Dixon Back In 2008

Looking back on the start of the season, fans were split over the January decision to waive Tamecka Dixon. Many were happy, some didn't care, and a few thought it was a mistake. Figure me in the latter category (if you haven't figured that out).

Now that she's proven herself as the Comets second lead scorer, and a front-runner for the WNBA's sixth woman of the year award... most fans have rallied behind her (in spite of her age and former affiliation!).

But Dixon says she won't be waived in 2008.

"I plan on starting the season with the Comets next year," Dixon said. "We won't
go 0-10 to start next season."

We're all aware of the grudge holding and the pouts in professional sports, but Tamecka did neither. Once re-signed, she stepped right in and played her heart out.

With all the talk of who doesn't want to play, and who wants to be traded... it's refreshing to hear from someone who truly wants to be here.

Tina Gets 2000 And Threatens to Leave

In case you missed it, buried obscurely in the previous post, Tina Thompson became only the fourth player in WNBA history to amass 2000 career rebounds... in what now appears like it might be her last game in the league.

The veteran forward has said she might leave the WNBA after this season to concentrate on a more lucrative career playing in Europe.

Thompson reiterated that possibility in an interview before Sunday night's game.

"Playing there for a couple of years, in comparison to playing a couple more years in the WNBA, is something that's more economically feasible for me at this point," she said.

"I haven't thought that much about it during the season. That wasn't something I was making a priority at all. I have another eight or nine months to make a decision."

She hasn't thought much about it during the season??? Please. Her demeanor has said she doesn't want to be here.

1. Does the success of the league, and the hope you give another young American girl, in junior high school, not count?


2. Or do you just want out of your relationship with the Comets? And if so,


3. Was it the changing of the ownership?


4. Was it the changing of leadership?


5. Was it the dismal season?


6. Is it Houston's devoted STH fanbase, but overall shrinking attendance?...


7. Or is it truly economics...?

Because I gotta tell you... combined with her emotional distance this season, this feels like a 'KMA, Comets fans' interview to me.

I'm a HUGE TT fan, and this hurts. I want her to be here. I do. But I guess only...

Time will tell.

Ending On a High Note, V. Sparks

WNBA Playoffs... they ain't what they used to be!

Both teams out of contention, the Comets and Sparks closed out their seasons together in LA Sunday night, and the Comets came out on top, 82-72.

Tina Thompson led the scoring with 22 points and with her seven rebounds, Tina became only the fourth WNBA player (joining Margo Dydek, Yolanda Griffith and lisa leslie) to reach 2,000 career rebounds.

Turnovers: Comets 15, Sparks 20
Steals: Comets 10, Sparks 5
Blocks: Comets 2, Sparks 6
Fast Break Points: Comets 8, Sparks 4
Biggest lead: Comets 10, Sparks 10
Unanswered Points: Comets 8, Sparks 0
Lead Changes: 5
Times Tied: 4
Points in the Paint: Comets 44, Sparks 32
FG%: Comets 48.4, Sparks 43.5
3FG%: Comets 33.3, Sparks 25.0
FT%: Comets 77.3, Sparks 75
Rebounds: Comets 32, Sparks 30

And with four players in double point figures and almost everyone else both playing and scoring, the Comets played hard to the very end. (If the season was 30 days longer, I think we would definitely be in contention).

Tina Thompson 22
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 15
Tamecka Dixon 12 (all hail that decision!)
Michelle Snow 10
Crystal Smith 6
Erin Grant (aka PeeWee) 5
Roneeka Hodges 5
Latasha Byears 3
Sancho Lyttle 2
Mistie Williams 2

Ashley Shields played but didn't score. Swoopes (in spite of rumors) and Turner didn't play.


Sherill Baker led the Sparks and scored a season-high 16 points and seven assists. And my favorite Spark, Jessica Moore, added career bests of 13 points and eight rebounds.

Swoopes Might Play At This Late Date

From the Houston Chronicle:

Sheryl Swoopes has missed all but three games this season with a lower back injury. On Sunday, when the Comets play their final game of the season against the Los Angeles Sparks, coach Karleen Thompson hopes to see Swoopes on the court.

"She has worked really hard to get better this year, and I know it's been tough for her to be watching from the sidelines," Thompson said. "I don't know if she will be playing on Sunday, but I really hope she is."

I'm sitting on my hands to keep from interjecting my own thoughts. Oh... what the heck!:

I would love to believe that Swoopes wants to return to the Comets. I would love to see her back in that uniform. I would absolutely love it. I'm just not so sure she feels that way.

Time will tell.

