Unbelievable! For long stretches tonight, the Mystics played, to put it nicely, some pretty crappy basketball. They committed 25 turnovers (and gave up 23 points off those TOs); they dribbled the ball out of bounds; they failed to inbound the ball in the required 5 seconds. They committed (or at least were called for) 22 personal fouls. Washington trailed Indiana for practically the entire game. But you know what? In the end it didn't matter!

Thanks primarily to Lindsey Harding, who played OUT-OF-HER-MIND tonight (33 points . . . a new career high), THE MYSTICS WON, 77-73! With less than 5 minutes left in the 4th and the Mystics down by 7 (64-71), the Mystics Lindsey Harding went on a 13-2 run to: a) erase the Indy lead, b) pull the Mystics ahead, and c) seal the win with 4 straight free throws. In other words, Lindsey was simply AMAZING! She scored the final 13 points for the Mystics. Did we mention she (Lindsey) and it (the closing minutes of the game) were un-be-liev-able?

Judging from the BCs' reaction watching on Live Access and the reaction of fans on message boards, we think it's safe to say that there were plenty of happy dances being done by Mystics fans all over the DMV tonight. Ho-ly Harding, Batman, that was one exciting ending. Wow.

So the team that went slipping and sliding to an "L" this evening was the first-place Fever. And that's something that rarely happens to them at home. In fact, Indy is now 10-3 at Conseco. Two of those three home losses were to the Mystics, the other was to Connecticut. That's it.

The Mystics desperately needed a win tonight, and they got it. Not only was it the second half of a back-to-back, but they got the win in one of the most difficult arenas in the WNBA. Let's hope this was the big momentum change that Washington needed to regain its early-season form.

The Mystics will be back in the Phone Booth on Sunday to take on Tulsa at 4 PM, playing, as was announced today, in front of a "special guest" for whom "additional security measures" will be taken and, as a consequence, doors will open early, at 2:30 PM. Our thoughts about just who that "special guest" might be are in the post immediately below (link here.)

The Tulsa Shock are at the bottom of the league, with a record of 4-21. It would be exceedingly embarrassing if the Mystics lost on their home floor to Tulsa. And it would be even more embarrassing if they did it in front of Sunday's "special guest." But we don't expect that to happen. What we hope -- and expect -- to see is the Mystics play a good game in front of their ordinary-extraordinary fans and a good game in front of their one un-named "special" fan.

So on Sunday, put on your pink (it's the annual Breast Health Awareness game), leave all sharp objects at home, bring your credit card and your checkbook for the post-game fundraising auction to benefit Sibley Hospital, and get yourself to the Phone Booth early and ready to cheer on the Mystics.

Go Mystics . . . Beat the afterShock!

"A Special Guest" at Sunday's Game!

If you're on the Mystics' email list (and if you care enough to read this blog, you ought to be!), then you already know that late this afternoon, the Mystics announced there will be "a special guest" at Sunday's 4 PM game against Tulsa . . . someone for whom "additional security measures" will be taken. Additional security measures? Hmmm, who might that be?

We really don't know for sure (no "inside" information . . . trust us), but we do know that in the early years of the franchise, Attorney General Janet Reno and HHS Secretary Donna Shalala were frequently in attendance, and no special announcements were made nor were any "additional security measures" taken (they were accompanied by their usual security details). So we are guessing that Sunday's "special guest" ranks higher than a cabinet member. A lot higher.

Could it be that -- for the first time in franchise history -- a sitting President (POTUS as he's called here inside the Beltway) and/or members of his family (or perhaps the Vice President) --will be on hand in the Phone Booth for a Mystics game?

We're betting that it will be one of those folks (or perhaps Marion Jones's parole officer).

Doors will open early, at 2:30 PM, when all will be revealed. Of course, it may leak out before then . . . after all, this is Washington, DC.

Love Luge and Basketball

Normally you wouldn't think these two sports have much in common, but lately, after watching the Mystics slide downhill fast, we're beginning to wonder.

Tonight, at home, the Mystics lost their 5th game in the last 6; and they lost to a team they really couldn't afford to lose to. Nonetheless, San Antonio -- a Western Conference team that's only managed to win about a third of their games so far this season -- exited the Phone Booth with a "W,"while the Mystics earned another "L." Final score: Silver Stars 79, Mystics 75.

