Game 7 wrap: Buddhism teaches us that suffering comes from attachment to material things

To be at peace, we must give up attachment to things like “not blowing an 8 point lead in the last 4 minutes of a game”

If you want, you can look at the game details. However, I recommend instead that you look directly into this light.

That’s better.

I am bringing over a tradition from my Warriors site Dub Nation HQ of sharing ancient basketball Zen koans. These are micro-stories meant to push us beyond rational limits on our mind.

1.

Two monks were arguing about a charge/block call.

One said, “The ball handler was moving.”

The other said, “The defender was moving."

They argued back and forth and the video replay was inconclusive.

Hui-neng, the sixth patriarch, said, “It is not the ball handler that moves. It is not the defender that moves. It is your mind that moves.”

The two monks were struck with awe.

2.

What is the Valkyries original playbook, before the team was formed?

3.

If you meet the Buddha in the lane, flagrantly foul the Buddha.

5.

A monk asked Ummon: “What is Buddha?” Ummon answered him: “Look into the flashy thingie and put it behind you like a ponytail. Next game is Friday.”

Apricot In-Game Notes

• From last thread:

  In case you were wondering, from Ingemi:

  [[

  The Golden State Valkyries have not shown interest in trading for Seattle center Li Yueru after she requested a trade, league sources told the Chronicle on Wednesday….

  Yueru, a 6-foot-7 center in her first season with the Storm, is averaging 2.9 points and 1.6 rebounds in 9.1 minutes. Yueru’s representatives requested a trade after her playing time didn’t increase following the first seven games.

  ]]

  https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/article/valkyries-need-bolster-roster-won-t-pursue-20361794.php

  —

  Arnold replied: I hope the Valkyries figure out a way to get Li Yueru. She's a very mobile 6 ft 7 who can run plays from the high post. Good passer and screener.

  —

  I am sure GSV is doing due diligence on the situation. On the plus side, Li is a promising player with extreme height for a team that is undersized and she’s on a rookie contract, so would be under control for this year and two more years, which is a big deal given all the free agency change coming next year.

  On the down side, behind Fagbenle and Linskens, there aren’t any center minutes left, and Linskens can barely get into games. Li is mad because of lack of playing time and when everyone is available, that won’t improve.

• Also, Linskens is getting 8.3 min per game; Li is pissed about 9.1 mpg. So Li will be even more pissed once Fagbenle returns even if she gets all of Linskens’s minutes.

• [On Arnold’s play suggestion] I don’t know a correct, fancy, or internal name for it. If I were writing it in my notes I’d call it a Delay Pin to DHO roll

  Delay = Big man passer near arc

  Pin = pin down screen for Herro

  DHO

  Roll = cut to basket after screen

• [On Leite going wild for a losing team] I do wonder… the interesting comp for JK is Jalen Green. G-League Ignite teammate in same draft, JG to all you can eat bad HOU. JG definitely got paid WAY more money than JK will get, probably, However, he was a negative in the playoffs, benched for crunch time, and had HOU fans weeping at his big contract.

  In GSV’s case, there isn’t really another plan… so Leite will probably get all of Vanloo’s minutes? I guess they could hire a replacement player and play her more minutes than Leite…?

• FYI not a complete surprise, availability update:

  > Tiffany Hayes - OUT - Nose

• No one is on the injury report besides Hayes. I assume they’ll mention OUT - Eurobasket for players when they depart.

• Zandalasini subbing for Tip Hayes as starter. So Burton is the only true ballhandler.

• First play looks like “HORNS 1”, similar to GSW HORNS Flex.

  Second play is HORNS Angle I think, I can’t quite lipread it… and the whole game is restarted. I’ve never seen that before.

• First real play looks like HORNS 5, which I’ve discussed in a video.

  8.33. Fagbenle gets the switch onto a small, then PHX with a suave scram switch to get a big back on Temi. VB gets a pull up to go.

• And ANOTHER shuffle on the catch traveling.. May need a practice focusing on that.

• Cecelia Z muffed an open reverse layup earlier, but hits the corner 3. Really important for her to to that as she’s the only Valk with >40% 3P%

• GSV dominating in the passing lanes. PHX is fighting well for OREBs.

