By Mel Greenberg

WASHINGTON – While Congress continues to debate health care nearby on Capitol Hill, there was nothing debatable about the way the Washington Mystics took care of its own health issues Thursday night in enhancing their WNBA playoff hopes with a 78-67 win over the Seattle Storm at the Verizon Center.

By Mel Greenberg

Well, forget about waiting for mid-September and the postseason. Playoff mode is in full swing with teams scrambling to break out of the gridlock.

Tuesday night, with a five-game slate, was exceptionally noteworthy.

The big winners with two steals from underdog status were second-year Atlanta with an 84-79 win at Los Angeles, while Detroit knocked off Western leader Phoenix, 101-99, to enhance the defending champions' chances to make the postseason . San Antonio gained a big win with its 84-82 double overtime win against Minnesota to go one up for the last available playoff berth. Seattle's 65-58 win in New York moved the Storm to within one game of first place behind Phoenix in the West. And Sacramento kept a faint playoff pulse alive in the bottom of the West with a 90-70 win over Connecticut that dealt some damage to the Sun.

Atlanta's win temporarily held up the champagne party in Indiana for its first-ever Eastern crown, though the Fever can take care of its own celebration by beating Phoenix in the Midwest.

  Besides the Sun, New York and Minnesota obviously suffered major setbacks.

So with that adjustment let's go back to the board, which will not be adjusted in the next post because the outcome either way will be mute to what's being tracked. If not mentioned in the previous post, the Guru plans to be in Washington Thursday for a huge game with Seattle.

Eastern Group:

Atlanta: Road (3):  at Sacramento - Sept. 4; at Phoenix - Sept. 5; at Washington - Sept. 12.

Home (1) Connecticut- Sept. 11.

Washington: Road (3) at Chicago - Sept. 4; at Indiana - Sept. 5; at New York - Sept. 13.

Home (2) Seattle - Sept. 3; Atlanta - Sept. 12.

Chicago: Road (1) ar Detroit - Sept. 6.

Home (3) Washington - Sept. 4; Indiana - Sept. 10; Detroit - Sept. 12.

Connecticut: Road (1) at Atlanta, Sept. 11.

Home (2) New York - Sept. 4; Indiana - Sept. 13.

Detroit: Road (2) at Minnesota - Sept. 9; at Chicago - Sept. 12

Home (3)  Indiana - Sept. 4; Chicago - Sept. 6; New York - Sept. 10.

New York: Road (2) at Connecticut - Sept. 4; at Detroit - Sept. 10.

Home (2)  Indiana - Sept. 8; Washington - Sept. 13.

Summary: New York is closer to the draft lottery because the Liberty needs three teams in front to all slide, which mathematically can't happen bcause they meet each other toward the finish.

Here are best-case scenaio forecasts without regard to upsets. Wild card will be how Indiana finishes out. Also, remember that while each is looked at as team's best hope, those that success will be costly to others' best hopes.

Atlanta: 1-3 The Dream reduced one anticipated loss and easily could  to 2-2 while 3-1 is not out of the question.

Washington: 3-2 but could easily be forecasted anywhere from 0-5 to 2-3.

Chicago: 0-4 but could steal here and there and get to 2-2.

Connecticut: lost a forecasted win and now could be either 2-1 or 1-2 with help needed. Being right behind a bunched ground of Washington, and Chicago, the Sun may have to go 3-0 because Detroit does not appear likely to take a deep slide and Connecticut needs to minimize tie-breakers for the last spot.

Detroit: 4-1 picked up a steal from a projected loss but could also fall to 3-2 or 2-3.

New York: 0-4 but a a few steals could mean 2-2, which doesn't appear good enough when looking at the probables in front of the Liberty.

Western Group (and remember we're talking about qualifying, not placement):

Minnesota: Road (2)  at Los Angeles - Sept. 11; at Sacramento - Sept. 13.

Home: (2) Seattle - Sept. 5; Detroit - Sept. 9.

San Antonio: Road (2) at Los Angeles - Sept. 8; at Sacramento - Sept. 10.

