The Hanged in the tarot deck is often associated with reversals as well as letting go.  One source describes it this way:

The Hanged Man is one of the most mysterious cards in the tarot deck. It is simple, but complex. It attracts, but also disturbs. It contradicts itself in countless ways. The Hanged Man is unsettling because it symbolizes the action of paradox in our lives. A paradox is something that appears contradictory, and yet is true. The Hanged Man presents to us certain truths, but they are hidden in their opposites.

Rather than engage this blog in a discussion of the occult, I present The Hanged as a way not just to think about reversals of games 3 and 4 of the 2009 WNBA finals, or the paradox that the Mercury had to let go to hold on, but to think about the wider paradox of Offense vs. Defense, of the ability to shoot versus the tenacity to rebound.

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Please see Malcolm Wells' Game 4 recap as well by clicking here.

In this edition, I will be posting Video of Game 4 Reactions from both locker rooms.   Both teams evacuated the locker rooms pretty quickly, so it was hard to get much from the players.  Overall, the Fever seemed pretty upbeat and resilient despite the loss and despite the disappointment of the fans. The Mercury locker room appeared fairly relieved, although they chose not to interview that way.

Here's the first.  This is a great great interview.  Diana Taurasi is so tough, what a great attitude.  It doesn't always come across as well in the quotes.

Diana Taurasi "All we did was match them."

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See Phoenix Stan's Game 4 preview here and more of the day's perspectives on the game from around the web here.

Game Time: 7.30 pm Local

As has happened many times before, the Phoenix Mercury face elimination in today's Game 4 of the 2009 WNBA Finals. 

There's really no reason to favor either team today.  In fact, there's at least a dozen reasons to figure the Fever will win this one and close out the chip at home.  There's also another dozen good reasons to think the Mercury will return to form, get this one and send it back to Phoenix. 

Regardless, I am fully convinced that either the Fever or the Mercury will win this game and that this will be another great game in a great series. 

Let's keep it right here as we evaluate the teams' state of mind and their adjustments for the game.

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I had the privilege to shadow Phoenix Stan and cover Game 3 of the WNBA Finals with him Sunday in Sunny Indianapolis.

It was truly a joy to see the game in person and Phoenix Stan had to remind me several times that cheering from press row was unprofessional.   Sometimes the game can appear as if in slow motion on TV, but in person the game evolves quickly and with satisfying complexity. 

The stars move with great power and presence.  They glide with grace, they charge with force, Diana Taurasi jitters like Shawn Marion, but appears so smooth as to be on skates as she slides around traffic fading to the side as she shoots. She plays demolition derby-style defense.  She leans in for contact when she shoots, even though fouls aren't often called.  It's amazing how much the cameras miss - and the sound of impact!

Another joy was to see the bigs play basketball with some bona fide skill.  Ebony Hoffman defied stereotypes with a soft outside shot and a few surprising dribble-drives.  There's a much less pronounced power game and while post-ups are part of the offense, there is none of the boring, time-wasting post-up isolation that mars winning NBA basketball. 

For the postgame, I covered the home team Fever's reactions.   The hot topics postgame included:

1. The record crowd on hand
2. The outlook going into Wednesday's game
3. Briann January channeling Vinnie Johnson late in the 3rd quarter
4. Ebony Hoffman's injury and hot shooting
   

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