Mercury Defeat Comets... Again

In an excitement filled nail biter, the Mercury defeated the (Jekyll and Hyde) Comets 76-74 tonight, making it a clean sweep for the season.

It was a tight game, with the exception of the Comets jumping out to a 12-0 lead. The Mercury answered, however, with 14 straight points. There were 9 lead changes, and the score was tied 10 times. It truly wasn't over until the buzzer sounded.

Turnovers: Comets 21, Mercury 22
Fast Break Points: Comets 2, Mercury 22 (OUCH!)
Biggest Lead: Comets 12, Mercury 6
Points in the Paint: Comets 36, Mercury 34
FG%: Comets 37.3%, Mercury 45.9%
3FG%: Comets 26.7%, Mercury 31.6%
FT%: Comets 73.7%, Mercury 87.5% (*See the difference it makes!)
Total Rebounds: Comets 44, Mercury 27

The "on again" Michelle Snow showed up to play tonight, and lead scoring with 21 points, but there was a nice distribution of points:

Michelle Snow 21
Sancho Lyttle 15
Tamecka Dixon 14
Tina Thompson 12
Crystal Smith 8
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 2
Barbara Turner 2

Lead scorers for the Mercury: Diana Taurasi led the Mercury with 19 (awesome) points, and Cappie Pondexter had 14.

It was a tough loss, but for those of us who suffered through watching Sunday's pitiful performance... it was also a relief!

*Game Side Show Side Note: Sheryl Swoopes was on the bench, looking very fresh and attractive, in a brief but simple and beautiful buttery yellow dress.

U G L Y... Sky Squelch Comets

The only good thing I can say about this game is that the Comets lost by 18, and not 29 (the Sky's largest lead of the game).

Two of the Comets scored double points: Barbara Turner (11) and Tina Thompson (10). And there were no other double figures.

How sad is that?

It is as if we were zombies with concrete sneakers and lead weights on our wrists. I can accept a "tired" excuse, but this went beyond "tired".

And for all of you who think the refs are turning tricks for us... I didn't see it. Not in this game. And not that it would have made the slightest difference!

With a record of 8-17, we're again a full game behind la for 6th place in the West. And we face number 3, Phoenix at home on Tuesday night.

Geez... I hope there's enough time to rest!

SASS Fan Viewpoint and League Conspiracy

Last night's game wasn't televised, so my only impression came by webcast.

There has been much talk among fans, however, that Houston played a dirty game and the referees turned their heads. And a photo was provided as proof.

Some fans have gone as far as to say that the League condoned the behavior, because they didn't want to see Houston fail as a franchise.

Here's my reaction:

1. I don't condone, nor do I want to watch a team that plays dirty. Playing hard and physical is one thing, but I don't respect dirty, in the least.
2. I don't want the Comets to emulate the play of the Sparks, of old.
3. This sort of accusation would have never been directed at Van Chancellor's Comets. He never would have allowed that style of play, regardless of standings. His hard fast rules might just be why he was decried by fans. The lesson here? Be careful what you ask for.
4. It wouldn't be the first time a game was settled by referee's calls. I don't condone it, whether it is bad officiating or officiating with an agenda... but the agenda, I understand. Hear me out.
5. I'm a great believer in the League conspiracy. By season 3, the Comets had a 'hit' on their heads with the referees. My theory then was that in order for the League to survive, other markets had to be successful. Though we're in Season 11 now, the success of the League is still tenuous. Perhaps we have come full circle. Perhaps other franchises are now feeling the weighted hand of officiating. It's not fair. In true sport, it's not fair at all. In addition to sport, however, the WNBA is a business, and it's entertainment. I thought then, what I hope you all will think now. If this is what it takes to ensure the League's success and longevity, so be it. What the WNBA provides, in terms of opportunity, hope, inspiration and spirit to young girls and women... is priceless.
6. Not to discount the allegations, but I don't hear the Silver Stars (or their media) whining. According to the San Antonio Express-News: You've got to make baskets to score points, after all, and that wasn't in the Silver Stars' toolbox on Friday. 21 0f 70 from the field, and shooting just 30% (their lowest percentage of the season) doesn't win ball games.

