Ballhalla has a lovely tradition of turning out the lights before the 4th quarter and having people wave their phone lights. Then people cheer region by region to identify themselves.
Feels like Bonner has scored the last 15 points for Phoenix. She sets a hard screen to force Carla Leite to switch to her, then backs her down in the post, then gets free throws.
8:30. That's the first time Amihere has flexed her athleticism, getting that OREB.
6:31. Valkyries try multiple pick-and-roll partners with Amihere. Leite, then Zandalasini. Zandalasini makes it work with a kick out to an extremely open Tiffany Hayes who has enough time to contemplate all her life choices before sinking the open three.
5:52. Next up in the controlled scientific experiment is Hayes running the pick-and-roll with Amihere. This time, Hayes throws the traditional pocket pass to the roller, and Amihere makes a very mature read, seeing the help coming off the opposite corner—a kick-out to an open three from Kayla Thornton. The shot’s trajectory massages every part of the rim until it goes through.
5:10. I guess I was incorrect about Veronica Burton, and she is, in fact, the greatest three-point shooter of all time.
Akoa Makani showing her offense at the Valkyries going under the screen on her, hits the 3.
4:19. Play starts with Cecilia and Laeticia. Pick and roll, the defense is off balance as the ball swings around, Amihere with a gorgeous ball fake out of the corner into a screaming red-hot drive for a layup.
3:19. Thomas has showed some serious wilyness with ball fakes in the paint, just shedding defenders left and right. This time she gets Zandalasini.
3:19. More Wave in the commercial break. Mercifully cut short with the t-shirt toss.
Always Close Enough To Hurt™
3:00. Challenging for Janelle to come into a crunch-time game cold off the bench like that. In sharp contrast, Alyssa Thomas is fully warmed up for the roasting flames of everyone trying to guard her.
2.19. Just when I doubt, Janelle gets a gift of three free throws. Huge.
Coach Nakase's heat checking the ending, bringing Salaun and then Zandalasini back in. They set two-sided screens out of Horns for Hayes. He throws 35 dribbles and misses a layup.
0.50. Salaun gets beat on the back door cut for the dagger layup from Mercury. And yes, I used the word dagger there knowingly.
0:10. I guess I have to admit when I'm wrong, and in fact Janelle Salaun has perfect form and is the greatest three-point shooter of all time.
Okay, I know Always Close Enough To Hurt™ is the Valkyries corporate motto, but that game really took it two levels further than necessary. STOP WE WERE ALREADY DEAD
8:20. Salaun defies physics with that contested ultra-flat jumper. In the meantime, the Mercury have been exploiting their advantage inside.
7:39. Somebody is trying to get the wave going. I sense a little bit of resistance from Ballhalla. I know reviews are boring, but... Feels wrong to do the wave during a close game. Critical Mass has finally been achieved and we have ignition on the wave.
6:30. Burton read that touch pass beautifully to Thomas, gets the pick-2 steal.
6:20. I think the Valkyries pull out another surprise 2-3 zone, this time get immediately punished with an open corner 3.
5:40. Phoenix goes for the alley-oop again, and this time Billings reads it perfectly.
Alyssa Thomas has been automatic from the free throw line area.
4.51. If Phoenix is going to go under the screen, Veronica Burton is going to have the green light to shoot that open three.
4:02. I can't agree with Ballhalla's video screen using the "What a dagger" phrase. I personally believe that "dagger" should only be reserved for shots that are game-sealers. Synonymous with night-night shots.
3:20. Carla Leite, this time with a good pocket pass to the rolling Billings, but Mo can't convert. Good sign. These Leite pocket passes have been a real series of misadventures the last few games.
Cecilia continuing where she left off with a pure mid-range shot off the out-of-bounds play.
2.20. Bonner and Thomas are keeping PHX going with some difficult shot making.
GSV +6 OREB, +2 STL. Where would GSV be without the shot advantage? Behind, that’s where they’d be.
1:38. Bonner with another long three. But luckily, Ballhalla has Cecilia Z to match her in bombage.
0.01. Okay, Alyssa Thomas finally misses one of those high-difficulty shots.
2.33. Standing ovation for the trailblazing women pro basketballers of the San Francisco Pioneers and San Jose Lasers.
2:13. Valkyries throw a surprise 2-3 zone. Mercury try a flare screen to the right wing, but get called for an illegal screen.
0.00. Valks have regressed to a more Valks-like three-point shooting percentage: 33%. Phoenix still at 35%. Unfortunately, GSV is shooting under 30% overall—a testament to Phoenix's strong interior defense.
