Up and down season continues

I can't remember the Sparks being this inconsistent since their days at the GW Forum. I know the continued absence of Mwadi is part of the problem, as is Macchi's absence and the injuries that Leslie and Teasley are playing through, but please. New York isn't a bad team, but they are a sub-500 team that doesn't have the talent to beat the Sparks at home if the Sparks played with some enthusiasm. Maybe it was the energy they expended Saturday (a game I missed since I was out of town). They looked flat and tired with the exception of Raffaella Masciadri, who continues to play with a great deal of energy.

Again, there were points in the game when I believe they should have dropped the zone defense and played man on man, but Bibby seems quite stubborn. Maybe this will pay off at a latter point in the season, but there have been some games in which it cost them the win. I don't remember them dropping games like this at home in the first place, and what should have been the game to place them in double digits for wins this season was squandered. Chamique Holdsclaw had a miserable game, but considering how well and how many minutes she has played this season she was probably entitled to an off game. She missed shots she nearly always makes, including several lay-ups. Her defense on Shameka Christon made Christon look like a starter instead of a reserve.

Lisa played well, considering how physically Wauters played her. Whitmore missed some of her usually money shots, and was fouled quite a bit under the basket in the second half without the benefit of calls. The Sparks really need to get it together after the All Star break. They probably won't catch the front runners for home court in the later playoffs, but really need to work on at least trying to finish in second place to have home court in the earlier rounds.