Muammar Al Khadafi

I'm late with this post, but in the midst of the news about the NBA canceling 2011-2012 season games no thanks to the lockout, had to show the WNBA and the Minnesota Lynx some TransGriot love.

I was a proud season ticket holder during the Houston Comets dynasty (sniff sniff) from 1997-2000 when they won four consecutive WNBA titles.  The Minnesota Lynx joined the league in 1999 along with the Orlando Miracle as an expansion franchise.  

Back in the day we Comet fans would watch our Big Four of Cooper, Swoopes, Thompson and Janeth Arcain blow them out in WNBA basketball mismatches, make jokes about the Minnesota Missing Lynx or as a nod to the then popular game show at the time, call them 'the Weakest Lynx'.

Well, fast forward a decade to the WNBA's 15th season. My beloved Comets, one of the Original Eight WNBA franchises that started play in 1997 have been extinct for several years while the expansion team I gleefully made jokes about while ensconced in my Section 117 Compaq Center aisle seat is still in the league and is now the 2011 WNBA Champion.

And oh yeah, Compaq Center is now the sanctuary of Lakewood Church

Donna Orender, I and other Houston Comets fans are still pissed about how the WNBA handled the situation in 2008, and it's making it hard for me to regain the level of passion I once had for the WNBA.

Putting a new Houston Comets expansion team in the WNBA would be a nice start, but back to discussing 2011 WNBA ball and the new WNBA champs.  


The Lynx drafted UConn's Maya Moore with the number one overall pick and rolled to a league best 27-7 record in the always tough WNBA Western Conference   

They faced the fourth place San Antonio Silver Stars in the opening round best of three series and won it 2-1 to advance to the Western Conference finals against the Phoenix Mercury, who upset the defending WNBA champion Seattle Storm 2-1.  Minnesota swept Phoenix in the Western Conference Finals 2-0 to advance to their first WNBA final against the Atlanta Dream.

The Dream finished third at 20-14 and one game behind the Eastern Conference regular season winners the Indiana Fever and Connecticut Sun.  Both teams had identical 21-13 records but Indiana was seeded first due to winning the regular season series against the Sun.  

The Angel McCoughtry led Dream got hot in the playoffs. They swept the Connecticut Sun 2-0, won the Eastern Conference title and advanced to the WNBA finals for the second straight year by getting past WNBA MVP Tamika Catchings and her Fever teammates 2-1.

The dream of a WNBA title for the ATL-based WNBA ballers died once again as the Lynx swept the Dream in the best of five WNBA Finals 3-0 with the help of Moore and WNBA Finals MVP Seimone Augustus to claim their first WNBA championship.

Maya Moore was also named WNBA Rookie Of the Year to cap off a marvelous rookie season.
 

In the recently completed FIBA Americas men's tournament, the Argentinians faced off against their bitter South American rivals Brazil and came away with the title.   Both qualified for London.

It was deja vu in the 2011 FIBA Americas Championship for Women as it was once again a championship game showdown between Argentina and Brazil with the title and a single Olympic berth on the line.

Both teams came into this game as the unbeaten winners of their respective groups and victors in their semifinal games.   Brazil knocked off the Cubans 66-53 while Argentina escaped with a 61-59 win over a determined Canadian squad. .  

The script was flipped in the final as the Brazilians blew out Argentina 74-33 to win their fifth FIBA Americas women's title and grab the automatic qualifying spot to London.  

In the Third Place game Canada shook off their disappointing semifinal loss to Argentina and claimed the bronze medal by knocking off Cuba 59-46.  

Silver medalist Argentina, bronze medalist Canada and Cuba will represent the FIBA Americas Zone and have one last chance to quality for the London Games women's basketball tournament by playing in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament that takes place at a site to be determined from June 25-July 1.

Five sports will be up for grabs, and the FIBA Americas teams will contest them against teams from Croatia, France, Czech Republic, Turkey, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and two from the FIBA Africa Zone that will conclude their women's tournament today.

Senegal is going for their tenth FIBA African women's title when they play in today's championship game against Angola, while host Mali plays Nigeria in the Third Place game. 

Champion gets their ticket punched to London as the FIBA Africa rep, the silver and bronze medalists head to the Olympic Qualifying tournament.

