FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2010
KLMNO PROFESSIONAL BASKETBALL Desperate Mystics ‘back to reality’
Washington needs to win in Atlanta or season is over
BY KATHY ORTON The top-seeded Washington
Mystics fought so vigorously to gain home-court advantage in the WNBA playoffs, moving up from fourth place by winning the final six games of the season. Then in just a couple of hoursWednesday night, they squanderedit. Followingtheir95-90losstothe
fourth-seeded Atlanta Dream in the Eastern Conference semifi- nals, theMystics face elimination in the best-of-three series on Fri- dayinAtlanta.Washington,which has lost seven consecutive post- season games, is 1-7 all-time in roadplayoff games. “We’re back to reality,” Mystics
forward Crystal Langhorne said. “We realize we have to win on Friday. There’s nothing else — we have towin.We’ll be ready.” The Mystics weren’t ready for
what Atlanta threw at them to start Wednesday’s game. The Dream switched lineups, going with four guards and keeping 6- foot-5 Erika de Souza on the bench. “You’ve got to give a lot of credit
to the coaches ofAtlanta,”Mystics center ChasityMelvin said. “They threw something different at us the first sixminutes . . . [putting] a small lineup out there. That kind of threw us out of our focus and whatwehadintendedtodo.” Added Langhorne: “I really
think that caught us off guard.We were shocked de Sousa wasn’t starting,andit reallymessedusup in the beginning. Our offense wasn’t flowing.” It was a clever strategy on At-
lanta’s part, completely disrupt- ing Washington’s carefully planned defensive assignments. Before the Mystics could adjust, theDreamracedout to a 10-1 lead. “I don’t carewhat they’re doing
— we don’t give up 10 points that quickly,” Washington Coach Julie Plank said. As an opening gambit, it was a
brilliant move by Atlanta. The Dream stole home-court advan- tage away from Washington and left theMysticswonderingwhat it might be planning for Friday’s game. With less than 48 hours between games, Washington has little time to prepare for all the possibilities. “I think it’s more of just an
individual thing,” Mystics guard Katie Smith said. “It’s just a pride thing. It’s just getting the job done.” Though much was made of
Washington’s poor defensive ef- fort, its offense didn’t fare much better.TheMysticsmade less than 40 percent of their shots. Lindsey
TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST
Matee Atavon takes a jumper onWednesday for theMystics, who are 1-7 all-time in road playoff games. Though it would be easy for
Harding, Monique Currie and Smith, in particular, seemed to misplace their shooting touches. Harding missed 16 of her 21 shot attempts, including three of her four three-point attempts. Smith went 1 for 5 from three-point range and 2 of 7 overall. Currie missed 8 of 9 field goal attempts butdidgrab 11 rebounds. “Wewere pressing a little bit at
thebeginning,”Smithsaid. “When you [are going against] a different [defensive] lineup,you’retryingto find yourway of howto attack it. I just thinkit tooka secondforus to get a little bit of a groove to start the game — how to attack them, what are they giving you,what are they taking away from you. It’s kind of a feeling out process, espe- cially since they did change their lineup. Things that are usually therewere a littledifferent.” Washington’s coaches had rea-
son to focus on rebounding head- ing intotheplayoffs:Atlanta leads the league in rebounds per game. But even with all the attention
Mystics at Dream Best-of-three playoff series; Atlanta leads, 1-0 When: Tonight, 7:30 p.m. Where: Philips Arena, Atlanta. TV: NBATV.
paid to rebounding, the Dream still won that category, albeit by one. “We got hurt on the boards,”
Planksaid. “Theygot secondshots at the free throwline.All I can say is it’s ridiculous.We’ve got to box out.” Itwasn’t somuchthenumberof
rebounds theDreamgrabbed— it waswhenit grabbedthem. “When we started to make our
comeback,wewere downtwo and gave up four offensive rebounds,” Mystics swingman Marissa Cole- man said. “Things like that kill you, not only on the scoreboard, but momentum-wise. We had all the momentum and then [offen- sive] rebound after [offensive] re- bound after [offensive] rebound. It’sdeflating.”
