Early Heat and Honest Takes

On this episode of Full Circle, Lexie and Mariah dive into all the latest buzz from around the WNBA. They break down standout performances from the week, including Napheesa Collier leading the charge for the Minnesota Lynx and the Seattle Storm locking in with Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith. They also take a closer look at what’s going on with the Chicago Sky and Connecticut Sun, and how both teams are navigating early-season challenges. Of course, there’s MVP talk, a few bold predictions, and a real conversation about the importance of responsible sports journalism when covering the W. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Full Circle is an Iheartwoman's sports production in partnership with
Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on
the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Hello everyone, Welcome back to another episode of Full Circle. LEXI,
Hey girl, how are you doing?

Speaker 2 (00:19):
You know I'm doing good. I am doing good.

Speaker 3 (00:23):
We're still blessed, we are still happy to be living
out the dream.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
You know.

Speaker 3 (00:30):
But you know, y'all, y'all people has been going on
in Seattle, so we can get into that later. But personally,
in health wise, I feel amazing. I feel great, So yeah,
how are you?

Speaker 2 (00:41):
Mariah was late.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
Today, guys because she blamed it on the long weekend,
So what was you doing running the streets?

Speaker 1 (00:47):
Bo I just realized that four day work weeks. I
used to think that that was the best idea ever.
Not for a day dolly girl like me. It doesn't
give me enough time to slack off and like laxadaisically
do my tasks. I feel like there's been so much
to do today all day.

Speaker 3 (01:05):
Meanwhile, I was in the gym at games and practices.

Speaker 2 (01:09):
I didn't even know. I didn't even realize it was
Memorial Day.

Speaker 3 (01:11):
Until the day was over and I was looking at
stuff and everything was closed, and I was like, why
is everything closed today?

Speaker 2 (01:17):
I need stuff? I was like, Oh, it's Memorial Day. Oh.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
It's so annoying because especially when you get a Monday off,
You're like, oh my gosh, I have so much I
can do. I can go to the car, Memorial Day nothing, nothing.
And the weather wasn't even nice in Atlanta. Oh, just terrible.

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah, what was it yesterday?

Speaker 3 (01:34):
Yeah, we traveled, So my Memorial Day weekend was very uneventful.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Got two wins though, which is good. Two dupes.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Yeah, we're going to get into that because Okay, so
based off of this week, Minnesota, the Liberty, Phoenix, and
Seattle are looking locked in. Meanwhile, there are a few
teams that are still figuring it out early in the season.
We're also going to get into the fact that Caitlin
is out for at least two weeks, and we're going

(02:03):
to talk about how this media frenzy going on people
aren't keeping you cute for sure. So today we're going
to get into who's rising, who's struggling, and who's just
playing getting weird LEXI, who were some of the teams
that stuck out to you this week.

Speaker 2 (02:17):
I mean, you hit it right on the head.

Speaker 3 (02:19):
Minnesota, the Liberty, US, the Storm and Phoenix and you know,
I have my handy dandy iPad here. You know, I wrote,
you know, some numbers because, like we said, people are
not keeping it cute. I want to keep things cute.
And the you know what's cuter, the cutest thing to
talk about basketball numbers because you know what, they don't lie.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Okay, they're unbiased, they're just there.

Speaker 3 (02:46):
Okay, So I looked up some numbers so we can
go one through four for these teams. We can start
with Mini and yeah, let's let's break down Minnesota a
little bit.

Speaker 2 (02:55):
Mariah.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
First off, just to give you guys an overview if
you miss some things. Minnesota is still undefeated. Nafisia Collier
is that girl. Okay, she's averaging twenty nine point five
points per game. And they're doing this without Caleb and Bride.
Courtney Williams and Alana Smith are quietly contributing with double
figure scoring. So overall, it just seems like they're a

(03:16):
threat everywhere.

Speaker 3 (03:17):
Absolutely, and we're gonna, we're gonna, we're gonna keep this
consistent with the with the numbers like we did in
the preseason overview, because it seems that a lot of
the things that we we said in those previous episodes,
if you guys want to look back and check, are
kind of aligning and planning out. There's a few surprises,
but no one has really like proven us like, oh,

(03:38):
we were way off. So we're gonna start with Minnesota
averaging eighty seven points per game, which makes them third.
Their field goal effective field goal percentage, which is twos
and threes combined, if you guys forgot, is fifty three percent,
which is second in the league. Their defensive rating is
six currently and their offensive rating is second at one

(04:00):
oh nine point one. And to put that into comparison,
they finished last season with an offensive rating of one
oh two point eight, So they are scoring that ball,
they are doing it efficiently effectively.

