[TheFarm07]

[quote author=TheFarm07 link=topic=16557.msg188282#msg188282 date=1486443970]

I don't think it was a letdown, I think it was just another indication that even though we are ranked #8 nationally, we are an inconsistent team. Elite teams don't go 13-20 from the free throw line, elite teams don't have their second leading scorer make two critical turnovers in the 4th quarter after the opposition turns it over themselves with two unforgivable passes that should not have been attempted, elite teams don't go cold for long stretches of the game including 0-10 from the field to start the 3rd quarter

Can you not expect our players to play perfectly all the time?!!  You can wish they do, but to expect it is, IMO, a flaw in your thought processes.  You make claims that simply aren't true.  What would you think about this stat line?

##  Player  p    fgm-fga  fgm-fga ftm-fta off-def  pf    tp  a  to  blk  stl  min
    Totals  -      19-55  7-21    9-21    15-36    9    55  10  10  7    7  200

No, I'm not trying to trick you with a stat line from one of the elite Stanford teams  (men or women!)

The rest of the Cardboard: let's let him chew on this.  Even if some of you do figure it out, just say you got it, but don't give any hints.


Oh heck, it's too easy to find the real stat line on Google.
So, to make it challenging rather  than trivial, I'm going to change most every statistic in some way that is FAVORABLE to the team.  So, while that's not their real stat line, it is close and it is better.

In return, I'll give ONE HINT ONLY:
That team missed more than 10 FG in a row.
[/quote]

No person, let alone, team is perfect, nor can they be expected to play perfectly all the time. I am saying having watched the team over the last few years there is a noticeable difference between the Final Four teams and the teams of the last couple years. It might not always show up on the stats sheet, but the timing of these mistakes and a pattern of making the same errors or having these cold stretches in too many games establishes my argument.

Also, you don't have to be perfect, but you have to be near so or hope they aren't, to beat UConn and the national title runs through Storrs every year until proven otherwise.

The win or loss is not in question if you are up by 20 in a blowout, but if you make the same mistakes over and over again (which we talked about and not just by me), they are going to show up in big games, when it does matter. When you are playing a top team with players shooting the ball well, every possession and every point counts. Missed free throws and costly turnovers can mean the difference between a tight game and a growing lead. Instead of being down 5 late in the 4th, how would the game have changed if we were tied or only down by 1?

UCLA played the better game Monday evening and deserved to win, but that also doesn't mean we should rest on our laurels and not address the issues that are correctable. As fans, we should hope that they can play better, especially in crucial situations/games where a few points here and there can make the difference.

The Stanford women's basketball team/program is an amazing and top-notch one and I am proud to have it be of my alma mater. I've seen the Final Fours it has accomplished and as a fervent fan, I hope it can get there once again. But as a knowledgeable fan, I know it can't get there again without addressing these patterns of mistakes.

[TheFarm07]

[quote author=TheFarm07 link=topic=16557.msg188282#msg188282 date=1486443970]

I don't think it was a letdown, I think it was just another indication that even though we are ranked #8 nationally, we are an inconsistent team. Elite teams don't go 13-20 from the free throw line, elite teams don't have their second leading scorer make two critical turnovers in the 4th quarter after the opposition turns it over themselves with two unforgivable passes that should not have been attempted, elite teams don't go cold for long stretches of the game including 0-10 from the field to start the 3rd quarter

Can you not expect our players to play perfectly all the time?!!  You can wish they do, but to expect it is, IMO, a flaw in your thought processes.  You make claims that simply aren't true.  What would you think about this stat line?

##  Player  p    fgm-fga  fgm-fga ftm-fta off-def  pf    tp  a  to  blk  stl  min
    Totals  -      19-55  7-21    9-21    15-36    9    55  10  10  7    7  200

No, I'm not trying to trick you with a stat line from one of the elite Stanford teams  (men or women!)

The rest of the Cardboard: let's let him chew on this.  Even if some of you do figure it out, just say you got it, but don't give any hints.


Oh heck, it's too easy to find the real stat line on Google.
So, to make it challenging rather  than trivial, I'm going to change most every statistic in some way that is FAVORABLE to the team.  So, while that's not their real stat line, it is close and it is better.

In return, I'll give ONE HINT ONLY:
That team missed more than 10 FG in a row.
[/quote]

No person, let alone, team is perfect, nor can they be expected to play perfectly all the time. I am saying having watched the team over the last few years there is a noticeable difference between the Final Four teams and the teams of the last couple years. It might not always show up on the stats sheet, but the timing of these mistakes and a pattern of making the same errors or having these cold stretches in too many games establishes my argument.

Also, you don't have to be perfect, but you have to be near so or hope they aren't, to beat UConn and the national title runs through Storrs every year until proven otherwise.

The win or loss is not in question if you are up by 20 in a blowout, but if you make the same mistakes over and over again (which we talked about and not just by me), they are going to show up in big games, when it does matter. When you are playing a top team with players shooting the ball well, every possession and every point counts. Missed free throws and costly turnovers can mean the difference between a tight game and a growing lead. Instead of being down 5 late in the 4th, how would the game have changed if we were tied or only down by 1?

UCLA played the better game Monday evening and deserved to win, but that also doesn't mean we should rest on our laurels and not address the issues that are correctable. As fans, we should hope that they can play better, especially in crucial situations/games where a few points here and there can make the difference.

The Stanford women's basketball team/program is an amazing and top-notch one and I am proud to have it be of my alma mater. I've seen the Final Fours it has accomplished and as a fervent fan, I hope it can get there once again. But as a knowledgeable fan, I know it can't get there again without addressing these patterns of mistakes.