The team’s win has always been important for Angel Reese at least over personal accomplishments. However, the Chicago Sky fans are no longer sure about the same anymore. The rookie star extended her double-double streak to 15 games last night. Still, the team lost by a large margin as the Sky’s defense over the hosting New York Liberty failed miserably. While it may have been because the ‘Chi-Town Barbie’ had to sit out due to an apparent limping, the spectators believe it was a faulty decision by Teresa Weatherspoon that led to their defeat.
Last night, the Barclays Center saw a huge change in the energy as a trailing Liberty completely took hold of the game for good. While the record only shows that New York trailed the visitors by 2 points at the halftime mark, they really burst out of their bubbles to show what they are truly made of in the third quarter. Leading the 2023 WNBA finalists was Sabrina Ionescu. Not only did she pace up the game, but she also ended up being the team’s leading scorer for the night.
The decisions by Teresa Weatherspoon are what everyone questioned. Specifically, the speculations revolve around Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. Last night, the former Gamecock played for 20 minutes. In that time, she scored 8 points while going 4 of 5 (80%) from the field. She also grabbed 7 rebounds. On the other hand, Angel Reese scored a mere 10 points in 30 minutes. She went 29.4% from the field and also grabbed 10 rebounds.
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Although the rookie may have sealed her 15th consecutive double-double, the road defeat has agitated the fans in the Windy City.
Angel Reese gets her dedication to the team questioned by the fans
The Rookie of the Year race is getting exciting. Angel Reese finally bridged the gap between her and Caitlin Clark. While a lot of this has to do with the fact that the double-double machine has set an exemplary mark in the league, the Sky’s win also tipped things in her support. However, for the last two games, Angel Reese has performed subpar, and Chicago has lost one of those games.
Even in the Sky’s win over the Atlanta Dream, the Baltimore native had only contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds. While it may still be better than most average scores, it was unusual coming from Reese. One fan mentioned just that as they compared the numbers by the two Sky rookies. They brought in Cardoso who managed to shoot 80% from the field in 12 minutes less time than Reese while grabbing 7 rebounds. The fan accused Angel Reese of simply playing for the record now and not really doing anything for the team.
“I keep telling y’all from a coaching standpoint. She playing for records. Angel Reese shooting less than 30% struggle ALL night But Cardoso plays 18 minutes shooting 80% , rebounding, great rim protector etc.”
Angel Reese was seemingly hurt last night as she took the bench in the third quarter. However, she still returned to the floor to grab her final rebound. Without a surprise, she did do that. Still, the Sky had already lost their grip on the game and the rebound only meant the streak’s continuity. Resonating with the same, a basketball follower said that this thing makes them quite sick. They opined that the athletes should only care about playing basketball and winning. The records should take care of themselves.
“See I thought I was tripping for noticing this. It’s just getting corny at this point. Just let the girls hoop and if the streak continues it continues if not oh well 🤷🏿♂️”
One more follower mentioned something similar as they brought in the first overall pick and Angel Reese’s arch-nemesis Caitlin Clark in the discussion. They suggested that the league is only playing on the ‘rivalry’ narrative between the two rookies. Considering that their matchups have brought in the highest views and ticket sales so far in the WNBA’s history, this fan might not be wrong about the milking part. Still, both the players love their sport too much to let such a thing deviate them from their ultimate goal of winning the games.
“They’re keeping the CC vs Reese narrative running, milking it for everything it’s worth”
The speculations about no longer playing for the team are only growing stronger as another follower spoke about it. They simply stated outrightly that Angel Reese is now only playing for the double-double streak and the team’s win-loss record is no longer her concern. While we may not have anything to add to this, Chicago, which is at the 7th playoff spot right now, surely needs to grab more wins to bolster their chances for the postseason run.
“Playing for the record Not more team play”
While everyone was talking about dividing the two rookies, one fan saw the strength that the two held together. Just like Kamilla Cardoso mentioned in her post-draft interview nobody can get rebounds on them. A fan brought the memory back as they commented that Angel Reese and Cardoso’s pair is quite damaging. Surely, Chicago stands atop the rest of the league in rebounds and second-chance points.
“Cardoso & Reese together is a problem for real. Hard to score on em”
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A lot of debates and controversies revolve around the ‘Bayou Barbie’. However, we have to agree that she does hold a lot of dominance in the paint. And just like their head coach Teresa Weatherspoon mentioned, Angel Reese has a knack for knowing where the rebound will go. It will surely be delightful to see the team grab more wins as the season continues.
Stay tuned for more such updates. To follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video.
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