WHAT HAPPENS TO A DREAM DEFERRED?
The Dream's McCoughtery Watches It Slip Away During 2011 Finals
You know what? Not counting the 1997 Houston Comets, who were placed in the Western Conference after the league's inaugural season, the Detroit Shock remain the only franchise from the East to win an WNBA championship (they've won three, second only to the Comets). And of course, even they moved to the Western Conference, currently representing Tulsa. While the absence of a dominate force in the East hasn't hurt the league that much, it could in the future. Obviously rivalry is an important part of what makes team sports so exciting. If the scale is tipped in one direction for too long, fan interest can level off. Such was the concern when The Houston Comets won four in a row. We don't come to the arena just to see the home team. We also come to see how they match up against comparable and even slightly superior opposition. Teams that have a great deal riding on them like the Atlanta Dream and Chicago Sky must continue to improve and step up huge in the post season to maintain respect in the East.
LADY LIBER-T
Perhaps The Best To Play For The Liberty, Theresa Weatherspoon
For the Liberty's part, no other franchise has had more trips to the Finals, or postseason for that matter, without taking it all. They've had their share of stellar teams, most notably the original bunch -- Rebecca Lobo, Kim Hampton, Sophia Witherspoon, and the supercharged sparkplug Teresa Weatherspoon who led the league in assists and steals that first season. If there was any team to break up the Houston Comets' dynasty many thought it would be the Liberty. As fate would have it, Houston, blessed with a squad of eye-of-the-tiger all-stars, were simply too much to handle.
DETROIT SHOCK CITY
The Shock Celebrate Number Three
The Sparks, led by the legendary Lisa Leslie, would win two in a row (the last team to repeat) before Bill Laimbeer's Detroit Shock took the crown in '03, '06, and '08. The Shock was a no-nonsense assembly of players who resembled, in many ways, the Bad Boy Detroit Pistons of the 1980s and '90s - teams in which Laimbeer himself played a vital role. Cynthia Ford, Plenette Pierson, and Deanna "Tweety" Nolan mustered enough toughness for two teams and took no prisoners, especially on defense. My guess is that it will take a team of that mindset or similar to turn the tide back to a talent-filled but heartbroken conference.
The odds of an EC franchise winning in 2012? Not the best. Not with the defending champion Lynx and top contender Sparks only adding to their already powerful arsenal. But I'm keeping my eye on the Chicago Sky, who I predict will squeak past The Dream and bolt into the Finals this season. I have a feeling the combo of Cash, Winningham and Fowles, complimented by Prince and Penicheiro will take the East by storm -- before likely coming up short in October. Beyond 2012, who knows? So much depends on what wheeling and dealing goes on during the off-season and the much anticipated 2013 Draft where collegiate sensations Brittany Griner, Skylar Diggins, and Elena Della Donne will finally learn of their fates.
Until then keep hope alive, Eastern Conference. Parity is healthy for the league.
-WNBA Jones
No comments:
Post a Comment