Adrenaline, Shaken Not Stirred
If nothing else, the law of averages suggests the Mystics were bound to win a game. Does the law of averages explain the fashion in which they won? Well, who knows, but it was quite the dramatic reversal. The ultimate question is how do they build on it? Building on wins has been their Achilles' heel all season.
The players understood afterward, as you might be able to tell from Taj McWilliams-Franklin's quote in my story for Monday's paper that the adrenaline they funneled into a win today can't sustain the rest of the year. They need to find a tangible way to carry the progress in this win over to more games, beginning with the three prior to the Olympic break.
Here are some quotes from Taj that didn't make it into the hard copy edition.
First on how the defense played: Our defense had some fluidity to it even when we were out of position people were rotating just to help. It was rare that we gave up a wide open shot...people were rotating even when it wasn't their roattion and just hustling back into the play. It's catchy when you play good defense,
And then on how to help that carry over: If everybody commits to doing the defense the way they're supposed to, and they have a clear mindset of what they need to do, we'll be able to sustain that. Even when we don't score like we did tonight. Coach Kenlaw told us in the beginning, in the huddle 'If you don't (stick to your defense) I'm taking you out.' There was no mincing of words. You're either going to do it or you're gonna watch."
On another note, Jessie Kenlaw said repeatedly that she hasn't had time to think about how long she'll serve as head coach or what this season has in store for her or the team. Keep in mind that in eight years as an assistant coach she's never really pursued a head coaching spot.
By
Katie Carrera
|
July 20, 2008; 11:24 PM ET
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Posted by: Guisher | July 21, 2008 12:04 AM
Start Smith? I don't think so. She had a decent game yesterday, but her typical M.O. has been to dribble way too much then make a bad pass or chuck up a shot with the clock winding down. She's actually made me a Nikki Blue fan...for this season, at least.
I'm really sorry I wasn't able to be at yesterday's game, but it was awesome to watch on TV. The players looked like a huge weight had been lifted from their shoulders, and seeing Sheila hug Kenlaw after the game was pretty cool. Yes, it's just one game, but what a game it was!
I'm not ready to make Kenlaw permanent, but I was impressed. Comcast had her miked up and I liked what she had to say to the team. I look forward to exacting some revenge against NY on Wednesday.
Posted by: Kande | July 21, 2008 6:25 AM
Please don't contribute to tyhe myth of Sheila Johnson. She is NOT the "majority owner" of the Mystics. The team is wholly owned by Lincoln Holdings, in which Johnson is a partner. If you think Ted sold her a majority interest in LH, you are not much of a journalist. She is the managing partner for the Mystics (not a very good one, in my opinion), but she is in no way the majority owner.
Posted by: mark | July 21, 2008 8:35 AM
Let's just hope they can keep it going and that they WILL be around next season. As a side note, Katie, it's A-C-H-I-L-L-E-S heel.
Posted by: Mystix4evr | July 21, 2008 5:27 PM
The comments to this entry are closed.
I am beyond confused (befuddled, I guess is the term) for why the coaches don't either start Langhorne and Chrystal Smith or play them for longer stretches at a time. They are clearly better than the alternatives (Sanford and Blue). At least the new coach, (and the players) are honest- this win had little to do with the coaches, and a lot to do with the players committing to playing like professionals. It won't be interesting for me, (a long suffering Mystics fan) to see what happens the rest of the way, I know what will happen. They will stink it up. But hopefully we will be able to get that kid out of MD (Tolliver) to run this team from the draft next year, (if the Mytics still exist after this year). I have a sneaking suspicion that this franchise's run is coming to an end. And for all those folks earlier in the season blogging about 'the reason we don't have any talent is because of salary cap restraints' take a look at Seattle's roster. Salary cap my aunt fanny! Who took the pay-cut 'Ego' Swoopes, or Yolanda Griffith? Perhaps a 20-something year old Swin Cash left money on the table -- Whatever. There are obviously ways around the cap. Our GM is just too intellectually challenged to figure it out.