. Après un début difficile, elles ont remonté la marque puis pris possession du jeu et ont gardé la tête jusqu'au bout. Cinq joueuses ont marqué plus de 10 points (et seulement 2 pour Indiana). Elles ont eu une défense solide et une attaque diversifiée. Si l'une était marquée de trop près, la balle tournait jusqu'à trouver une solution. Davenport, l'une des rookies, a fait encore une fois un beau match en apportant sa présence physique de pivot dans la raquette.

Cette équipe, en dehors de l'échange Hammon/Davenport, est la même que l'année dernière. Est-ce que le départ d'Hammon "La marqueuse" a servi d'électro-choc ? Comme elle n'est plus là et que l'on sait que d'autres ont des capacités, elles n'ont plus d'excuses ? j'imagine que c'est ce qui fait la magie ou l'alchimie d'une équipe.

D'autant qu'à San Antonio, B. Hammon a le début de saison le meilleur de sa carrière avec près de 20 points par match en moyenne alors que sa meilleure moyenne était de 14 points. Ce début fracassant lui permet d'être nommée joueuse de la semaine pour la conférence ouest après avoir été nommée "pick performer" la semaine dernière.

J'ai lu qu'elle explique ces scores par le bon jeu de ses coéquipières :

"When I am finding other people and they are knocking down shots, then they can't key on me," Hammon says. "That opens me up more." Source Web

En gros, si elle peut donner la balle aux autres et qu'elles marquent les paniers, elle n'est pas marquée d'aussi près et peut faire rentrer des points également. Ce qui rejoint ce que je disais à propos de New York où tout semblait tourner comme si BH était la clef de tout. Maintenant, je ne suis pas une grande spécialiste et je vois ça de loin. A nouveau peut-être une question d'alchimie…

Cela permet également de la mettre en deuxième place provisoire pour la course au titre de MVP et place San Antonio en 3ème place (provisoire toujours) des équipes en terme de puissance. (Dans le même classement, New York passe de la 9ème à la 5ème place).

Ceci me donne un bel enchaînement car j'ai décidé d'attendre 4 heures du mat' pour voir les Silver Stars jouer à Sacramento.

Le match fut difficile. Sacramento reste la meilleure défense de la ligue et ça se voit au score. San Antonio a tenu à peu près les trois premiers quart temps, mais à la fin, a lâché. La défense californienne les a empêchées de marquer à 3 points, ce qui était leur force. Par ailleurs, l'équipe était plus légère physiquement, et n'a pas fait le poids (ni la taille) au rebond.

Les deux équipes doivent se rencontrer trois autres fois. Elles auront le temps d'en tirer leçon.

Enfin, une bonne nouvelle, cette même nuit, les Lynx de Minnesota a remporté sa première victoire face à Pheonix. Elles ont emballé le premier quart temps et ne se sont plus retournées.

Lynx outraces Mercury en route to first victory
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Last update: June 06, 2007 – 12:44 AM

PHOENIX - The Lynx ended the worst start in franchise history with an 90-85 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Tuesday night.

Seimone Augustus, who averages a league-leading 22.6 points per game, scored 22 points. Lindsey Harding added 20 and Nicole Ohlde had 19 points and 13 rebounds for the Lynx (1-7), who had their best shooting night of the season at 47.3 percent (35-for-74). Minnesota came into the game as the worst shooting team in the WNBA, at 35 percent, and averaging a league-low 69.5 points.

Tangela Smith had 24 points and seven rebounds for the Mercury (4-4), which lost its third in a row.

The Mercury, which began the night averaging a league-leading 89.5 points per game, rallied from an 18-point deficit in the third quarter to get within 87-85 with 61 seconds left, but Phoenix missed its last five shots while the Lynx went 3-for-6 from the free throw line to secure the victory.

Svetlana Abrosimova added 10 points and seven rebounds for the Lynx and helped limit Phoenix's Diana Taurasi to 11 points, six in the final quarter.

Kristen Mann had 19 points for the Lynx, who matched their high point total of the season, 77, on its first basket of the fourth quarter.

The Lynx finished 6-for-14 from beyond the three-point arc.

Taurasi missed a 14-footer with 48 seconds left and Phoenix down by two points.

Source Web

Liberty’s Fast Start Takes the League by Surprise
By Brian Martin, WNBA.com

The Detroit Shock and New York Liberty are the only two undefeated teams remaining in the WNBA. While most would not be surprised to see the defending champs without a loss three weeks into the season, the same cannot be said about the Liberty.

New York is coming off its worst season in franchise history, finishing the 2006 campaign with an 11-23 record. Many believed the Liberty threw up the white flag to announce they were rebuilding when they traded Becky Hammon, their star player and face of the franchise, on draft day.

Fast forward two months from the draft and the Liberty sit atop the league standings with a 5-0 record. On Tuesday, New York defeated Indiana in the first matchup in WNBA history between undefeated teams with at least three wins. The Liberty are off to their best start since the league's inaugural 1997 season, when the team opened the year 7-0.