And although the score was close, it's not like the game was even a particularly enjoyable one. It was sloppy and somewhat lackluster. Twenty Mystics turnovers (including 17 steals by the Silver Stars) leading to 23 San Antonio points . . . that's not pretty basketball. Perhaps the Mystics, with their short bench, are showing some signs of fatigue; or perhaps other teams have seen the Mystics enough by now that they've figured out ways to disrupt the flow. In any case, the playoffs (which seemed a near certainty a few weeks ago) are beginning to slip and slide away.

This evening's game was the first half of a back-to-back for the Mystics. They head to Indianapolis in the mornimg to face the first-place Fever on Friday night. If ever a team needed a big momentum-shifting win, this would be it. The Mystics, for the most part, have fared well against the Fever this season. Let's hope they can play better basketball tomorrow and put an end to the slide. (BTW, a Mystics loss tomorrow coupled with a Liberty win -- they host the L.A. Sparks -- would mean that this time tomorrow, New York and DC would be in a dead heat for the 4th playoff position.)

Go Mystics (end the slide) . . . Beat the Fever!

Digging A Hole

The BasketCases had another commitment tonight that prevented us from seeing the first half of the Mystics' game against the Sun up at Mohegan. We got home just as the second quarter was ending, and from the box score, it appeared that every Mystic not named Crystal Langhorne must've had another commitment as well. At the break, Lang had 14 points, while the four other starters combined for all of 10. Not surprisingly, the Mystics were down by 12 at the break.

Sometime late in the third quarter, a few other players showed up for the game, notably Mo and Marissa, but 15 minutes or so of desperation play were insufficient for the Mystics to climb out of the hole they'd dug for themselves. They closed to 3 points with about a minute left, but Connecticut still won, 88-78.

Speaking of digging themselves a hole, the Mystics are now 1-4 since the mid-season break, not a good trend at all, and one that definitely concerns us. Moreover, not only did the Sun gain ground on the Mystics this evening, but with every team in the league playing today, so did all but one of Washington's other Eastern Conference rivals, as Indy, Atlanta and New York also won their games.

The Mystics need to right the ship . . . and they need do it ASAP. Otherwise, in the tightly-packed Eastern Conference, they could find themselves falling out of playoff position before they know what hit them. Next chance to stop the hemmorhaging will come on Thursday against San Antonio, at home in the Phone Booth at 7 PM.

Go Mystics . . . Beat the Silver Stars!

Sweatin' It Out

On a day when outside temperatures reached record highs throughout the D.C. area, the inside of the Verizon Center was nice and cool, but the battle for first place in the East between the Mystics and the Fever -- taking place on the court -- was anything but. In the end, though, the Mystics were burned by the Fever, 78-73.

This could've (and perhaps should've) been an easy win for Indiana, as the Mystics committed 21 turnovers (leading to 23 Fever points), shot under 40% from the field overall, and a measly 23% from 3-point range. But it wasn't.

After the Fever lost to the Mystics in their previous two meetings this season, it looked like Indy finally had the Mystics' number. The Fever built double-digit leads on more than one occasion, but each time the Mystics fought back to narrow the gap. In the last 5 minutes of the game, with Indiana up by 12, the Mystics battled back to get within 3 points with 14 seconds remaining. A barely-missed 3-point attempt by Katie Smith turned out to be the difference between an outright Indiana win and a game that would likely have been headed for overtime.

The never-give-up mentality the Mystics displayed tonight may not have gotten them a win . . . but it sure as heck made the Fever sweat to get theirs. And so, for now, in the tightly-packed East, the Fever are still on top, but they know how close they came to being knocked off that perch tonight.

Four Mystics -- all starters -- finished in double figures, led by Katie Smith with 17 points. Lang had 15 (and 13 rebounds, for yet another double-double), Mo added 14, and Lindsey finished with 10.

The Mystics next play another Eastern Conference rival, Connecticut, up at the Reservation on Tuesday at 7:30 PM. Every game at this point is a must-win.

Go Mystics . . . Beat the Sun!

