The Liberty’s superior 3-point shooting, rebounding and defense at the outside and up close, decided Game 1. Jonquel Jones was attracting extra help near the basket. And Sabrina Ionescu plus Breanna Stewart garroted the champs, getting anything they wanted all over the floor.

 

Early, Stewart scored on a baseline cut and fastbreak layup. Then she made New York’s last three shots of the period: a catch-and-shoot triple at the top, used a horns set’s right avenue to dribble to the hole and nailed a jumper at the nail. 

 

Ionescu capitalized in transition following Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s steal, curled into a breakdown on the left side for a scoop and buried a pull-up tray in A’ja Wison’s eye.

 

Defensively, The Liberty were slow to blow up the pull-up shot from Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Wilson. Yet, they held the Aces to three of nine makes to close the frame in the last four minutes.

 

Next, the hosts’ 3-point protection was unrelenting. The Aces snipers saw a hand bothering almost every attempt and drained one of six behind the arc.

 

The offense slowed down, but it eventually exposed the cracks in Las Vegas’ security. Stewart got down to the rim on a face-up, making a layup on the right, used a double screen to find space, and buried a mid-range jumper, plus canned a fader over Gray, taking a 12-point lead in the last 36 seconds of the half.

 

At intermission, the Liberty were up 48-38, with an edge on the glass of four and had taken four extra free throws. The crew had 24 paint points, seven on the break, four via second chances, seven off turnovers and five from the bench.

 

The Aces had 16 interior marks, none in the open court, three on spare tries, eight off turnovers and seven from the reserves.

 

Subsequently, Plum came out of the break blazing, being the lone scorer for her team for over half the interval. She got to the rim from the top using Wilson’s handoff and isolated Ionescu twice for layups, including euro-stepping past her and burying two 3-pointers. Yet, her efforts resembled a fighter who connects on the hard right hand but instantly takes a combo to the face. Spike Lee even talked trash to her from courtside.

 

On the other side, Ionescu beat everyone on the break following Kennedy Burke’s steal and dribbled around a trap on the right side for a three-foot shot. And Stewart made the free throw line her home, making five of six.

 

The fourth quarter started with the hosts up 71-62.

 

Defensively, the squad forced the champs into difficult, contested looks from deep, allowing one of five. Length neutralized Plum, and Wilson didn’t make a fourth-quarter bucket until the game was out of reach.

 

On the attack, Ionescu opened the frame on a coast-to-coast drive plus punished Wilson and Jackie Young for sagging away from long range. And Stewart drained in three paint baskets to close.

 

The Liberty won 87-77. They had a nine-rebound advantage and attempted eight extra freebies. Furthermore, the team totaled 42 paint points, 16 on the break, 11 via second chances, 11 off turnovers and nine from the bench.

 

Stewart racked up 34 marks on 63.2% accuracy, with five rebounds, four assists, two steals, one block and four turnovers. Ionescu added 21 points on nine of 15 looks, with four rebounds, five assists, two steals, one block and three turnovers. And Jones logged 13 points, making four of 10 shots, with 12 rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block and four turnovers.

 

The Aces put up 38 interior digits, six in the open court, seven on spare tries, 15 off turnovers and 11 from the reserves.  

 

Plum amassed 24 points on nine of 17 ventures, with two rebounds, four assists and three giveaways. Wilson had 21 points on 56.3% shooting, with six rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two turnovers. And Young had 17 marks on six of 16 tries, with two rebounds, two assists and two steals.

 

After the game, Stewart said, “We’re hungry… We’re going to be ready on Tuesday” for Game 2.

—

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The WNBA Playoffs commenced with a bang. All the home teams won. Napheesa Collier was the player of the day, notching 38 points on 11 of 19 attempts, with six rebounds and four assists. And A’Ja Wilson was handed her MVP trophy. 

 

Keep in mind that the first round is a best-of-three series, so each loser is already at the cliff’s edge unless they retaliate. 

 

Let’s review Sunday’s action.