“It’s great, but we just want to continue to get better every day,” Liberty coach Pat Coyle said about her team’s fast start. “I don’t know if half of these kids even know we’re 5-0. Our focus is just to get better every day and do the little things and that’s what we’ve done.” While the Liberty's start could be seen as one of the biggest shocks of the young WNBA season, the Liberty players are not phased by how well they are playing.

"We’re not really surprised," said point guard Loree Moore. "We all have a lot of confidence in ourselves. We just want to show everybody that we’re a really good team and that we can play against anybody. "What’s gotten us by so far is how hard we work and how much pride we have when we’re on the court. We've held our composure very well. Whether we needed to make stops or we needed to make scores, we always executed the way we needed to."

This week's homestand has been a good litmus test for New York as they defeated Phoenix on Sunday and Indiana on Tuesday. However, things are not going to get any easier for the Liberty as Detroit comes to the Big Apple on Friday night looking to play the stroke of midnight to the Liberty's early season Cinderella story.

“Detroit is coming in here on Friday night and it’s going to be a war,” Coyle said. “They’re big, they’re athletic, they’re the defending WNBA champs and it’s going to be a war.”

Two weapons in the Liberty's arsenal are balanced scoring and 3-point accuracy. The Liberty have four players averaging double figures in scoring, with rookie center Jessica Davenport close behind at 9.4 points per game. Many of the returning players have increased their offensive production dramatically since last season. Guard Erin Thorn averaged 6.1 points in 2006 and now leads the team with an average of 14.8 points per game. Forward Cathrine Kraayeveld has increased her scoring from 8.8 points to 14.4 points, while Moore has jumped from 6.1 points to 12.4.

"We all believe in one another and we know that on any given night somebody else can be that leading scorer," Moore said. "Since game one, it's been somebody different all the time."

Moore said losing Hammon to an ankle injury during the second half of last season forced the rest of the Liberty players to step up their games and find new ways to contribute. The Liberty closed last season winning seven of their last 10 games, and Moore believes that attitude carried over into the offseason.

"Everybody knew they had to bring something different," she said. "They had to increase their game a little bit more... add something to their game, bring a little more than what they did before because the roles were going to change. I think everybody has elevated their game to another level."

While the Liberty return most of their squad from last season, a big addition was made in the post where Davenport has really made her presence felt. Coyle has installed an inside-outside game that has helped the Liberty shooters find open looks from the outside. New York is shooting a league-best 51.7 percent from 3-point range. In fact, Thorn leads the WNBA in 3-point percentage at 60.0 percent, just ahead of Moore at 58.8 percent.

"I know as of late I’ve been shooting a lot of threes with no one around me," Moore said. "I think with the presence inside, it makes our job easier to just shoot shots as if we were just practicing."

Moore has also assumed more of a coach-on-the-floor role this season, as she has taken over play-calling duties from Coyle. Moore says their relationship improved a great deal during the offseason as the two worked out together everyday and discussed last season's results and the approach they wanted the team to bring to this season.

"From the beginning she said 'It starts with me, but I want you to be right behind me.' So I kind of took that and ran with it," Moore said. "From there, we started to understand each other and I started to really study what she wanted from us as a team.

"Coming into the season and seeing her call the plays, I wanted to take that pressure off of her, just like she was calling them to take pressure off of me. As the point guard for this team, I think that’s my job and because she has so much confidence in me and because she trusts me so much, I wanted to show her that I’ve grown up and I’ve matured as a basketball player and I know what you want and I know what this team needs to be successful."

Moore says Detroit is going to be a tough matchup on Friday night. The defending champs are a team that will challenge the Liberty both mentally and physically.

"I think it’s going to be another test for us to see what we need to do and how we are as a team," she said. "We need to handle their physical play. Because they are a physical team, they’re going to try to bully us and get in our heads. And we’re going to have to handle it."

Source Web

15/06/07

Résumé des 10 jours passés :

New York : n'a pas fait le poids devant Detroit, champion sortant et seule invaincue à ce jour ni devant un deuxième match face aux Fever d'Indiana. Mais les Liberty se sont ressaisies face à Washington. On voit ce qu'elles peuvent faire face à de bonnes équipes, mais si leur jeu est un peu plus faible, leurs tirs un peu moins précis, elles n'ont pas les réserves nécessaires pour faire face. C'est toutefois une équipe très prometteuse.

Houston : continue de perdre ses matchs malgré les points de Tina Thompson (mais comme pour plusieurs autres équipes, elle ne peut pas tout faire seule)

Washington a enfin gagné un match contre les mercuriales Mercury de Phoenix ! C'est beau d'avoir une belle offensive, mais s'il n'y a pas de défense, ça ne sert à rien, surtout les soirs où les marqueuses ne trouvent pas la bonne distance pour mettre un panier ! (mais ça n'enlève rien à la performance des Mystics de D.C.)