Home (2)  Los Angeles - Sept. 5; Seattle - Sept. 12.

Sacramento: Road (0) 

Home (3)  Atlanta - Sept. 4; Sacramento - Sept. 10; Minnesota - Sept. 13.

Summary: It's still wild with long odds on Sacramento despite beating Connecticut.

Minnesota: 1-3 but could lose all 4. The Lynx really needed to beat San Antonio.

San Antonio: 3-1 is not out of question but more likely 2-2 although nothing is a lock in projected wins.

Sacramento: 1-2 but could go 2-1. However, won't be good enough to pass two teams in front.

 -- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

»  More Guru's Musings: WNBA Regular Season Scrambles To End

By Mel Greenberg

Apparently, former WNBA Detroit Shock coach and general manager Bill Laimbeer has found a home back in the NBA.

The former center of the NBA champion Detroit Pistons during their "Bad Boys" era in the late 1980s will join new Minnesota Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis, ESPN.com and the Minneapolis paper reported.

Laimbeer, who has never coached in the NBA, resigned from the Shock in June after leading Detroit to three championships, including last season's three-game sweep of the San Atonio Silver Stars.

He has said that the NBA was in his aspiration after leaving the WNBA franchise he rescued, turning the Shock into a worst-to-first wonder when they bolted from the worst record the previous season to their first WNBA title in 2003.

-- Mel 

(Guru's Note: The Guru's good friend Sue Wicks, the former Rutgers and WNBA New York Liberty star who is now an assistant coach at St. Francis, N.Y., sent the Guru a report on her summer travels.

Her work has already appeared at web sites of the WBCA, NCAA and the State Department among other places but she felt Guru visitors who may not frequent the other sites on a regular basis might like the opportunity to read of her experiences. 

Also, Sue may return next month as one of the Guru's celebrity analysts when the WNBA playoffs get under way.)

-- Mel

Blog Entry from
St. Francis College Women’s Assistant Basketball Coach Sue Wicks

At 30,000 feet flying over Mongolia on my way back to New York, my thoughts are still
in Manila wishing I were in a hot and humid gym with 200 plus enthusiastic Philippine
basketball players working on the “Dwayne wade patented jab step” with Miami Heat
Head Coach Erik Spoelstra and Assistant Coach Dave Fizdale.
 

In partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural
Affairs, current and former NBA and WNBA players and coaches travel overseas each
summer as ambassadors of sport. This summer I was chosen by the NBA as one of its
Ambassadors. I can think of no greater compliment than to be entrusted by the league
and the State Department to represent our sport and more importantly our country
 

The NBA is dedicated to demonstrating leadership in social responsibility, using the
popularity and visibility of its teams, players and the league to effect positive change
around the world. While I have always been a fan of the NBA, especially my beloved
Knicks, my true calling is the promotion of the WNBA and the participation of all young
women in sports. The benefits are obvious as far as heath but to see the confidence and
self‐possessed attitude of young female athletes is so beautiful
 

During the trip, we conducted clinics, visited schools and spoke to youth about the
importance of education, positive health practices and respect for diversity. The goal of
the program is to bring people together through sports while encouraging the
development of basketball on a grassroots level. The Philippine people have a passion
for basketball and a knowledge of the league that would put many beat writers and a
few General Managers in the League to shame!
 

The first day started in Manila where we fought through a monstrous traffic jam of jeeps
and bicycles to get on a flight to Zamboanga City. We were briefed early that morning
about terrorist activity in the area but no one in our envoy even blinked, we were here
to share our love of basketball and Zamboanga children would not be denied that
opportunity because of any political situation. The closest we came to terrorist activity
was Coach Spoelstra singing karaoke.

The Basketball clinic with school‐based and out‐ofschool
youth basketball players was a great success. Seeing coach Spoelstra, a Filipino‐
American, was an amazing source of pride for all the children. Actually every person we
encountered in the streets seemed to know Coach Spoelstra and rushed up to shake his
hand and offer advice on free agency.

