WNBA Finals Game 3: Preview and Game Thread

by Seth Pollack on Oct 4, 2009 11:54 AM EDT in WNBA

The Indiana Fever defense will pay more attention to Penny Taylor in Game 3. Photo by Max Simbron

They say in a 5-game series that the odd games are the one's that matter most. The Mercury took the first game and put Indiana on their heals. The Fever responded in Game 2 and here we are with the winner today taking a significant advantage in the journey for the title.

Whichever team loses today I can guarantee you they will say (and believe) that they are still in it, but for my money the winner of today's game will win this series. That's why I dragged my sorry @$$ from the sunny skies of Arizona to the windy and chilly flatness that is Indiana. This is the game that I didn't want to miss. Of course, I didn't want to miss the previous two games and I certainly wouldn't want to miss a game 5 but that's how championship series go. Every game is the most important game which contradicts what I just said and shows just how many knots you can tie yourself in if you think too much about this stuff.

But I stick to my prediction, the winner today will win the ring.

The Mercury

Reading through the quotes from yesterday's practice, it is clear that the Mercury are focused on playing better defense. In both games so far they've come out early and after the half and given up big leads. While they had some success in battling back, they will try and do some very un-Phoenix-like things in this game.

Diana Taurasi explains what her team needs to do, "We need to clean up some things defensively as far as points in the paint and rebounding. On the other end we need to be more patient, our style of play is to go fast but with their defensive schemes we need to have them play out longer into the shot clock."

Defense. Rebounding. Slow things down.

This is exactly why I've always been skeptical that run-and-gun teams can win in the post season. The game is different and teams almost always end up having to adjust to a different pace and do things they aren't comfortable doing.

It might even be something that seems trivial like longer time outs due to national TV which Taurasi talked about, "..the media time outs feel like they have been about nine minutes long. It's like playing with two halftimes these days."

The key for Phoenix is going to be a better defensive performance from Tangela Smith. In the first two series she played very solid D against Wauters and Leslie while so far in this series she's reverted back to her regular season ways of letting other team's post players catch the ball deep in the post where she's unable to prevent their easy looks. Smith needs to be far more active denying the entry pass and running the floor to prevent the early post play that the Fever like to run.

The Fever

Indiana Coach Lin Dunn thinks that her team is doing a great job. She feels like her team should have won Game 1 and that her defense is responsible for holding Taurasi down. Her only concern seems to be Penny Taylor, "Penny Taylor has been a pain in my...finger. She really is difficult to deal with. We've had matchup problems with her. She is a world renowned player. She was MVP of the World Championships, so her coming off the bench was a real challenge for us."

Taylor will certainly play with her injured tooth. In her dry Aussie style she explained, "I have a beautiful mouth guard. It's a tooth and I don't use it much when I play."

If I were a Fever fan I might be a bit more concerned than that. The chances of Taurasi and Pondexter having another poor shooting game is slim and if the Fever focus too much on Taylor they are going to end up trying to stop DT or CP with single coverage which is simply not possible. Taylor is a great passer and will impact the game even if she's not scoring.

More importantly, in both Games 1 and 2 the Mercury were able to come back from big deficits. Great defensive teams hold leads when they get them. If the Mercury can do a slightly better job on the defensive end and keep from having to use their runs to come back from behind then the Fever will be in big trouble.

The Playoffs

The great thing about post season series is that the level of competition is so high and with time and familiarity teams are able to take away what their opponents want to do. Winners are teams that can get it done despite that.

So far, neither team feels like they played well in their losses and neither team is anywhere close to admitting defeat. These are two stubborn bulls clashing horns and today we will see who's will breaks first.

[Note by Phoenix Stan, 10/04/09 12:32 PM MST ]

Pregame chat with Penny Taylor

Penny's mouth looked fine. No huge bloody gash and no swelling. I asked her if she had looked at the tape where she got it, "No, I'm not interested in that. Today's a new day."

Here's what January had to say about the elbow, "Stuff like that you never want to see happen. It's just one of those things. Habit, going up with an arm bar, especially as a guard you've got to protect yourself going against the bigs. I feel so bad about that."

Taylor talked about the mental focus of the Mercury in Game 2 and for today:

"I'm not sure if it was as much the energy as much as it was the focus. They pinpointed specific areas that we were not so great in and we didn't get them done I think defensively we didn't get done what we needed to. We didn't have the right frame of mind. We can't take them lightly. We can't lose focus on what we need to get done defensively....In this game I think we have a better focus. I can see it in their eyes. They've got the focus and they've got the will."

I was not surprised when I asked her about the Fever focusing more on her defensively. Penny said that her team is deep and if they focus too much on her then someone else will step up. I pretty much could have written that quote myself.

Talking to the Mercury assistent coaches they feel that the front line needs to do a better job defending the Fever posts and the guards need to stop the ball in transition and force Indiana to run their half court sets.

