Offensive Measures

The biggest gap in last night's loss wasn't the score, it was the difference between two players--Seimone Augustus and Katie Douglas. During the game, the ESPN announcers frequently brought up the thought that many other players--and Seimone herself--believe she's the best offensive player in the league today. On natural talent alone, that's a good argument to make. However as we saw last night, it's when that offense is applied, and also the ability to play defense that wins games. SA has a ton of talent, and is a marvel to watch, but her inability to stop Douglas and/or score at the end of the game was crucial to the Lynx's defeat.

Of course, you can't play 1-on-5 in this league and expect to win many games. Zierden's offensive strategy seems to have three legs: transition scoring, pick and roll, and perimeter movement of the ball for a three point shot. This team--whether Harding is healthy or not--has extreme difficulty in a structured, half court offense. That could be simply because of youth, but I think it goes deeper. As a coach, Zierden is an able assistant, but seems unprepared to handle the demands of a head coaching position. To his credit, this team has generally played hard during the season, and last night on national television they displayed a good amount of grit; but they are woefully unprepared and disorganized. How many times this year have they come out of a time out on offense only to turn the ball over? Why does Seimone seem to disappear during stretches of the game? The problem with this team is that there are too many questions, and not enough answers.

From a stats perspective, they are holding their own in many categories. Last night they dominated the boards, which helped the ladies to stay in the game, and created many offensive opportunities in transition. They shot well from three point distance, and buckled down on defense enough in the second half to make the overall shooting percentage close enough. Tiffany Stansbury has shown an increased amount of aggressiveness in the paint, but only shot 50% at the free throw line. If you're going to be Shaq-like at the stripe, you had better finish well or draw fouls against the opposition's best post player. Given that all year I've been harping on the lack of low post acumen, Stansbury has been a welcome addition to the starting squad, but --like the rest of the team--is a work in progress.

In the final analysis, the Lynx were right there, positioned to steal one on the road. It was the ability of Douglas to take over the game--giving Whalen a nod for the assist--and the inability of our team to deal with it that lost the game. If Seimone is a true team player, she should take a few lessons from last night's game. Be an offensive machine when it counts, and don't forget about defense. With a little more tough mindedness--along with better coaching and talent--this team will truly be able to build around you.