Finally, I was able to catch my first WNBA game, and even better, I was at the game. I got to watch the Detroit Shock host the Minnesota Lynx in a 98-93 overtime victory (before you tell me that that's a low point total for an overtime game, OT is only 5:00 in women's basketball; add that to the 10:00 quarters, and you've still got a point total that I've seen many pro games fail to attain in three more minutes).
Detroit came down from a 7-point deficit late in the fourth to force overtime. Their solid play in the extra minutes, along with Minnesota's foul trouble, helped them hold the lead through OT for the win. A few notes:
-- At first I was a little upset at the whole presentation. There were banners for each player of the team hanging around that displayed cheesy alliteration like "Ford's Fans" and "Latoya's Loyals." It was a little odd, and seemed like a hokey way to inform everyone of who's on the team.
I was also a little unnerved by the "dance team" present at the game. Now, given the scale of the event and the target demographic, I wasn't exactly expecting Locomotion or the Laker Girls, but I wasn't expecting the "Shock Wave." This group was a bunch of children, ages ranging from in my estimation about 8-14, in short shorts and t-shirts dancing around at any and every moment that presented itself.
My biggest problem is that which I have with any youth dance group, namely that the choreography is a bit questionable -- slightly suggestive, that is. A bunch of pre-teens really shouldn't be shaking their chests, I'm sorry.
Other than that, I warmed up to the idea as the game went on and I took all things into consideration. They were having a good time. It's a great way to get kids involved, and essentially these are the market you have to go for to build the league's future support. Also, everyone seemed to be having a good time as they went all out in timeouts during the end-of-regulation Detroit rally.
"DJ Earl" didn't seem like he quite wanted to be there, and was a bit second-rate as far as DJs are concerned. Oh well.
The most startlingly hilarious aspect of the general aesthetic was the game announcer. The Detroit Pistons' Mason he is not. Half of the words of his mouth were inaudible, and much of it was just a bunch of overexciting yelling. "A" for effort. Little else. But it made me laugh.
All in all, it was a much better presentation than I expected.
-- Candice Wiggins' role, or lack thereof, in the offense until the end of regulation was ultimately frustrating. I admit that that may be in part because of my personal fanatic love of Wiggins, but I would like to think that most people would agree with me here.
Minnesota had strange Larry Brown- and Kobe Bryant-esque features to the game that absolutely killed them. I'll try to explain.
In the Brown sense, the Lynx's coach apparently refuses to start Wiggins at the beginning of either half, despite the fact that she is second in minutes played and points scored only to team superstar Seimone Augustus. Furthermore, on multiple occasions it seemed as if the team's scheme tried to unnecessarily dumb down their plays to only allow Wiggins to pass the ball along the perimeter rather than look for her own shots. When she passed the ball, you could guarantee that she wouldn't see it again unless she rebounded it, no matter how wide open the play subsequently left her. I was hoping to see her come up with something along the lines of her then-17.3 ppg average in the night's performance, but the poor strategy combined with the fact that she was being guarded by Shock phenom Deanna Nolan left her with a 13-point game (obtained mostly in the end of regulation and early OT) before fouling out in the extra period.
I say that I was getting some Kobe feelings about the play of the team mostly because of the role of Seimone Augustus in the offense. All four of the other players on the court seem to be forced to look for her at every possible moment. When she touched the ball, she was the least likely to pass it off, and often opted for contested shots rather than getting the dish to a wide-open teammate. Fortunately for the Lynx, Augustus is the kind of elite talent who can afford to do this -- she had a solid 23-point performance-- but it still was frustrating to watch.
-- Outshining everyone, however, was Detroit superstar Deanna Nolan. Nolan put up an absolutely stunning 43-point performance before fouling out near the end of OT, and was a defensive nightmare for Wiggins and the rest of the Lynx.
All things considered, it was a lot of fun. Despite a slow start to the game, it ended up being very exciting. I'm also going to make it to the Palace for the July 22 matchup in which Detroit will host the LA Sparks, in what will be a meeting of two of the best teams in their respective conferences (and the league as a whole).
Once again, my usual sales pitch. It's a good time, and it's quite inexpensive to go. Get out of the house with some friends, and check it out. Or watch on TV if given the chance. You know there's little else going on right now in the way of other sports. Give women's basketball a chance.
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