 

Leonie Fiebich and Breanna Stewart led the Liberty over the Dream 

 

The Liberty came out blasting. Sabrina Ionescu hit a floater through the middle, then a transition pull-up triple.  Breanna Stuart connected on a deep shot at the top of the key. Then Leonie Fiebich swished a corner tray, forcing Atlanta to call a timeout as the Liberty led 13-4.

 

Fiebich and Ionescu canned another 3-pointer after the stoppage. 

 

Defensively, they held the Dream to nine points through eight-and-a-half minutes, bothering passing lanes and covering the arc. But the hosts were outscored 7-2 to end the first frame in the last 94 seconds.

 

In the second quarter, Fiebich stole an inbound pass in Atlanta territory, instantly scored at the cup, and made a transition layup with contact fed by Jonquel Jones. The latter collected three dimes and four points. And Ionescu’s jumper successfully fell from mid to long range. 

 

In this spurt, the Liberty’s concern was stopping Tina Charles and Naz Hillmon. They combined for six of 10 baskets in the interval.  

 

The Liberty led 48-30 at halftime, had committed two fewer turnovers and were up four on the glass. Additionally, the squad had 16 paint points, seven on the break, 12 off turnovers, two via second chances and none from the bench. 

 

The Dream had 18 interior points, seven in the open court, two on extra tries, five off turnovers and none from the reserves. 

 

Subsequently, Rhyne Howard came out of the break, punishing the Liberty off the catch and bounce from the perimeter, middle and paint. But her efforts just kept the visitors on life support as the deficit was too vast. 

 

Despite the Liberty shooting poorly in the third quarter, Stewie, Jones and Courtney Vandersloot supplied seven digits from the stripe. Additionally, the group defended well without fouling, allowing the Dream one trip to the line. 

 

The fourth quarter started with the Liberty ahead 69-49. Atlanta’s coach, Tanisha Wright, conceded, benching her starters to close the game. Her reserve crew made seven of 16 shots, totaling 20 points. 

 

After, the Liberty coasted until the buzzer, winning 83-69. Furthermore, the team collected 28 paint points, 11 on the break, nine via second chances, 18 off turnovers and six from the bench. 

 

The Dream put up 38 interior marks, 14 in the open court, 10 on extra tries, 14 off turnovers and 22 from the reserves.

 

Game 2 is on Tuesday.

 

Sun burn the Fever

 

Stephanie White, the 2023 coach of the year, had a curve ball for Caitlin Clark and the Fever, starting the game with DeWanna Bonner checking CC instead of DiJonai Carrington. Through the first half, Bonner held her to zero of three makes and slowed down the fastbreak assault because of her length and speed. Alyssa Thomas, a mobile brick wall, got time on her, too, as the match went on. 

 

In spite of Clark getting neutralized as a scorer, the Fever survived the half down eight points. They leaned on  Aliyah Boston’s post moves plus jumper on pick and pop sets, and Mitchell provided relief buckets from deep, medium and short distances. 

 

At halftime, the Sun was up 46-38, committing two fewer turnovers and with an edge on the glass of two. Bonner and Thomas were unforgiving. The former added 16 marks to her sharp defense, shooting up the perimeter and making a fastbreak layup.  The latter dropped four jumpers, a putback, scored in the open court and set up Bonner and Carrington for four dimes without a turnover. 

 

On top of that, the Sun had 30 paint points, 13 on the break, seven on extra tries, 11 off turnovers and 12 from the bench.

 

The Fever had 20 interior digits, two in the open court, seven on second chances, nine off turnovers and 11 from the reserves. 

 

Clark registered one of nine shots, with four dimes, two rebounds and a steal. 

 

In the third quarter, Marina Mabrey splashed three trays, and Carrington put up three baskets at the cup. 

 

Clark, Mitchell and Boston converted eight of 17 attempts in the period, taking all but one of the shots. Yet the Fever were outscored by three. 