Washington’s young players to be- comediscouragedbytheloss,Mel- vin, a playoff veteran, is deter- mined they not adopt a bleak mind-set. “You can’t start thinking about,
‘Oh,myseasonisgoingtobeoverif I lose this game,’” Melvin said. “You’ve got to comewith the same mentality of just focusing onwhat you’vedoneall seasontoget there. . . . I think everybody will bounce back because we’re pretty upset withthis loss.” Indications are that theMystics
recognize where they went astray and they know what they have to do to bring the series back to Washington on Sunday. Accord- ing to Coleman, it starts with Washington playing with more “heart.” “That’s something that Julie
was talking about in the locker room,” she said. “We’re going to packourboxingglovesbecauseit’s going to be a fight.”
ortonk@washpost.com
TENNIS State of women’s tennis up for debate heading into U.S. Open BY LIZ CLARKE The most compelling rivalry in
tennis could resume on the sport’s biggest stage in twoweeks, with worldNo. 1 RafaelNadaland Swiss champion Roger Federer, who has won a record 16 major titles, on course to meet in the final of theU.S. Open. But the most provocative de-
bate following Thursday’s unveil- ing of the draw for the season’s fourthandfinalmajor,whichgets underway Monday in Flushing Meadows, N.Y., concerned the state of the women’s game — hobbled by injuries and inconsis- tency of late. The U.S. Open was dealt a ma-
jor blow last Friday when world No. 1 Serena Williams, a three- time champion, withdrew, citing doctors’ advice that she take time to recuperate from surgery on her right foot July 15. In a conference call conducted
by CBS Sports, three-time U.S. Open champion John McEnroe said he felt that female tennis players simply weren’t capable of withstanding the rigors of the 10-month season, either physical- ly or mentally, and repeated his call for the sport’s multiple gov- erning bodies to lessen the play- ing commitments of men and women alike. “I think that it’s asking too
much of the women,” McEnroe said. “They shouldn’t be playing asmany events as themen.. . .The women have it better in tennis than in any other sport, thanks to Billie Jean King [a founder of the Women’s Tennis Association and pioneer for equal prize money for women]. But you shouldn’t push them to play more than they’re capable of.”
touring pro turned TV commen- tator, took a differing view while agreeing with McEnroe that, apart from a few exceptions — notably Venus and Serena Wil- liams and former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova — the current women’s game lacks the mental toughness that defined so many of its past champions. “Monica Seles was as mentally
tough as anyone I’ve ever seen — man or woman,” said Carillo, an analyst for both CBS and ESPN. “Steffi Graf. Chrissy [Evert] and Martina [Navratilova]. Come on! [Evert and Navratilova] played each other 80 times! They stayed so fit mentally and physically for so long because they wanted it for
so long! To say we’re asking too much of women, I don’t see it.” TheU.S.Openwill also be with-
Serena has proven the rare ex-
out its defending men’s champi- on, Argentina’s Juan Martin del Potro,whohas yet to recoverfrom wrist surgery inMay. Carillo said the problem wasn’t
that female pros are competing too much; rather, she argued, they’re competing too little. Serena Williams, for example,
has played in just six tourna- ments this year. Normally that would guarantee she couldn’t as- cend toNo. 1 in the world because the mathematical formula that determines tennis rankings pe- nalizes players harshly for peri- ods of inactivity — another bone of contention forMcEnroe.
ception, however, winning two of this season’s three majors (Aus- tralia and Wimbledon) to reclaim her status asNo. 1. Dinara “Safina played a lot,”
Carillo said. Jelena “Jankovic played a lot. Everybody else plays too little. If they get hurt, it’s not because they’re overplaying. . . . I hate the idea that we have to judge women on a curve and say, ‘It’s too much for them.’ I’ve seen too many great women champi- ons for too long.” The debate about the health of
women’s tennis is sure to contin- ue as the two-week tournament unfolds. With Williams out, second- ranked CarolineWozniacki, 20, of
the fourth round. But the matchup sure to draw
the most interest is Federer-Na- dal, who could only meet in the finals. Nadal, 24, is among the rare players who holds a career advantage over Federer, having won 17 of their 21 encounters, including the epic, five-set Wim- bledon final in 2008 that many consider the greatest match ever played. But Federer, a five-time U.S.
Open champion, holds a 2-1 edge over Nadal in their hard-court meetings. And his game is better suited to the U.S. Open’s fast sur- face thanNadal’s. Top American Andy Roddick,
whoregained his placeamongthe world’s top 10 afterbattlingabout of mononucleosis, has an envi- able drawat least until the second week. “I think he’s going to have a
MARY ALTAFFER/ASSOCIATED PRESS
DefendingU.S. Open champion Kim Clijsters and tournament referee Brian Early at the drawceremony for this year’s event inNewYork. Mary Carillo, like McEnroe a
good run,” said veteran coach Brad Gilbert, also an ESPN ana- lyst. “Winning it is another thing. But it’s about navigating the first week.”