David Fizdale, one of the brightest young coaches in the NBA, used his quick mind to get
three hours of drills, skills and competitions together during a 5 minutes coaches
huddle. I guarantee at least half of the campers will be doing reverse pivots in their
dreams with coach Fiz commending them to “spin, spin, spin.” If Erik was the lead singer
of our group than Coach Fizdale was the rhythm section who never missed a beat. He
was the ultimate playmaker who made us all look good without taking a bit of credit.
 

We spent the rest of the week in Manila conducting camps for all levels of players from
8‐year‐old girls to the members of the Philippine national team.
 

We met with the wealthiest and the poorest people in the country during our trip. We
were offered everything from lavish dinners and the use of private jets to simple shell
necklaces; all presented with the same open hearted generosity that seemed to be the
unifying quality of all Philippine people! I know I speak for our entire team when I say
we were overwhelmed by the warmth and hospitality of these amazingly resourceful
people. I feel truly blessed to have had this wonderful opportunity of sharing with the
Philippine people.
 

I would personally like to thank the U.S. State department and the NBA. With very
special thanks to:
Ambassador Kristie Kenney
Ms. Leslie Basset
Ms. Martha Buckley
Ms. Najlaa Abdus‐Samad
Ms. Rebecca Thompson
Mr. Jomar Ascaño
Ms. Jojie Sopia
Brooks Meeks
Chad Kammerer
Carlo Singson
The next president of the Philippines and current coach of the Miami Heat Erik Spoelstra
and David Fizdale
David Stern
And Dave Yuen for offering me the use of Ruth Riley’s Condo in Miami

By Mel Greenberg

  PHILADELPHIA - In case you haven't had much chance to catch up with former Temple star Candice Dupree since her graduation in 2006, she'll be on display Tuesday night when her Chicago Sky visits the Los Angeles Sparks (10 p.m., edt, ESPN2).

   Both teams are fighting to stay in the playoff hunt in their respective divisions with Los Angeles beginning to live up to preseason expectations.

  Dupree's appearance will be another example of why the draft class of 2006 will be one of the most notable in the WNBA's 13-year history.

  To review the top of the crop, Minnesota took Seimone Augustus out of LSU, followed by Phoenix's selection of former Rutgers star Cappie Pondexter, followed by former Charlotte taking Monique Currie out of Duke, followed by San Antonio taking Baylor's Sophie Young, followed by Los Angeles using an acquisition pick to take Lisa Willias, and then the new Chicago Sky picked Dupree.

   Augustus has had some nagging injuries, including this season, but she went on to make the Olympic team with Pondexter, who paired with the Mercury's Diana Taurasi, the former UConn star and Big East rival, to win the 2007 title. Young was in the finals last year. Dupree has had yet to make the playoffs, but she has been one of the statistical leaders of her class.

  The native of Florida, who led Temple to three straight Atlantic 10 titles, has been an All-Star three times, this season as a starter. According to WNBA stats submitted last week, Dupree leads her draft classmates in rebounds and ranks fourth in points scored.

  Dupree's entry into the league was also noteworthy when she got to play against her college coach Dawn Staley, who was in the last go-round playing for the former Houston team. The two, though at different positions, went at it in the All-Star game that season in New York.

  Dupree's three-plus year total shows more than 1,900 career points and over 900 rebounds in helping the Sky to become a playoff contender this season. She is 12th in the league in scoring and sixth in rebounding.

 The league says the Class of 2006 has achieved more milestones and accolades in their first four years than any class since 2001. When Young and Dupree break the 2,000 point barrier, they'll join Pondexter and Augustus, who already have passed the mark, to make the class the first since 1999 to four 2,000-point scorers.

Of course, that year some of the newcomers weren't exactly new with the likes of Katie Smith coming on the refugee boats from the former American Basketball League, which had collapsed in bankruptcy in December 1998.

                             Triva Special

   Curiously, since the Guru posted a note last week about the normal upper echelon reaching hard times, Detroit, Los Angeles, and New York have drawn closer to the playoff contenders, while Sacramento has won a bit.

