#-1: Lynx (Last Week: -2). Another tight race, each entry having good wins but many, many reasons not go put them on top. I have to give this week's Crown Of Thorns/Shit to the Lynx and their 1-1 record. They got the bad news out of the way first; they were up by 7 heading into the 4th quarter at Seattle Sunday and were constricted by the Storm, finally coughing up a lead with 10.3 seconds left in the game in a 72-69 loss that sent the Lynx down to third place in the Western Conference. It's nice to see that they can remain competitive on the road, but the clutch play I saw in person from this team over three wins isn't reflected in the final stanza's 19-9 disadvantage.
But the good news is they beat the conference leader Phoenix Wednesday night, and convincingly, 99-86. Yeah, the LifeLock were without leader Diana Taurasi, serving the second game of a two-game suspension for her "extreme" DUI (if you really want to do something to combat drunk driving, shouldn't all DUI's be "extreme?"), so the Lynx dodged a major bullet. But I'd like to believe that this means they're able to use their talent and control a team without its top scorer, even on the road. And they repelled Phoenix's comeback at the end of the third quarter by going on a 10-2 run to put the game away for good.
The Lynx now rest for the All-Star break ... except for C Nicky Anosike and F Charde Houston, who were both named as reserves for the ASG's West team! Also, Mark Bodenrader, staff writer for WNBA.com singles out Houston for the equivalent of Most Improved Player. After the ASG on Saturday, they begin the second half of the season hosting the Los Angeles Farmers Tuesday.
#-2: Timberwolves (Re-Entry!). What puts them back on the survey is the trade that sent Bassy, the Rhino and the Mad Dog to the Clippers in exchange for Quentin Richardson's contract. David Kahn is actively reshaping his roster in his own image, or at least trying to jettison any trace of Kevin McHale's failed administration. That's a positive thing, I guess, but believe it or don't, I didn't think the team, constituted as it was at the end of last season, was bad. In fact, I felt pretty sure there was reason to hope they'd be much better next year. But Kahn just traded a surprisingly effective forward who had a spot coming off the bench (Craig Smith), a veteran PG who would have played many minutes spelling Jonny Flynn (Sebastian Telfair) and ... the team's towel-waver but a fan favorite and a huge help with the team's public relations (Mark Madsen) in favor of a poor-shooting disappointment who has now been traded for the third time in a month. You could argue that McHale burned the whole thing down as soon as he traded McHale. So why do it again? And why the hell did you draft Ricky Rubio if he doesn't want to play in Minnesota?
#-3: Twins (Last Week: -3). A 3-3 week, just as even-steven as the Lynx. But what puts them in the bottom are the two losses to Oakland. How in the hell can you be up 12-2 and lose? And how in the fuck do you get your asses blown off by a franchise that has given up on the season by a goddamn score of 16-1? This reinforces a grim prediction made by many: These guys can't win on the road. Yes, they did win three games, but do you think a World Series team should be outscored in a series 32-17?
Even worse, 3B Joe Crede and potentially SP Glen Perkins (the perpetrator of the shit game yesterday afternoon) are going to see a shoulder specialist in Anaheim. Meanwhile, they found it fit to call back up RP Jesse Crain; maybe he'll be able to hold down the fort this time around. They play the Anaheim Angels (yeah, I said it "Los Angeles" officials -- whatcha gonna do?) for four games, and then they finally come back home to play a trio with the White Sox.
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