Connecticut Future

anything is possible of course.  is that what you wanted to hear?  Atlanta at 16 wins right now need to go 4-5 the rest of the way for them to hit 20 wins which is what you think conn can get to.  i wouldn't bet on atl suddenly go 4-5 after figuring it out after the bentley trade.  they are playing so well right now that all their remaining games are winnable.   

I created an account just so I could give my 2 cents on the Sun. Longtime lurker on the site, and wow, some of you guys are unbelievably good cappers.

First off, I would be surprised if the 2 seed is still in play; however, I'm hopeful for a top 4 seed. That being said, if the 1/2 stays Seattle and Atlanta, the Sun can beat either in a series. (Disclaimer: I despise the way Atlanta plays. Creating contact and trying to get to the FT line is not a winning strategy in the playoffs. I will be betting against them come playoffs, and hope the refs swallow their whistles a bit.)

Next, for the Sun to win it all, I'm crossing my fingers for good matchups for them. In a 1 game format, a bad matchup, especially on the road, would be a killer. For all teams of course, not just Conn. I'm hoping the Sun can avoid the Sparks for as long as possible. Minnesota, LV, or Washington would be ideal.

Can the Sun win it all? Of course. On talent alone, wow, they're loaded; however, I think there are major flaws with this team that I hope can be corrected down the stretch. Their biggest Achilles heel I believe though is Miller. As has been stated many times on this forum, his player rotations are very poor. Now, I'm hopeful this problem is just that he doesn't care about the regular season. In the playoffs, my fingers are crossed that he shortens his rotations and gives his horses 34 minutes. Also, he needs to fight for calls. Sticking your hands up in air when getting outshot at the FT line 2:1 is not good enough. Get some Ts down the stretch of the season. Get in refs ears now, and earn calls or noncalls in the playoffs.

My second complaint about Miller is the biggest X factor for the Sun: Jonquel Jones. She was a monster last year. This year, it's not even close. She looks defeated most of the time and has zero confidence. I put that on the coach. A large part of their job is player motivation and psychologist. If she finds her form though, it would be a huge boost for the team. How about closing out a game with A. Thomas, Ogwumike, and Jones as your bigs. No team can match up with that.

When I watch a game, I look for 2 things. Teams will shoot a similar percentage in this league (although for some reason the Sky of all teams get white hot sometimes and shoot 65%). So, I want extra possessions. Can a team get O boards and limit turnovers. Conn can rebound; however, turnovers have been a large problem. In the game against Seattle the other day, Ogwumike was the halftime interview. She was asked about the Sun's high number of first half turnovers. Her response was that it didn't matter how many turnovers they had because they were winning. To me, that is a philosophical mistake, and another thing I will put on the coach. You have to value the basketball and possessions. On the court though, it obviously is not Miller's fault. I think the Sun guard play as been below average. J. Thomas has really unimpressed me. Additionally, I know there are people who liked Bentley, but I think she was playing poorly offensively. That being said, Clarendon has been much worse. She definitely blew the game vs ATL when she couldn't handle a two foot pass when they were up 7 late in the game. Completely lost the game for them with one play. So, improved PG play and keeping turnovers under 12 a game will be key in the playoffs.

Ok. There's my Sun analysis. They really have been unlucky this season. The injuries, team drama, losing two buzzer beaters, and I swear teams shoot 40% from 3s against them all the time. That being said, I still have confidence my Sun future bet will have life at the end of the season.

That was great MikeV, welcome aboard.

I agree about Thomas the point guard, she's below average,....my feeling about her is she's a coach's pet, or looked upon as an emotional leader of the team and that has trumped her actual performance.  I don't get it that her and Stricklen  seem to get more minutes than Courtney Williams, who I think is great.

I don't understand why Tuck never sees the court or that Miller doesn't ever play Jones, A. Thomas and Ogwumike together with Courtney Williams playing point guard for them, put Jones out at the three point line and have the other two operate in the paint.  Jones to me has been terrible this year,....some can't play coming off the bench or get down when they may get sat down for making a mistake.  I wouldn't continue using her the way they have, but now when every game counts, coaches are less likely to play around with rotations, when in reality hoping to catch lightning in a bottle by changing things is their only real chance to get to the finals.   When both Thomases are in, especially at the end of games they lack offensive firepower and of course Alyssa also can't shoot free throws, so they're prone to offensive meltdowns, one reason they've blown a few second half leads that they should have salted away.

Banham and Clarendon should be on the end of the bench and playing in garbage time only.  I'd see if Lexi Brown can play important minutes, but again Miller has made his decisions on who will get minutes and I doubt he'd change his mind now, after they've gotten  a couple of nice wins....the natural inclination will be that they have found themselves and things will get better.