Les Lynx de Minnesota ont gagné leur deuxième match de la saison face aux Sun du Connecticut dans un match serré qui a été en prolongation. S. Augustus était partout sur le parquet et le gain des prolongations lui revient entièrement.

Les Silver Stars était de repos cette semaine, ce qui n'est pas un mal après avoir perdu leurs deux derniers matchs face à Sacramento et à Chicago. La première défaite était admissible, la deuxième nettement moins. B. Hammon a continué de remplir son contrat, pas les autres…

Cocorico : Les Spurs de San Antonio (chez les hommes) ont remporté le championnat NBA 2007 et Tony Parker a été désigné MVP de la phase finale (double première car il est le plus jeune joueur et le premier non-américain à recevoir cette récompense).

 

 

 

 

23/06/07

Encore une semaine riche en rebondissements :

Houston a enfin gagné ses deux premiers matchs, le premier contre Los Angeles, le second, cette nuit, contre Washington. Cette équipe qui a gagné 4 championnats depuis la création de la WNBA il y a 11 ans, a du mal à trouver ses marques. L'équipe vient de changer d'entraîneur pour la première fois depuis la naissance de l'équipe. Ce peut être une explication. Il lui faut également remplacer ses joueuses plus anciennes qui sont parties ou qui ont des problèmes de santé (comme Sheryl Swoops). Tina Thompson a un jeu très solide match après match mais elle ne peut pas tout faire seule.

Detroit, champion en titre, a trébuché face aux Fever d'Indiana le 16 juin 67 à 77, mais s'est très vite repris et a gagné tous ses matchs depuis lors. L'équipe est en tête de la conférence Est avec 10 matchs gagnés pour un seul de perdu.

Indiana les talonne avec 9 matchs de gagnés contre trois de perdus, le dernier cette nuit contre Connecticut qui en avait bien besoin.

La semaine a été dure pour Connecticut, finaliste en 2004 et 2005 et finaliste de conférence en 2006 et ce alors, que le cinq de départ n'a presque pas bougé (Seule T. McWilliams Franklin a été échangée avec Los Angeles) mais A. Jones, qui a pris sa place, après un début difficile, remplit maintenant plus que sa part du marché.

En attendant, si les playoffs étaient demain, les Sun n'en feraient pas partie ayant seulement 5 matchs de gagnés pour 7 de perdus.

Un match caractéristique pour l'équipe est celui joué contre New York cette semaine. Les Sun ont démarré sur les chapeaux de roue en menant 17-0 puis 22-11 à la fin du premier quart-temps. New York, se précipitant peut-être, n'arrivait pas à mettre un seul panier. Les Liberty se sont ressaisies lors du 2ème quart-temps et n'étaient plus menées que 33 à 35. L'écart restait identique à la fin du 3ème quart-temps, mais durant le 4ème, New York repartit à la charge et marqua 21 points contre 15 aux Sun ce qui lui permit de remporter le match 76 à 73.

New York, à ce jour, est provisoirement à la troisième place de la conférence Est avec 7 matchs de gagnés contre 5 de perdus.



Sun Stumble After Quick Start
June 21, 2007
By LORI RILEY, Courant Staff Writer

UNCASVILLE -- Connecticut Sun coach Mike Thibault said Sunday that his team might be able to invent new ways to turn over the ball, because he'd seen just about everything in the last few games. He was only half-joking.

The Sun found a few new ways Wednesday night against the New York Liberty.

They had 23 turnovers. Point guard Lindsay Whalen had five for the second consecutive game, including a bad pass down the stretch that Shameka Christon stole and converted into a jump shot and a three-point Liberty lead. Kristen Rasmussen had two turnovers in the last two minutes.

The Sun also failed to get to the free-throw line once again. Entering the fourth quarter, the Sun were 1 of 2 and finished with four points from the line.

And there was a new wrinkle: a 17-0 first-quarter lead that evaporated in the second quarter in the face of a zone.

It all added up to a 76-73 loss to New York, sealed by two free throws by former UConn player Ashley Battle in the last 9.5 seconds. Battle, who has scored in double figures twice this season, had a season-high 18 points. The Liberty, who had lost four of five, , were led by Christon (season-high 22 points).

It was the Sun's fifth straight loss. The last time the Sun lost five in a row was 2001, when they were the Orlando Miracle. Connecticut last won June 8, against Houston and is 1-4 at home.

"It's a broken record," Thibault said. "It's the same two things we said over three straight games, turnovers and free-throw differential. We had a big lead, but it's like fool's gold. It's too long a game to think it's going to stay that way."

Sales and Katie Douglas led the Sun (4-7) with 17 points each. Sales scored 13 in the first half. Asjha Jones had 14, but struggled against double- and triple-teams down low. Whalen had 10 assists, nine points and eight rebounds, but the turnovers were most glaring.

"We're having turnovers at the wrong time of games," Whalen said. "We're letting them get shots. We're not getting stops when we need them."