But congrats to Brazil.  They will get to exhale, savor their fifth title and prepare to play in London next summer.

The FIBA Americas Championship for Women is currently being contested in Neiva, Colombia for the lone FIBA Americas ticket to the women's Olympic basketball tournament in London next summer.

After a few days of group competition the ten team field has been whittled down to the four teams left in the semifinal round that kicks off play in a few hours.   

In Group A it was Argentina and Cuba advancing to the semis.  Argentina won a critical September 27 game 65-59 against Cuba that left them unbeaten and on top of the group with a 4-0 record with Cuba finishing second.at 3-1.

In Group B it was Brazil and Canada that advanced to the semis.  Brazil beat Canada.56-39 in their group play matchup on September 25 to finish 4-0 with the Canadians finishing second in group play at 3-1 as well.

The Canadian women ballers road to the semis started with an opening Group B play 72-45 win on September 24 over Mexico.  After the loss to Brazil the next day they thumped Paraguay 77-26 on September 26.   They got a well deserved day off  before closing out group play on September 28 with their 66-49 win over Jamaica to clinch second place in Group B and face Group A winner Argentina. .    

Unlike the guys, the Canadian women have a serious shot at qualifying for London and would rather handle their business now than take their chances in what is shaping up to be a tough qualifying tournament 

In the second semifinal game Group B winner Brazil, who is also unbeaten in this tournament will face off against Group A runner up Cuba..  

The semifinal game winners move on to the October 1 championship game to decide who gets their ticket punched to London as the FIBA Americas rep.   The semifinal losers will square off in the third place game.  
  

The winner will get to exhale, savor their FIBA Americas women's b-ball championship for a moment, then begin their preparations for London. 

The second, third and fourth place teams from this tournament will still have one final chance to qualify for London at the FIBA 2012 World Olympic Qualifying Tournament from June 25-July 1 at a site to be determined  in which the last five Olympic basketball berths will be up for grabs. 

Y'all know I wasn't going to let the FIBA Americas Women's Championship tournament getting started in Neiva, Colombia today and running through October 1 get cranked up without showing them the same love I did in commenting on the 'menz' one earlier.

This is not only a qualifier for the London Games, it is also the first time a FIBA Americas women's tournament has been conducted with ten teams and it's about time they did so. 

One of those ten teams will not be the FIBA world number one ranked USA since our women handled their Olympic basketball business by winning the FIBA Women's World Championship in the Czech Republic last summer.   Coach Auriemma now has time to decide who be on the USA Olympic women's squad that will attempt to claim a fifth consecutive gold medal in 2012.

However, there is a difference from the just concluded men's tournament in that only the FIBA Americas champion winner will automatically qualify for London.  The next three teams will head to next summer's FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women that will be conducted June 25-July 1 at a to be determined site.to determine the last five slots in the Women's Olympic basketball tournament.

The FIBA Africa Women's Championship started yesterday in Mali and will run until October 2 to determine the FIBA Africa representative in the London Olympics and fill the two spots in the Olympic Qualifying tournament alloted to the FIBA African representatives.

The Olympic basketball tournament picture on the women's side looks like this.  The USA has already qualified along with host Great Britain, Russia, China and Australia.   The teams that are in next summer's FIBA Women's Qualifying Tournament are Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Turkey, Japan, Korea and New Zealand..

So the stakes are high as always for this tournament.  The draw for the 2011 FIBA America's Women's Championship was held May 5 with Group A being comprised of Chile, FIBA world number 10 ranked Cuba, Argentina, Puerto Rico and host Colombia.      
 
Group B looks a little nastier.  It will consist of  FIBA world number 6 ranked Brazil, FIBA world number 12 ranked Canada, Jamaica, Mexico and Paraguay 

After playing games within their groups from today through September 28, top two teams in Groups A and B will move on the knockout round semifinals on September 30 with the Group A winner taking on the Group B runner up and the Group B winner taking on the runner up team from Group A.

Winners go on to the FIBA Americas women's title game October 1 and battle it out for the lone Olympic ticket to London.   The championship game runner up, third  and fourth place teams will be the FIBA Americas reps at the Olympic Qualifying tournament.  
 
So let the games begin and may the best team win.   As to who I'm rooting for?   I get to relax and enjoy it.