Comets Deluged by Sky (And TS Erin)

Tropical Storm Erin, with her predictions of "minor street flooding", wreaked havoc on Houston earlier today.

Thanks to "the Angel" and his high water rescue, I'm home safe and sound, but since my car is still high (and hopefully dry) in the parking garage at work, my game experience is by webcast tonight.

And just like TS Erin did, totally unexpectedly, the Sky wreaked havoc on the Comets tonight. Losing this one, pretty much right from the first jump. Chicago started the game by outscoring the Comets 21-2, with Houston pulling to a 41-34 lead at halftime. And that's as good as it got.

Turnovers: Comets 16, Sky 8
Steals: Comets 5, Sky 5
Blocks: Comets 4, Sky 1
Fast Break Points: Comets 7, Sky 8
Biggest lead: Comets 0, Sky 10
Unanswered Points: Comets 3, Sky 0
Lead Changes: 0
Times Tied: 0
Points in the Paint: Comets 20, Sky 24
FG%: Comets 39.1, Sky 43.1
3FG%: Comets 40.9, Sky 50.0
FT%: Comets 94.7, Sky 72.2
Rebounds: Comets 31, Sky 35

The Sky had five players in double figures, but there was a vast point spread amongst the home team Comets. Tina Thompson led the Comets and scored a season-high 33 points on 12 for 20 shooting from the field.

Tina Thompson 33
Tamecka Dixon 14
Sancho Lyttle 8
Michelle Snow 4
Crystal Smith 3
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 3
Roneeka Hodges 3
Ashley Shields 2

Going into this game, we were already out of contention for the playoffs. Perhaps this pitiful performance was a calculated ploy for a better draft pick

(But am I the only one who has a hard time watching the success of Dominique Canty ???).

Friday's Play of the Day

An awesome fast break by Crystal Smith is tagged as "WNBA Play of the Day".

OUTRAGE

I'm hoarse today from screaming... "PUT MISTIE IN!".

And I know that I'm not the only STH who is outraged by Karleen's player selections and substitutions last night.

For the second time in her two seasons with the Houston Comets, Mistie Williams' dad... Chubby Checker attended a game in Toyota Center. And his daughter didn't play.

As in last year's game, Chubby seemed largely embarassed by the attention shown him, utterly bored by the game, and disappointed (as were we all) that his daughter didn't get one single second of playing time.

Chubby seems like a great dad with a good sense of humor. I just don't think he's a basketball fanatic. At one point, I saw him trying to gain Mistie's attention with some sort of vulcan hand signal. And I think I saw her using her hand to both block out the sight and conceal her facial expressions and laughter.

He didn't come to watch a basketball game. He came to see his daughter. I'm sure he would have cheered loudly, had she played.

SIDE NOTE: I know I'm paying special attention to Mistie, in this instance, because her dad is a celebrity... but hear me out:

Mistie is one of my favorite players, anyway. I always want to see her play. She's an academic, and I think she gets better and better with each minute she plays. She's a leader and her enthusiasm is contagious. I think she would likely be a starter on another team. Bottom line... I don't want to lose her.

I just think if we can afford for 'PeeWee' (Erin Grant) can play almost 16 minutes without scroing, we could afford at least 4 or 5 minutes to let Mistie get her feet under her.

I'm just sayin'...

Stayin' Alive With 11th W v. Sacramento

In another tight and exciting game in Toyota Center, the Comets defeated the 17-13 (3rd in the West) Sacramento Monarchs, by a score of 83-75.

At times a dirty foul filled mess, the game was much closer than the score indicates.

Turnovers: Comets 19, Monarchs 11
Fast Break Points: Comets 8, Monarchs 6
Biggest lead: Comets 12, Monarchs 6
Unanswered Points: Comets 2, Monarchs 0
Points in the Paint: Comets 28, Monarchs 24
FG%: Comets 47.5, Monarchs 34.8
3FG%: Comets 50.0, Monarchs 61.5
FT%: Comets 82.8, Monarchs 82.6
Rebounds: Comets 38, Lynx 20

Terrific performances from those we've come to count upon:

Tina Thompson 25
Tamecka Dixon 19
Sancho Lyttle 14
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 6
Crystal Smith 6
Michelle Snow 6
Latasha Byears 4
Roneeka Hodges 3

Erin Grant had 15:56 minutes, 3 rebounds and 4 assists, but didn't score. Swoopes, Turner and Williams didn't play.

Kara Lawson was lead scorer for the Monarchs, with 14 and, very sadly, Yolanda Griffith (10 points) went down with an apparent leg injury, early in the fourth quarter. No matter the rivalry or stakes on the line, I hate seeing ANY player injured.