The Liberty (7-4) capitalized, scoring 21 points off the turnovers. With 2:18 left and the Sun trailing 72-71, Whalen tried to pass into the zone to Rasmussen but Christon intercepted it and hit a jumper to boost the Liberty's lead to three.

"Shemeka made a great play and I probably shouldn't have thrown it in the first place," Whalen said. "You can't make plays like that. I have four years in the league. I'm not a rookie. There's nothing you can blame it on but bad judgment."

There was another bad turnover at the end of the third quarter when Evani Maltsi lost the ball on an inbounds play, Battle grabbed it and hit the layup and Maltsi fouled her. Battle missed the free throw but the Sun were up only 58-55 by the end of the quarter.

"Maybe we're just going too fast," said Rasmussen, who had four turnovers. "There's so many things we're trying to think about and trying to do. We're a good team. We just need to settle down."

Douglas and Sales helped the Sun take a 17-0 lead with 4:28 left. The Liberty missed their first seven shots and had four turnovers before Christon hit a jumper with 4:08 left.

Then the turnovers started (the Sun had seven in the first quarter) and the Liberty, who switched to a zone, crept back and trailed 35-33 at halftime.

"We really got out of the gates slow, but we showed resilience," Liberty coach Pat Coyle said. "A lot of teams could have folded, but we kept plugging away and finally started to get things to go our way."

Source Web



Sun lose fifth straight

Douglas, Whalen are grasping for answers
By MATT STOUT
Norwich Bulletin

MOHEGAN -- It's moved past disheartening, frustrating or any other adjective you want to throw at it.

The Connecticut Sun's losing streak -- now at five after blowing a 17-point lead in a 76-73 loss to the New York Liberty Wednesday at Mohegan Sun Arena -- has reached the point where players aren't hanging their heads in post-game interviews, they're gritting their teeth. "To me, it's nauseating," Sun forward/guard Katie Douglas said. "How can we be up 17-0, give a team hope and not be able to finish the deal?"

The answers are familiar ones.

The Sun (4-7) shot just eight free throws (making five), committed a season-high 23 turnovers and allowed the Liberty (7-4) to score 21 points off the mishaps in what looked to be a laugher early on.

Instead, the Sun -- during their longest losing skid since 2001 -- have now committed 82 turnovers in their last four games, enough to waste the 47.6 percent they shot from the field and the encouraging offensive performances from their stars.

Douglas, limited to 13 points in her last two home games, tied Nykesha Sales for a team-high 17 points as the two shot a combined 14-for-31 and carried the offensive load for much of the game.

Asjha Jones added 14 points and Lindsay Whalen chipped in nine with a game-high 10 assists, but the guard also committed a team-high five turnovers, the most costly coming with two minutes left in the fourth quarter when, with the Liberty up, 72-71, she tried forcing a pass through the New York zone.

It was a mistake that plagued the Sun throughout the night. Entering with a game plan to force the action to the rim, the Sun did that early in the first, scoring at will to open the game with the 17-0 run, while the Liberty shot 0-for-6 on the other end.

But New York, losers of four of five coming in, switched to a zone defense thereafter, driving the Sun out to the wings with the hope they'd settle for long-range shots. They obliged, hitting eight 3-pointers on a season-high 24 attempts, but failed to get the one they really needed late.

The victory marked the first in five match-ups against Connecticut for the Liberty, who got a season-best performances from both Shameka Christon (22 points) and UConn grad Ashley Battle (18), who also made a career-high four steals.

"A big lead is almost like fool's gold," Sun coach Mike Thibault said. "It's too long a game that it's going to stay that way.

"It's giving gifts," he added, referring to the turnovers.

"We don't know how to play well together sometimes," Sales said. "You think people are going to do certain things but (they) don't. You maybe just try to do much. It's a little bit of everything for us, I think."

The Sun's early lead started dwindling near the end of the first quarter, when the Liberty cut it to 22-11 by the end of the period and reeled off seven straight to open the second. After cutting it to 35-33 by the half, New York finally took its first lead with 8:53 left in the third at 38-37.

Connecticut responded, building leads of six points several times and seven with 1:46 left in the third, but with the lead down to five with seconds remaining, Battle made a steal under her hoop and drew a foul as she made the layup, shifting the momentum back to New York.

The two teams traded leads throughout the fourth until a Christon layup with 3:17 gave the Liberty a lead it didn't relinquish. Down three with 9.5 seconds left, Douglas tried shooting a 3 as a she drew a foul, but the foul was called on the floor, she missed her first free throw and New York rebounded the intended miss on the second.

"The fact of the matter is we're not winning," said Whalen, throwing out any positive signs that the Sun may have seen, which were few. "And we need to figure out why real quick."