Speaker 2 (04:14):
Fee currently the favorite for the.

Speaker 3 (04:16):
MVP, as she should be, came in a very close
second place last season.

Speaker 2 (04:22):
So we actually play the links.

Speaker 3 (04:24):
By the time this episode drops, our game will have
come and gone. So I'm not going to tell y'all
our scouting report because I'm not going to give away
the sauce. But we're prepared for them, and we both
play very similar outside of you know, three point shooting,
I think, so.

Speaker 2 (04:40):
It's gonna be a battle.

Speaker 3 (04:42):
We both have very elite four players, versatile bigs, and
a lot of movement in the half court.

Speaker 2 (04:47):
So I'm really excited for this game.

Speaker 3 (04:49):
I've been getting a front row seat to all the action,
so I really.

Speaker 2 (04:53):
Know what's going on.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
But this Minnesota Links team is dangerous like we said
they would be. And when you see teams with high
expectations start off strong, that's always a good sign for
the league.

Speaker 2 (05:02):
Like you always want, like.

Speaker 3 (05:03):
The top teams that start at the top at the
beginning of the season to start off strong. It's good
for the league, it's good for news, is good for narratives,
it is good for all the things.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
So Minnesota Links have been looking real good.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
For sure, since you guys are playing them this week,
We're gonna get into some key matchups this week or
your predictions are what you might be thinking. But I
do want to talk about you guys, since you know
those are the teams going up against each other.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah. Absolutely, the Seattle Storm are looking good.

Speaker 1 (05:30):
You guys took a huge leap in all power rankings,
Mekka and Skyler are looking timeless. Let's give Necka her
flowers for a second, because she passed Candice Parker on
the all time scoring list. She is now ninth. LEXI
can I get a little reaction to that?

Speaker 2 (05:44):
Good?

Speaker 3 (05:45):
I mean, it's crazy because even when we were in
LA together, it seemed like every game she had a
new career milestone. And she's definitely one of the most
underrated WNBA greats, I think because I think her role
in the Players Association and being the president is so
prevalent in her life, and that's like what people think

(06:05):
when they think of Mecca is Madam President, which is
absolutely amazing because she's so good at it. I think
her basketball accolades and skill gets overlooked all the time,
like she's a Hall of Famer one hundred percent, she
was an MVP, Like these are things that I think
get lost a lot. And she's so humble and graceful
on the way she moves about her life, the way

(06:26):
she approaches the game. I think it's easy to forget
about players like that. So yeah, we'll give our flowers
early today in the show to Mekka. I'm so excited
to be a part of this journey with her again
second time around. And yeah, she told me the beginning
of the season that like she really locked into her
body and getting in shape and being able to move
because she was tired of getting called old. And she

(06:47):
don't look she don't look very old out there to me,
like not at all.

Speaker 1 (06:51):
Not at all. And Seattle's on a three game win
streak ever since that first game. It has been low included, right,
I'll have to remind you, but you know that, you know,
working out the kinks early. But what does count for
sure is that twenty point blowout of Vegas.

Speaker 3 (07:13):
LEXI, what happened, you know, as j'on though there's some
energy you know amongst some players on the Storm and
some players on the Aces, we don't got to get
into it, if you know, you know. And that's how
it felt in the game, like it was just like
I'm over here, now I'm cool, and she's then we
were like, oh well, we over here with our squad

(07:34):
were cool, were good, and the home energy was amazing.
I think our home fans are so much fun and
they're so excited and they're loud. I think that game
we were just clicking on all cylinders. We executed our
game plan and you know, focused on us. You know,
we know that Vegas has a lot of new pieces
and they're still trying to figure it out. So as

(07:54):
exciting as that win was, you know, we kept it
very you know, kept things in perspective. You know, it's
early in this season. We're going to see them again,
very very soon in Vegas.

Speaker 2 (08:03):
I think.

Speaker 3 (08:04):
So they're a different team at home. But you know,
I think everything that could have went well, and that
game went well except for that. I missed an open layup.
Not too much on me. I got fouled a little bit.
I rewatched it. The ball like spun crazy in the air,
Like it didn't even look like a layup attempt. I
was like what, But again, I had been sitting for

(08:26):
a while. In my first attempt being a full court
sprint after a steal, I was like move, legs, move.
But it was a fun atmosphere. It was really exciting
to get that win. It was really important for us
to execute that game plan going into this game against Minnesota.

