Welcome to the Basketball Hangover. I write about what’s happening in the WNBA daily as we try to heal from this pandemic.
The Connecticut Sun are the only undefeated team left in this WNBA season.
(PHOTO CREDIT: Chase Stevens/Las Vegas Review-Journal.)
A team that started 0-5 last season turned it upside down this season. The Connecticut Sun are 5-0 to start the 2021 campaign.
And I’m not even sure if you can call it an upset at this point. They defeated title favorites Las Vegas Aces. And, yes, there are some differences with the teams between last year and this year (Jonquel Jones and Liz Cambage weren’t with their respective teams last season). But these are also two excellent teams that were exchanging haymakers in the Wubble postseason.
Both teams can be bruising defensively. But we know the Sun specialize more on that. Even without titanic defender Alyssa Thomas and without all-world perimeter defender Briann January. The Aces were held to 8 points in the first quarter and then only 10 in the third (and to be fair, the Sun were held to 9 points in the second). Las Vegas did cut down the deficit to two points but DeWanna Bonner made a clutch three with 38 seconds left to seal it for the Sun.
The Jones tandem of Jonquel and Brionna provided more offensive damage as they each scored 19 points. But there is something to be said when the Aces only had 54 field goal attempts. Offensive rebounds were huge as the Sun had 12 compared to the measly ONE by the Aces. And the Sun really made the Aces work for their possessions. Still, the Aces are an excellent team and were able to keep it close with the scorching Sun until the end.
Now it makes us really wonder how this team would be had Alyssa Thomas been healthy. But they’re 5-0 all the same and with the Sky losing on Sunday, they are the only undefeated team left in the W.
Bullet Passes
So are the New York Liberty for real? They were the ones to give the first blemish to the Chicago Sky. Candace Parker didn’t play again and that’s starting to worry me.
But Sabrina Ionescu went for 19 points and 12 assists while Betnijah Laney continues to get buckets with 20 points. Courtney Vandersloot had an incredible 14 points and 16 assists in the loss.
The Indiana Fever got on the board with a win over the Washington Mystics. Teaira McCowan and Jessica Breland had identical 17-point, 10-board games while Kelsey Mitchell had 18 points.
Tina Charles had 31 points and 9 boards. It’s her second straight game over 30 points. But it still wasn’t enough.
Here are words from Liz Cambage.
Liz Cambage addressing Curt Miller on IG 👀🍿 #WNBA pic.twitter.com/IRTR7ESROJ
— W Lead (@WNBALead) May 24, 2021
It’s extremely disappointing from Sun coach Curt Miller to say things like that. People (including myself) can be real sensitive about weight and those comments from Miller can be very hurtful. Miller has since apologized and I really hope he’s learned from this. Coach Miller isn’t exactly young and for him to say that means he’s got a lot of catching up to do. I really do hope he’s learned from what he did.
WNBA Scoreboard
May 23, 2021
Watch This Play
This dime by Sabrina Ionescu to Natasha Howard is exquisite.
.@sabrina_i20and @nhoward1033 are gonna be a problem! 🗽 pic.twitter.com/RElU1Dpoi8
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 23, 2021
The Liberty are now 4-1 and certainly a pleasant surprise.
Everyone, please take care of yourselves during this pandemic. And that goes for everyone involved with the WNBA as well.
You can find Rey-Rey on Twitter at @TheNoLookPass.
You can also check out Rey-Rey’s podcast, Rey-Rey Is Fundamental, for more basketball content and, really, whatever else.
R.I.P. Nala.