Usually the GSV motto is “we lose money on every sale, but we make it up in volume.™” In this case, Phoenix is actually ahead of the Valkyries in three-point attempts, 20 to 15.
7:10. Amihere is in the game. Immediately has a mix-up with Burton. I'm switching out to the weak corner and they give up an open three.
5:20. Carla Leite with the first jumper I can remember her hitting in a very long time. I guess stepping in three inches from the three-point line made the difference?
4:45. Salaun's jumper has gotten even flatter than it was, hasn't it? She gets the switch onto a much smaller defender, but GSV can't get the ball to her. The shot goes up, and it was predetermined that she would dominate her small defender to get that offensive rebound.
4:31. That's the second alley-oop layup that Phoenix has gotten. I think I know what Nakase is going to be grouchy about at halftime.
3:33. Burton with a layup fueled by boldness and still being pissed off from a few plays ago when she got called for a foul on a wrestling match both ways for post position. She was lucky not to get a tech for that as she flung the ball in frustration after the count was called.
9:30. Kate Martin with a classic example of a yoink. I believe you have my property. What a clean steal.
9.10. Carla Leite again with a missed jumper but she must put some extra French spin on it or something because the Valkyries get another offensive rebound and score.
8:20. Billings to the line. Billings with a sneaky and charismatic ball fake to completely lose her defender in the paint.
7.41. Carla Leite misses the jumper, and AGAIN Valks get the offensive rebound. I tell you there's some kind of spooky magic happening.
Post-game thread coming in a few minutes. See you over there!
I blame the Fever
Post-game
Nakase told them she was proud of them. Eye contact, knew what to run. How connected, how hard they played.
Credit to everyone, because you have to have everyone execute everything. Beautiful basketball. JS tough to come in and produce.
Really tough to lose on a foul and not a shot.
NN: I saw no absolutely no foul on the last play. PHX physicality was 10 times ours, we don’t play that way.
NN: PHX went small so wanted Ceci and Janelle because she could iso
I.e. to attack a mismatch if there was a switch
NN: On the 12-2 run, GSV were taking bad shots.
Very unfortunate that it came down to a free throw. Fans deserve great moments, great shots. A disservice. Begging for consistency from refs.
Ending was selfless, it was a reset play so the players decided how to get the ball to the person they wanted to get a shot.
Q4
Ballhalla has a lovely tradition of turning out the lights before the 4th quarter and having people wave their phone lights. Then people cheer region by region to identify themselves.
Feels like Bonner has scored the last 15 points for Phoenix. She sets a hard screen to force Carla Leite to switch to her, then backs her down in the post, then gets free throws.
8:30. That's the first time Amihere has flexed her athleticism, getting that OREB.
6:31. Valkyries try multiple pick-and-roll partners with Amihere. Leite, then Zandalasini. Zandalasini makes it work with a kick out to an extremely open Tiffany Hayes who has enough time to contemplate all her life choices before sinking the open three.
5:52. Next up in the controlled scientific experiment is Hayes running the pick-and-roll with Amihere. This time, Hayes throws the traditional pocket pass to the roller, and Amihere makes a very mature read, seeing the help coming off the opposite corner—a kick-out to an open three from Kayla Thornton. The shot’s trajectory massages every part of the rim until it goes through.
5:10. I guess I was incorrect about Veronica Burton, and she is, in fact, the greatest three-point shooter of all time.
Akoa Makani showing her offense at the Valkyries going under the screen on her, hits the 3.
4:19. Play starts with Cecilia and Laeticia. Pick and roll, the defense is off balance as the ball swings around, Amihere with a gorgeous ball fake out of the corner into a screaming red-hot drive for a layup.
3:19. Thomas has showed some serious wilyness with ball fakes in the paint, just shedding defenders left and right. This time she gets Zandalasini.
3:19. More Wave in the commercial break. Mercifully cut short with the t-shirt toss.
Always Close Enough To Hurt™
3:00. Challenging for Janelle to come into a crunch-time game cold off the bench like that. In sharp contrast, Alyssa Thomas is fully warmed up for the roasting flames of everyone trying to guard her.
2.19. Just when I doubt, Janelle gets a gift of three free throws. Huge.
Coach Nakase's heat checking the ending, bringing Salaun and then Zandalasini back in. They set two-sided screens out of Horns for Hayes. He throws 35 dribbles and misses a layup.
0.50. Salaun gets beat on the back door cut for the dagger layup from Mercury. And yes, I used the word dagger there knowingly.