Source Web



La bonne surprise est Chicago à la 4ème place avec 6 victoires et autant de défaites, qui a battu New York et Connecticut cette dernière semaine et qui a perdu d'un panier (54 à 52) contre Sacramento. Les transferts de joueuses plus expérimentées, l'arrivée de Chastity Melvin (de Washington dans un échange contre M. Currie il y a quelques jours) qui apporte sa taille (1,91 m), son expérience (8 ans dans la ligue) et ses bonnes stats (10,3 points et 7,6 rebonds de moyenne par match), l'équipe qui trouve enfin ses repaires montrent qu'il faudra compter avec Chicago à la fin de la saison alors que début Mai, tout le monde pensait que les jeux étaient faits à l'Est et que les joueuses de New-York et Chicago iraient en vacances plus vite que les autres. A noter que Candice Dupree a été nommée joueuse de la semaine pour la conférence Est.



A l'ouest, la bataille est plus rude. L'année dernière, il a fallu attendre les derniers matchs pour savoir qui allaient en playoffs. La conférence Ouest est généralement considérée comme la meilleure.

Pour l'instant, Sacramento (champion 2005) est en tête avec 8 victoires pour 4 défaites. L'équipe a bien accepté l'arrivée du nouvel entraîneur, Jenny Boucek, il y a plusieurs joueuses qui peuvent marquer et qui relèvent le niveau quand l'une est moins en forme. Il faut juste voir comment, sur le long terme, l'équipe va supporter la perte due à une blessure de DeMya Walker pour toute la saison qui était l'une des grosses marqueuses.

Au deuxième rang de la conférence Ouest se trouvent mes nouvelles chouchoutes, les Silver Stars de San Antonio avec 7 victoires pour 4 défaites et qui ont gagné leurs trois derniers matchs dont deux contre New York.

La dernière rencontre contre New York cette nuit, au Madison Square Garden, fut difficile. B. Hammon y retournait pour la première fois depuis son échange. Et son ancienne équipe connaît tous ses mouvements, toutes ses habitudes de jeu. New York a pris un départ rapide et menait 37 à 28 à la fin de la première mi-temps. Mais depuis le début du championnat, San Antonio a montré qu'elle ne se laissait pas abattre même si elle était menée au score et une fois de plus, l'équipe est montée en puissance et a remporté les deux derniers quart-temps et le match 70 à 63.

Cette rencontre a permis de mettre en avant un cas ou un échange "médiatique" a été fait à l'avantage des deux équipes (ce qui est rarement le cas). New York a pris du poids et de la taille avec un nouveau pivot en la personne de la rookie (deuxième de la Draft 2007) J. Davenport, San Antonio a obtenu la meneuse dont elle avait besoin et B. Hammon explose ses stats : 6ème en points marqués avec 18,5 points, 1ère en passes décisives avec 5,5 passes, 3ème en pourcentage de lancers francs réussis (90,9 %), 3ème en nombre de paniers à 3 points marqués (24 à ce jour).



Silver Stars grow focused - Young, Hammon lead offensive attack against Lynx

Web Posted: 06/21/2007 12:20 AM CDT

Pat Turner
Special to the Express-News

That recent week off apparently is paying dividends for the Silver Stars.

A few days after disposing of New York, the Silver Stars turned up the offensive heat even more in an 80-73 victory over Minnesota on Wednesday night at the AT&T Center.

The Silver Stars (6-4), who hit an offensive lull prior to the break, kept the scoring pace going with a balanced attack of inside moves, lay-ups and sharp outside shooting.

Headlining the charge was Sophia Young, who turned in a career-best performance with 24 points. Becky Hammon followed with 18 points, while Erin Buescher (13 points) and Vickie Johnson (10 points) also had double-digit outings.

"We've been working hard a long time," Young said. "For me, it's just been a matter of getting confident. We got focused during the week off. We realized we didn't play as well in the games we lost. Everyone decided to do what we do best. We buckled down."

Credit the first-half surge for much of the Silver Stars' success. Led by the shooting combination of Young, who had 15 of her points during that span, Hammon and Johnson, the Stars led by as many as 20 points, before the Lynx (3-10) cut the margin to 46-29 at halftime.

Complementing a 51 percent shooting production was a defense that turned 12 turnovers into 12 points and a solid inside game that held the Lynx to five offensive rebounds. That gave the Silver Stars a little breathing room, even though Minnesota was able to slice the deficit to single digits in the second half.

"(Getting out to a great start) is something we have emphasized in practice and in our huddles," Hammon said. "The past two games we've been able to do that. I think it has been crucial for us."

The Silver Stars' first-half showing also left an impression on their victims.

"That was just a good old fashioned butt-whoopin." Lynx coach Don Zierden said. "Seven points doesn't really tell you what the game was all about. They played much harder than we did right out of the gate."

Even though Seimone Augustus (27 points) led the Lynx's second-half comeback bid, the Silver Stars were never in serious trouble.

Each time the Lynx made a run, the Silver Stars found a way to maintain the upper hand with clutch shooting or a key rebound.

"We got off to a really good start," said Silver Stars assistant coach Brian Agler, who directed the team for the second-straight game while head coach Dan Hughes recovers from surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.

"We showed a lot of energy, but we knew we were playing against a team that can really ring up points in a hurry. (Minnesota) showed they could do that down the stretch."