Most Imporatant Win So Far, Over SASS

Or should this post be titled, "Thank You, Tamecka Dixon!".

Tonight, (drum roll...) our Houston Comets both defeated their I-10 rivals and West's best San Antonio Silver Stars 69-63, and rise to 8-16, a half game out of fifth place in the West.

Turnovers: Comets 18, SS 15
Fast Break Points: Comets 13, SS 4 (wow)
Biggest lead: Comets 13, SS 3
Unanswered Points: Comets 1, SS 0
Points in the Paint: Comets 30, SS 20
Field Goals Made-Attempted: Comets 26-57, 45.6%, SS 21-70, 30.0%
3 Pointers Made-Attempted: Comets 4-11, 36.4%, SS 5-25.0%
Free Throws Made-Attempted: Comets 13-20, 65.0%, SS 16-21, 76.2%
Total Rebounds: Comets 34 , Sun 39

It was an exciting and comfortable game to listen to, and the Comets seemed to rise once again to their potential.

Tamecka Dixon 21 (helloooo!)
Tina Thompson 17 (with people all over her!)
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 8
Crystal Smith 8
Michelle Snow 7
Roneeka Hodges 6
Barbara Turner 2

Points don't always tell the story of who contributes to a win. Becky Hammon was held to 11 points. Rebounds and assists played an important part, too:

Tina Thompson 8, 3
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 7, 2
Sancho Lyttle 7, 0
Michelle Snow 5, 2
Roneeka Hodges 4, 1
Tamecka Dixon 3, 2
Crystal Smith 0, 4

We established excellent momentum to take on the Sky on Sunday afternoon!

Sixteenth Loss: Outshined by the Sun

The lead changed five times in the 4th quarter, but the only lead that counts is the final one. So it was another heart stopping close call as the Comets fell to the Sun, 79-81 this afternoon in Connecticut.

If you analyzed the team stats, without counting up the points, you would likely draw the conclusion that Houston pulled off the win:

Turnovers: Comets 12, Sun 14
Fast Break Points: Comets 6, Sun 2
Biggest lead: Comets 6, Sun 6
Unanswered Points: Comets 0, Sun 4
Points in the Paint: Comets 36, Sun 22
Field Goals Made-Attempted: Comets 30-69, 43.5%, Sun 30-65, 46.2%
3 Pointers Made-Attempted: Comets 6-10, 60.0%, Sun 6-16, 37.5%
Free Throws Made-Attempted: Comets 13-15, 86.7%, Sun 15-18, 83.3%
Total Rebounds: Comets 36, Sun 31

The 12-11 Sun (4th in the Eastern Conference), however, were able to close out their sixth win in a row. And the Comets fall to 7-16 (6th of 7 in the Western Conference).

Thompson and Dixon had a great game. And Turner came off the bench to make a huge difference.

Tina Thompson 18
Tamecka Dixon 18 (hellooooo!)
Barbara Turner 15 (nice surprise!)
Sancho Lyttle 10
Michelle Snow 6
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 4
Crystal Smith 4
Ashley Shields 4

Katie Douglas led for the Sun with 25 and Asjha Jones had 22.

Up next for the Comets... Silver Stars in San Antonio, Friday night.

7th Win: Comets Snag One in New York

Madison Square Garden... how sweet it is to snag our second road win of the season against the Liberty, 80-74.

The Comets were ahead much of the game (5 lead changes, 6 ties) but it felt mostly neck-and-neck. Our largest lead was 10 points, but we scored only 3 unanswered points. We outrebounded them 33 to 28, and had one more turnover than the Liberty, 17 to their 16.

Tina Thompson 26
Tamecka Dixon 20 (hello!)
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 10
Sancho Lyttle 6
Michelle Snow 5
Erin Grant 4
Crystal Smith 3
Barbara Turner 2
Mistie Williams 2 (!)
Ashley Shields 2
Roneeka Hodges 0

Cathrine Kraayeveld led for the Liberty, with 31 points!