Speaker 2 (08:43):
Some numbers for the Storm.

Speaker 3 (08:45):
We are averaging seventy nine points per game, which is seventh.
Our effective field goal percentage is fifty percent, which is forth.
Our defensive rating ninety five, which is fourth, and our
offensive rating ninety nine is seventh.

Speaker 2 (08:57):
If y'all don't know what.

Speaker 3 (08:58):
Defensive offensive rating is, it's offensive rating is how many
points you score per one hundred possessions, and defensive rating
is how many points you allow per one hundred possessions.
So anything under one hundred is good, and then anything
over one hundred is decent, and it depends on how
far over one hundred you are. You don't want to
give up more points and possessions, but you want to

(09:19):
score more points for possessions. Okay, so that's where that
net rating comes from. I will say that we are
last in three point attempts, So as a shooter, that
is like not the ideal situation. But for a team
that is still figuring out roles and new faces, and

(09:41):
you know, I don't blame them. They finished dead last
last year in three point percentage, so I understand, Okay,
let's not try and shoot more threes and make more
Let's try and do what we're really good at, and
that's scoring in the pain. But for me personally, you know,
that's not an ideal offensive situation. But again, once we
get into some of the other teams that we're going
to talk about in their three point attempts, at some point,

(10:02):
I think my services will be needed and utilized. So
all I can do is stay ready for that and
fulfill my current role, which is energy, which is staying
locked in on the bench and come in and just
be ready. And that's, you know, the life of a
role player, the life of someone on the bench. It's
crazy that this time last year I was starting in
this league. So you know, life comes at you fast,
but you got to stay prepared and stay ready and

(10:24):
be a professional. And I think this team can really
go far and potentially win a championship.

Speaker 2 (10:30):
So I'm here to do whatever I can to help
the team win.

Speaker 3 (10:33):
But obviously, you know, seventeen three point attempts a game,
you know, that's.

Speaker 2 (10:41):
My That's not my game. So it is what it
is right now. But we're winning, and I'm.

Speaker 3 (10:45):
Happy, and vibes are good and we're playing defense, so
that's awesome important at the end of the day, especially
for a team that's figuring out their identity. I think
our identity currently is being a team that will defend.

Speaker 2 (10:58):
So shout out to the Storm game day.

Speaker 3 (11:01):
Yeah, yeah, it will be a battle tonight against the Links.

Speaker 2 (11:04):
For sure.

Speaker 1 (11:04):
Basketball is one hundred percent a team sport, and Lexi,
you just spoke on it. But you being a starter
at this point last year and playing a bunch of
different roles throughout your career, could you speak to people
who might not know as well to the importance of
different role players at different points in different times. You

(11:25):
look at the numbers and the analysis for everything basketball related,
but it's important to note, you know, people might be
paying attention to someone like Fee, but as we mentioned,
all of those other players and pieces on their team,
contributing when need be is so important. So I think
a lot of people who are new fans of the
W who might be tuning in for two or three players,

(11:45):
or for this person or that person, or they might
be going to visit and see their team and their
city and they're focused on a couple of players. I
don't think people quite realize how important it is to
be playing the right people every single night and to have,
like you said, you are going to be needed against
certain other teams. Could you speak a little bit just
to those different pieces in the W and how they

(12:06):
play a part outside of just the star players.

Speaker 2 (12:09):
You know.

Speaker 3 (12:09):
I think that's always something that role players struggle with,
is being ready when your numbers called, When you quite
literally have no idea when your number is going to
be called, That to me is a harder game day
to have than someone that is going to go out
and absolutely play twenty five thirty minutes. You know when
you're going to come in, you know what mistakes you

(12:30):
can and cannot make. You have a longer leash, and
that's just like a more fun and free way to
play basketball. But unfortunately not everybody has that, and that's okay. Again,
it's a team sport. Everybody can't have that freedom. But
the ones that you know, embrace their role and thriving
it are part of those teams that win championships and

(12:51):
are ready when their number is called, like I was.
I was the energy bench player on the Chicago Sky
when we want a championship, if you have someone on
your bench that's Poudy, that's you know, just mad all
the time. And trust me, I'm not happy to be
on the bench. I want to make that very clear, guys,
like nobody is ever happy to not of course not,

(13:12):
but you are in complete control of how you handle
that moving forward. If you are on the bench and
you're sitting next to the people on the bench, like, man,
I can't believe this.