A Passing . . .

It saddens us to report that women's pro basketball pioneer Kaye Cowher died yesterday of skin cancer at the age of 54.

BC Judith had the privilege of meeting Kaye several years ago when she and her husband Bill (former Steelers coach) visited Comcast to cheer on daughter Meagan, a member of the Princeton University basketball team, in a match against the Terps. Judith found Kaye to be a warm and friendly person . . . not to mention a great supporter of women's basketball. (Our posts about Kaye and that match are here and here.)

Our hearts and our sympathies go out to all of Kaye's family and friends.

Read All About It

The heat's already oppressive this morning. So what better to do than hunker down in a comfortable, cool space (if you can find one) and read two really good articles about the Mystics, one here by Milton Kent, and another here in USA Today.

It'll be even hotter tomorrow (102 degrees according to the forecast), so come on down to the very well air-conditioned Phone Booth at 7 PM, where you can see the Mystics take on the Indiana Fever.

Probably to the surprise of almost no one, Indy beat the struggling LA Sparks last night, a win that moved Indy into sole possession of first place in the East (a half-game ahead of the Mystics). Washington, of course, could turn that around on Saturday with a win over the Fever, a team the Mystics have beaten twice already this season . . . both tightly contested matches. It's hard to beat any team three times in a row, so the BCs will be heading downtown (despite the heat) to help make sure that the home court really is an advantage for Washington tomorrow! Join us!

Go Mystics . . . Beat the Fever!

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Friday evening update . . . Saturday's Washington Post today . . . Jorge Castillo takes a look at the upcoming match between the Mystics and the Fever, here.

Too Bad it Was a Work Day!

The BCs feel really sorry for all the Mystics Season Ticketholders and other grown-ups who couldn't make it to this morning's Screaming Kids Day game between the Mystics and the Dream. You missed a good one! It was a hardfought, fun-to-watch (poorly officiated, as usual) game between two closely-matched Eastern Conference competitors . . . and the best part is that the Mystics won, 82-72.

Today's Mystics looked a whole lot more like the Mystics of the first half of the season. They played with intensity and with energy; they led by 12 points at the half, increased their lead after the break, and didn't falter when the Dream threw an inevitable run at them.

Once again Crystal Langhorne led all scorers (we love saying that) -- with 24 points -- and she recorded another double-double (15 boards). And Lang did all that against Atlanta's much bigger post players, including 6'5" Erika de Souza, 6'4" Sancho Lyttle and 6'7" Alison Bales. Though Lang was the only Mystics starter in double-figures, she got plenty of help from her teammates off the bench. Matee Ajavon (15), Chasity Melvin (12), and Marissa Coleman (9) combined for a total of 36 points, plus they added a bunch of steals, some rebounds, some assists . . .and a whole lot of energy.

The game was a bit of a foul fest (52 fouls were called) and sometimes the officials were extremely creative in their calls, while at the same time turning a blind eye to some genuine violations. (Did the WNBA revoke the 3-second rule without telling us?) The Dream's posts parked themselves in the paint so long today, we kept hoping they'd eventually run out of change for the meter. But no matter, the interpretive officiating took place on both ends of the floor (yes, the Mystics benefited at times, too) and we don't really think it affected the outcome of the game, even if it did make the game longer than it needed to be. C'est la vie.

The 14,300 color-coded campers seemed to be having a blast, as did the 47 adults (give or take a few) who managed to get away from work. The game operations staff wisely decided that giving out noisemakers (the "Camp Day" handout-du-jour for the past few seasons) to the kiddies was not such a great idea. Instead, they gave out blue plastic Mystics bracelets that lit up in the dark (cool) and made for a great visual when the Mystics were introduced and whenever the lights were turned down. (Unclear, though, who thought it was a good idea to hype Red Bull on the megatron to young children. We didn't spot a single one of those 14,300 kids in need of any form of "energy" boost.)

With today's win, the Mystics (finally through their own play and not as the result of other teams' results) have moved back into first place in the East, albeit tied with the Indiana Fever at 13-7. Although Indy is Washington's next opponent (this Saturday at 7 PM at the Phone Booth), Indy first plays the L.A. Sparks (6-15) tomorrow, before traveling to our Nation's Capital. Which means, of course, that Indy has a chance to pull ahead of the Mystics before the two teams face off on Saturday. In any event, Saturday's game is a very important one, for both teams, in the increasingly congested Eastern Conference playoff race.