SIDE NOTE: I can't help but notice that Sheryl Swoopes didn't even appear on the roster, injured, DNP or otherwise. Maybe that's because it was a road game. Or maybe not.

Second Half Lead Blown, Mystics Outwit Comets

Up by 14 points at halftime, their lead was still strong, at 57-48 when Tina Thompson scored with 5:59 left. And then it all fell apart.

The Mystics outscored us 17-1, including 11 unanswered points, in the closing minutes. Tina Thompson (14) and Crystal Smith (12) were the only Comets in double figures. Turnovers were even at 16. and the Mystics outrebounded us 43 to 39.

And the Comets lost their 8th (out of 9) game on the road, 58-65.

With that, we maintain our position in the WNBA underground, and head to New York to meet the (4th in the Eastern Conference with 10-10) Liberty.

PERSONAL NOTE: This was a day game in D.C., and I stayed in at lunch to listen to the fourth quarter. In hindsight, I should have left for a pleasurable lunch!

Tina Thompson (reservist boosted to starter) led the West by scoring 19 points. The Eastern Conference, though, pulled off the win, 103-99.




Cheryl Ford of the Detroit Shock had 16 points and 13 rebounds.
She hit her first career 3-pointer in the second quarter, and was named the All-Star MVP.

The score of today's game was the closest ever in league history, and was only the second time either team topped scored more than 100 points (Western Conference scored 122 points in 2005).

Awesome photo of Tina in action by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images.

Tina Selected to Replace Bird

Reserve power forward Tina Thompson selected by Western Conference Coach Jenny Boucek, of the Monarchs, to replace the injured Sue Bird.

“I believe in giving honor where honor is due and she definitely deserves that, so that’s why she’ll be starting,” Boucek said. “She has been not only a very consistent performer on the court, but she’s been on the top of the league as far as her impact on the players around her. She’s not very bold or outspoken about it, but within the league in inner circles you’ll hear many players speak to the impact that she has had on their lives.”

Boucek said she was impressed by Thompson’s play for the Comets this season, despite the team struggling out of the gate to a 0-10 start.

“I don’t think you have to look any further than this season to know her character as a woman,” Boucek said. “She could have easily bowed out on this season, easily rested or not play hard. She has competed for 40 minutes every game of this season when they were not doing too hot and that impacts people for life. To see her modeling what a professional is and that character, it impacts not only the people on her team, it impacts all of us in the league to see her professionalism and her character.”

Thompson, who has not played in the All-Star Game since 2002 due to injuries, was honored to take to the spot in the starting lineup and appreciated Boucek’s comments.

“I think it’s great. I don’t truly believe there’s a big difference between a starter and a reserve, but the fact that I get an opportunity to start the game says a lot,” Thompson said. “Coach Boucek talked to me about why she chose to put me in that position. I think the reasoning why she decided to do that is probably a lot more important than actually starting in the game itself.

“She talked about what I brought to the game and how she appreciated how I’ve been kind of in the fire this year. Right now we’re five and whatever (***hello, Tina... we're SIX and whatever!), I don’t even know, or I don’t want to know probably. And just that I’ve maintained the same personality that I had when we were winning. She said that’s very hard and it shows a lot about my character and who I am as a person and a player. Those are very kind words, especially coming from someone that I’m competing with on a regular basis and it was sincere.”

Thompson’s All-Star teammates completely agreed with having the WNBA legend get the starting nod.

“There couldn’t have been a better replacement. Not one person could have filled the shoes that Tina fills,” said Phoenix’s Diana Taurasi. “Tina, I don’t want to say she’s our mentor, but she has done a lot for me in the last two or three years playing with her in USA Basketball and over in Russia. I’ve just learned so much from her that it will be nice to be on the court as an All-Star starter with her.”

Thompson is the only player in the All-Star Game who was on a WNBA roster in the league's inaugural season in 1997.

Awesome photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Images.