So... at 11-19, the Comets are another game up over the 9-20 Sparks and closing in on the 14-17 Storm. However slim the chances, hope is still alive for the Comets to make the 2007 playoffs. If only we could call a 'mulligan' on the Tuesday night game against New York!

Comets Denied (by) Liberty

In a critical loss at home, the Comets came up short at 71-77 as the Liberty end their 4 game slump tonight.

The Comets had every chance but failed to put it together.

Turnovers: Comets 13, Liberty 14
Fast Break Points: Comets 2, Liberty 11 (ouch!)
Biggest lead: Comets 2, Liberty 10
Unanswered Points: Comets 0, Liberty 1
Points in the Paint: Comets 38, Liberty 28
FG%: Comets 42.2, Liberty 43.8
3FG%: Comets 20.0, Liberty 36.4
FT%: Comets 78.9, Liberty 61.9
Rebounds: Comets 31, Liberty 32

Three words: FAST BREAK POINTS! And just two more words: THREE POINTERS!

Good performances by the team... just not quit good enough:

Tina Thompson 24
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 16
Michelle Snow 10
Tamecka Dixon 8
Erin Grant 4
Crystal Smith 3
Latasha Byears 3
Mistie Williams 2
Sancho Lyttle 1

The net result of tonight's game is a setback toward making the playoffs. And it doesn't get us even one step closer to a better draft pick.

Comets Squeak Past Lynx, Making It a Clean Sweep

After opening the game on an 11-0 run and increasing the score to 17-3 with 3:02 left, the Comets settled for a 21-12 lead after the first quarter. And it only got worse. The half closed with the Comets up by 7, at 37-30, and the Lynx returned to score the first 8 points in the third quarter to take their first lead.

Fortunately, the tired (on the road, playing last night in Houston) Tina Thompson was able to surge in the fourth quarter, and score 14 of her 26 points and 10rebounds... but she couldn't have done it without the outstanding performance of Tot Byears, off the bench with 17 points and 5 rebounds.

And by a score of 80-77, the Lynx were swept for the season.

Turnovers: Comets 19, Lynx 11
Fast Break Points: Comets 12, Lynx 10
Biggest lead: Comets 14, Lynx 8
Points in the Paint: Comets 40, Lynx 30
FG%: Comets 40.0, Lynx 31.6
3FG%: Comets 33.3, Lynx 12.5
FT%: Comets 85.7, Lynx 89.3
Rebounds: Comets 38, Lynx 38

And now for the point spread:

Tina Thompson 26
Latasha Byears 17
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 12
Michelle Snow 9
Crystal Smith 7
Tamecka Dixon 5
Sancho Lyttle 2
Erin Grant 2

And Seimone Augustus (of course!) led the Lynx with 24.

shhhhhhhh...

"Now we just need to go 7-0 and we will have a legitimate chance to be in the playoffs," said guard Tamecka Dixon.

Comets Top Sparks, In Sleeper

The Comets defeated their (historically) arch-rivals Sparks, 66-56.

It was bound to happen eventually, but I'm not sure anyone expected it: the most boring game of the year, and it was played against the LA Sparks. Another first?... I felt little competitive emotion, and to the contrary, I actually felt sorry for the Sparks... just a little bit.

The first quarter should be billed as a desparate fight for first draft pick, and while the pace picked up a bit, the overall game was still what I would term a 'sleeper'.

Turnovers: Comets 19, Sparks 11
Fast Break Points: Comets 2, Sparks 13
Biggest Lead: Comets 12, Sparks 0
Points in the Paint: Comets 28, Sparks 20
FG%: Comets 32.8, Sparks, 28.6
3FG%: Comets 25.0, Sparks 14.3
FT%: Comets 71.4, Sparks 73.7
Total Rebounds: Comets 50, Sparks 37

Tina Thompson led with 13 points (10 rebounds), and Tamecka Dixon was the only other Comet with double points, with 12 (7 rebounds).

Tina Thompson 13
Tamecka Dixon 12
Sancho Lyttle 9
Michelle Snow 9
Hamchetou Maiga-Ba 6
Roneeka Hodges 5
Crystal Smith 4
Erin Grant 4
Barbara Turner 2
Mistie Williams 2 (yippeeeeee!)

Mwadi Mabika (who if history is any predictor, will soon play for the Comets) was lead scorer and the only Spark in double points, with 10.


*Game Side Note: I had the sincere pleasure of meeting L.A. Forward-Center Jessica Moore's mother tonight. And after visting with 'Mom'... Jessica has a new fan!

*Photo Credit: Bob Levy, Houston Chronicle: Michelle Show shoots over Taj McWilliams-Franklin.