New York Liberty Open 2010 Season with a Bang

The following blog post is dedicated to Elissa, who gave me the encouragement and support -- not to mention, background research -- necessary to forge ahead, despite my apprehension, and write about a subject of which I previously knew very little. Thanks, Liss, for helping me achieve my full potential as a sportswriter. I couldn't have done it without you.

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Many people probably think of the WNBA as the NBA's unpopular kid sister. After all, the WNBA has only 12 teams to the NBA's 30, and only 34 regular season games to the NBA's 82. The WNBA has one fewer playoff round than its obnoxious older brother. The women play their first two rounds as best-of-three series, culminating in a best-of-five Finals; the men play all best-of-seven series. The NBA spans a total of nine months, from October to June, while the WNBA is relegated to four summer months, when most people are out at the ballpark taking in a baseball game or on the beach getting their tans. Let's face it -- there's a gross inequity in the two leagues in terms of money and overall popularity.

But if you were to dismiss the WNBA as a league not worth taking seriously...well, you'd be doing yourself an injustice. Women can generate the same excitement as the men when it comes to playing the game of basketball. Take the New York Liberty's second pre-season game this past Tuesday, for example, which started at a bright and early 10:30 AM. Aided by the team's fifth annual Kids Day, a sold-out, boisterous Madison Square Garden crowd of over 19,000 watched the Liberty outlast the Connecticut Sun 89-85...in triple overtime.

I don't care who you're watching, a triple-overtime basketball game of any kind is bound to be an entertaining experience. But this game had not only the length, but an abundance of star power and some intriguing storylines to go along with it. Tina Charles, the first overall pick in this year's WNBA draft -- and who also happened to lead UConn to back-to-back titles and undefeated seasons (no big deal) -- finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, and figures to have a long and dominant career in the league. Meanwhile, on New York's side, Cappie Pondexter, a former Rutgers phenom and three-time WNBA All-Star who was traded from the Phoenix Mercury in the offseason, made her Liberty debut after sitting out the team's opener. If her performance in Tuesday's game is a harbinger of things to come, let's just say that the Liberty faithful should start getting excited -- Pondexter finished with 14 points, 11 boards, and 8 assists, just two shy of a triple-double. She also made an absolutely huge play with 22.8 seconds left in the second overtime and the Liberty down two when she blocked a layup by Kara Lawson that would've given Connecticut a commanding (given the circumstances) four-point lead. She then followed up that play with a key assist to teammate Essence Carson, who hit a layup to tie the score and send the game into a third overtime, which proved to be the decisive period.

Pondexter, the 2nd-overall pick in the 2006 draft, is obviously a versatile player, but she also showed she has a winning attitude to go along with her game. "I've never seen, experienced or heard of any preseason game that long," Pondexter said of the marathon victory over the Sun. "It was awesome, good to see the kids out there enjoying themselves. Good thing we put on a good show for them."

Yo, Joe Johnson: remember when you essentially said you didn't give a shit what the fans think after one of your atrocious playoff games against the Magic? Take a lesson from this woman on how to conduct yourself as a professional.

Back to the Liberty...the win was truly a team effort. In addition to Pondexter's heroics, they also got great performances from former UConn star Kalana Greene, who put up 14 points and grabbed 9 rebounds, Janel McCarville (13 points, 10 rebounds), and new Liberty center Taj McWilliams-Franklin (9 points, 10 rebounds, 2 blocked shots).

Mechelle Voepel, an analyst for ESPN, picks the Liberty to finish second in the Eastern Conference...behind, yes, the Connecticut Sun that they just outlasted in triple-overtime. Do I see a little tri-state-area rivalry brewing here?

Hopefully, the two teams will meet again in the playoffs. And if you're in the NYC area at all this summer, I'd recommend hitting up a Liberty game at the World's Most Famous Arena...

Because it sure beats watching the Knicks.