Speaker 2 (13:22):
Da da da da da.

Speaker 3 (13:23):
You're cultivating a poor energy and a poor environment. And
we didn't have that in Chicago. You know, Yes there
was frustration, Yes there was I wish I was playing conversations.
But at the end of the day, it's a team,
and we all get rings, and we all get put
on that championship parade, we all get to hold the trophy.

Speaker 2 (13:41):
Like, at the end of the day, that's what it's about.

Speaker 3 (13:44):
And for me, I've always valued role players even when
I was young, Like I actually was a role player
when I was younger, when I first started playing, like,
I didn't really step into that skill or you know,
being considered one of the top players until I was
like later in high school. So even at Maryland my
freshman year, I wasn't starting when I first got there.

(14:04):
I had to earn my place, you know, on a
new team full of seniors. I'm a freshman, Like, I
know what that's like. So it's important, but we have
ten people and anything can happen, you know, God willing
we stay healthy the entire season and we can continue
to grow as a team. But again, things happen, so
staying ready is key, and that's what I'm doing. And

(14:26):
I want everybody to know that, like basketball is a sport,
it's a game.

Speaker 2 (14:30):
It doesn't consume my entire life.

Speaker 3 (14:32):
So before you fixed your fingers to type something weird
to me when I'm doing something that's not basketball related,
just think about that.

Speaker 2 (14:49):
We can move on to the Liberty.

Speaker 1 (14:52):
On that note, Yes, let's do it. The Liberty are
still looking the league. They blew out Chicago, which we'll
get into a little litle bit later, and held off Indeed,
Tosh has been a great addition as we mentioned last week,
and has been excelling on both ends.

Speaker 2 (15:08):
Of the floor.

Speaker 1 (15:09):
And they've got four games coming up this week, including
two against the Volcus.

Speaker 3 (15:13):
A tough week that Indiana. That Fever Liberty game was amazing.
If y'all watched it, like that was a great basketball game,
like ultimate chess match. I really enjoyed it. Shout out
to the Liberty, leading the league in points per game
at ninety four, leading the league in field goal percentage,
their effective field goal percentage at fifty seven point five,

(15:35):
first in offensive rating at one twelve, fifth in defensive
rating at ninety six. Also to put that in context,
last year they finished at one oh seven as their
offensive rating, So they're not playing better defense according to
the numbers, but they have added a defensive player in

(15:57):
Natasha Cloud, and now they are off looks even better
with the elite point guard that is also Natasha Cloud.
So this is a very dangerous squad. Putting up twenty
seven three is a game, and they just look really
locked in. Like Tasha looks like she's been on that
team for years, and that's like such a hard thing

(16:20):
to do, especially at that position, the point guard, head
of the Snake, leader of the team.

Speaker 2 (16:26):
She knows everybody's spots, she.

Speaker 3 (16:28):
Knows how to get people the ball, and she just
doesn't back down from a defensive assignment.

Speaker 2 (16:32):
Like that's like your dream player right there.

Speaker 3 (16:35):
And Natasha and I'm so happy that she's finally getting
all this attention and flowers for what she brings to
teams because she's been doing this for years. So now
she's in a city like New York, and like we said,
they needed a little at a little attitude to match
that New York energy, and they brought Natasha in and
you can see it, like it's all the energy on

(16:57):
that team is elevated, like it's very obvious, so like
they'ren to watch for.

Speaker 1 (17:01):
Sure, And y'all, it's a little bit of a side note.
I posted a TikTok about this, and Lexi you commented,
But I just want to say, I am so obsessed
with the WBA this season, like more than ever before.
But I have just been having so much fun. The
games have been so good, the energy has been so good,
and when you're at the games, it is something different.

(17:23):
And I mentioned that now because going to the Liberty
game and seeing that vibe, like even seeing them on
the bench, the way she's interacting with everybody and the
way that she's become. It's hard to step into a
new situation, especially when they just want a championship and
decide like I'm real here, you're here, because you know
they already have herport, they already have their leaders, and
it worked. But to step in and be like oh no, no, no,

(17:44):
no no, like I have a voice here too, and
I'm taking over on both ends is insane. And the
energy from those fans cool. Crazy. Everybody talking about the
Knicks fans because they're in the playoffs right now, but
Liberty fans do not.