 

The fourth quarter started with the Sun on top 68-57. Carrington’s chase-down block on Temi Fagbelnle in the first minute was the play of the game.

 

Then, the Sun took over. By that point, the production in the paint was comparable to a fighter cracking an opponent’s ribs with body shots. 

 

The Sun won 93-69. They added 50 paint points, 18 in the open court, nine via second chances, 16 off turnovers and 41 from the bench. Mabrey’s 27 was the most off the bench in a Playoff game in WNBA history. 

 

The Fever had 36 interior points, nine on the break, seven on extra tries, eight off turnovers and 15 from the reserves.

 

Game 2 is on Wednesday.

 

Minnesota Lynx avoid a meltdown  

 

To start, Napheesa Collier was unsparing, scoring 13 first-quarter points on a drive-by, rim roll, putback, fadeaway and free throws. The ball movement also exposed the Mercury’s defense, capitalizing on open looks galore for Bridget Carleton, Kayla McBride, Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith. 

 

The Lynx made 60% of attempts through 12 minutes and rattled off 14 straight points, too, against tight coverage and the zone. The host defense contested Brittney Griner closely and on time near the basket, and allowed zero easy fastbreak points. 

 

Collier followed up in the second quarter, pouring in two 3-pointers and four freebies. She ended the first half with 23 points on seven of 11 looks, with five rebounds, two assists, one block and a turnover. The rest of her teammates made 13 of 27 shots in that span. 

 

At halftime, the Lynx were ahead 56-42. The game’s largest lead came midway through the second quarter, ahead by 23. 

 

Subsequently, the 3-point protection loosened up. Diana Taurasi, Natasha Cloud, Celeste Taylor and Sophie Cunningham drained seven of 12 deep looks.

 

Meanwhile, the Lynx offense entered a famine. 

 

Cloud continued to light up defenders in the fourth quarter, zooming past them to the basket and nailing one left-side mid-range basket. She even took the lead for her team, going left by Natisha Hiedeman with two minutes left.  Kahleah Copper added 10 points in the frame, too.

 

The Lynx countered with seven straight points- freebies from Collier, a layup from Myisha Hines-Allen and Carleton’s tray- to put the game out of reach.

 

The Lynx won 102-95. They recorded 36 paint points, 13 on the break, 13 via second chances, 12 off turnovers and 16 from the reserves. 

 

The Mercury had 32 interior marks, 12 in the open court, 10 on extra tries, 17 off turnovers and seven from the reserves.

 

 Game 2 is on Wednesday. 

 

Aces handled the Storm in the second half 

 

The visiting Seattle Storm were the nastier team through the first half. An advantage on the boards by 12, plus seven offensive rebounds that turned into nine second-chance points and six digits off turnovers, helped put the champs on their heels.  

 

At halftime, the Category Five Storm led 42-38. Nneka Ogwumike had 13 points, Jordan Horston put up eight with no misses and Skylar Diggins-Smith amassed seven marks on eight attempts. 

 

The defense on Kelsey Plum—locking and trailing well, trapping her, switching length on her by the hoop, and guarding tight on the dribble—held her scoreless on four attempts. MVP A’ja Wilson was also contained to one of eight buckets at short, mid, and long-range in the span by Ogwumike and Mercedes Russell.

 

Then the Aces came out dealing in the third quarter.  Wilson went wild, pivoting through defenders in the lane, outrunning everyone on the break, attacking the basket on face-up plays and hitting a 3-pointer.

 

On defense, the Aces were slow to stop Diggins-Smith getting downhill. Gabby Williams’ jumper was on target, too.

 

Next, the Aces’ defense shut down the Storm in the fourth quarter, authorizing zero of 12 field goals. Ogwumike was held scoreless in the second half as well. 

 

To boot, Tiffany Hayes contributed eight points off the bench in the second half on drives and cuts. 

 

The Aces won 78-67. Additionally, the group had 40 paint points, 11 on the break, six on extra tries, 12 off turnovers and 27 from the bench. 

