So shoutout to the Lynx for going to Nassau County, the home away from home for The New York Liberty (who had to host the Final there because their main home, The Barclays Center, was being set up for the NBA Draft), and beating the Libs 94-89 Tuesday to win the Commissioner's Cup for the first time ever. Cecilia Zandalasini, who was in the WNBA but came back from playing overseas a couple Years, was the X-Factor for the Lynx as she scored 15 Points in only a dozen Minutes of playing time.
So I guess I should have expected some sort of comedown after lifting a trophy and drinking champagne. But I really didn't think they would go to Dallas on Thursday and lose to the Wings, 94-88, helping Dallas snap an 11-Game losing streak. Oi. They got back on the upside yesterday/Sunday afternoon in Chicago, outscoring the Sky in the Fourth Quarter, 18-5, to defeat Angel Reese and the Sky, 70-62. They remain tied with Connecticut for second-best record in the W, both of whom are only 1 1/2 Games behind league-leading ... New York.
This Week: At New York -- this time in league play, this time in Brooklyn -- tomorrow/Tuesday night, then home to said Sun Thursday and improving but still WNBA bottom-dwellers Washington Saturday.
#-2: Twins (Last Week: -2). Finished the screening Week 4-2, taking both series, at Arizona and at Seattle. Adding the Athletics' series right before last Week, the Twins finished their road trip 6-3, winning two-of-three in all three series. (Oddly enough, they lose the first Game in each series before taking the last two contests.) They are still in second place in the Division, six Games behind a good Cleveland club. Let's hope they continue to mash the ball all around Target Field (they're the hottest Offense in MLB right now) as they host Detroit for three beginning on Tuesday and Houston for a trio starting on Friday.
#-3 (tie): Timberwolves and Wild (Last Week, respectively: Re-Entry! and Re-Entry!). It seems like both clubs have received widespread commendation for their drafts.
The Timberwolves' miracle run was abruptly and inexplicably stopped by Dallas because they didn't have enough guys to generate Offense. But how do you find someone who can if your team is in the second apron and so you don't have the flexibility to make moves? Well, you find cheap help through the Draft. But, you say, don't the Timberwolves have, like, no picks for the rest of time? Not really, even though that surprised the hell out of me. They traded their 2031 First Rounder to, and will swap 2030 First Round picks with, San Antonio (even though the one going from the Woles with the Spurs is Top One-protected) in exchange for the man the Spurs took with the eighth pick in Wednesday's NBA Draft: Kentucky Guard Rob Dillingham, a young guy who can create his own shot out of nowhere. President Of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly knows the team's window is open now and not later, so he went all-in and pretty much sacrificed the franchise's draft picks for the next half-decade to bring in the heir apparent to Mike Conley and, possibly, Anthony Edwards's backcourt mate for the next half-decade. I don't remember him with the Wildcats, but if people say he's an excellent fit, I'll believe them.
As for the Wild, they traded up one spot, from thirteenth to twelth, with The Philadelphia Flyers and tossed in their Third Rounder. I hate moves like that to move up just one spot; it reminds me of The Chicago Bears in the 2017 NFL Draft, who traded up one spot, from third to second, and gave away four picks total to San Francisco, just so they could select Mitch Trubisky. But it looks like this is different because they grabbed someone more than a few writers thought could go in the top five: Zeev Buium, a Defenseman out of the University of Denver. (He's familiar with The Xcel Energy Center; back in April, he and his Pioneers beat Boston College to win this Year's men's hockey championship there.) Scouts rave about his D and his smarts, so it appears as though he and Brock Faber will be the squad's top Defensemen pairing for, well, the next half-decade, just like Ant and Dillingham! I just wonder why Buium slid so far. Is it his height? Oh, well, Aaron Rodgers was Mr. Freefall, and look where he's going to end up. (I mean the Hall Of Fame, not Alex Jones's soon-to-be-destroyed show.)
#-4: United FC (Last Week: -3). This team really pisses me off right now. They had a 2-0 lead at Portland on Saturday and then they fucking choked it away, losing 3-2, capping the collapse by allowing the Timbers' Jonathan Rodriguez to score in the 92nd Minute. D. J. Taylor let the door open for Portland by committing a dumbass foul in the box in the First Half Stoppage Time for a Penalty Kick the Timbers promptly turned in. Motherfucking God.
This is now four Losses in a row for the Loons, and they have slipped down to seventh place in The Western Conference standings. This inexplicable slide cannot be written off to players on international duty or injury, although Kervin Arriaga has been transferred to some squad in Serbia. There are serious weaknesses on Defense and the Strikers aren't striking like they're supposed to. And Tani Oluwaseyi and Dayne St. Clair ain't walking through those doors, at least for now, because Canada has made it into the Knockout Round of the Copa America, so they're going to be away for MNUFC's Match Wednesday at home versus Vancouver and, even if they lose to Venezuela Friday, they might not be back in time for their Sunday night showdown at the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The summer Transfer Window can't come soon enough. Eric Ramsay, who only used two Substitutions vs. Portland, needs more players beyond the ones that are coming back from continental tournaments. (I still think Christian Ramirez would make be a hand-in-glove fit for this team.) Any reinforcements to save a sinking ship that is the SS MNUFC.
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