Now, the Silver Stars will try to build on their two-game win streak with games at New York and Connecticut this weekend.

"We're ready to get right back in the grind now," Agler said. "We have two games this weekend that's going to be basically non-stop."

Agler is expected to direct the team in the two East Coast road games. Hughes, who will be re-evaluated by doctors before next week's game with the Comets in Houston, will continue to handle the day-to-day operations and general manager duties.

Source Web



Becky back to take on Liberty

BY KRISTIE ACKERT
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER
Friday, June 22nd 2007, 4:00 AM

Becky Hammon never saw it coming. She was at practice with her offseason team in Spain. She went into the locker room and got a voice mail telling her she was traded. A quick call to Liberty GM Carol Blazejowski confirmed it.

"New York is where I had spent my whole career. I grew up in front of those fans," said Hammon, a three-time All-Star who spent eight seasons with the Liberty before being dealt on draft day for No.2 pick Jessica Davenport and a first-round selection next year. "It's what I knew. I loved my time there.

"It was kind of crazy after that call. My phone just kept ringing and ringing, people wanting to know what happened."

Hammon returns to the Garden tonight for the first time since that trade. She's found her niche in San Antonio, averaging a career-high 18.5 points a game for the Silver Stars (6-4). The Liberty, which beat Connecticut, 76-73, Wednesday night, is 7-4.

Two months ago, however, when the news that Hammon had been traded began to make the rounds, so did the questions - and she struggled to find answers.

All she could say was that despite rumors to the contrary, she "did not ask for a trade." She also said she was caught completely by surprise.

"I put a lot of myself into that team last year," said Hammon, who was the last player jettisoned as the Liberty got rid of all of last year's starters. "I'd get a knock on my hotel door at 2a.m. with one of those guys asking a question, a lot of times it wasn't just about basketball. I ended up playing the mother hen role last year, I took a lot of pride in those guys.

"In a way, I felt like my babies were ripped away from me. But, it has worked out well for me and for them. I was only apart from (former Liberty guard Vickie Johnson) for a year, I am really good friends with (Silver Stars center) Ruth Riley."

Still, Hammon made her home in the city after she came here as an undrafted free agent in 1999, so tonight will be an emotional night.

"This week, when they came (to San Antonio), I was relieved when the game was over, because there was so much focus on the trade and everything," said Hammon, who scored 22 points and had seven assists to help San Antonio defeat the Liberty, 79-71, last Saturday. "So I think I will be relieved when I get there and we start to play, but I am excited to go back and see everyone.

"It will be weird, but good."

Source Web



Hammon returns and is key in win over Liberty
BY MARCUS HENRY
marcus.henry@newsday.com

June 22, 2007, 11:19 PM EDT

In the eyes of Liberty fans, Becky Hammon could do no wrong. The standing ovation Hammon got when she was announced Friday night was equal to what the Liberty starting five received. And the crowd went crazy when Hammon scored her first bucket.

Unfortunately for the Liberty, Hammon's return to Madison Square Garden dominated the night as she scored seven of her game-high 19 points during a key stretch in the fourth quarter to lead the San Antonio Silver Stars to a 70-63 victory in front of 8,625.

"It was nice to come back and get a win," said Hammon, who joined the Liberty as an undrafted free agent out of Colorado State in 1999 and was traded to the Silver Stars in a draft-day deal in April.

As for the ovations she received, Hammon attributed it to the respect the fans had for her hard work. "It feels like they watched me grow up," Hammon said. "I came here when I was 22 and left when I was 30."

Hammon, who spent her first eight seasons with the Liberty, said "it felt weird" shooting around on the Garden floor in a different uniform. "It's different," she said. "When going to the locker room, you turn left [to the visitors' locker room], instead of right."

Hammon has had no problems adjusting to her new team or the Western Conference as she leads the Silver Stars in scoring (18.5) and the league in assists (5.6) entering Friday night's game. But playing her old team and putting up gaudy stats isn't what drives her.

"The main thing we wanted to do was win," she said. "That's my main focus right now."

Friday night, the Liberty (7-5) appeared to be on its way to its eighth victory as it led 37-28 at the break and 57-53 with 5:56 left in the fourth. But things began to unravel and Hammon took advantage as she hit a three to cut the lead to 57-56 and on the ensuing possession fed Camille Little for a three to give the Silver Stars their first lead of the game at 59-57 with 5:02 to go.

"We kind of settled," Liberty guard Loree Moore said. "We really got out of our offense and started going one on one."

Ashley Battle led the Liberty with 17 points and rookie center Jessica Davenport had 11. Moore and Battle were held out of the starting lineup for violating team rules. Rookies Shay Doron and Lindsay Bowen started in their place.

As for Hammon's influence on the game, Moore had nothing but good things to say. "Becky is Becky," Moore said. "She's going to do what she's going to do. She's a great floor leader."

Although the night belonged to Hammon, Liberty coach Pat Coyle looked at it as a game that got away. When asked if her players were intimidated by the return of Hammon and Vickie Johnson, who scored 14 points. Coyle said: "No, not at all. My players aren't thinking about Becky Hammon and Vickie Johnson."