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Comments

Two notes

1 There have been two previous occasions when a team won Game 1 of the Finals at home by 4 points or less. In 1998 Phoenix beat Houston 54-51. In 2004 Connecticut beat Seattle 68-64. In both cases, the team that won the close Game 1 did not win another game in the series.

2 Indiana and Phoenix have met three times with Katie Douglas in the lineup this year. All three games were in Phoenix. Indiana won two, Phoenix had to rally back from double digits down to squeeze out an OT win in the other. Unless the Fever have to play without their leading scorer again, they’re the better team and should close this series out in four.

pilight - October 4, 2009 reply

We'll find out today

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 via mobile reply

Not buying Note 1

In both those cases those were best-of-three series where the home team would have to play the next two on the road.

kpelton - October 4, 2009 reply

And...

Sort of like Phoenix has to do in these next two games?

pilight - October 4, 2009 reply

Except ...

Phoenix is the higher-seeded team, not the lower-seeded one.

kpelton - October 4, 2009 reply

Sitting baseline

waiting for the game to start….this is a “legit” sell out

Conseco is a pretty cool arena. There’s three tiers of seating which make it feel really small. Talk about fans being right on top of the court!

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

There's a small

but rowdy contingent of Mercury fans right behind the Merc bench….and then about 16,000 fever fans

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

Looks like...

Looks like there’s still a few empty seats on TV.

pilight - October 4, 2009 reply

quite a few still

but maybe there’s traffic down town. The Colts game is just wrapping up

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

Colts game ongoing down the street, lines outside to get in still

Malcolm Wells - October 4, 2009 reply

The house is packed!

Malcolm Wells - October 4, 2009 reply

Ebony Hoffman

just came out and grabbed the mic to be pump the crowd up. She’s the next Ced Ceballos

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

Indy....

Anna

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

Fever come out on fire

they are moving w/ more purpose and intensity and are up 15-7 w/ 4:31 in the 1st

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

Mercury are rushing

on the offensive end….if the first look isn’t there they need to slow down a bit and work the ball around more. The way the Fever plays D they will get an open look

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

killa

Catchings intercepts, assists Hoffman on a 3

Malcolm Wells - October 4, 2009 reply

taurasi skates to hoop, but misses

Malcolm Wells - October 4, 2009 reply

"This is exactly why I've always been skeptical that run-and-gun teams can win in the post season."

just so I understand,

the reason you’re skeptical that it’s possible for a run and gun team to win in the post season is because a team which already has a championship lost 1 game to pull even at 1 and 1 in another championship series…

it’s cool, man..it’s cool…

Fritzy - October 4, 2009 reply

something like that

of course the Mercury can get it done. They have a ton of talent but I do think it takes a very special team to do it this way

To be able to flip a switch and play defense at a different level? That’s hard to do

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

One championship

The Merc only won in 2007 because Cheryl Ford got hurt in Game 4, and even then were lucky to steal that game in the final seconds.

pilight - October 4, 2009 reply

Indian-napolis is a basketball hungry town

if pacers and hoosiers aint gettin it done….

Malcolm Wells - October 4, 2009 reply

I really do love

watching good defensive play….and the Fever are playing very good defense

They rotate well. They are active. They are in the passing lanes And they get to their spots well

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

finally taurasi makes some shots

Malcolm Wells - October 4, 2009 reply

Crowd report

W/ 4:29 to go in the half this place is about 85% to 90% full

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

Phoenix is finally putting Pondexter at the point in the 1st half

Scotter - October 4, 2009 reply

Wow

another great game…

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

Taurasi jitters like Shawn Marion, moves like on skates, but can finish shots on the move

like contact like manu ginobili

Malcolm Wells - October 4, 2009 reply

Vicky Johnson

is in the house looking very sharp in a white suit

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

She and Yo Griffith are getting honored at halftime.

pilight - October 4, 2009 reply

Key stat of the half

In the 1st qtr the Fever were 8-0 on second chance points and at the half they are 8-5. Merc are up 18-12 on the glass.

Ann Meyers told me before the game that the key to the Mercury defense was putting the ball in basket so they can get back and set their defense. So far, she’s right as the Mercury out scored the Fever 30-20 in the 2nd

During the season, the Mercury’s best quarter was always in the 3rd. In this series so far the Fever have dominated out of the half.

We’ll see what happens

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

Tight game, but I like that DT and Cappie are playing aggressive

if DT gets hot and Cappie keeps up her scoring, we can win. Bottom line, and what I’ve said all along since before the playoffs: If DT goes thug, we win.

Glad to see Penny out there, and so far she doesn’t seem affected by her injury.

Max Simbron - October 4, 2009 reply

I love how classy

the players in this league are

Seth Pollack - October 4, 2009 reply

totally unlike some of us fans!

Malcolm Wells - October 4, 2009 reply

Weird halftime stat

Weird halftime stat:

Bench points

Indiana 13
Phoenix 10

pilight - October 4, 2009 reply

Not that weird...

Considering the Indiana bench outscored them last game…

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