0:10. I guess I have to admit when I'm wrong, and in fact Janelle Salaun has perfect form and is the greatest three-point shooter of all time.
Okay, I know Always Close Enough To Hurt™ is the Valkyries corporate motto, but that game really took it two levels further than necessary. STOP WE WERE ALREADY DEAD
Ok, my ears are damaged. But wtf was that foul call?
My heart! 💜
ALWAYS CLOSE ENOUGH TO HURT™
WHY is Salaün in??
She can’t close!
Q3
8:20. Salaun defies physics with that contested ultra-flat jumper. In the meantime, the Mercury have been exploiting their advantage inside.
7:39. Somebody is trying to get the wave going. I sense a little bit of resistance from Ballhalla. I know reviews are boring, but... Feels wrong to do the wave during a close game. Critical Mass has finally been achieved and we have ignition on the wave.
6:30. Burton read that touch pass beautifully to Thomas, gets the pick-2 steal.
6:20. I think the Valkyries pull out another surprise 2-3 zone, this time get immediately punished with an open corner 3.
5:40. Phoenix goes for the alley-oop again, and this time Billings reads it perfectly.
Alyssa Thomas has been automatic from the free throw line area.
4.51. If Phoenix is going to go under the screen, Veronica Burton is going to have the green light to shoot that open three.
4:02. I can't agree with Ballhalla's video screen using the "What a dagger" phrase. I personally believe that "dagger" should only be reserved for shots that are game-sealers. Synonymous with night-night shots.
3:20. Carla Leite, this time with a good pocket pass to the rolling Billings, but Mo can't convert. Good sign. These Leite pocket passes have been a real series of misadventures the last few games.
Cecilia continuing where she left off with a pure mid-range shot off the out-of-bounds play.
2.20. Bonner and Thomas are keeping PHX going with some difficult shot making.
GSV +6 OREB, +2 STL. Where would GSV be without the shot advantage? Behind, that’s where they’d be.
1:38. Bonner with another long three. But luckily, Ballhalla has Cecilia Z to match her in bombage.
0.01. Okay, Alyssa Thomas finally misses one of those high-difficulty shots.
I feel like Burton plays 45 minutes in a 40 minute game. It really feels like she’s just. Always out there.
Watching the game from home today and loving how well Ballhalla energy comes across in the broadcast.
And I am not complaining to being within 4 at the half. 20 more minutes of basketball to get it done!
Q2
2.33. Standing ovation for the trailblazing women pro basketballers of the San Francisco Pioneers and San Jose Lasers.
2:13. Valkyries throw a surprise 2-3 zone. Mercury try a flare screen to the right wing, but get called for an illegal screen.
0.00. Valks have regressed to a more Valks-like three-point shooting percentage: 33%. Phoenix still at 35%. Unfortunately, GSV is shooting under 30% overall—a testament to Phoenix's strong interior defense.
Usually the GSV motto is “we lose money on every sale, but we make it up in volume.™” In this case, Phoenix is actually ahead of the Valkyries in three-point attempts, 20 to 15.
I would like Ceci back out there. Maybe Martin, too.
Oops, didn’t notice the clock. Hope NN comes up with some good adjustments. And the players execute them.
✌🏽Let's go, Valkyries!✌🏽 You can do this!
Q2
7:10. Amihere is in the game. Immediately has a mix-up with Burton. I'm switching out to the weak corner and they give up an open three.
5:20. Carla Leite with the first jumper I can remember her hitting in a very long time. I guess stepping in three inches from the three-point line made the difference?
4:45. Salaun's jumper has gotten even flatter than it was, hasn't it? She gets the switch onto a much smaller defender, but GSV can't get the ball to her. The shot goes up, and it was predetermined that she would dominate her small defender to get that offensive rebound.
4:31. That's the second alley-oop layup that Phoenix has gotten. I think I know what Nakase is going to be grouchy about at halftime.
3:33. Burton with a layup fueled by boldness and still being pissed off from a few plays ago when she got called for a foul on a wrestling match both ways for post position. She was lucky not to get a tech for that as she flung the ball in frustration after the count was called.
Q2
9:30. Kate Martin with a classic example of a yoink. I believe you have my property. What a clean steal.
9.10. Carla Leite again with a missed jumper but she must put some extra French spin on it or something because the Valkyries get another offensive rebound and score.
8:20. Billings to the line. Billings with a sneaky and charismatic ball fake to completely lose her defender in the paint.
7.41. Carla Leite misses the jumper, and AGAIN Valks get the offensive rebound. I tell you there's some kind of spooky magic happening.