Go Mystics! . . . Beat the Fever!

Don't Forget THESE!!! ------>

You did tell your boss you have a dentist's appointment at 11:30 AM today, didn't you? And you've packed some ear protection along with your game ticket, right? Well, then you're all set for the Mystics' annual Screaming Kids midday game (aka "Camp Day").

This year's lunchtime special is against Atlanta, another team (like the Mystics) battling for a playoff spot in the tightly contested Eastern Conference (who isn't?). In fact, right now, the Mystics and the Dream are separated by only .004 percentage points in the win column. Tight indeed!

Neither team has won a game since the All-Star break: the Mystics have dropped two (thank you, Mechelle; the Voepel jinx is still alive and well). Meanwhile, the Dream have lost three, which means, of course, that both teams will be hungry tomorrow for lunch a win. Let's hope the Mystics' mid-season "vacation" is now behind them, and they display some of that intensity they showed as they closed out the first half of the season.

See you later at the Phone Booth! Uh, we mean, at the dentist!

Go Mystics . . . Beat the Dream!

P.S. In case you can't make it to the dentist tomorrow: the game will be broadcast on NBA-TV as well as shown on Live Access. (At least, that's what's been announced.)

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Another nice article in the Washington Post about a member of the Mystics . . . this piece today about Katie Smith.

Tomorrow's News -- Today!

No need to wait for Tuesday's print edition of the Washington Post.* There's a must-read column by Mike Wise about Lang already on line here.

*(Thanks SG for the heads up.)

Photo Credit: DC BasketCases

Summer Vacation
As any school teacher will tell you, it's pretty tough to get the kids to re-focus when they come back from an extended summer vacation. And unfortunately for the Mystics, the mysterious WNBA schedulers stuck them with a big, fat "summer vacation" right smack in the middle of their season.

At first we thought that all the teams had a week or more off for the All-Star break. That is until we noticed that (except for a couple days around the All-Star game itself) practically every other team was busy playing. Meanwhile, the Mystics were on a 12-day "vacation" from July 3rd until July 15th.

While a couple of days rest would've been nice, a week and a half of "vacation" was definitely too much of a good thing. The Mystics' game on July 3rd came at the end of a stretch when the team was playing some of their best basketball of the season. However, in the two games they've played since their "vacation" (Thursday in New York, and today at home against the Chicago Sky), the Mystics have looked like a team shaking off that vacation rust . . . a team trying, but not quite succeeding (yet) in re-focusing. And so the result today was the same as it was on Thursday -- a loss to another conference rival beneath them in the rankings -- this time by a score of 61-59.

This afternoon, the Mystics' offense seemed to sputter . . . at times, the players looked out of sync, and on too many occasions, they threw the ball away, allowed the shot clock to wind down, or heaved up desperation last second shots. They shot poorly, hitting only 35% from the floor. Chicago's shooting wasn't much better (44%). The Mystics didn't give up; they kept battling and gave themselves a chance to win. But the bottom line is that if you can't beat an opponent that scores only 61 points in the entire game, that's a pretty good indication that you weren't playing your best that day. And this afternoon, the Mystics didn't play any where near their best.

One of the few bright spots for the Mystics today was Marissa Coleman, who had a strong showing off the bench, on both ends of the floor, finishing with 11 points (including 2 0f 2 from beyond the arc). Lang once again led the Mystics in scoring, with 12, and fell just one rebound short of another double-double (9 boards). No other Mystics finished in double figures.

The Mystics' loss this afternoon dropped them out of mathematical first place in the East. They have a chance on Wednesday to gain ground against another conference foe, Atlanta, when they take on the Dream at the Phone Booth in the annual lunchtime Screaming Kids Camp Day game. Tipoff is at 11:30am. Don't forget your earplugs.

Go Mystics . . . Beat Atlanta!

