Cappie Pondexter will recover from eye surgery before she heads overseas to play basketball for Russia.

During the trophy presentation, Pondexter’s eye looked visibly swollen as if she had just gotten into a fist fight. Despite being injured, she scored 24 points during the final game and tossed in an incredible overall performance that helped the Mercury win yet another championship title.

According to ESPN.com, Pondexter’s surgery went well.  She’s taking a little down time before heading off to Russia to play for UMMC Ekaterinburg.

That’s it for the 2009 WNBA season. Bring on college basketball!

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: EveryJoe

Cappie Pondexter Has Eye Surgery

Diana Taurasi was named the Finals MVP and spoke about teamwork when she was given the microphone. In fact, she actually tried to pass her individual award to others in the crowd around her. She wanted nothing to do with it; she wanted the championship trophy instead.

“Winning never gets old,” she said. “But when you do it with a group that generally cares about each other, you don’t care about any of that individual stuff … I think as a group we put it together.”

Taurasi is not one to be humble. But she easily deflected any compliments and accolades made towards her and reemphasized the fact that the Mercury won as a team.

Diana Taurasi, Cappie Pondexter and Penny Taylor are the three x-factors that made the difference in the Finals. When one struggles, the other two step up and carry the load. And when all three are in the zone, watch out.  As is stands now, the Mercury roster won’t be changing too much in the upcoming years. With Taurasi, Pondexter and Taylor at the helm you can expect a few more WNBA Championships in Phoenix.

Can anyone say, dynasty?

See Taurasi’s Finals MVP acceptance speech:

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Phoenix Mercury Defeat Indiana Fever

“I don’t expect anything else,” Phoenix’s Cappie Pondexter said, according to ESPN.com. Pondexter and teammate Diana Taurasi are ready to air it all out and leave everything on the floor.

“At this point, if you don’t want to do that, you shouldn’t be on the court,” Taurasi added.

Diana Taurasi knows that in order to win another WNBA Championship, she's going to have to leave it all on the floor tonight.

That sentiment is echoing through both locker rooms. Tonight’s game on ESPN 2 (at 9:00 Eastern) promises to be as exciting as the previous four games. Only there’s a lot more at stake because after tonight, there are no more games to play. This is it, folks. Game five. It’s the end all be all to the 2009 WNBA Finals. Whoever wins tonight will walk away WNBA Champions.

And whoever loses will just walk away.

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: EveryJoe

2009 WNBA Finals: Game Five

But in order to pull off a win against the Fever, both Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter are going to have to start off strong. Taurasi has not shot well throughout this entire championship series. And for some strange reason, Pondexter has suddenly grown reserved. In the first three games of the series, she waited until the second half to start being aggressive. I’m not exactly sure what she’s waiting for. But one thing is for certain, she’s running out of time. If Pondexter and Taurasi want to win another WNBA Championship ring, then they need to be aggressive right from the tip-off.

Tamika Catchings can see the light ... she's one game away from her first WNBA Championship.

Otherwise, Tamika Catchings will have the opportunity to take control of the game and win her first WNBA title. She’s got that look in her eyes that says, “Nothing can stop me. Not even Diana Taurasi.” At this point,  I’m about four quarters away from believing her.

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Are You Ready For Game Four?

Penny Taylor kept Phoenix in the game, as both Taurasi and Pondexter struggled with their shooting. But once she went out in the third quarter with an injury to her lip, Indiana ran away with game.

Tamika Catchings showed why she was the runner-up in the MVP race, as she shut down Taurasi defensively and scored 19 points. She also dished out 11 assists to get her teammates involved.

Tamika Catchings took control in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.

Taurasi finished the game with 20 points, which matched her season average. But she was only 7 – 22 on the night as a whole.  Pondexter never quite found her rhythm. And without Taylor’s offensive spark, Phoenix burned out offensively.

It’s on to Game 3.

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Indiana Fever Win Game 2

The award came as no surprise to players, coaches, fans and certainly, Taurasi herself. She is the league’s leading scorer and the best all-around talent. I’d go as far to say that she is the world’s best women’s basketball player.

According to ESPN.com, Taurasi received 27 first-place votes and 323 points overall in ballots cast by representatives of every WNBA team as well as nationally-respected reporters.

When she found out that she won the award, Taurasi’s response was simply, “I felt like a little kid again.”

As if accolades weren’t enough, Taurasi was handed another reason to smile after the Mercury shut down the Fever in overtime to win the first game of the series. The game was fast-paced and full of aggressive play by both teams. But the Mercury held on to take a 1-0 lead in the Finals.

Shine on, “D” …  shine on.

Tune in for Game 2 tonight on ESPN 2.

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Tuesday Was Diana Taurasi’s Day To Shine

However, they’ll have to contend with Indiana’s own Katie Douglas and Tamika Catchings (who might rival Taurasi for the 2009 MVP honor), first. Though the Fever haven’t ever been to the Finals before as a team, they have plenty of individual players who have.

Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter hope to win a second ring.

The match-up begins Tuesday night on ESPN 2. This is a WNBA Finals series that has the potential to go three games.

Image: ZumaPress

Post from: EveryJoe

2009 WNBA Finals: Phoenix Vs. Indiana

Sure, Candace Parker is a household name, but Leslie was dunking basketballs well before Parker could even drive a car.

Leslie reached yet another milestone in her basketball career by reaching 6,000 points in a game against the Indiana Fever. The exclamation point of the achievement was made as Leslie hit an 11-foot jumper with only 11.9 seconds left before halftime.

Leslie is also an eight-time All-Star, leads the league in career rebounds with 3,203. She is only one of four remaining players from the league’s inaugural season in 1997.

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Lisa Leslie Reaches 6,000 Points

Yolanda Griffith announced her retirement Tuesday after suffering a career-ending tear of her left Achilles tendon back on June 9.

Yolanda Griffith is retiring from the WNBA after 11 seasons. She won a WNBA Championship with the Sacramento Monarchs in 2005.

The 39-year-old Indiana Fever forward has quite the basketball resume. She is a two-time Olympic Gold Medalist, and won a WNBA Champtionship back  in 2005 with the Sacramento Monarchs.

Griffith also holds the second spot for rebounding in league history with 2,444 boards. As the second overall pick in the 1999 WNBA draft, she averaged seven rebounds and 10.3 ppg.

As the WNBA moves further into the second decade of its existence, we are going to see more and more outstanding athletes retire from a league they helped create. (Lisa Leslie plans on calling it quits at the end of this season). And at the same time, more talented and incredible athletes are entering the league in order to help keep it afloat.

It’s s bitter sweet situation, no matter how you look at it.

Image: Zuma Press

Post from: EveryJoe

Yolanda Griffith Decides To Retire

Though Courtney Paris shed tears only a couple days earlier after failing to make it to the championship game, on Wednesday she was all smiles when she was drafted 7th by the Sacramento Monarchs.

The number one overall pick went to Angel McCoughtry, the former Louisville All-American who will now be part of the Atlanta Dream.

Here’s a recap of the Top 10 2009 WNBA Draft picks in full:

1. Atlanta Dream — Angel McCoughtry
2. Washington Mystics — Marissa Coleman
3. Chicago Sky — Kristi Toliver
4. Minnesota Lynx — Renee Montgomery
5. Phoenix Mercury — DeWanna Bonner
6. Indiana Fever — Briann January
7. Sacramento Monarchs — Courtney Paris
8. New York Liberty — Kia Vaughn
9. Minnesota Lynx — Quanitra Hollingsworth
10. Connecticut Sun — Chante Black

Post from: EveryJoe

Top Ten Of 2009 WNBA Draft