Lauren Jackson is a superduperstar.
Although she will never get the recognition of some of Australia's other favourite athletes. She is the absolute best women's basketball player ever. Women's basketball certainly doesn't get the coverage it should, but neither does mens ball in Australia at least. In the states it's a bit different, Mens College and the NBA Leagues recieve all of the attention, but more than the attention, the respect! (See my post last month on the sendup of the WNBA)
I love Lauren Jackson, but not in the same way that I love my girlfriend, or say, a Red Rooster Strip Sub... but more in the way I love Andrew Gaze, or any other Australian competing versus the world... She is amazing.
I won't go into the long list of accolades that this women of mid twenties has acheived, I'm here just to let you know how I feel, and about another amazing feat she performed this week.
As stated on WNBA:
"Although her team lost by a point in overtime to the Mystics, Jackson tied Phoenix's Diana Taurasi for the most points ever scored in a WNBA game by finishing with 47.
She made a league-record 18 field goals, pulled down 14 rebounds and committed just one turnover in a straight-out-of-a-video game performance.
The forward/center knocked down jumpers and attacked the basket on the way to coverting 18-of-28 shots. She scored 33 points after intermission and connected on 16 of her first 20 attempts.
Her previous career high for points was 35.
Jackson is the greatest female basketball player to ever live. There, I said it. I dare you to prove me wrong."
In scoring 47 points in a single overtime game, in such a low scoring league, my love for her grew, like the pressure that now grows thorughout the WNBA to catch her in the race to her second MVP award this season!
Thanks to WNBA.com:
Race to the MVP - Overall Player Rankings 1. Lauren Jackson, Seattle
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
23.8 10.1 1.3 0.9 2.0 .517 .868
Last Week's Rank - 1
Barring injury, there is no way that Jackson doesn't win the league's biggest individual award. She is first in points and second in rebounds and blocked shots.
2. Deanna Nolan, Detroit
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
17.7 3.9 4.3 1.5 0.4 .480 .804
Last Week's Rank - 3
Cheryl Ford is hurt again, but with the way that Nolan is playing, it might not even matter. The Shock have won seven in a row. On Tuesday, she had 36 points and seven assists.
3. Tamika Catchings, Indiana
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
16.6 9.0 4.7 3.1 1.1 .417 .820
Last Week's Rank - 2
Catchings' MVP worth has actually gone up since she has been on the sidelines. Without their superstar, the Fever have lost three in a row.
4. Becky Hammon, San Antonio
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
19.1 2.7 5.2 1.1 0.2 .477 .938
Last Week's Rank - 4
The Silver Stars, who have won seven of eight, have been the biggest surprise of the season and Hammon deserves a lot of the credit for their turnaround.
5. Diana Taurasi, Phoenix
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
17.2 4.1 4.1 1.3 1.0 .409 .856
Last Week's Rank - 5
Taurasi is scoring less, but the team is winning more. Her other numbers across the board have been outstanding.
6. Katie Douglas, Connecticut
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
17.8 4.5 4.0 2.0 0.3 .445 .800
Last Week's Rank - 8
After a terrible start to the season, the Sun are the team most likely to upset the Shock in the Eastern Conference playoffs. Douglas is the top option for the always dangerous club.
7. Sophia Young, San Antonio
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
15.9 6.1 1.3 1.3 0.4 .491 .750
Last Week's Rank - 10
Young, who has reached double-digits in points in nine straight games, is one of the key players for the West-leading Silver Stars.
8. Candice Dupree, Chicago
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
18.0 7.6 1.5 0.9 1.3 .456 .780
Last Week's Rank - 9
A strong case could have been made in the beginning of the season that Dupree was the most dominant player in the WNBA. She has been struggling lately, failing to score at least 20 points in six straight games.
9. Alana Beard, Washington
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
18.6 4.0 3.1 2.0 0.9 .419 .825
Last Week's Rank - 12
The Mystics are making a late charge towards the postseason thanks to the all-around play of Beard.
10. Penny Taylor, Phoenix (ANOTHER AUSSIE!)
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% FT%
17.7 6.3 2.7 1.3 0.4 .500 .862
Last Week's Rank - 13
Yes, Diana Taurasi is still the heart and soul of the team, but Taylor has been arguably the best offensive player in the league in the past 11 games.
On the Outside Looking In (season averages - last week's rank)
11. Cheryl Ford (Detroit): 13.0 PPG, 11.2 RPG, 1.5 APG - (6)
12. Rebekkah Brunson (Sacramento): 11.2 PPG, 8.3 RPG, 0.8 APG - (7)
13. Asjha Jones (Connecticut): 15.7 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.7 APG - (11)
14. Tina Thompson (Houston): 18.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.8 APG - (14)
15. Lindsay Whalen (Connecticut): 13.1 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 5.0 APG - (Unranked)
Stop there. I know you're thinking it. Don't. "Why has she only won one MVP award then if she's so good?" WELL... since you asked anyway... Basically, she has not been fit enough, due to her hectic schudule and unwavering commitment to the Australian National team the Opals in her supposed "off time"! Couple that with the fact that she is always double teamed and routinely TRIPLE TEAMED, she still has been runnerup or close to it in recent years.
Now she is healthy, finally, and tearing the league apart!
Coach Anne Donovan was asked last week what it would be like if Seattle's Lauren Jackson got single coverage in a WNBA game.
"I think she would score 50 -- and I'm sincere about that," she said.
"She's not someone I want to play 38 minutes," Donovan said earlier this month. "Thirty-six, OK. But when it gets to be more than that, she gets tired because she doesn't know how to pace herself. She plays so dang hard."
Once again, just look at what she did in this game:
"Playing 42 of the 45 minutes, Jackson shot 18-28 from the field and 9-11 from the free-throw line, while grabbing 14 rebounds.
It was only the fifth time a player had scored 40 or more points in a WNBA game.
Jackson's effort of 47 points, eclipsing her WNBA best of 35, tied the WNBA record of Phoenix Mercury's Diana Taurasi in a 111-110 triple-overtime win against the Houston Comets last year.
The dominance of Jackson was underlined by her 33 points in the second half, including a stretch of 23 of 27, while she opened by making 16 of her first 20 shots.
Not surprisingly, Jackson hit two free-throws with 3.2sec left in regulation to send the game into OT, but the Storm (12-12) could not overcome Alana Beard's 27 points to steer the Mystics (10-13) to a win."
Just watch this clip of Highlights from the game and tell me you don't love her too!
I DARE YOU!
http://broadband.wnba.com/cc/playa.php?content=video&url=http://wnba-boss.streamos.com/wmedia/wnba/wnba/recaps/jackson_l_record_47points_070724.asx&contentpath=http://wnba-boss.streamos.com/wmedia/wnba/wnba/recaps/jackson_l_record_47points_070724.asx&secondClick=1&wnbasite=
For more on LJ visit her website, www.laurenjackson.org
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