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Thank You, Mystics Staff

Yesterday, the Mystics held their annual season ticketholder event, this year a "bowling with the Mystics" afternoon at Lucky Strike next to the Verizon Center. It was a fun couple of hours mingling with the team, the coaches, the front office staff, and other STHs. The BCs want to give a shout out particularly to the Mystics' staff who work so hard to put on these events for the fans. Their efforts are much appreciated!

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Monday morning update . . . a big BasketCases congratulations to Mystics COO Greg Bibb, who has been promoted to Executive VP for Basketball Business Operations for the Mystics/Wizards. Way to go, Greg!

Cake Photo Credit: DC BasketCases

Short Lived

The Mystics' flirtation with first place in the East lasted all of about 24 hours, as Washington fell to New York at Madison Square Garden this afternoon, 75-67 . . . and dropped back into second place. Easy come, easy go.

Playing in the Big Apple has often been challenging for the Mystics, and once again today's game story was "Mystics Struggle at the Garden." Washington started the game looking somewhat sluggish, perhaps a bit rusty from their 12-day layoff. Although the Mystics managed to climb back late in the first quarter and tie the game at the half, a weak 3rd quarter, resulting in a 10-point deficit, forced them to play catch-up in the final period. Disappointingly, they never did . . . catch-up, that is.

Four Mystics finished in double figures, but so did four of the Libs. One of those four for NY was Kalana Greene, who scored 11 points off the bench, including 9 in the 3rd period, which helped break the game open for the Liberty. Lang added another double-double to her resume in the losing effort, leading all scorers with 19 points, and pulling down 10 rebounds. Mo (12), Katie (11), and Lindsey (10) rounded out the double-digit scoring for the Mystics.

The Mystics now head back to DC for a 3-game homestand . . . all against in-conference opponents. First up is a 4 PM match against Chicago on Sunday. Needless to say, this is an important game, as the Mystics really need to hold serve in the Phone Booth to avoid any further slide down the Eastern Conference rankings.

Go Mystics . . . Beat the Sky!

Alone At The Top!

With 17 games under their belts, a 12-5 record, and without so much as playing a single game since July 3rd, the Mystics have somehow managed to move into sole possession of FIRST PLACE in the Eastern Conference. Really.

Thanks to a final minute come-from-behind win this afternoon by the Lynx over the formerly conference-leading Dream, the Mystics own a win percentage that's 0.00588235294 higher than the win percentage of Atlanta. So, for right now, the Mystics are not just merely, but most sincerely (as well as officially) the top team in the East. Cool.

Of course, with the second half of their WNBA season kicking off tomorrow (Thursday), the Mystics must continue to win in order to remain alone at the top. Tomorrow's lunchtime Kids Day contest at Madison Square Garden against the Liberty (noon on Live Access) will present the Mystics with the first of what, no doubt, will be many challenges to their Conference-leading status. All 6 teams in the Eastern Conference are still very much in contention for the playoffs, so every game from here on out will be critical to the Mystics' postseason fortunes. The BCs are very happy that the Mystics are in first place after 17 games, but we would be absolutely positively ecstatic if they're still in first place after 34 . . . that would be amazing.

So wear your lucky socks tomorrow or click your Ruby slippers -- do whatever it takes -- to help send some good luck to the Mystics up in the Big Apple.

Go Mystics! . . . Beat New York!

"The Vom"

It's not often that the BasketCases receive a communication from the Mystics containing a word we've never seen before. In fact, it's safe to say that we could count on one hand the number of times this has happened in the past 13 years and we'd still have five fingers left over.

But, as the saying goes, there's a first time for everything, and we were totally stumped by a recent letter from the Mystics in which the following word appeared: "vomitory." Really. V-O-M-I-T-O-R-Y. We were even more stumped by the context, which made reference to a physical location in the Verizon Center called "the Game Operations Vomitory," or, as the letter affectionately called it, "the Vom."

"Game Operations Vomitory"?? Is this some place behind the scenes, we wondered, where Mystics fans can go to ralph after listening to Ralph (the Announcer) bellow "time . . . out . . . ON . . . . . . . THE . . . FLOOOOOR" for the umpteenth time during the game? Somehow, as desirable as such a refuge might be, we doubted this was it. And so we referred the matter to the BCs' Etymology Department for further study.

