Went to see the Shock beat Indiana tonight ( Fri 6-16 ). Had close seats in row AA ( 1st row behind court seats ) but they were more in the corner so some of the view was abstructed whenever someone walked by or an employee stood. I thought of some Piston fan paying $800 for the same seat in the post-season. You are a part of things but will miss some of the game.

Anyway it was entertaining and cheap as heck. Only $26/seat for those. It was very refreshing being there with only 5,000 or so other fans as compared to the usual hectic Piston game. No lines, no traffic. You could use the facilities and buy refreshments at the half with no waiting whatsoever. This must have been what it was like in the infancy of the NBA.

Shock looked good and won by 12 or so points. Deanna Nolan is very fast. Ran the ball up the court in what seemed like 2 seconds, we could use someone like that on the Pistons. I also wish we could find the male equivalent of Cheryl Ford for the Piston frontline. She is an amazing post-player and lives in the paint, outstanding offensive rebounder and usually finishes her post moves. Katie Smith is the main shooter on the team. I don't know if it was just that game but I did not see Swin Cash as the main catalist on that team. She is good but I would place her behind Ford and Nolan.

Not to sound like a sexiest but I was impressed on how much more attractive our players are than Indy's - if that means anything.

Billups was there with the wife and fam. If its good enough for him then its good enough for you. You will at least not get stressed out in the slightest with any of the inconvinences of a typical sold out Piston game.

They play 4 10 min quarters with abreviated timouts. The game was played in less than 2 hours.

Max, actually...you don't have to go quite so far back to the infancy of the NBA. If I recall, I could get seats like that for about 16 bucks in 1979 at the Silverdome. 10 rows back and it was 2 seats for 8 bucks (with a coupon from the entertainment book).

You're right, it was great, although the team sucked.

Then we got Isiah and the rest is history.

probably a stupid question btu I've never got to see a WNBA game. How's it like? Do some of them dunk once a game? Where is the difference? Is it slower, with more tactical play and jumpshots? Do they shove alot? Complain about the refs? Many hard fouls? Are there some star- like players who penetrate the zone all the time (like Wade or so) or is it more teasm basketball?
Thanks for answers!

I've seen a fair amount on TV. They rarely dunk. Lisa Leslie of the LA Sparks dunks occasionally, but it's not a thrown-down dunk. She barely gets over the rim and just kind of places it in there. It's definitely slower and more tactical. There is no play above the rim so it is much less entertaining. I don't know about the hard fouls. I know that Cheryl Ford is a bruiser and throws her weight around (a la her father Karl Malone). I think they complain about calls, but they don't follow the refs around like in the NBA. The women are much more polite. I think there is less paint penetration and reckless abandon like you'd see from Wade. The game is definitely predicated more on fundamentals and outside shooting and straight post-up plays.

It isn't the most exciting game in the world, and that it hurts it at the box office. The league is in its 10th season and without the backing of the NBA, it would probably be sunk. It has a high lesbian fan base and I think about 40 percent of the players are lesbians, according to some reports I've read. I only mention that because there has been some discussion about how the WNBA ignores much of its fan base in its marketing strategy.

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"I don't believe there's any problem in this country, no matter how tough it is, that Americans, when they roll up their sleeves, can't completely ignore. - George Carlin

This is not the NBA, not even close. I was just amazed after going to over 200 Piston games over the years what I found there. Free parking and all in the VIP lots. Tickets range from I think around $50 for courtside seats to $10 for the rest of the lower bowl. No lines for anything, no traffic, no waiting for the restrooms, no real hassels whatsoever. Cost wise its roughly equivalent to going to the movies depending on your seat selection.

Talent wise it has more of a college feel to it minus the dunks. They do complain about calls just like in the NBA but for some reason the calls seem to be more fair and balanced. I would also imagine that given the salaries which range from around 20k to something like 60-70k for max contracts that many athletes think its just not worth it turning pro. Unless you are a superstar and get sponsership you can make more money using those 4 years in college to pursue a degree.

On 40% being lesbian. I have not heard that before and do not know where that figure was arrived at but its not definetly not a lesbian sport ( not that there is anything wrong with that - Seinfeld ) . Granted the majority of WNBA players are not exacly beauty queens so perhaps thats where the perception comes from. Only real differense in the audience is there were a lot of young teens there. I would imagine that the WNBA provides more positive role models for them than other venues. Or perhaps their parents have found something that they can take the whole family to without spending a small fortune. If anything the WNBA crowds have more of a family following than the NBA. Its cheap and no one is getting drunk.

If you have never been to a game before then its probably more entertaining than what you think.

I read the 40 percent figure in an article by Jayda Evans, the beat writer for the Seattle Storm. She wrote an article in late May about the WNBA's delicate balancing act. Here's the excerpt:

"The players and the league dance a smooth tango around the issue. Swoopes, though she has every right, even softens her outing by saying she wasn't "born gay." The league says it has no stipulation on its athletes, and they in turn use concerns of losing endorsement deals and bringing unwanted attention onto their team as reasons to keep quiet about their sexual orientation. Lesbians and league officials, who spoke under the condition of remaining anonymous, estimated that approximately 40 percent of the 154 WNBA players could be identified as lesbians.
The league will see what the response is to Swoopes this summer. It's already planning a bang-up celebration for its monumental 10th anniversary. On its Web site during the offseason, the WNBA posted an action photo of Swoopes and a list of posts from its forum."

Here's the link, but you gotta register: LINK

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"I don't believe there's any problem in this country, no matter how tough it is, that Americans, when they roll up their sleeves, can't completely ignore. - George Carlin

ggazoo - well it does not really matter to me anyway. I posted that because I left that Shock game a satisfied customer. If female athletes are more prone to be homosexual then so be it - its their choice. No one seems to mind that male figure skaters and fashion designers tend to be gay.

maybe this Margo Dydek- giant should be introduced to Yao- if they had a son he could be the most dominant C this league has ever seen.

Doesn't matter to me, either. The game is the thing. You got it right. The only reason I brought it up is because I had read it recently and thought it interesting.

I've watched a handful of games... I was impressed with the off the ball movement by the Shock... Left me thinking that Laim has a grasp on offensive schemes and team play... yeah Noland really likes to push the ball...
Off topic but I can see Chauncey being a combo guard within the next couple years.... which could make Delfino and Amir battling for PT at SF.