Catchings builds up minutes
Tamika Catchings believes she is 75 percent recovered from an Achilles tendon injury and improving every day.
The Indiana Fever star – perennially the team’s leader in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals – tore her right Achilles in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. She had surgery last September and the lengthy recovery process forced her to miss the first eight games this season.
“Every practice and every game I’m getting better and better,” Catchings said.
Her playing time has been limited in her return, increasing steadily from 12 minutes in her season debut against San Antonio on June 15 to about 23 against Sacramento in her fifth game back on Tuesday night. Two nights later, however, Catchings ended up playing 35 minutes in the Fever’s triple-overtime loss at New York.
“I’m sure I’m going to get in trouble for that,” she said with a laugh.
The seventh-year veteran acknowledged that with newcomer Katie Douglas and the improvement of forward Ebony Hoffman, she doesn’t feel pressure to overextend herself.
“That definitely does help,” Catchings said. “It’s a good thing other people had to step up. Hopefully they can continue to step up. Even though I’m back we still need them to continue to do the things they’ve been doing.”
Catchings is also aware her progress is being monitored by USA Basketball for one of the three remaining spots on the Olympic team.
High scorers
When Diana Taurasi scored 33 points and Cappie Pondexter had 31 in Phoenix’s 112-105 victory over Chicago on June 20, they became the first teammates to each score 30 points in a game on two occasions.
“That’s cool, but if we would have lost this game it wouldn’t have mattered,” Taurasi said. “We really needed every basket that somebody scored, so it means a little bit more when it happens like that.”
Taurasi and Pondexter previously had 30 points each in a victory against Sacramento on June 6, 2006. The only other teammates to accomplish the feat in a game are Houston’s Tina Thompson (37 points) and Sheryl Swoopes (30) in a triple-overtime loss to Phoenix on Aug. 10, 2006.
Taurasi and Pondexter entered the weekend as the top scorers in the league at 24.7 and 24.2 points per game, respectively.
Some great comparisons
First, Michael Cooper compared Candace Parker to Magic Johnson for her versatility. Now, the Sparks’ coach has likened his rookie sensation’s dunks to Julius Erving.
The former University of Tennessee star became the second WNBA player to dunk in a game – joining teammate Lisa Leslie – when she accomplished the feat against Indiana on June 22. Two nights later, Parker did it again against Seattle to become the first to dunk in consecutive games.
“What’s impressive about her dunk is the ease of it, and the way she does it with just one hand,” Cooper said. “Most women have to grab it (with two hands), but she just takes it off the dribble. She has those Dr. J hands where she can hold it in one hand and dunk it.”