Attendance

I was just curious how our attendance stacks up against other league games. We're right in there with the rest, in bringing folks into the arena. I tried to find records for the glory years but have been unsuccessful.

Here's a look at this year:

AWAY GAMES

Comets 69, Storm 82 / Attendance : 9,686
Comets 85, Mercury 111 / Attendance: 8,001
Comets 59, Fever 84 / Attendance 5,909
Comets 71, Sparks 74 / Attendance 7,329
Comets 71, Storm 84 / Attendance 7,756
Comets 63, Monarchs 75 / Attendance 7,434
Comets 85, Mercury 90 / Attendance 6,033
Comets 79, Lynx 67 / Attendance 5,741

HOME GAMES

Comets 71, Stars 82 / Attendance: 10,975
Comets 71, Shock 77 / Attendance 8,249
Comets 77, Sun 88 / Attendance 7,339
Comets 67, Monarchs 82 / Attendance 5,709
Comets 74, Sparks 64 / Attendance 7,742
Comets 85, Mystics 95 / Attendance 7,425
Comets 75, Stars 67 / Attendance 6,080
Comets 81, Storm 76 / Attendance 7,319
Comets 75, Mercury 92 / Attendance 8,939
Comets 55, Storm 71 / Attendance 7,645
Comets 77, Fever 79 / Attendance 7,226
Comets 87, Lynx 77 / Attendance 13,218 (Kids Day)

The kids had a great time. And now if they would only purchase season tickets!

Comets Find the Missing Link: 6th Win Against Lynx

Winning their 6th game, 87-77, in a rough and tumble game against the Minnesota Lynx.

It's true that the Lynx reside with the Comets at the bottom of league standings, but this game was important. And the Comets hustled and fought hard for four solid quarters.

It was Kids Day at Toyota Center, and the little ones got to see everyone (who was dressed to) play... and most of them scored:

Michelle Snow 24 (career high tie)
Tina Thompson 22

Tamecka Dixon 15 (take that, ye with little faith)

Ashley Shields 10 (how about that from a community college graduate?)

Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 7
Crystal Smith 5
Latasha Byears 4

In a way, it was disappointing that Minnesota rookie guard from Cy-Fair, Lindsey Harding, wasn't able to play before a "home" crowd. It was learned, just before the game, that Harding will miss the rest of the season with a torn ligament in her knee.

Seimone Augustus (awesome to watch when you're not playing against her!) led the Lynx with 24. Essentially, if she shot the ball, she scored.

"You can't stop her from scoring," Maiga-Ba said. "But we were able to contain her a little and have a hand in her face for every shot."

I really like this Comets team. The bench is deep and mostly young, and our confidence continues to build!

Photo by Megan True, Houston Chronicle.

Closer Than the Score Indicates: Fever 79 Comets 77

The Comets fell just short (77-79) of defeating the league's best, Indiana Fever.

And it wasn't that the Fever played poorly. The Comets played to their potential. Ahead much of the game, and leading by as many as 12 points in the first half, the game ultimately slipped away from them in the final seconds... with 3.8 seconds left, and a half-court shot shot from Tamecka Dixon, the final buzzer sounded.

Detractors, nay-sayers and ye with little faith had to swallow some pride as OLD GALS and l.a. CASTOFFS, Dixon and Byears, really contributed to this win. And notably, for the first time this season, five Comets scored in double figures:

Latasha Byears 15
Tina Thompson 13
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 12
Tamecka Dixon 12
Sancho Lyttle 10
Crystal Smith 9
Michelle Snow 6

Quotable quotes:

Coach Karleen Thompson: "I saw some really good things again." I thought we'd pull it out. I really feel this loss."

Fever forward Tamika Catchings (lead scorer with 23 points): "They've come on really strong and have so much talent. After the way they played tonight for most of the game, I can't imagine how they are on the bottom of the standings in this league."

Photo by Kevin Fujii, Houston Chronicle.

Best And Worst GM's in Houston

Among the best:

Carroll Dawson, the Comets (1997-2006)
He is credited with spearheading efforts that brought Sheryl Swoopes and Cynthia Cooper to town.