Copyright 2007 Newsday Inc.

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Los Angeles est à la troisième place de la conference avec 6 victoires pour 5 défaites. L'équipe a souffert de l'absence de Lisa Leslie (MVP l'année dernière pour la troisième fois, première joueuse à atteindre 5000 points) en congé maternité et de T. Johnson, sa meneuse, arrêtée pour blessure. Enfin, il y a quelques jours, C. Holdsclaw a annoncé sa retraite alors qu'elle menait l'équipe à la marque. L'équipe a connu un peu de flottement, mais a conservé sa hargne et sa volonté de gagner en battant Sacramento cette nuit à l'issue de deux prolongations. T. McWilliams Franklin (qui jouait chez les Sun jusqu'à l'année dernière) avec 21 points, a entraîné 5 autres de ses coéquipières à marqué plus de 10 points dont S. Baker qui jouait encore à New York il y a deux jours.



Sparks win in second OT
With new acquisition Baker, they rally from 21-point deficit to tie in regulation, then eventually beat the Monarchs, 96-88.
By Lauren Peterson, Times Staff Writer
June 23, 2007

Momentarily unsure of which way to turn, point guard Marta Fernandez had to be pointed in the right direction after she hesitated about which way to take the ball upcourt after the Sparks won the opening tipoff against Sacramento.

Like Fernandez, the rest of the Sparks also were lost early on, but they all eventually found their way back from a 21-point third-quarter deficit for a 96-88 double-overtime victory in front of 7,926 Friday night at Staples Center.

"It's our best win of the season. Hopefully, it turns into something more," Sparks Coach Michael Cooper said. "It's not just that we won. It's how we won, against a good team. We just kept fighting and working, and to hang in there for two [overtimes], is good for us."

Rookie guard Sidney Spencer and center Taj McWilliams-Franklin each scored seven points in the fourth quarter and Fernandez made a key three-point shot and free throw in the period to help the Sparks climb out of the hole twice, before finally prevailing when they outscored the Monarchs, 13-5, in the second extra period.

"Whew, I don't even know where to begin," Spencer said, with a relieved smile. "I think we were desperate to win. We just had to stay together."

A free throw by the Sparks' newest acquisition, Sherill Baker, with 3.9 seconds left in regulation sent the game into overtime tied at 75-75.

A driving layup by Spencer with 24.3 seconds remaining in the first overtime tied the score at 83-83 and set up another extra period.

The Sparks had also played their last double-overtime game against Sacramento, winning that one, 85-80, on July 29, 2004.

With the victory, the Sparks (6-5) avoided dropping their fourth consecutive game, something they had been in danger of doing for the first time since 1999.

Sacramento (8-4), first place in the Western Conference and the winner of three in a row and six of its last seven games coming in, led most of the game but made 23 turnovers to the Sparks' nine. Monarchs forward Nicole Powell, who had 19 points and eight rebounds in the teams' first meeting, hurt the Sparks again with 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Kara Lawson came off the bench to score 20 points and lead the Monarchs.

But it wasn't enough, despite the fact that the Sparks had only one lead before the first overtime, and trailed, 63-42, with 1:14 left in the third period.

With Sacramento ahead only 43-36, Lawson scored 13 of the Monarchs' next 17 points to put the Sparks behind by a 60-40 deficit.

The game marked the introduction of second-year guard Baker, who was acquired in a trade from the New York Liberty on Wednesday, and made an impressive debut with her new team with 14 points before fouling out.

McWilliams-Franklin finished with 21 points and Spencer finished with 15 to lead the Sparks, who had six players who score in double figures.

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Phoenix est au 4ème rang avec 7 victoires et autant de défaites. Sa faiblesse reste son absence de défense. Dans son dernier match contre Washington, Phoenix a marqué 101 points en temps régulier et Washington… 106 !

Seattle est à la cinquième place avec 5 victoires et 6 défaites. Seattle a remporté le championnat 2004 et a toujours plus ou moins la même équipe, mais les filles rament terriblement. Un article lu montre qu'il y aurait des tensions dans l'équipe.



Tension rising between Donovan and Storm players
By Jayda Evans
Seattle Times staff reporter

Storm forward Wendy Palmer was sitting in a bustling KeyArena locker room after her team's loss to defending champion Detroit on Wednesday when she had an epiphany.

She realized what was missing in Seattle.

"We've just got to find that magic," said Palmer. "This team is so talented, and I respected them when I played on other teams. Seeing the magic that was going here, I just wanted to be a part of that. We have it, we see it in spurts. We've just got to bring that magic back."

Ask those close to the Storm, and they'll say that "magic" has effectively been stomped out by the one person in charge of cultivating chemistry — coach Anne Donovan.

There's noticeable tension between Donovan and the team's star, Lauren Jackson, who challenged the coach about defensive schemes in practice this week and has complained of being "treated like she's 12 years old."

