Crunch time.
by DeLisha Milton-Jones / @DelishaMJones
Hey, world. It’s ya girl, @DelishaMJones coming at ya from Prague, Czech Republic. It’s playoff time (a.k.a. bonus-making time). Our team here in the Czech Republic is facing Wisla CanPack out of Krakow, Poland. They have Nicole Powell and Erin Phillips on their team. We had our first game last night and lost. I didn’t play because I’m nursing a hamstring injury. I should be back in action very soon. Help is on the way!
It was torturous for me watching my teammates go down the way we did. We were really shorthanded in the post. Our center, Ilona Burgova, went down a week prior with a season ending injury to her ankle. So with her and myself out of action, we are very slim in the paint. The other team killed us on the boards – especially the offensive boards. Times like these you really see your value to a team.
We are a resilient bunch of ballers and I feel that we will bounce back in game two. The series is the best of three so we better get it in gear quick, fast and in a hurry. Everyone is fighting for the chance to go to Istanbul, Turkey for the final eight. Now, this is where the real action goes down. Only the best of the best or a few lucky teams make it to the BIG DANCE!
Many of our top WNBA ballers are representing numerous countries in the final eight. You can purchase a pass and watch games live on FIBA Europe TV. It’s well worth the money and it’s reasonably priced. After viewing how intense the games are, I feel more fans will be less likely to criticize our sometimes lazy, turnover-prone play at the start of the WNBA season. Just think – we’ve been over here for 7-8 months going through two practices daily and two games a week along with travel. I tip my hat to every WNBA player that tackles the task of European play with flying colors.
This should give fans a greater appreciation for what players do in the WNBA. For example, Diana Taurasi puts in work both at home and abroad. She’s always amongst the top scorers in both leagues. This just goes to show you just how talented of a player she really is, as well as many others. /clears throat and raises hand, lol
Time for me to go, for now. I have to find someone to guard Nicole Powell, lol. Hopefully, next time we speak, I will be writing about us being victorious over WISLA.
Take care and I’m sending my prayers out to Whitney Houston’s family. It felt as if my Auntie passed when she died. She was family to many of us.
R.I.P WHITNEY!!!!
LOVE……….
DeLisha Milton-Jones
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