Silver Stars @ Monarchs Game Thread & @ Sparks Hack Recap

So. We lost. The Lynx won. We're currently tied with them in the standings, and there are two games left in each team's schedule. I could talk about the unfortunate loss to the Sparks and the missed opportunities, but instead I'll focus on the positives. And there are several:

Without further ado, a half-hearted attempt to catch up with our Silver Stars, after the jump.

Yes, ma'am!
(Photo taken from SportsPageMagazine)

Game #31: San Antonio Silver Stars 68 (14-18) Vs Los Angeles Sparks 76 (16-16)

The boxscore

My take

Okay, I don't have much time left before gametime, so I'll be quick about it: we were the Globetrotters for a half, and the Generals for the other half. We were Dr. Jekyll, then we turned into Mr. Hyde. We were Batman, then Robin. We were Manu, then not Manu. We were OK, then KO... ...Okay, you get the point.

None of our Big Three played well: Sophia and Ann were merely mediocre, and Becky leaned towards suckiness. Our best player was Shanna Crossley, and that's a pretty good hint of the level of the Stars on Tuesday. We locked down defensively midway through the second and went back to the locker room 8 points ahead in the boxscore, and then we everyone seemed to relax in the second half. No one rotated, fought through picks, or boxed out the Sparks' stars. We somehow got it to 58-60 in the 4th, but then the Sparks went on a run and that pretty much it.

Bottom line, it's not easy for the Stars to play a whole game. And it's worrisome.

• WNBA's official recap.
• Photos.
  
• Highlights.
• Full game.

Your one (Silver) stars

Three stars? For that game? Yuh, roight.

      1st - Shanna Crossley: 6-9 from the field, 3-4 from beyond the arc. That's exactly what we need coming off the bench. There were many reasons we lost, Shanna. You were not one of them.

Game #33: San Antonio Silver Stars (14-18) @ Sacramento Monarchs (11-21)

Matchups

STARS	@	MONARCHS
Becky Hammon	PG	Ticha Penicheiro
Edwige Lawson-Wade	SG	Hamchétou Maïga-Ba
Ann Wauters	C	Rebekkah Brunson
Sophia Young	PF	DeMya Walker
Vickie Johnson	SF	Nicole Powell

Preview

On paper we're better than the Monarchs. For what it's worth.

Official preview.

Stats

What went on before

The Silver Stars and the Monarchs have met three times this season. The Stars won the first one, and then lost the next two. Be afraid, be very afraid.

• June 26th - SAC 52 @ SAS 62 - Recap - Boxscore
  
  
  Some video highlights:

• July 30th - SAS 93 @ SAC 101 - Recap - Boxscore
  
  
• August 11th - SAC 90 @ SAS 73 - Recap - Boxscore
  
  And the highlights:

How can I watch tonight's game?

As I've explained before, some games will be broadcast for free by WNBA.com. If you're interested, follow this link and click on "live access". You'll have to sign up to NBA.com first if you haven't already.

Today we have LIVE ACCESS once more. Expect great! ...Basketball, because the feed will probably suck rocks.

The game starts 9:00 PM, Spurs time. Come, if you're hopeful.

Extras

• Deanna Nolan and Vickie Johnson Named WNBA Players of the Week
  Good for Vickie. Can you believe this is the first time in her career that she wins this accolade? I imagined that in a smaller league like the WNBA she had to have a couple of special weeks that merited POW recognition.
• WNBA Playoffs Begin September 16th
  Becky!!!! (Now you have to make the playoffs.)

Links

Just some links I shamelessly took from the Silver Stars blog Silver Stars Nation. It hasn't been updated in nearly a month, but it's got a lot of great galleries you should browse. The forum is also pretty active, and a good source for Silver Stars news (last link of the list).