USA vs Chinese Taipei game report

Wednesday 12 April 2006

Chinese Taipei really took it to the United States for the first quarter and a half. They made things hard for the US inside (with the notable exception of Tina Thompson), with quick hands and well positioned double and triple teams. They also drove the lane aggressively (unfortunately, their exceptionally poor free throw shooting kept them from fully capitalising on this) and put on an impressive display of streak shooting during this time period. The lead changed hand several times in the first quarter and I think the US were a bit taken aback by Chinese Taipei’s energy. After Chinese Taipei tied it at 31 with about seven and half minutes to go in the second quarter, the US called a time-out and they just dominated after that. They upped their defensive intensity and constantly pushed the ball in transition. Chinese Taipei couldn’t handle the defensive pressure or keep up in transition and their well of outside shooting dried up. This combined with Tina Thompson continuing to own the paint, the game quickly turned into a rout. The US finished the second quarter on a blistering 23-7 run, to go into half time with a comfortable 54-38 lead.

The second half was garbage time but both teams still managed to entertain: the US with their transition play and stifling D, Chinese Taipei with their shotmaking and the pinpoint passes they had to pull off in order to break down the US defence. Chinese Taipei were noticeably tired at the end of the game; the US just wore them down but they can hold their heads up high.

The American combination of stifling D and the resulting easy transition points is a simple and effective winning formula and I’m not sure whether any team in the world has the tools to counter that. The half-court offence looked a bit shaky, but considering they weren’t playing a proper PG most of the time, I think it’s an issue that will be solved with personnel additions. Chinese Taipei are a fun team to watch with their ball movement, backdoor cutting and feisty defence. They’re like a light version of the South Koreans. I hope they do well at the World Championships in Brazil.

Player reviews

The good

Tina Thompson: unstoppable. She owned the Chinese Taipei interior D from the start and was a monster on the boards as well. It should be a great matchup with LJ tonight.

Candace Parker: She’s not going to revolutionise the game but she was very impressive last night and she should be on the World Championships teams in September. Great combination of length, athleticism, court vision and moves in the middle. A 6’5” player running the break with those handles is quite scary. I think she is a natural 4 and should stick to playing there (as opposed to the wing, which I’ve seen suggested elsewhere)

Katie Smith: She is ripped! Her shot wasn’t there last night but she looks in much better shape than last season.

Alana Beard: Her long arms troubled the Chinese Taipei ball-handlers. However, she is not a point guard and hopefully her various coaches realise that.

Seimone Augustus - She didn’t do much in the “regular” rotation but in the final quarter when playing with her fellow young guns, she entertained the crowd with her smooth mid-range jumper.

Jessica Davenport - Basically what Ruth Riley wants to be. Initially, she had problems dealing with the double and triple teams. However, she adjusted as the game went along and in the end, she just overpowered the Chinese Taipei players in the end. I think she’s going to be a solid WNBA player.

The bad

Ruth Riley: she just wasn’t mentally there. She did two nice things in the game, a head fake and drive and a nice block, but besides that it was just sloppy passes, turnovers and fouls. I can see why nobody wants to take Bill’s trade bait.

Shameka Christon: Baby Swoopes? More like ovum of Swoopes. Actually, I don’t see much resemblance to Swoopes’ game at all. I can see upside but she needs good coaching (very wild off the dribble) and she needs to hit the weight room.

Kara Lawson: Looks like she has put on a bit of weight and didn’t do much with the limited court time she had. Even worse, she was being raucous off the bench (disputing ref’s calls, cheering on team-mates quite vocally) with two minutes to go in the game. It would be understandable if this was a close game against a good team but when you’re beating Chinese Taipei by twenty plus, it seems a bit crass.

Other notes

• Cappie Pondexter suffers from height inflation. Listed at 5-9 at some locations, she is more like 5-6/5-7. She is definitely shorter than Kristin Haynie and only slightly taller than Dawn Staley.

• Refs were calling everything tight initially but then relaxed as the game went on. A few too many bail-out calls though.

• The Chinese Taipei players got away with several blatant line violations by blatantly boxing out the American players before the free throw had even left the taker’s hand. They even got away with one where the free throw missed.

• It was interesting to note that when Anne signalled for Cappie to run down the clock with 16 seconds to go, the crowd were a bit bemused and there were even a few boos. In Australia, teams will often play “normally” to the final siren. It’s just a sign of a cultural difference.

• Anne Donovan spotted talking to Jessica Bibby during the Aus/China game.