There have been complaints of grueling practices, that injuries haven't had time to heal and players are ignored or sent mixed messages by Donovan, according to sources. Players say they have spoken to Donovan numerous times about the issues.

Donovan denied any players have approached her about any problems with her system, saying, "Everything grows and evolves after five years, and things change."

Karen Bryant, the team's chief executive officer, said she's in constant communication with the players and brushed off the idea of any internal problems. She said she is in "frequent dialogue" with players, and based on those conversations she has "no grave concern or panic."

Point guard Sue Bird said of the team grumbling, "I try not to get caught up in it, because this is the way it is. The one thing I've noticed about Anne is she does listen to us."

But Bird did say after the blowout loss Wednesday that the same problems seem to keep popping up. The Storm was no match for the Shock, whose coach, Bill Laimbeer, seemed to be able to take advantage of the Storm's schemes.

Bryant said the team's disappointing start — 5-5 entering tonight's game at Minnesota — does not change her opinion.

"We have all the confidence in the world in Anne Donovan and her ability to lead the franchise," Bryant said. "Nobody likes to lose. It's understandable that people want to ask questions and ponder what's going on. But we're starting the season the same way we started the last two when we made the playoffs.

"There's absolutely no concern or panic on behalf of the organization right now."

Perhaps, but there are issues. The Storm has lost five of its past eight games and has appeared lifeless at times, such as in the 16-point loss to Detroit.

"We need a little bit more of positive re-enforcement instead of just getting criticized a lot," guard Betty Lennox said. "Show each and every last one of us that you believe in us. I don't think we see that as a whole at times."

According to sources, players can't get into a rhythm because if a mistake is made during a game, they're immediately pulled. Others sources say rotations don't put the players in the best position to excel.

Jackson has developed into a league MVP and a five-time All-Star under Donovan, and like Bird was a member of the WNBA's All-Decade team. She spent offseasons early in her career working out with Donovan, whom she once called "the greatest coach" she's had. But Jackson, 26, has become more independent and willing to assert herself and voice her opinions.

After a loss at home to San Antonio, Donovan kept the media waiting 30 minutes after the game, as the team's poor play festered in the players' minds. Following the wait, Jackson said, "It has been three years of the same stuff; the inconsistency has happened a couple of times the last couple of years."

The Storm, which won the WNBA title in 2004, has been beaten in the first round of the playoffs the past two years after slow starts each season. Players insist the climate has grown excessively worse this summer, and that there's no guarantee they'll suddenly click and advance to the postseason.

Cracks in Seattle's armor started to show when former assistants Jenny Boucek and Jessie Kenlaw departed the past two seasons. Neither gave an explanation beyond exhaustion and a pressure-filled work environment. Both have returned to the WNBA — Boucek as Sacramento's coach and Kenlaw as a Houston assistant — but sources say they felt they weren't valued for their contributions in Seattle.

Donovan, whose contract expires in 2008, denied knowing of any discomfort in the work environment. "For me, it was fantastic. I'm going to miss Jessie greatly," Donovan said after Kenlaw resigned in November.

During training camp, Donovan alienated some fans and players with her handling of the battle for the final roster spot.

Barbara Turner, who started nine games for the Storm as a rookie, played overseas in the offseason and kept in constant contact with Donovan. But Turner's Turkish team advanced to the playoffs, causing her to miss all of the Storm's exhibition games. That, combined with Shyra Ely's play in camp, put Turner's job in jeopardy. She forfeited nearly $30,000 in championship money and respect to return for three Storm practices, only to get cut.

"It could have been handled better, but you can't change it," said Turner, now with Houston.

Other teams around the league are having their problems. Connecticut has reached the Eastern Conference finals the past three seasons, but is currently ridding its worst losing streak (five games) since the 2001 season. Houston wants a new coach. Washington fired its coach. And Phoenix fans are trying to figure out why their team can defeat the league's best teams, but lose to the worst.

"People don't talk about things like this unless it's really bad," said Storm assistant coach Shelley Patterson, who coached under Donovan in the defunct ABL. "She [Donovan] has gotten a little bit better, more experienced.

"Our first year in Philly, we were both new at the pro game and had to deal with women who were as old as we were. We had to coach grown women with grown-women expectations and grown-women arguments. It ain't like college, where my opinion is all that counts.

"We had to listen and give and take to see what works best for the team. That's what I see her doing here. And I challenge anyone to step in her shoes and make the decisions she has to make."

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Minnesota est à l'avant dernière place avec 4 victoires et 10 défaites. Elles ont gagné leur dernier match contre Seattle et jouent de mieux en mieux. Seimone Augustus est toujours aussi bonne (meilleure marqueuse de la ligue) et ses coéquipières sont de plus en plus régulières. Les automatismes se mettent en place. Quand elles perdent, c'est de très peu. Elles pourraient avoir une belle fin de saison.

Et enfin Houston, avec 2 victoires et 10 défaites dont j'ai parlé au début de ce billet.