Women's Hoops Blog

Inane commentary on a game that deserves far better


Saturday, June 21, 2008

Deanna Nolan virtually defeated the Lynx by herself. The player with the best ups, and maybe the speediest drives, in the W scored 44, a career and franchise high, in an overtime victory.

Nolan tallied the last two three pointers and then the last three free throws of regulation, by which the Shock forced the extra frame, then made the go-ahead buckets in OT. "Once she got rolling it was fun to watch," said coach Laimbeer. "They couldn't stop her and we needed every point."

The Lynx blew a five-point lead in the final minute: some question the calls coach Zierden made. When you're up three with one possession left, you have no fouls to give, and your opponent has a sideline inbounds, should you foul deliberately, or guard without fouling and contest the inevitable three-point shot?

It's a debate that will rage for as long as there's basketball, since the deliberate foul allows for a reverse three-point play on a miss and an O-board, especially if the floor includes Cheryl Ford. And yet Lynx fans might well feel Z made the wrong call.