Having grown up a Phillies/Eagles/Sixers fan, I’m used to being disappointed in the waning days of a season. Sometimes the teams are even thoughtful enough to save me from the excruciating season-ending swoon, and they start sucking right off the bat – or the tip, in the case of the Sixers.
And so it has been with the only home team I can bring myself to root for in my adopted city – the Liberty.
In the first few seasons of the WNBA, they were among the elite, even putting together the premier rivalry in the league with four-time champs the Houston Comets. But they’ve always faltered when it counted. At first, it was endearing. They were the scrappy overachievers who kept going deep into the playoffs – and coming up short – without a real star.
Lately, if they’ve made the playoffs, they’ve exited in the first round or in the conference finals. Last season, they were injured and awful and missed the playoffs.
This season, the new-look Liberty – sans Becky Hammon -- opened 5-0 when everyone thought they’d stink up the joint. They didn’t disappoint. They have stunk up the joint in several ugly losses. They’ve also looked stellar on occasion, with wins over defending champ Detroit and powerhouse Sacramento.
Now, they’re struggling to grab that final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. I feel a Philadelphia moment coming on, and I want it to hurry up and get here.
Put us out of our misery. Just roll over and die. Let this tortuous season come to a merciful end. No more end-of-season drama and heroics. Go ahead, miss the playoffs. The team – and the fans – will be better off.
See, if the Liberty miss the playoffs, they get a better shot in the draft lottery. Next year’s prize? Tennessee’s Candace Parker. Even if they don’t get the No. 1 pick, next year’s draft is plenty deep.
What do the Liberty get if they make the playoffs? Detroit.
Sure, the Liberty split the season series with the defending champs and played them tough in three of the four games. But Detroit has won two championships. The Liberty, zip. The Shock are battle-tested. The Liberty, young and often tentative. Detroit has five go-to players if center Cheryl Ford returns to the lineup healthy. If she doesn’t, they have 6-8 center Katie Feenstra. The Liberty’s tallest player is 6-5 rookie Jessica Davenport, who’s had an up-and-down season. Even Detroit’s first player off the bench, Plenette Pierson, is an offensive threat and in the running for sixth player of the year. The Liberty’s first player off the bench, usually Ashley Battle, is known for her defense.
I don’t like the Liberty’s chances. So, if they make the playoffs, they exit in the first round.
What does that get them? Some pride, maybe, and the ability to stick out their tongues at the pundits who picked them to finish last. And?
Yeah, that’s it.
If they miss the playoffs, they still don’t finish last. Chicago gets that distinction.
And, if they miss the playoffs, they get a better shot at Parker. Or her NCAA champion teammates Nicky Anosike, a center from Staten Island, guard Alexis Hornbuckle or even pint-sized point guard Shannon Bobbitt, an NYC playground legend; LSU’s 6-6 center Sylvia Fowles, UNC’s 6-1 forward Erlana Larkins, Rutgers guards Matee Ajavon and Essence Carson, Maryland twin towers Crystal Langhorne and Laura Harper, Stanford’s Candice Wiggins or Connecticut’s Charde Houston. I could go on.
Yes, the next draft might be the deepest yet. That’s what should be in the Liberty’s sights.