Anybody see this one? first two minutes, Tina Thompson plowed Marie Ferdinand. Didn't look to me as though Ferdinand moved a bit, but the camera angle wasn't very helpful. Any WNBA insiders have any poop on this?

PS, I sure wanted Indiana to win. Oh, well, at least Houston is out. Anyone betting against LA?

[Edited by rainmaker on Aug 22nd, 2002 at 02:54 AM]

Being from the D.C. area, I would like to see the Mystics win it all.

i remember this play. the defender was standing well inside the restricted area. though the wnba does not have the ra in the book its philosophy is still implied by many officials at the higher levels. she was deep in the ra, though she was set and took it hard. the official used this philosophy or completely missed the play. 1 or the other.

In the interests of my X chromosome, my hope is that both teams just have some fun.

Ah, yes, the good ol' Restricted Area. ** heavy sigh ** Do I finally have to give you one, for being right about the "ra" in this situation?

Or, no, wait... does the WNBA officially recognize the "ra"? Can I hope that the ref will be corrected... let's see it again... no, it's Bill Stokes. crew, you win this one. I couldn't possibly press this against someone in his condition.

[Edited by rainmaker on Aug 22nd, 2002 at 10:01 AM]

Yeah, I saw this play too. Roy Gulbeyan called block and she was definitely set and took it in the chest. I saw Roy point at the floor after the call so I know he called it because of the restricted area. I was hoping the replay would show how far the player was in the restricted area, but the replay showed a behind the backboard look at the play from the chest up so I couldn't tell. The WNBA does tell its officials to call blocks if players are standing underneath the basket and there is a collision. However, what constitutes underneath the basket is different for everyone. I wish they would go ahead and just put a restricted area in for us to make it easier on us and more consistent for the players and coaches.

I agree. If you want it called that way, then just put it in the rules and paint the semi-circle on the floor. Same situation in NCAA. Most guys will tell you not to call the charge when the defender is under the basket. If that's really how it should be called, then make it uniform by including it in the rulebook.

Chuck

It wasn't Stokes? I guess I'm confused. But I agree that she was probably in the restricted area. I agree with Chuck Elias. Just put it in the rules!