In The Lane With Lea B.




LOSING TWO:

First, I just want to say calm down everybody. Everything is going to be all right. Yes, the Lynx have dropped two games in a row. I understand that the Lynx seemed a bit invincible for awhile. Yes, we all enjoyed the 18 games at home where the team danced at the end of each game to celebrate a victory. The 10 consecutive wins sent a message throughout the league and that message was clear: Dont mess with Minnesota. What needs to be remembered is in a 34 game WNBA season there are going to be some nights where you get outplayed and lose. Its as simple as that. Of the 22 games played this season the Lynx have dropped five. The losses to LA were disturbing because of the way they lost, getting blown out by 28 and 24, respectively. Coach Mike Thibault clearly has the Mystics playing better and both losses were close battles. Minnesota shot 38 percent in the first tilt and got out rebounded by 20 in the second game. The Chicago game was the first overtime game of the season. The Lynx brought a balanced scoring attack but the Sky beat us in the paint 38-22. I think Cheryl Reeve will use these two games to motivate her team, which by the way, is still sitting at the top of the Western Conference.

MISSING MCCARVILE:

Janel McCarville looked quite stylish sitting on the bench with her fedora at the Mystics game but I would prefer to see her in a basketball uniform. After taking a good shot to the chin early in the last San Antonio game she has been sitting out with a concussion. Her post presence has been missed. Janel is not the type of player that you can judge based on her stat line which is 6 ppg, 4 rpg, and 3 apg. Janel has a big body and she is not afraid to use it to knock players around. She can be an intimidating on the defensive end. Although the coaches would like her to be more aggressive offensively, she makes few mistakes on the floor. The next three games we play will be against teams that all have a sound post presence. Tulsa has Liz Cambage, the Liberty has Plenette Pierson and just picked up DeLisha Milton-Jones and Atlanta has Erika deSouza. Let's hope McCarvile starts feeling better soon!

MORE, MORE, MOORE:

How fun it is to watch Maya Moore each and every game and see all of the different columns she will fill up in a stat sheet? I always appreciate all of the different ways she is able to help her team. So, it was particularly nice when the WNBA recognized her as Western Conference Player of the Week. She can score the ball, rebound it, steal it, and pass it to her teammates as well. Her hustle plays are often not found in the stat sheet. Still a solid contender for MVP.

CLASSY CROWD:

Last, but certainly not least I have to give a shout out to the Lynx fans who were in attendance at the Mystics game. When we lost the game, and we were stunned that Washington had done it again, the crowd stood up and applauded their team. I thought that was a nice way to acknowledge a hard fought battle. What a classy group!


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