 

The Storm had 30 interior marks, 11 in the open court, 14 via second chances, 10 off turnovers and 10 from the reserves. 

—

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Former legendary center and Heat standout Shaquille O’Neal came to The OGs’ studio, imparting his wisdom and nonsense. He unfairly ranted about Rudy Gobert, discussed Heat stories, family importance and more.

 

At his peak, O’Neal was the most dominant force in basketball history, second to Wilt Chamberlain. He had moves at close range and unreal athleticism. And it was a wrap if he played with rage.

 

The direction of his stepfather, sergeant Philip Harrison, who he acknowledges as his real father, and mother, are who he credits for setting him straight. As a teen, Shaq said he was a “high-level juvenile delinquent.” He didn’t mention it on the show, but he was also part of a break-dancing team, the Furious Five, and competed on sight with other groups. His name back then was Shocka D, and his ability to fight and move his hips granted him admission into the group. 

 

He stopped hanging out with them after his friends stole a car in Germany on the army base. As the theft began, O’Neal backed away, wanting no part. He left them behind forever.

 

O’Neal has been contumelious because he could, wasted an offseason before getting surgery to avoid camp, and lied about David Robinson in his 2001 memoir. But make no mistake, he is one of the cool, good guys who passed through the NBA. 

 

He’s also generous and hilarious. Never forget when he had a prosperous night at the line and nicknamed himself The Big Havlicek. He modified his Rolls-Royce by removing the steering wheel and inserting one in chrome modeled after Superman, too.

 

When Dennis Scott’s father died, Shaq was the teammate there for him. He removed the mattress from his hotel room, brought it to Scott’s and became his roommate.

 

He did Shaq’s-giving his first two years in Miami, and during Christmas, while he was Shaq-a-Claus, he gifted his teammates lots of his sponsored gear. For example, he left shoes in lockers and once gave his peers nice watches.

 

Let’s review the important topics of this episode.

 

Penny Hardaway and Kobe Bryant

 

Shaq said Penny had everything and didn’t have to “tell him anything.”  Notably, he left out the part where it pissed him off that Hardaway didn’t stick up for him to management during negotiations as Shaq did with everybody.

 

If you read Jeff Pearlman’s book Three Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty, or coach Phil Jackson’s The Last Season: A Team in Search of its Soul, you’ll understand that it bothered Shaq that Kobe didn’t view him as a big brother.  

 

Also, it wasn’t just that Bryant shot too much. While Kurt Rambis was coaching the Lakers, he reminded O’Neal of a coddled relative who had it easier than him growing up. The big man hated the special treatment Bryant got and once wrote Rambis “was always making excuses for Kobe.” 

 

There was respect between the two for their abilities, but they were not friends. O’Neal despised Bryant’s selfish playstyle. Bryant loathed O’Neal’s helplessness to stay in shape.

 

Departing Orlando 

 

He said he left Orlando over money. It was a small factor, but the relationship was finished when the organization didn’t let him properly grieve his grandmother Odessa Chamblis’ death.

 

On a smaller scale, Shaq hated how general manager John Gabriel carried himself as if he did most of the work to get to the ‘95 Finals.

 

Gobert

 

This time, he unfairly said that because Gobert’s making so much money, his accomplishments aren’t enough. O’Neal knows as well as anyone how much big men rely on their teammates to guard the point of attack. In Utah, Gobert didn’t get much help there. The second line of defense, Gobert’s territory, can only recover so much when the first space is cooked.

 

The biggest concern with Gobert’s game is offense. He scores off putbacks and rim rolls against light pressure. He is not a big who creates for himself, which allows his defender to play as a free safety.

 

Big men shooting 

 

O’Neal said, “If I’m the biggest guy out there, I’m not shooting fucking jumpers.“ he also questioned why Joel Embiid takes long shots. In this case, they were only 16.5% of the Philadelphia center’s shot diet. O’Neal recently criticized Victor Wembanyama for the same stuff. 

