San Antonio Gaining Ground in Week 2
Posted June 17, 2011 11:45 AM
The first week of play allowed for the power rankings to take shape, but the second week provides teams a chance to gain some ground. However you may notice right from the start that Minnesota has not moved from the No. 1 spot. As you'll soon read that wasn't due the result of good or bad performances this past week. They simply didn't play a game since the last installment of power rankings.
Chicago and San Antonio each received a bump this time around, while teams like Atlanta and Tulsa are desperately looking for a one-way ticket out of the basement.
Let's get into week two of the power rankings.
| 2011 WNBA.com POWER RANKINGS: 6/17 | |||
| TEAM (last week) | W / L | NOTES | |
| 1 |  Minnesota (1) |
3-1 |
It�s been over a week since Minnesota�s last game, but just because they didn�t play doesn�t mean they are in line for a demotion. Until proven otherwise, the Lynx remain the top team in my book. A home-and-home series against Atlanta this weekend may test that prediction, especially since Atlanta will look to maintain momentum coming out of a win on the road in New York.
Upcoming Games: 6/17 vs. Atlanta, 6/19 at Atlanta, 6/24 at Seattle |
| 2 |  San Antonio (8) |
3-0 |
Is San Antonio the highest-scoring team in the league right now? Why yes, yes they are. At 90.67 points per game, the Silver Stars are averaging six more points than the No. 2 ranked Connecticut Sun. Becky Hammon is in the Top 3 list for assist leaders with 6.3 per game, while rookie Danielle Adams continues to be a force off the bench. Should be exciting to see how the team performs over the next two games against Phoenix.
Upcoming Games: 6/17 at Phoenix, 6/21 vs. Phoenix, 6/24 vs. Los Angeles |
| 3 |  Indiana (2) |
3-1 |
At 21.3 points per game, Katie Douglas remains the league�s top scorer heading into the third weekend of action. The Fever closed out back-to-back games against the Liberty with a loss at home and win on the road before returning home to keep the Shock winless with a victory on Tuesday. The scary part is, as good as Douglas is playing, Tamika Catchings has yet to really catch fire.
Upcoming Games: 6/17 at Seattle, 6/19 at Phoenix, 6/21 at Washington |
| 4 |  Connecticut (3) |
3-1 |
Tina Charles closed out Thursday�s game against Washington one point shy of tying her career-high of 27, but still added 10 rebounds to register her first double-double of the season in the 79-71 Sun win. Renee Montgomery has provided some nice perimeter scoring as well having reached double-digits in each of Connecticut�s four games.
Upcoming Games: 6/19 vs. Chicago, 6/23 at Chicago, 6/25 at Indiana |
| 5 |  Seattle (5) |
1-1 |
It�s hard to justify moving the Seattle Storm anywhere on this list since the team has not played a game in eight days. So we�ll keep them right here at the No. 5 spot and revisit again after they play Indiana, Los Angeles and Tulsa over the next seven days.
Upcoming Games: 6/17 vs. Indiana, 619 at Los Angeles, 6/21 at Tulsa |
| 6 |  Chicago (10) |
2-1 |
As long as Sylvia Fowles gets her touches around the rim this team is going to be a tough one to top. Epiphanny Prince�s 17 points per game is exactly what Chicago hoped to see from its 2010 first-round draft pick, while Courtney Vandersloot�s 10.7 points and 5.3 assists per game is a welcome sight as well. The next four games are big ones for the Sky if they want to do some damage in the Eastern Conference early on.
Upcoming Games: 6/10 vs. Connecticut, 6/11 at Washington, 6/17 vs. New York |
| 7 |  Los Angeles (7) |
2-1 |
Sunday�s game against Seattle is bound to be a big one for the Sparks. It�s not always about how you start a season, but coming out on top 3-1 against four conference rivals would be a nice way to tip off the season. It could also pay off big down the road in potential tie-breakers heading into the postseason.
Upcoming Games: 6/21 vs. New York, 6/24 at San Antonio, 6/26 at New York, |
| 8 |  New York (6) |
2-2 |
Two separate cars carrying players and coaches were involved in minor accidents on the way to the Prudential Center in Newark Tuesday night as the Liberty prepared to take on the Dream. Thankfully no one was injured, but Plenette Pierson said the jumbled nerves carried over into the game and kept her out of rhythm. That showed on the scoreboard after the final buzzer, as Atlanta defeated New York 79-58.
Upcoming Games: 6/17 at Chicago, 6/21 at Los Angeles, 6/23 at Tulsa |
| 9 |  Atlanta (11) |
1-3 |
The Dream picked up its first win of the season on the road in New York Tuesday afternoon. Not wanting to find themselves in too deep a whole to start the season, it definitely comes as a relief to crack that goose egg. Now it comes down to whether or not the team can sustain that momentum on the road in Minnesota Friday night before returning home to host the Lynx in the second half of a home-and-home on Sunday.
Upcoming Games: 6/17 at Minnesota, 6/19 at Connecticut, 6/21 at Atlanta |
| 10 |  Phoenix (9) |
0-2 |
The Mercury looks a bit disjointed after two games, but the season is still young. Diana Taurasi was hot in the season opener against Seattle but cooled off a bit against the Sparks. Let�s see how she and the Mercury bounce back Friday night against San Antonio. SBN Arizona's Seth Pollack suggests the Mercury offense may be following in the Suns' footsteps, but for the sake of Merc fans hopefully that doesn't translate to missing the postseason as well.
Upcoming Games: 6/17 vs. San Antonio, 6/19 vs. Indiana, 6/21 at San Antonio |
| 11 |  Washington (4) |
1-3 |
A slow start against the Sun Thursday night forced the Mystics to play a game of catch up early on. Short-staffed and injured is not a fun way to start the season, but Washington will continue to look to Nicky Anosike and Crystal Langhorne to provide the bulk of offense while Alana Beard and untested rookie Ta�Shia Phillips remain out of the lineup.
Upcoming Games: 6/18 at Tulsa, 6/21 vs. Indiana, 6/26 vs. Tulsa |
| 12 |  Tulsa (12) |
0-5 |
Tulsa almost made a game out of it against the Indiana Fever Tuesday night but by the time all was said and done they dropped their fifth straight. Playing without Amber Holt (broken thumb) doesn�t help, but things went from bad to worse with rookie Liz Cambage (concussion) out of the lineup as well. Not exactly the best time for the injury bug to strike. Will the Shock pick up a win before the month is through?
Upcoming Games: 6/18 vs. Washington, 6/21 vs. Seattle, 6/23 vs. New York |