Van Chancellor, the Comets (1997-2006)
Took what Dawson started and worked to build a four-time WNBA champion.

And don't miss the last sentence in the article (my tongue is protruding through my cheek)...

"By the way, who's running the last-place Comets?"

Swoopes' Injury

According to this interview with Sheryl Swoopes, I'm willing to predict that she's not coming back... not this season, anyway.

I get the feeling that she doesn't want to come back to play for this particular team, this particular season.

I hope I'm wrong.

Win 5: Lose Our Draft Position!

The Comets defeated the Minnesota Lynx today, 79-67.

On the bright side, we scored our first 'road' win... and we're no longer in last place in the Western Conference, or in the entire league (Comets are 5-13, Lynx are 5-14... and Washington, in the Eastern Conference, is 6-12).

Most would say that we are now in a fierce competition for prime draft choices.

So... did we win or lose today?

It depends on which city we're playing in next year.

Houston Deluged by Storm

So much so that I didn't make it to the game. The bayou was out of its banks and streets were flooded. Granted, by game time, I probably could have made it, but I would have arrived at the half.

And it was way down hill from there, as the Comets were deluged by the Storm, 71-55.

I listened to the WNBA webcast, and drowned my sorrows from home.

Another Comets' First... and Swoopes' Return

The Happy Houston Chronicle points out that, for the first time in the history of the WNBA All-Star Game, the Comets did not have a player voted into the starting lineup. And that's really sad news, for Tina Thompson, especially.

And under the caption, 'Swoopes' return in doubt', Karleen Thompson is quoted as saying, "We are being careful with her injury, but I don't have a good idea on when she will be able to play again."

Transactions: Comets Re-sign Erin Grant

In what seems like a rare event, today... on the 4th of July... the Houston Comets announce the signing (re-signing) of Erin Grant.

Grant, a Texas Tech graduate (receiving All-Big 12 First Team honors for two seasons), was originally drafted (39th overall) by Seattle in 2006. The Comets signed her on April 20, 2007 and after three games (51 minutes, 3 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds), waived her on May 23.

I'm a bit confused by the "trade" (for Tamara Moore), but I have no educated opinion. That just leaves one thing to say:

Welcome back, Erin!

UPDATE: The press release made it to the Houston Comets website.

Transactions: Comets Swap T's: Sign Dixon

So... the Comets waived Tamara Moore and Tari Phillips, in order to sign Tamecka Dixon.

I've always liked Tari, but I have to admit that she hasn't contributed much lately. And I'm not sure it was a great idea to waive (the young and talented) Moore. But I'm ok with signing Dixon, if she's healthy and ready to play.

“I'm excited to be back with the team and to be able to play for Coach Thompson. I feel as if I'm starting anew. I've just been working out, training and hoping for the opportunity to contribute my talent and effort.”

Truth is, I enjoy watching her. I like her 'old school' style of play. While some might disagree, I, personally, like her energy, leadership and determination, and I think there's a place for her here. And yeah, I know, I'm partial to the veterans!

It's amazing and sometimes scary how accurate the rumor mill can be! I'm ok with this one, though... for now.One thing that's confusing me, though, is that we waived two players, one with veteran pay (I'm assuming), but only signed one veteran at veteran pay (I'm assuming)... What else is coming down the pike?

Photo by WNBA.

Houston Waives

The Comets waived Tamara Moore and Tari Phillips today.

Comment withheld, pending future transactions.

16th Makes a Dozen

The planet won again... Mercury 92, Comets 75. Pitiful, really.

Granted, we were without Sheryl Swoopes (still out due to an injury), but they played without Tarausi (who completed her second game of a 2 game suspension... both against Houston).

I'd like to expound upon the highlights, but there were none... well, with the exception of a career high 17 points from Roneeka Hodges.

Not only was this game not fun, it was painful to watch.

Add the rumors that are flying, and it felt oddly like attending a wake, where you know you will see them again... just not in this world.