 

He sounds like an old man screaming to get off his lawn to most people. Yet, O’Neil is right on this topic.

 

Elite size and skills are the great equalizers in basketball. As pretty as it looks for Embiid and Wemby to rise from the perimeter for jumpers, they are bailing out the defense by taking harder shots and not trying to put the opponent in foul trouble. Consider this: Embiid has been first and second the last two seasons in free throw attempts average (11.6), but it could be higher. Embiid averages 9.7 free throws per game in the Playoffs. His speed, strength and close-range arsenal could generate three-to-four more trips. 

 

Wemby’s outside shooting is more problematic. He takes a high volume of outside shots, and he is not good at making them. Even if he does improve, the perimeter is not the area where he will be double-teamed. As long as he stays out there, he is not pressuring the defense as much as he can by going inside.

 

Time with the Heat

 

O’Neal said Heat president Pat Riley challenged him, expecting another ring when he got to Miami. The candid convo inspired him to lose about 40 pounds, and he was second in MVP voting in his first year with the club. 

 

Riley also said that he could give Shaq the money he wanted, but the team would have no one , or he could take less and he would be able to bring back the other pieces. Shaq said, “I gotta win one before ol’ boy gets one,” referring to Bryant.

 

After winning in 2006, Riley still sent letters to his players about his expectations for the upcoming seasons. 

 

Other notable revelations:

 

Udonis Haslem was Shaq’s body fat inspector general. Still, the Big Cactus was apparently using baby oil to look ripped and dupe the evaluation.

 

When asked about his thoughts on the current club, he said the Heat need another big-time scorer.

 

O’Neal claims to be the first to get Riley to change his ways by temporarily pushing back the practice start time. The story goes Riley threatened a $1,000 fine for violating curfew. O’Neil was ready to write a $41,000 check. Riley worried about the other guys and said if it move was made “you better fucking show me something” according to Shaq.  

 

Haslem said Phil Jackson smokes left-handed cigarettes, and Riley smokes right-handed ones. Shaq approved.

 

O’Neil did his dissertation on the different styles of leadership- humorous and serious. Jackson was the former with 30% “seriousness, Riley the latter with 10% humor. O’Neal said more can get done under Jackson’s style. He also used to refer to Jacskon as his “white father.”

 

When discussing NBA contracts and how Luka Dončić could potentially be the first 100 million annual player, Haslem said the three “came out the sack too early.”

 

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One of Angel Reese’s top games of the season unexpectedly became her last. She punished the Los Angeles Sparks at close range on rim rolls, putbacks, and face-up moves but hurt her wrist on a fall, prematurely closing a historic rookie year. Her absence will make it harder for the unit to maintain the eighth seed over the Atlanta Dream. There is only one game of separation in the standings.

 

Reese was the third-best Chicago Sky player behind Chennedy Carter and Marina Mabrey. Mabrey was traded to the Connecticut Sun on July 17. Her future is as bright as the reflecting light from Venus.

 

She averaged 13.6 points on 39.1% shooting with 13.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.5 blocks. Aside from a few stat padding incidents, her biggest issue was scoring. The tally at 0-5 feet was 44.5% accuracy, a hideous mark for the league leader in attempts at that zone. And she made 16 of 55 jumpers between mid and long-range. 

 

Improving her playmaking is necessary, too. She averages more giveaways (2.2) than  dimes (1.9). 

 

Yet, the 2024 SEC Player of the Year and recent WNBA All-Star’s hustle added much to the Sky. She is the league leader in rebounding and second-chance points average/total. Her screening is an effective separator. And she gets to the line fifth-most in the league. Her split at the line is 73.6%, an acceptable mark, but her goal should be cracking at least 80%.

 

The Bayou Barbie was a swinging ball and chain on defense, blowing up the back line as well. It should not surprise anyone if she is voted to either of the two WNBA All-Defensive teams.

 

She must spend the whole offseason (after recovery) working with a former pro she’s comfortable with. Perhaps Shaquille O’Neal, an admirer of her talent, friend and former legendary NBA center, could teach her his deadly drop-step hook. That’s the type of signature move she needs to carve up defenses consistently.

