The reason why Elena Delle Donne is an MVP candidate is simple: she changes a team's direction in many ways whenever she is part of the game. That's her... well, value.
Take her out of the game and that absence will be badly felt.
The New York Liberty destroyed the Chicago Sky without Delle Donne, 84-63.
Delle Donne is averaging 7.5 free throw attempts per contest, and is shooting above 95 percent from the foul line.
The Sky is averaging over 19 free throw attempts per game. Against the Liberty, they were 3-for-5 overall.
Delle Donne's ability to change how a defense reacts using her versatility was badly missed. She shoots above 54 percent inside the arc and is a gifted finisher.
Erika De Souza, Jessica Breland, Clarissa Dos Santos, and Tamera Young all have their strengths. But they don't put the ball down and drive from a face-up position in the high post.
Delle Donne can initiate the offense by herself, and also create for others (she leads Sky bigs in assists).
All of those were missed, and the Sky had to manufacture their own shots. Hats off to Cappie Pondexter, who who is just off the charts when it comes to creating shots for herself.
When she gets going, it does not matter what the defense gives her; she can attack, finish strong, or pull up for jumpers off the dribble. She had 23 points on 10-for-18 shooting.
Credit goes to Courtney Vandersloot; as expected, she would be the main facilitator for the game and she finished with 9 of the Sky's 14 assists to go with 8 points.
However, as written, the rest of Chicago only had 5 assists. It was all about one on one for them and trying to beat New York using sheer talent. That won't work against one of the best teams this year.
On the other side of the floor, the Liberty were playing fluid basketball on offense. They assisted 21 of their 33 makes. They were 6-for-11 from three-point area as a result of their excellent drive-and-kick game.
Epiphanny Prince, Tanisha Wright, Swin Cash, and even Brittany Boyd were all there to attack the lane and create for the squad. Kiah Stokes took care of the glass and finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Prince was exceptional; she knew how to read and react very well, and ended with 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting, 2 assists, and 3 steals.
The Sky tried to threaten from time to time, but were never able to overcome the hump as an effective system beat stellar individual play.
And this is to think the Liberty only drew 4 points and 8 rebounds from Tina Charles. In fact, the Liberty were already ahead by a huge margin before Charles was receiving touches.
New York is definitely a championship-caliber team and they will need all of those depth in the loaded Eastern Conference.
Take her out of the game and that absence will be badly felt.
NYL beats Sky 84-63.
RECAP
http://t.co/mzVr7OMA4F
PHOTOS
http://t.co/Ja94jePVRt
HIGHLIGHTS
http://t.co/pP15WrDD0X pic.twitter.com/MzAyUQ14Vm
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) August 12, 2015
The New York Liberty destroyed the Chicago Sky without Delle Donne, 84-63.
Delle Donne is averaging 7.5 free throw attempts per contest, and is shooting above 95 percent from the foul line.
The Sky is averaging over 19 free throw attempts per game. Against the Liberty, they were 3-for-5 overall.
Delle Donne's ability to change how a defense reacts using her versatility was badly missed. She shoots above 54 percent inside the arc and is a gifted finisher.
Erika De Souza, Jessica Breland, Clarissa Dos Santos, and Tamera Young all have their strengths. But they don't put the ball down and drive from a face-up position in the high post.
Delle Donne can initiate the offense by herself, and also create for others (she leads Sky bigs in assists).
All of those were missed, and the Sky had to manufacture their own shots. Hats off to Cappie Pondexter, who who is just off the charts when it comes to creating shots for herself.
When she gets going, it does not matter what the defense gives her; she can attack, finish strong, or pull up for jumpers off the dribble. She had 23 points on 10-for-18 shooting.
Credit goes to Courtney Vandersloot; as expected, she would be the main facilitator for the game and she finished with 9 of the Sky's 14 assists to go with 8 points.
However, as written, the rest of Chicago only had 5 assists. It was all about one on one for them and trying to beat New York using sheer talent. That won't work against one of the best teams this year.
On the other side of the floor, the Liberty were playing fluid basketball on offense. They assisted 21 of their 33 makes. They were 6-for-11 from three-point area as a result of their excellent drive-and-kick game.
Epiphanny Prince, Tanisha Wright, Swin Cash, and even Brittany Boyd were all there to attack the lane and create for the squad. Kiah Stokes took care of the glass and finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Prince was exceptional; she knew how to read and react very well, and ended with 22 points on 9-for-13 shooting, 2 assists, and 3 steals.
The Sky tried to threaten from time to time, but were never able to overcome the hump as an effective system beat stellar individual play.
And this is to think the Liberty only drew 4 points and 8 rebounds from Tina Charles. In fact, the Liberty were already ahead by a huge margin before Charles was receiving touches.
New York is definitely a championship-caliber team and they will need all of those depth in the loaded Eastern Conference.
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