Sun well-rested, ready to go
Connecticut returns from the All-Star break tonight vs. Liberty
Mohegan — Oh, the many fun things Jasmine Thomas could have done during the Connecticut Sun's five-day break.
Instead, Thomas went home and did nothing.
“It was a much-needed rest for sure,” she said. “This was one of those times where that was exactly what I needed.
“Sometimes you can just feel it. ‘Eh, I just want to rest.' Go home.”
Five days off may have felt like five weeks to the Sun given the WNBA's compacted schedule this year. They return from the All-Star break tonight and continue their postseason push when they host the New York Liberty at Mohegan Sun Arena (7, NBCSB).
Connecticut (14-12) has a 1.5-game lead over the Las Vegas Aces (12-13) for eighth place in the overall standings. The top eight teams qualify for the postseason. Just four games separate the second-place Atlanta Dream (1610) and Las Vegas.
The Sun have eight regular-season games left.
Connecticut has been on a roller coaster this season and not just because of the brutal schedule. Injuries, absences and inconsistency have also hampered its success. The Sun won seven of their first eight games prior to hitting turbulence. They lost 11 of their next 16.
One of Connecticut's most gutting losses was at home to New York on July 11. The Liberty's Epiphanny Prince made a 3-pointer to tie the game with 24.3 seconds left before Shavonte Zellous banked in an off-balance, 29-foot shot at the buzzer to give New York a 79-76 win.
Things went from bad to worse six
days later when Atlanta's Tiffany Hayes had a steal with seconds left and made a halfcourt shot at the buzzer to stun Connecticut and the Mohegan Sun Arena crowd, 86-83.
“This league has tons and tons of close games,” Sun coach Curt Miller said. “The ability to manage the clock, the ability to be good in time and score situations in this league, when you lose some close games, you really self-critique. What could we have done better through that stretch of a couple of close losses? It really had me looking inwardly. What could I do to put them in a better position to get to the finish line?”
The players, on the other hand, keep trying to accentuate the positives.
“Through the tough part of this season, we were able to find positives that have been consistent throughout the season,” Thomas said. “I was looking at a post on Instagram the other day (by the Sun's public relations staff) and it was kind of a surprise.”
Connecticut was first in offensive rebounds (296) and overall rebounds (964), and third in field goal percentage (46.8) and scoring (85.7)
“I never really pay attention (to stats), and we were first and third in (the) categories (listed),” Thomas said. “It's like, ‘you know, it doesn't feel like that all the time, but we're doing some pretty good things.' So that was cool to see.”
The Sun gave themselves some peace of mind going into the break by decisively beating two playoff contenders. They first beat the Dallas Wings on the road 92-75 on July 22.
Connecticut thrashed the Washington Mystics 94-68 on July 24.
“I think you saw the potential in this group to play at a very high level,” Miller said. “Rebounding the way we're capable of, and the defense was really, really solid the last two games.
“(We have to) play with that level of defensive performance to allow us to get into the playoffs.”
New York has dealt with many of the same problems as the Sun. The Liberty, however, are 7-18 and in 11th place. They are nonetheless dangerous thanks to a talented and deep roster. Workhorse Tina Charles is the league's fourth-leading scorer (20.2) and averages 7.2 rebounds. n.griffen@theday.com