 

Saturday night, she posted, “I never would have imagined the last bucket of my rookie season would be a 3 but maybe that was God saying give them a taste of what they will be seeing more of in Year 2 lol.”

 

Adding the deep shot is a plus and will help her team. But becoming a stretch four is not the way. Reese should take open looks if the defense disrespects her, but she should be at close range as often as possible to score easier, take more charity shots and keep snagging rebounds at a high clip. 

 

Reese was a game-changer through 34 outings. Her season gets a B+.

—

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Former Miami Heat backup center Greg Oden stopped by Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller’s studio for the latest episode of The OGs podcast. It was another bitter-sweet stroll down memory lane.

 

The 2007 Big 10 Freshman of the Year and NBA’s first overall pick is one of the “what-if?” stories. His work at Ohio State distinguished him as the next great big man. Yet injuries and a pit of depression savaged his career.

 

He recorded 88 outings for the Portland Trail Blazers in the regular season and Playoffs in five years. Next, Oden spent three years rehabbing before making his comeback. He had three teams in mind: the Sacramento Kings, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. 

 

The word is the Kings offered a three-year deal on the condition that he plays at least 75 games. He said the Mavericks presented a two-season contract with a player option and they didn’t want him to play the first campaign. And the Heat extended the same pact, but when he got to Miami, kept him waiting five days for a deal.

 

He joined the 2013-14 Heat. He remembers feeling nervous because of his time away. Norris Cole and LeBron James made him comfortable, but he says he was “scared as fuck” of Haslem, who was mean-mugging in the locker room. 

 

The big man was still on a minutes restriction with them. “If I practice, I can’t play the next two days,” Oden said. “Or if I played, I can’t practice the next two days.”

 

The Heat were the back-to-back defending champions then. Notably, that squad exchanged Christmas gifts at Tootsies Cabaret, one of Miami’s most famous strip clubs. Haslem said, “We needed that bonding” because the group played on national TV often and was constantly scrutinized. 

 

That year, the Heat went to their fourth consecutive NBA Finals but were demolished in five games by the San Antonio Spurs. This was a rematch of the previous season’s championship series, which ended in seven games with the Heat victorious. 

 

Oden shared that losing at the end hurt, and he had already picked his middle finger to bear his championship ring. 

 

He added, “I was hoping we [were] going to get it, and I never talked about it, but Kawhi [Leonard] got it cause of Game 3.” Leonard erupted for 29 points on 10 of 13 shots. One of his top moments was posterizing Chris Bosh, a sequence that Oden admits left him visibly startled. 

 

The last time he touched the floor as an NBA player was in Game 4 of the 2014 Finals. He recorded 80 seconds in the fourth quarter of a blowout loss. 

 

Incredibly, after the Spurs waxed the Heat in Game 5, he shared that LeBron was practicing in the Heat’s facility early the morning after the flight back with his mother, Gloria, in attendance. Oden was there for a workout and exit meetings. He was amazed at his teammates’ commitment to excellence. 

 

Also, Oden thought he was healthy enough to keep balling, but no opportunities presented themselves.

 

He is currently an assistant coach for the Butler Bulldogs. He transitioned into that role after being the director of basketball operations. 

 

Of note: Oden said Yao Ming was the toughest player he guarded, praising his fadeaway. 

 

Nikola Jokić, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Nikola Vucevic and Brook Lopez are his favorite big men today.

 

He recently graduated from Ohio State University with his master’s degree.

 

Oden introduced Haslem to a potent, mixed and chilled elixir of Patron and Hennessy. It’s called Patrenessy and was developed by former NFL running back Marshall Lynch. Haslem said it ”can start a jet.”

 

LeBron James was a fan of his when both were Heatles. 

 

And Oden still keeps his playbook from his lone season with the Heat. “I take it to a lot of the coaches and show them things from that year.”

—

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