2024 WNBA PLAYOFFS Discussion Thread (WNBA Finals: New York Liberty vs Minnesota Lynx; NYL WIN 3-2)

[hermes]

sophie tossing bridget around like a sack of flour

[DOT]

Fantastic game, Fever are gonna be real spooky next year, just not enough seasoning yet

Also, clocked a dude in a Trump hat and Larry Bird jersey walking out of the arena. First thought was yeah, that tracks. Second thought was what the hell is that dude doing at a WNBA game?

[hermes]

been a lot of minutes with both point guards on the floor at the same time lately

[hermes]

come on lynx, let's close this out

[hermes]

phee can't be stopped

[hermes]

41 for phee

[hermes]

yay lynx win!

[CIN-C-STAR]

Clark won't play basketball again until April?

She's about to lose a lot of buzz if true. I think she should play overseas just to keep in game shape. That's a lot of time off with no competitive basketball.

Terrible take.
She should rest her body this fall then play pickup w some D1 guys this winter.
WNBA is the cash cow would be idiotic to risk it all for a season in Russia or Israel or something.

Her buzz is strong it would be bad to not play basketball for that long. I'm already skeptical her buzz won't last long just because it's the WNBA. She needs to stay relevant by playing basketball.

Maybe she starts her own podcast like Reese and that keeps her relevant in the social media world.

People are gonna be even more hyped for the WNBA next season dude, not less.
Players like Bueckers are coming in, and their college season will serve as one big advertisement for the W.
You’re way off here. No one is going to forget about Clark in the next 6 months lol

[cdubbz]

Clark won't play basketball again until April?

She's about to lose a lot of buzz if true. I think she should play overseas just to keep in game shape. That's a lot of time off with no competitive basketball.

Terrible take.
She should rest her body this fall then play pickup w some D1 guys this winter.
WNBA is the cash cow would be idiotic to risk it all for a season in Russia or Israel or something.

Her buzz is strong it would be bad to not play basketball for that long. I'm already skeptical her buzz won't last long just because it's the WNBA. She needs to stay relevant by playing basketball.

Maybe she starts her own podcast like Reese and that keeps her relevant in the social media world.

Every bad basketball take is always coming from JustBuzzzzzzzzzin!

[Ice Man]

The good teams went 8--0, now the real playoffs begin. (Bulls fans may know that one of my hobbyhorses is the pointlessness of the first round of the NBA playoffs. Yes the #5 seeds play the #4s tough and sometimes a #6 can bother a #3, but they aren't really any good and will lose the next round anyway. Unless they have Jimmy Butler, that is. I would let only 4 WNBA teams into the playoffs and in fact I even could be talked into just 2, the Eastern and Western regular season champs.)

Well OK the Storm were pretty good, too. I can admit that.

[boogiezen]

That 2-1 format is just bad for basketball.

And the WNBA refs should be fired. Flat out horrendous.

[Ice Man]

Not sure if you are referring to the Clark non calls. The Bonner non call on the 3 seemed clearly wrong, she contacted Clark as Clark was landing. A bad miss by the referees. In contrast, while I thought at first that the Mabrey non call on the 2 point attempt was even worse -- which the announcers suggested -- now I'm not sure. Mabrey did get the ball and in such situations the referees tend to let the defender slam into the attacking player, as Mabrey did. I don't personally like that interpretation of the rule, I think it's dangerous and that shot blockers should stay in their own lanes, but I do see non calls on plays like that in the NBA.

[cupcakesnake]

Why is Griner so mid now?

33-year-old giant. She's lost a step and is a bit of a giant pylon on defense now. Hasn't looked the same since coming back from that living nightmare in Russia.

She still turns it back for brief moments and dominates physically. It can be frustrating to watch her because those glimpses makes it seem like she can still do it if she tries.

I always felt she had a bad defensive stance, and her size and length compensated for it, but now she's noticeably slower and a different player.

[C.lupus]

The good teams went 8--0, now the real playoffs begin. (Bulls fans may know that one of my hobbyhorses is the pointlessness of the first round of the NBA playoffs. Yes the #5 seeds play the #4s tough and sometimes a #6 can bother a #3, but they aren't really any good and will lose the next round anyway. Unless they have Jimmy Butler, that is. I would let only 4 WNBA teams into the playoffs and in fact I even could be talked into just 2, the Eastern and Western regular season champs.)

Well OK the Storm were pretty good, too. I can admit that.

Agreed. Especially when there are only 12 teams. Having 2/3 of the teams get in (some with losing records) just makes it pointless. I could see maybe a wildcard series between 5 and 6 and give the top seed a bye in the first round. Otherwise just go with the top four, at least until the league grows.

[bisme37]

I'm tripping because I swear Collier is bigger than 6'1" but that's what it says on the internet. She plays so much bigger than that. Such a beast.

[bisme37]

[cupcakesnake]

I'm tripping because I swear Collier is bigger than 6'1" but that's what it says on the internet. She plays so much bigger than that. Such a beast.

6'6" wingspan and strong enough to execute her moves through contact. Basically a shooting guard who can operate as your power forward both as a post up player and rebounder. She so often looks immune to bumps, and goes into her moves like she's taking practice shots against a trainer.

It will be fascinating to see if she matches up with Alyssa Thomas, the strongest human in the universe.

[Ice Man]

6'6" wingspan and strong enough to execute her moves through contact. Basically a shooting guard who can operate as your power forward both as a post up player and rebounder. She so often looks immune to bumps, and goes into her moves like she's taking practice shots against a trainer.

As a Bulls fan, I'm conjuring up images of Scottie Pippen, who was roughly the male height equivalent of Phee and long, long, long. Pip could pull up and shoot in the perimeter, post up anybody who wasn't a true big, and averaged 8+ boards per game when at his peak. Not a perfect match, but kinda in the neighborhood.

[cupcakesnake]

6'6" wingspan and strong enough to execute her moves through contact. Basically a shooting guard who can operate as your power forward both as a post up player and rebounder. She so often looks immune to bumps, and goes into her moves like she's taking practice shots against a trainer.

As a Bulls fan, I'm conjuring up images of Scottie Pippen, who was roughly the male height equivalent of Phee and long, long, long. Pip could pull up and shoot in the perimeter, post up anybody who wasn't a true big, and averaged 8+ boards per game when at his peak. Not a perfect match, but kinda in the neighborhood.

Ya I can see it. Swap out some passing and transition game for vastly superior shooting touch.

Scottie posted a ton in the Bulls offense, because the league didn't have many matchups for him. He was one of the few jumbo wings that could handle the ball. Teams basically never had a defender for MJ and Scottie in the same lineup. Phee posts up without any need of a mismatch because she's got the full bag of moves and excellent touch.

[cupcakesnake]

It's just crazy how ruthlessly and efficiently she just cooked the mercury. 40ppg on only 19.5 FGA. Got whatever she wanted, and she rarely misses when she gets her shot.