And what we learned from our talented staff etymologists is that "vomitory" is a synonym for "vomitorium." Aha! BC Eileen did not spend three years studying Latin under the tutelege of Mrs. Krum not to recognize a Latin root when she hears one. So perhaps this was the place in Roman amphitheatres where gladiators went to ralph in relief when Caligula gave them a thumbs-up and spared their lives. Well, as it turns out, it wasn't. Actually, the vomitorium was any place below or behind the seats of the amphitheatre where the crowds could "spew out." Spew out . . . ahhh, now we get it.

How many vomitoria (pl.) can you spot in the Colosseum?

Now, many centuries later, the backstage entrance/exit of the Verizon Center between Sections 114 and 115 where performers and other in-game entertainment folks come and go (or spew in and spew out) is known as "the Vom." And here, all along, we thought that was called a "tunnel"! Silly us.

The Verizon Center "Vom"

We have to admit that "Game Operations Vomitory" is a far more colorful a term than "Game Operations Tunnel." And so, to the unknown person (if you would let us know who you are) who came up with that term, we would love to award you an official (and highly sought after) BasketCases t-shirt . . . that is, if we had any.

And since the purpose of the letter from the Mystics was to inform us that the Johnnie Walker Coaches Club is temporarily being moved behind the Vomitory (while the current Club location is undergoing some renovation), the BCs look forward to spending many enjoyable moments vomiting ralphing imbibing refreshing beverages (as Ralph might say) BEHIND . . . THE . . . . . . VOM. We can't wait.

Photo Credits: (excluding first picture) DC BasketCases

Hall of Fame!

When the 2011 inductees for the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame were announced on ESPN during this afternoon's Stars at the Sun game, the BasketCases were absolutely delighted to hear Vicky Bullett's name among next year's honorees.

Vicky, of course, was a star for the Terps and a star (and later Assistant Coach) for the Mystics, and she's also an Olympic Gold and Bronze Medalist. Not to mention that she's a consummate professional and a genuinely wonderful person. (Those kids out in West Virginia are lucky to have her as their teacher.) Congratulations to Vicky on this well-deserved honor!

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Up at Mohegan . . . As expected, the USA Basketball Team, otherwise known as the WNBA All Stars Plus Maya Moore, had no trouble this afternoon with the "other" WNBA All Stars, easily winning by a score of 99-72. The members of the National Team will have little time to practice together before the World Championships begin in late September, so this was good experience for them today, even if the outcome was never in doubt.

Photo Credit: DC BasketCases

More Mystics All Stars!!!

Today the WNBA announced that both Lindsey Harding and Monique Currie have been added to the All Star Team roster!

Lindsey and Mo will take the place of injured players Lauren Jackson and Sancho Lyttle.

While we're sorry that LJ and Sancho won't be able to play, we are very happy that Lindsey and Mo will have this opportunity. In the BCs' opinion, they've both performed at an all-star level throughout the first half of the season, and have earned this honor.

And despite the fact that Lindsey and Mo are "replacements," we wouldn't be at all surprised to see both of them get significant playing time. The first thought that came to mind when we looked at the original All Star roster was: "THIS TEAM NEEDS GUARDS!"

And now (thanks to the addition of two more Mystics) . . . the All Star team has more of them. Yay!

Congratulations to Lindsey and to Mo . . . and good luck to all three Mystics in the USA vs All Stars game.

You can catch all the action Saturday at 3:30 PM on ESPN. Don't miss it!

BREAKING NEWS: Crystal Langhorne named to WNBA All Star Team!

Moments ago, during ESPN2's broadcast of Connecticut's game in San Antonio, Pam Ward and Rebecca Lobo announced the full roster for this Saturday's All Star Team, including the players who have been selected by the coaches to join those voted in by the fans. Among the former group: the Mystics' very own Crystal Langhorne, who is having such a remarkable season that one writer has just proposed she be named Most Improved Player for a second consecutive year!

It comes as no surprise to Mystics fans that Lang has now been chosen as an All Star.

Congratulations to Lang on this well-deserved honor!

Wednesday AM Update: More accolades for Lang! Today Crystal was named WNBA Eastern Conference Player-of-the-Month!! And what a month she had . . . congratulations, Crystal!