Speaker 2 (17:58):
So the playoff finals games two years the year that
they ended up losing, and I had a ball and
I was like, I don't even want to be cheer
for either one of these teams right now, but I
will because.

Speaker 3 (18:11):
I'm having so much fun. I'm just I'm just a
spectator today.

Speaker 2 (18:14):
I'm a fan. I'm not an opponent. Like I really
enjoyed myself.

Speaker 3 (18:17):
So they also have a really good like fan experience,
like team and like they really got they got.

Speaker 2 (18:23):
It together over there in New York. I'm not gonna lie.

Speaker 3 (18:25):
So shout out to the Liberty for sure, because they
look really good. They're going for that back to back,
and yeah, I think that I'm excited to play them.
I mean, I'm excited to play all the teams, and
I feel like this season has started with a lot
of teams playing each other multiple times, probably travel whatever.
But that's one of the teams that I'm really looking
forward to playing against because they just bring that they

(18:46):
bring the energy, and I think we're one of the
teams I can absolutely match it.

Speaker 2 (18:50):
So I can't wait for that game.

Speaker 3 (18:52):
Speaking of playing teams over and over again, let's get
into let's get into Phoenix. We have already we have
already played them twice this season.

Speaker 1 (19:00):
So you could speak to it better than anybody else. Obviously,
their leaders are leading, They've got fun of fun rookie
surprise going on. They found their identity after lots of
turnover coming into this season. They're hosting Chicago and Minnesota
this week. LEXI get into the numbers and how how
can you explain this because not a lot of people

(19:21):
had Phoenix on their radar going into the sea.

Speaker 3 (19:23):
Yeah, I will say, remember Weald, I mean when we
talked about Phoenix, I said, while they figure out their
identity offensively, they going to tap into that defense.

Speaker 2 (19:32):
And that's exactly what they're doing.

Speaker 3 (19:33):
They are first in the league a defensive rating at
eighty nine point three last year one oh five, so
they've really locked into that defensive side of the ball.
Tenth in points per game at seventy seven, six in
effective field goal at forty nine point eight percent, and
ninth in offensive rating at ninety seven point two. So
their offensive rating isn't horrible, but they're making up for

(19:55):
it on the defensive end while they figure it out.
They're also missing Khaliah Copper, who hurts time table. I
haven't seen it, but they're managing surprisingly well without her,
so I'm really excited to see what they look like
when she comes back.

Speaker 2 (20:07):
But yeah, they all their role players.

Speaker 3 (20:10):
I mean, I think they did a great job of
assembling that squad. You know, Sawtu looks like she's been
working on her outside shooting. She looks really good at,
which I'll talk about later. I think absolutely will be
in the conversation for MVP her or Sat too if
Phoenix continues on this trajectory. And yeah, they whooped our
ass game one and we got our get back.

Speaker 2 (20:32):
But they're a tough team. They're gonna be a problem
for a lot of people, especially the way that depends
the ball, especially with At leading the way. You know,
she'll run anybody over.

Speaker 3 (20:42):
She doesn't care who's in front of her, and that's
like her relentlessness that everybody loves, and everyone loves having
her as a teammate.

Speaker 2 (20:48):
I know I did at Maryland. So yeah, Phoenix looks
really good.

Speaker 3 (20:51):
I'm not surprised though, because Sattuo and At are definitely
considered one of the top players in the league. So
I think that they're gelling pretty nicely considering that they
don't have the third piece of their Big three.

Speaker 1 (21:03):
Yeah, they're looking really great. But unfortunately we have to
get into some teams that are figuring it out. And
this is going to be really fun to hear what
Lexi has to say numbers wise about this, because it's
easy to look be like you're not winning, but the
why is what's really important.

Speaker 2 (21:19):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (21:19):
I want to start actually with the Chicago Sky just
because this has been such a hot button topic. But
it's looking like their offense hasn't been that great. I'm
sure you have numbers to back that up. Angel Reese
is leading the league in rebounds again. But they played
Dallas twice this week, which will be interesting to see
because finally one of these two teams will get up.

Speaker 3 (21:40):
In fun and to see Yeah, you know that place,
I love that.

Speaker 2 (21:48):
I love that.

