Why Adelaide lost - my Sydney/Adelaide game report

Sunday 15 February 2004

Defence and rebounding supposedly wins championships.

Adelaide rebounded better than Sydney yesterday and while both teams played great D, Adelaide was probably the better team on the defensive end. So why did they lose?

It seems Jan Stirling has forgotten the other component of the equation which is OFFENCE.

Adelaide had their chances to get back at Sydney yesterday but weren't competent enough on the offensive end to take advantage of their good work on the defensive end. The third quarter was a good example of this - Adelaide were getting defensive stops but couldn't make significant inroads into the Flames' lead. Yes, Sydney played great D but Adelaide just looked lost on offence. Adelaide were hitting some perimeter shots for a change (Deanna Smith in particular) but the other aspects of their offensive game were absent. There was little penetration and their inside game was almost non-existent. They were also missing quite a few easy chippies.

Not that Sydney were particularly sparkling on offence either - "last second shot jacking" syndrome reared its ugly head a few too many times for my liking but Sydney won the game because they were aggressive off the dribble (I think they should have been MORE aggressive) while Adelaide weren't. Yes, Adelaide made a rush at Sydney at the end of the game but it was too little, too late.

Of course this worries me because Jan Stirling is Opals coach. If the Opals played offence like Adelaide did yesterday, they'll be lucky to win a medal at all. I'm sure some smartarse will comment that if the whole team stayed away from the WNBA and trained together, there won't be this problem but if Jan Stirling and Adelaide couldn't put together a half-decent offensive game plan through the whole WNBL season - why is it going to happen for the Opals? Yes, we're stuck with a turkey here.

Other comments

Belinda Snell is a stud. Yes we all know how much I like to rave about Snelly but she put in another superb performance yesterday. Yesterday she showed that her defensive skills have really improved over the years with brilliant ball anticipation and relentless hustle that never let up (she was only rested for 40 seconds or so in yesterday's game). She was superb offensively in the first half and while she was quiet in the second half, she did nail some key baskets in the final quarter. Right now, she could be the third best Australian player - behing Lauren Jackson and Penny Taylor of course.

The reffing was shit. I heard Adelaide fans whinge about it yesterday but what the heck are they whinging about? Adelaide got away with A LOT of bumping and slapping. This game wasn't a good one for Megan Thomson especially (not that I am surprised).

Erin Phillips is a player. Her pull-up jumper is really nice to watch and she plays hard on both ends of the court. I think she needs to move to another team though as I think Adelaide is cramping her style.

Michelle Brogan is a sad shadow of what she once was. She can still rebound but she looks out of shape and was missing on the offensive end yesterday (and missed some really easy shots). If she makes the Opals team, it will be a travesty. On the other hand, Rachel Sporn looks good though her presence on the offensive end was also patchy.

Tammy Hoare showed up in this game which was great to see. They really need her next week against Dandenong as Dandenong will have problems with her if she decides to bring it. I was also impressed with Emma Randall's boxing out which has improved markedly over the last couple of games. She needs to work on her offensive moves though - she has a tendency to get stuffed when she goes to the basket.

Laura Summerton must have some hoodoo against the Flames - she was once again MIA. Hammonds was also quiet but she did grab some key rebounds. Sydney's rebounding effort was solid against the best rebounding team in the WNBL.

Game highlights:

* The first five minutes - both teams were on fire from the field. 17-all after five minutes of the first quarter! Of course being an Adelaide game, this wasn't to last. In fact, Adelaide didn't score a single point in the last 5 minutes of the first quarter (typical).

* Tammy Hoare's pick on Erin Phillips. Poor Erin never stood a chance. It took her 10-12 seconds to recover and get back in position.

* Belinda Snell (see above)

* Skipping demonstration at half time - better than most of the half time entertainment seen this season.

* Adelaide's comeback. Of course I wasn't enjoying it from a Flames fan's perspective but it was good to see them make a game of it after being down by 13 with four and a half minutes to go.

This is my final live game report of the season :( It's been a great WNBL season and I hope it finishes with a bang with a mighty Sydney win in Melbourne this weekend. Go Flames - I believe!