Photo Credit: DC BasketCases

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Note to our readers: Blogger continues to have problems with the Comment feature. Comments are now appearing, although the Comment count below the post may show "0" or may not be updating, so please do continue to post your comments!

A Little Tuesday Morning Reading . . . as you ease back into the work week, don't miss this terrific piece about the Mystics by the BCs' favorite sportswriter, Mechelle Voepel, here on ESPN.com. And yes, Mechelle, we hope you haven't jinxed our team!

Photo Credit: DC BasketCases

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Note to our readers: Blogger is having some issues right now with the Comment feature, so if you have put up a Comment here or on another post but don't see it, don't worry -- it's not you! Thanks for reading, please keep the Comments coming, and let's hope the problem is fixed soon!

A Well Deserved Rest

Tonight in Tulsa, the Mystics looked very much like a team playing its 6th game in 10 days, and its second in a row on the road. The Mystics were playing the worst team in the league, the Shock, a team that tipped off tonight having lost their last 9 games, and yet the Mystics struggled to put them away. And while the exhausted Mystics did pull out the win, 69-54, it was hardly one of their best performances.

Overall, the Mystics shot only 39% from the floor, well below their average. (Fortunately, Tulsa shot under 28%.) No player on either team scored 20 points. Mo Currie led the Mystics and all scorers with 17; Lang had 15 (and 9 boards), and Lindsey had 14. That was it for double figure scoring; however Marissa (off the bench) pulled down 10 rebounds (to go along with 6 points and 4 assists -- more assists than the entire Shock team dished out).

It may not have been pretty, but after the grueling schedule of the last couple of weeks, just getting a win was a major accomplishment. And tonight's W was very important: it moved the Mystics to within a half game of first place in the Eastern Conference, behind Atlanta (who lost to Chicago this evening), and it also means the Mystics close out the first half of the season with an impressive record of 12-5.

Thank goodness the team can now look forward to a well deserved rest. With next week's break for the "Stars at the Sun" game, the Mystics won't play again until July 15, when they take on the Liberty at MSG.

Relax . . . then Beat the Liberty!

Mystics Win!

Apparently, the Mystics and the Mercury decided there was no reason to wait until Sunday to put on a pyrotechnic display. Nope, last night in Phoenix, the two teams scored a combined 211 points . . . in regulation! And we awoke to the good news that it was Washington that got the majority of those 211 points . . . and the road win, 107-104.

For founding fans like us, just typing that score is pretty unbelievable. For the Mystics, 107 is (as best we can tell) a new franchise record in points. In fact, the last time (and, according to the BCs' statistical research department, the only other time) the Mystics hit triple digits was on June 20, 2007 . . . also in Phoenix. And the Mercury came out on the short end of that game as well, with 101. It's difficult to imagine a team scoring more than 100 points -- and losing! (However, last night was actually the second time the Mercury have done it this season.)

Thank goodness for the WNBA's Live Access archive, as last night's match is one we'll just have to go back and watch. And many thanks as well to our late-night readers who not only watched live but who also took the time to share their comments about the game on our post below.

With last night's win, the Mystics are now 11-5, their best start to a season since 2002. They have a chance to improve on that record when they take on the Tulsa Shock in Oklahoma on Saturday at 8 pm ET . . . which, fortunately, is not too late, so we'll be watching!

Go Mystics! Beat the Shock!

It's Too Late

But it's too late readers, it's just too late
Though we really would like to watch it
Something inside’s too tired and we can't hide
And we just can't make it

Tonight, the Mystics face off against the Phoenix Mercury, the team they beat last Sunday in a high-scoring run & gun affair at the Verizon Center. This time the teams will be meeting in Phoenix (where the temperature was 113 degrees when the Mystics arrived yesterday . . . but it was a dry heat, so it only felt like 110).

Tip off is scheduled for 10 PM EDT . . . meaning that the game won't be decided until after midnight our time. And this being a school night, the BCs are not planning to stay up to watch this one. Which also means no late-night blogging. (But if you're a night owl and feel like sharing a brief comment about the game, be our guest.)

Go Mystics . . . Beat the Heat Mercury!