     So, get this: Sacramento's next win will mark only the second time and first since 2001 that the bottom teams in each division reach double-digit wins. New York posted win No. 11 Sunday night beating fading Minnesota.

   The Lynx situation bears watching in that new coach Jen Gillom is considered one of the frontrunners in a crowded group to land a spot on Olympic coach Geno Auriemma's staff.

    In 2001, there were 16 teams in the league and the schedule of the regular season was two less at 32.

   Keep those seatbelts fastened the rest of the way because it is going to be a bumpy ride until the postseason crowd is determined.

  -- Mel

By Mel Greenberg

UPDATE: Mel is aware that Tina Charles is from Queens, and asked me to update the post. - J.T.

    UNCASVILLE, Conn. - Here's an idea that won't go anywhere but would be fascinating.

   Instead of using a draft lottery this time around, perhaps the WNBA should consider adding on another postseason tournament to decide who will own the No. 1 pick next April.

   That would give some traditional teams such as New York, Detroit, possibly San Antonio, possibly Connecticut, and possibily Los Angeles activity they would normally enjoy in the real playoffs.

  True, the stakes won't be nearly as high as they would have been two years ago when the a rainbow with a pot of gold named Candace Parker was considered likely to forego her final season of eligibility at Tennessee and take a quick step into a her pro career.

  In the summer of 2007, while there was a terrific race at the top of the each division, Los Angeles and Minnesota were in a tight competition for worst record in the league and best shot at the ping pong balls that would lead to the opportunity to select Parker.

 Minnesota seemed a lock until Los Angeles lost a ton of games down the stretch and the Lynx suddenly were inficted with a small attitude of winning games.

  The Sparks should never have been in that situation but with Lisa Leslie missing the season following pregnancy and Chamique Holdsclaw becoming a retirement role model for the NFL's Bart Favre, Los Angeles plunged from its normal competitive heights.

  A year ago up here New York came into the Mohegan Sun Arena and grabbed a deciding playoff game that sent Connecticut into an early exit.

  On Wednesday night, the playoff dynamic was much different in the taffy pull known as the hunt for the postseason slots in the East behind front-running Indianapolis.

  The Sun was trying to hold its own, while New York was trying to move closer to joining the crowd.

   In the first half, the Liberty seemed ready to move a bit closer to playoff waters when New York took a 17-point lead while the only shots going down in the home venue where the ones being consumed in the various restaurants existing nearby in the casino-entertainment complex.

  By the time the night ended, however, the Sun had rallied, thanks to Lindsay Whalen's heroics, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds, while New York slipped away from the Straits of the Postseason deeper into the draft pool of also-rans.

  In the first half, New York's Shameka Christon and Janel McCarville each scored eight points, shooting 3-for-5 and 4-for-6 respectively. The two post players, however, were then shut down for the night, combining for an 0-for-10 effort the rest of the way.

   That left the Liberty with the second worst record in the league behind Sacramento, which was heading for underdog status in games the Monarchs were set to play Thursday and Friday nights.

    Of course it may be academic in terms of direrction if New York and Sacramento end up either way with the 1-2 picks next April.

     The Monarchs would be in the position to take what would pass as a hometown star in Stanford's Jayne Appel, whose collegiate team in the Bay Area of Northern California is located just a short drive away from where the Monarchs call home.

      That would leave New York in position to take yet a third star from nearby Rutgers in Brooklyn's E;pipphany Prince who has left the Scarlent Knights prior to her senior season to head for Europe, saying she could prepare better for a future life in the WNBA. The Liberty roster already cvontains Essence Carson and Kia Vaughn, who were Prince's teammates when Rutgers dashed to the NCAA title game in 2007.

     Of course, if Connecticut becomes the odd-team out in the Eastern gridlock, with a little luck in the lotto drawing, the Sun might be in position to take what likely could emerge as the top talent not named Mya Moore next April.

