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A chance to win the game by making a free throw or two in the final seconds. What person who has handled a basketball hasn’t envisioned being in that spot? Few people have the opportunity — other than in our minds or in the backyard or on the playground.
Elena Delle Donne is making 92 percent of her free throws (23-of-25) in her first WNBA season. Credit: Rick Welton / HomeLand Sports
Elena Delle Donne had the chance for real with 1.8 seconds remaining in a tie game Sunday (June 9). The Chicago Sky rookie made two free throws that brought a 72-70 victory against the San Antonio Silver Stars at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. But only after San Antonio’s Jia Perkins missed a 20-footer at the buzzer.
Were Delle Donne’s decisive foul shots different from any other game-winning efforts?
“They were the first of my WNBA career, so it was important to me,” she said. “But my teammates showed confidence in me, and that gave me the confidence to finish it off.”
Delle Donne had a game-high and career-high 23 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 three pointers after going 0-for-4 from three-point range Friday at San Antonio. She made her first five field-goal attempts and had 15 points at halftime when the Sky was leading 45-34. But the Sky (4-1) managed only 13 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth — with Delle Donne swishing through the last two.
“Being in the backyard, you make up scenarios,” she said of her game-winning free throws. “That would be a scenario. Being a pro, being at the line. Having to knock down shots to win the game. Something I did practice growing up and was able to execute it now.”
The Sky led 70-67 when Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot (12 points, including six of the Sky’s final eight) made the first but missed the second of two free throws with 41.8 seconds left.
San Antonio’s Danielle Adams, who had 13 points off the bench, missed a three-pointer that Sky forward Swin Cash rebounded. Followed by a whistle. And the officials calling a jump ball with 8.2 seconds remaining — much to the surprise of Cash (who became the 13th player in league history with 21,000 minutes played) and her teammates.
“I feel like I need to have a ref-cam on my head to look at everything,” Cash said, presumably in jest. At least partly.
Did Sky coach Pokey Chatman have a good view of play even though she was about three-quarters of the court away?
“The one where they were trying to foul her?” Chatman said. “If I didn’t see it, I saw all the players’ reactions.”
None of that mattered, of course.
The tip went to Silver Stars guard Danielle Robinson with the ball ending up in the hands of Perkins (team-high 20 points), who nailed a 24-foot jumper to tie the game at 70 with 4.3 seconds left.
The Sky took a timeout to set up a play. The result being Delle Donne taking the ball, moving into the paint, taking a shot and the refs calling Shameka Christon for a foul.
“I really had thought we had defended the last play well, I’ll be real honest with you,” San Antonio coach Dan Hughes said. “That was everything we set out to do, but I’ll have to look at the tape to understand the call.”
Not that the refs are going to give a rookie — even the No. 2 overall pick, as Delle Donne is — many (if any) calls. Case in point: A Delle Donne basket was waved off in the third quarter when she was called for an offensive foul on her drive to the basket.
Ultimately, that play did not matter. Nor did the 19 turnovers (13 in the second half) that the Sky had to the Silver Streaks’ seven. Nor did the Sky’s 45-31 rebounding edge with center Sylvia Fowles hauling down a game-high 16 for the Sky. Fowles also had 15 points. Or the fact that the Sky held San Antonio to 31 percent shooting from the field.
“We’re always happy with a win,” Sky forward Tamera Young said. “But there’s always things you need to work on.”
With the possible exception of Delle Donne’s free-throw shooting.
Postgame interviews from the Sky-Silver Stars game:
And what better way to start off the week than with the usual non-gratuitous video for you to view (thanks to the tireless efforts of the editorial and video staffs at elliottharris.com and those departments not having the vaguest idea what “gratuitous” — among many other words — means):
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