Dishin & Swishin September 22, 2011 Podcast: Previewing the WNBA Conference Finals
Today’s Guests are Indiana Fever coach Lin Dunn, television broadcasters Debbie Antonelli and LaChina Robinson, and Slam! writers Ben York and Stephen Litel.
Finally (please pardon the pun), we have reached the conference finals of the 2011 WNBA season. Two teams that won their respective conferences, and two teams that arrived at this point through some more difficult circumstances. On this week’s podcast, we preview Indiana versus Atlanta in the east, and Minnesota versus Phoenix in the west.
We begin in the east, where Lin Dunn led the Indiana Fever to the conference regular season title. A team based on veteran leadership, with several key players over 30 years of age, the Fever struggled at the end of the season, losing six of their last nine games, before coming back strong to defeat the New York Liberty in three games. Dunn returns to the Dishin & Swishin show and talks about her team, especially the outstanding playoff performances of Tamika Catchings, Katie Douglas, and Erin Phillips.
The Atlanta Dream of head coach Marynell Meadors struggled at the start of the season, beginning 3-9 before beginning to get healthy and play like last year’s WNBA finalists. Angel McCoughtry has played like a Most Valuable Player, and Lindsey Harding and Sancho Lyttle played extremely well down the stretch and versus the Connecticut Sun in the Dream’s sweep of the higher-seeded Sun.
Who better than to debate and discuss these two teams than their own television analysts? I am joined by the Fever’s Antonelli and the Dream’s Robinson. These two expert broadcasters break down the series in detail.
The Minnesota Lynx were considered by many to have a dominant roster at the beginning of the season, but Cheryl Reeve, in earning her Coach of the Year award, has surpassed many expectations in dominating the regular season. Lindsay Whalen and Seimone Augustus both had MVP years, Rebekkah Brunson was phenomenal as a rebounder and defender, and Maya Moore was simply Rookie of the Year. Taj McWilliams-Franklin contributed veteran savvy and presence to a younger roster, and helped stabilize the ship when they struggled with the San Antonio Silver Stars in their first-round matchup.
Do not overlook the Phoenix Mercury though. When you have two of the best players in the world in Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor on one team, a third All-Star in Candice Dupree, and the amazing Sixth Woman of the Year for three years running, DeWanna Bonner, the Mercury are a strong team that deserves to be here. In a surprising twist, the run and gun Mercury was forced to successfully grind out a physical final game versus the Seattle Storm, a win that may have earned the Mercury more respect than any other, because of the way it was won. Corey Gaines is the last male coach standing in these playoffs, and he has a big task on hand, facing the Lynx.
When you cover a team all season in print (or Internet as the case may be), you know your team. So I brought the local big guns in for this preview. Slam! writers Ben York, who also contributes to PhoenixMercury.com and Stephen Litel, who also contributes to Hoopsworld. York has been watching the Mercury and Litel the Lynx, and they break it down for us in detail every bit as well as Antonelli and Robinson did for the Eastern Conference.
I hope you enjoy the podcast, and I thank you for your patience in waiting an extra day, so we could do the Conference finals justice. Enjoy the series!
Dishin & Swishin: The World of Women’s Hoops is an Internet Radio Show hosted by David Siegel, devoted to the many facets of women’s basketball. From players to coaches to administrators and journalists, David strives to bring you an entertaining listen that also leaves you with something you didn’t know before. Enjoy!
