The Toronto Tempo are up against it. Entering play against the Minnesota Lynx on Thursday already 10-17 and five games back of the eighth and final playoff spot, they faced the third most difficult strength of schedule over the final 17 games of the season. The cutoff for a postseason berth last year was just above .500, and appears to be trending the same way this season, meaning Toronto would have to go at least 12-5 to be in the mix, maybe better.
Bearing in mind that the Tempo were 1-14 against opponents above .500, had another 11 games left against such teams, the majority of which are on the road, the prospect of making the playoffs seems improbable.
Still, there is much to play for. When it comes to building a foundation, in terms of organizational values and habits, offensive and defensive schemes, on-court identity, player development systems, and so, so much more, every second counts. The Tempo’s own neighbouring Toronto Raptors have been the model for how to effectively build a foundation, even while losses pile up. The same offensive and defensive principles, competitive fight, and developmental credos of continuous progress they preached and practiced through back-to-back losing seasons served them well while they returned to competitiveness this past NBA season. Similar philosophical elements can been seen in the Tempo.
“We want to be a world-class franchise and a great team. You know, the goal is to ultimately win a championship, but you can’t skip steps,” Brondello said before Thursday’s game against the Lynx.
That’s why, despite a lopsided 104-72 loss, extending Toronto’s losing streak to five games, and nine losses in the last 10, there were still positive aspects to focus on.
Kiki Rice got experience defending one of the W’s top backcourts, aggressively fronted the post on Natasha Howard just after returning from injury and ran quality pick n’ roll off a get action with Temi Fagbenle.
Toronto led 24-18 in points in the paint and 21-19 on the glass at halftime, and won the rebounding battle 36-31 over the Lynx on Tuesday, something Brondello said was a goal. She talked about the team being process-oriented and measuring success in the second half by improvement rather than a set number of wins.
“Look, I don’t go about (saying), we’re going to win this many games … We need to be better,” Brondello said. “You know, we talked about defence. We can’t be 15th in defensive rating.”
“So it’s more trying to be very intentional of how we want to play and continue just to have great effort,” Brondello added.
And the Tempo came out gangbusters. Maria Conde chucked what looked like an ill-advised pass from halfcourt, but ended up threading the needle perfectly through the tightest of windows to Temi Fagbenle under the basket for a layup. Then Conde found Fagbenle again on a 45 cut. Laura Juskaite made a nice post move and made a tough leaner to put the Tempo up 12-3. Timeout Lynx. But the Lynx’s shooting and dribbling talent is relentless. Courtney Williams canned jumpers and Olivia Miles boogied on the Tempo defence until they were ahead. But Juskaite banked in a prayer buzzer-beater at the end of the first quarter from 30 feet, and Toronto was back up one.
It didn’t last long, as the Lynx went on a 17-4 run motivated by steals and strong ball movement. Mabrey stopped the bleeding by coming off a handoff and drilling her first 3 of the game. Courtney Williams picked Toronto apart with a clinical mid-range game. Oh, and Napheesa Collier was her world-beating self, getting tough post faders to go over two defenders and draining 3s.
Nyara Sabally had to shake the rust off after missing two games, mishandling a ball out of bounds and miscommunicating with Mabrey for another turnover. But she scored seven points in the final two minutes and change of the first half to keep the Tempo within arm’s reach. Allemand found her with a pocket pass, and Sabally drained a 12-footer, then added a corner 3 to make the score 50-41 for Minnesota.
But the Lynx are the No. 1 team in the league for a reason. They went on another run, and this time it lasted the entire third quarter. A perfect concert of Collier cuts and kickouts, Miles drives, Williams middies and McBride 3s caused the back-breaking 31-14 frame. The Tempo looked flustered as deep 3s were heaved and rebounds were lost out of bounds. Minnesota led 18-2 in second-chance points, the most deflating kind. By the fourth quarter, it was a 30-point laugher.
But it wasn’t all bad. Rice knocked down a pair of triples in the fourth, one a tough step-back. She also dropped Antonia Delaere with a cross before moving the ball along for an open corner 3. Rice’s driving game was progressing before her injury, and she already appeared to be gaining comfort as the game progressed in her return on Tuesday. The more reps she gets driving the ball and reading defences’ reactions, the better.
Right now, for the Tempo, it’s all about staying in the moment and controlling what they can control, for the future’s sake.
“It’s very hard to win in this league,” said Brondello. “I’ve been doing this for quite some time, and I only got to win two championships in all that time. The foundation, you’ve got to build it very strong.”