      That would be UConn's Tina Charles, giving the Sun a double win in the talent selectons. Then again, considering that Charles is a native of Queens, N.Y., perhaps the Liberty are in a position that - unlike Wednesday night here, and some previous games - they could not possibly screw up.

      Could they?

     -- Mel

By Jonathan Tannenwald
Philly.com

Word came from ESPN this afternoon that the University of Connecticut will play host to the first ever broadcast of ESPN's popular "College GameDay" show from a women's basketball game.

The show will be in Storrs on January 17th for its season debut as the Huskies face Notre Dame.

There were more than a few rumors last year that the show would have gone to the Connecticut-Tennessee game had it not been canceled before the season.

By Mel Greenberg

  They won't be going to the King & I soundtrack to play Getting To Know You when the Road to London 2012 goes into early rehearsals this fall under Olympic coach Geno Auriemma.

 If anything, with a few exceptions, they might adjust the title to Getting To Know You Better with a few exceptions.

As coach of the six-time NCAA champion Connecticut Huskies, Auriemma has already had two of the first eight pool players for the national team under his charge in Diana Taurasi of the WNBA Phoenix Mercury and Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm.

  As for former Rutgers star Cappie Pondexter, now a WNBA teammate of Taurasi, Auriemma has coached her in USA Basketball on the 2000 Under-18 and 2001 Under-19 national teams before coaching against her in the middle of this decade in the Big East wars with the Scarlet Knights.

 During Monday's teleconference, Pondexter referred to Auriemma as "the greatest," in terms of her experience with him in USA Basketball.

 Seimone Augustus and Sylvia Fowles were involved in matchups against Connecticut at LSU or also appearing in the same Final Fours, though the Tigers and Huskies did not meet in actual semifinals or championship games.

  Candace Parker, Kara Lawson, and Tamika Catchings were part of the former Tennessee-UConn national rivalry from the Orange side.

Although Tennessee outnumbers Auriemma's own UConn representation in numbers as of Monday's announcement, that should changed perhaps as early as prior to next year's FIBA World Championships.

  Huskies junior Mya Moore is expected to eventually make the team, while senior Tina Charles, recently graduated Renee Montgomery and former Olympian and UConn star Swin Cash are also considered prominent contenders for the 12 spots.

  Interestingly, during Monday's call, Bird was asked what of her experience with Auriemma might she be able to pass on to her national teammates.

  What wasn't asked -- the Guru was on a different track with a question -- is what might they all teach Auriemma since they have been a core group for a while with more togetherness experience among themselves in recent international battles.

                                          Big Five Hall of Fame

   Assuming that former men's coaches John Chaney (Temple), Rollie Massimino (Villanova), and Speedy Morris (La Salle), who were cited Monday, will be the only inductees to this year's Big Five Hall of Fame class, there might be a tendency to say that it is the first time in a while that the women have not had representation.

    But that's not entirely accurate.

  In 1984, Temple athletic director Bill Bradshaw, then the AD at La Salle, made an out-of-leftfield choice when he hired Morris, then a longtime legendary boys coach at Roman Catholic, to be in charge of the women.

    Morris may not have known a thing about the women's game, but he quickly proved that coaching is coaching, though his time with the Explorers lasted only two seasons before Bradshaw offered him the men's job.

   In the season prior to Morris' hire, the Explorers were 11-18. A year later they finished 22-8, losing narrowly in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to conference heavyweight Holy Cross, 62-61.

   The players and Morris quickly took to each other to the point that he actually spent a while wrestling with the men's offer before accpeting the position.

In Morris' second season, La Salle went 21-9 and this time captured the MAAC title, beating St. Peter's, 78-67, before losing an NCAA first-round game to Villanova, 60-55, at The Palestra.

  Some of Morris' players were Cheryl Reeve, now assistant coach and general manager of the WNBA champion Detroit Shock; former Penn coach Kelly Greenberg, now coach of Boston U.; Gina Tobin, and Big Five Hall of Famers Tracey Sneed, Jill Crandley, Allison Hudson, Suzi McCaffrey, and Linda Hester.

    - Mel