Denmark, inherits the No. 1 seed. Thursday’s draw did last year’s runner-up no favors, placing Wozniacki in the same quarter of the 128-player field as formerU.S. Open championsMaria Sharapo- va and Svetlana Kuzntesova, a potential quarterfinal opponent. Venus Williams, who won back-to-back U.S. Open titles in 2000 and 2001, could face French Open champion Francesca Schia- vone of Italy in the quarterfinals. But Venus hasn’t competed since Wimbledon to give an ailing knee a chance to rest and enters the tournament amid questions about her fitness and form. Defending champion Kim Cli-
jsters, the No. 2 seed, could face Ana Ivanovic, the formerNo. 1, in
clarkel@washpost.com
EZ SU COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Hokies’ secondary still has ‘that feel’
Carmichael says revamped backfield
will reload this season BY STEVE YANDA
blacksburg, va.—When Tor- rian Gray initially joined Vir- ginia Tech’s staff as the defen- sive backfield coach in 2006, he said he trusted the skills of cornerbacks Victor “Macho” Harris and Brandon Flowers, but “I was scared to death if anybody else had to play.” When Flowers moved on to
the NFL, Harris teamed up in theHokies’ secondary with cor- nerback Stephan Virgil, which was fine with Gray. “But I was still kind of scared to death” if any other cornerback had to step in, the coach said. When Virgil suffered a knee injury last seasonandunderstudy CrisHill served as his replacement, Gray said he “was scared to death with Cris out there, to be hon- est.” Entering this season, the
thought of playing a backup causes Gray lessmortal trepida- tion,andthat’sgoodnewsforan inexperienced defense that for the first time in years finds itself under greater scrutiny than the offense. The No. 10 Hokies’ Bowl
Championship Series aspira- tions hinge largelyonwhether a defense that returns just three starters can match the pro- gram’s usually lofty standards. Fifth-year senior cornerback Rashad Carmichael (Gwynn Park) looks forward to answer- ing any questions about the defense. “That has never been said
before,” Carmichael said. “And we take it, and we can use it a couple different ways.We use it to motivate ourselves to come out to practice, you know, be- cause peopledon’tknow.People have questions, and it’s never been that.We have that feel that we should be a top-10 defense, a top-five defense at all times.” In 2008 and 2009, theHokies
ranked No. 9 in the nation in scoring defense. In 2007, the Hokies allowed fewer points pergamethan all but twoteams in the country. They rankedNo. 1 in scoring defense in 2006 and No. 2 in that category in the two seasons before that. In order to live up to such
tradition of stinginess, Virginia Tech’s eightnewdefensive start- ers will need all the guidance they can get from players such as Carmichael, who led the team with six interceptions last season.
“It’s a lot of pride that we’ve
got to go out there and hold up to on the defensive side of the ball,” Carmichael said. “It’s good to know it’s there, because it makes you want to go out there and compete in practice every day, and that makes you that much more prepared on game day. We wouldn’t have it any other way.We like the pressure, man. It’s fun. I tell my guys, ‘This is what you asked for growing up.’ ” Hill, a redshirt junior, and sophomore Jayron Hosley are competing to fill the starting cornerback spot opposite Car- michael, though Hosley has dealt with hamstring issues re- cently. Gray said Hill has made sig-
nificant progress since the end of last season. “I never had it [before] where
I felt comfortable,” Gray said. “But I think we’ve got four guys that I feel pretty good about being able to go into a game.” The fourth guy may have
been the most surprising of all: redshirt junior Jacob Sykes. Sykes was most known for his poor work habits before Coach Frank Beamer told him he was free to leave the program last January. That phone call jarred Sykes, whom Gray described as “a different guy” during spring practice. “You rarely see a guy be able
to change their mind-set, some- onewho’s not as mentally tough or as physically tough as you’d like him to be to kind of evolve to where he’s gone,” Gray said. “I’mproud of him for that.” One of the defensive stand-
outs of Virginia Tech’s training camp, Sykes sits behind Carmi- chael on the depth chart and said he looks up to Carmichael, who goes by the nickname “Rock,” in more ways than one. “There’s something about
him,” Sykes said. “I can relate to him.He’s a special person—not vocal, but a leader that people look at and take heed of what he’s doing.” Carmichael said his nick-
name isn’t new, though it might take on added meaning this season. In elementary school, Carmichael said, he used to sign papers with “Rock” instead of his first name. He simply thought it fit, since that’s what everyone else called him. His teachers often disagreed. “I even tried it here [at Vir-
giniaTech]acouple times, but it didn’t work,” Carmichael said. “I’d definitely lose a couple points. I probably learned how to spell ‘Rock’ before ‘Rashad.’ Easily. SinceDay One, that’s just who I’ve been.”
yandas@washpost.com
D3
Service Appointments Available Immediately! CALL TODAY!
LOWTOYOTA PRICES!
ourismantoyota.com
Visit us: Fairfax 866-493-6915 Chantilly 866-493-9582
Open: Mon–Sat 9–9; Sunday 11–5
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134