  Vanloo LOVES the skip pass to the opposite side. VB for a 4 pt play. Then another skip to Kayla for a missed 3 that hit every part of the rim.

• Zanadalisini, Fagbenle and Vanloo all on the court. Only need Salaun to have a whole Eurobasket lineup.

• Carla Leite in Q1.1.21. Doesn’t get many touches though.

  Lexie Held is getting all she can eat from 3.

• Not a great minute from Billings, dropped two passes on the pick and roll, and doesn’t track down an OREB that leads to a 3.

• PHX has a really annoying thing of 3 giant flags running around to celebrate each basket, which also block half the screen. TV has to stop that.

  PHX has been blazing from 3. If/when they cool down, GSV can get back into it *without* turnovers.

• Talbot hasn’t been the scorer that I expected, but she hits Kate Martin for the corner 3.

• A SECOND TRAVEL ON THE SHUFFLE ON THE CATCH. Need to crack down on this.

• Local hero Haley Jones in. Full court pressure, which GSV invites. Please don’t throw us into the running game!

  Leite with a cool crossover. She really has acceleration and one of the few on the team that can generate an advantage off the dribble in isolation.

  Q2.6.50. Then Leite gets absolutely knocked into the stands on a crossscreen in the paint. Probably illegal screen, uncalled.

  Kate Martin is very bold at driving straight to the basket to get a foul. But often it’s a block too. (happy Birthday, Kate!)

  Interesting that they aren’t sending any screeners to Leite, so no pick and roll. Just her threat of iso driving warps the D. But Thornton drops a pass… another unforced error. In contrast, Vanloo and Burton always like to have the screen.

• Leite got a screen at Q2.4.40 but it was a flat screen so she could dribble straight at the basket. Flat vs on the side, which usually leads to reading the coverage of the PNR. It must be intentional on GSV, trying to put Leite in more comfortable situations.

  In the meantime, Talbot forces up a bad shot, then doesn’t secure a DREB. Just hasn’t looked right since return from injury.

• Another note on Leite. There was an interesting moment in a previous game where you can hear the coaches saying “let’s call play / wait, Carla doesn’t know that play”. Which is interesting. I can’t think of a good interpretation for Carla.

  Okay, A THIRD TRAVEL ON THE CATCH SHUFFLE. Noooooo

  On that note, I will have limited access to the rest of the game, so post anything interesting for me.

• Okay… I just got home and I see the Valks coughed up a big lead late. Maybe I’ll give myself a few hours before catching up on the video…

• Appreciate OKC for ensuring that GSV will not have the worst loss of the evening (or even week)

• Here is my suggestion for how a fan can improve their court knowledge. (I did this and still do this.)(I may make a video on this in the future.)

  Get the game on something you can rewind. Then

  1. Every time a player scores, rewind the play and just watch that player. That will help you see what they do without the ball.

  2. Then rewatch is to see who their defender is at the start of the play and just follow them. Observe the ways the offense is trying to get away from that defender (usually screens and tricky cuts).

  3. Then rewatch anything interesting. Go back and look at follow a different player each time.

  Yes that means you’ve watched the same play maybe 10+ times.

  Especially watch the plays that someone has an open layup or jumper. Usually it’s because a defender got screened, defenders miscommunicated a switch or there was a good ball fake or cut.

  For instance, applied to the Q1.8.33 play, you see Burton hits a step back. But rewind and see she’s mostly out of the play and then she’s brought in at the end to bail out the play. She calls over a screen from Salaun to force a switch by the smaller defender who has to close out which gives VB the advantage.

  The scram switch I was talking about starts at 8:33. Fagbenle sets a hard screen on #33 which forces the small 33 to switch to her. Temi RUNS to the paint to attack the mismatch by getting the ball to back into the small (i.e. post her up). Before the ball can get there, PHX does a sweet move where a bigger defender leaves Salaun from the opposite side to switch to Temi while 33 switches to Salaun. That kind of switch that happens away from the ball is called a scram switch.

• [On Salaun’s passivity] I don’t know but I thought Salaun was shooting way too early in the clock with not great selection, so I’m not surprised she’s trying to ratchet back. Trying to find that balance of supreme confidence and green light but also being more selective…

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