A New York Liberty Fan Examines the Loss to the Chicago Sky

On Sunday, August 28, as New York City and much of New England was enduring the wrath of Hurricane Irene, the New York Liberty (16-13) lost another heartbreaking one-point game. Sadly, many Liberty fans may not have even had electrical power and probably missed the nailbiter altogether.

This time, the potentially devastating one-point loss happened in Chicago against the now-pretentious Chicago Sky. Sunday’s loss to the Sky (14-15) placed the Liberty in a precarious position with the playoffs looming. The next few games will determine the postseason plans for both the Liberty players and fans as well.The disappointing loss was the third for the New York Liberty in August by one measly stinkin’ point.

For the Liberty, Plenette Pierson, Kia Vaughn, Cappie Pondexter and Nicole Powell all scored in double digits and combined for 21 rebounds — compared to Chicago’s Sylvia Fowles’ 14 rebounds for the Sky. Even though Liberty center Kia Vaughn had 8 rebounds, someone has to help Kia keep the other gals out of the paint. When will all-star Kara Braxton start performing?

Cappie Pondexter’s production

At times, it appears as if Cappie Pondexter, the former Chicago high school star, has donned the weight of game in hopes of winning, but she can’t be expected to deliver 20-points, 5 steals and 10 assists every game without sufficient rest. Pondexter gives so much when she is on the court, that it apparently drains her and prohibits her from having a great game every game. The veteran guard covers the court unlike any other player in recent memory.

In the loss to the Sky, Pondexter was held to a pitiful 2 points for the first half. She finished the game with 14, missing a last-second three-pointer that would have won the game. Her averages for the 2011 season thus far are: 18.3 ppg, 4.5 apg, and 1.4 steals per game. For the most part, Pondexter’s stats are down from the previous three seasons. Maybe it’s the lack of serious production from her teammate.

Summary

What the heck? Why are the Liberty players struggling so much? Why can’t Cappie Pondexter get consistent production from her teammates? How did the Lib lose to the lowly Chicago Sky – a team that, lucky for them, hit a last-second three-pointer to win the game?

For whatever reason, the Lib’s defense has consistently fallen apart late in a number of game this season. In the month of August alone, teams have managed to comeback either just prior to the half or within the final minutes of the fourth quarter. A lack of energy during these crucial moments of the game points to a lack of aerobic training and conditioning. And shooting the ball with better accuracy wouldn’t hurt either.

Why do I believe the Liberty aren’t in the best shape? Well, I respectfully offer the game results during the month of August as proof. On three occasions, the Liberty have lost some very winnable games by a single point. Granted, many of the losses have been in games where New York was on the wrong end of the referee’s whistle. On several nights the refs seemed as blind as Mr Magoo! The Liberty can ill afford to allow the game to be so close that a bad call or two becomes fatal.

Giovanni Badalamenti has been a New York Liberty fan since 2001, when he lived in Brooklyn, NY.

Read more from this contributor:
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Sources:

Yahoo!Sports: New York Liberty
Yahoo!Sports: “New York at Chicago box scores”
Yahoo!Sports: Chicago Sky
WNBA.com: 2011 regular season conference standings
Yahoo!Sports: “Prince’s late 3-pointer lifts Sky past Liberty”


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