Speaker 3 (21:50):
Yeah, getting into Chicago for a team that hasn't seen
much success this season so far, they are the topic
of a lot of conversation, and the conversations that are
going on I don't really like because people are just
exerting their opinions based on personnel, like, there's so much

(22:10):
more than the players on your team. Also, keep in
mind that out of all these teams that we're about
to talk about, these teams have the most turnover in
their personnel. So these teams are the teams that have
a lot of new coaches, a lot of new players,
or both. So Chicago is one of those teams that
has new coaching staff and a whole new team. And

(22:34):
for a player like me that that has been my
reality every season of my career, that is not an
easy thing to be a part of. Okay, I've only
been a part of first years of extreme turnover, and
then the next year it's another extreme turnover. So I
think this team needs to get a little bit more

(22:55):
grace because of the newness and the youth on this team,
Like this team is still very young. Numbers averaging seventy
points per game, which is twelve. Effective field goal percentage
is forty two percent. I didn't write down what place
that's is. They're offensive rating eighty four, which is thirteenth,
and they're defensive rating one fourteen, which is also thirteenth.

(23:17):
So I think that a lot of people are hyper
focusing on their offense, which again, so many new pieces
up to that team, and they're trying to figure out
who goes where, who needs the ball the most, who's
going to be you know, option one, one, A, one
B if it's ab like it doesn't, it can vary

(23:40):
team the team, Like there's a lot of teams in
this league that have one, A, one B. There are
very few teams in this league that just have one
and then everybody else. So them finding that out is
going to take some time. But what doesn't take time
is defense. It takes a little bit of time because
different just have different philosophies.

Speaker 2 (24:02):
But at the end of the day, defense is about
your energy.

Speaker 3 (24:05):
And that's even something that I've been harped on being
with the Storm, is that they need more from me defensively.

Speaker 2 (24:12):
So I'm hearing it every day.

Speaker 3 (24:14):
I know how important it is, and it's something that
you can absolutely control, whether you play thirty seconds or
thirty minutes, you can control your effort on.

Speaker 2 (24:20):
The defensive end.

Speaker 3 (24:21):
So people are so focused on their offense, their defense
is very bad. Numbers wise, they're the last in defensive rating.
So I think if they're going to turn a corner,
the offense will come. I'm not concerned that they're going
to look like this the entire season. It's been three games,
but they can definitely lock in on the defensive side
of the ball, and I think that would definitely make

(24:42):
a huge difference in how their games are going.

Speaker 1 (24:44):
I have a question for you, Lexi. Going into the season.
This sounds a lot like the conversation we had about
Phoenix in the sense that starting with defense and that
defensive effort and geling defensively led to more of an
offensive effort, you know what I mean. And I feel
like with Chicago, well with Phoenix, back to Phoenix for
a second, at being that leader defensively is a big

(25:07):
part of that, right for Chicago. Do you feel like
it's a problem with the effort of the personnelit that
they currently have or is this something that could be
addressed And this is very early to be saying this,
but in some sort of trade or acquisition of a
defensive maybe a VET or somebody who is just like

(25:28):
a rock on defense, maybe like a Tosh, you know,
or or are they capable of that with the personnel.

Speaker 2 (25:34):
That they have.

Speaker 3 (25:35):
I mean, they have defensive players on that team, Like
I said, they're all getting used to playing with each
other and playing defense. Everybody's like on a string. Everybody
has to be on one accord. So if you got
two people locked into the defensive assignment and then the
other three are in la la land, it's.

Speaker 2 (25:53):
Not going to work. It doesn't matter how good.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Your Rottwilers are on your team, Like, everybody has to
rise occasion because one player can't guard five.

Speaker 2 (26:04):
Effort.

Speaker 3 (26:05):
You know, I don't always like to harp on people's
effort because you have no idea what is going on
in those locker rooms and those practices in those games.
But I think it's just them figuring out how to
play with one another. Like you have an elite point
guard in Courtney van der Slut who's going to be
a Hall of Famer. You have Aeriel Atkins, who's a
champion and Olympian. You know, you have Rachel Bantam, who's

(26:27):
been around championship teams, has been an excellent role player
on every team that she's been on, can provide leadership.
So they have the pieces, they just got to figure
out where they go. And I always have been saying
that the thing with putting teams together is teams are
not like a jigsaw puzzle where one piece like you

(26:48):
just need like this one specific piece to make this
puzzle work. I would say that building teams is like
a Rubik's que. You know, you can get to like
how it's been, but there's not one specific way to
get to that finished part of the Rubik's que, you
feel me. So I don't think like the Sky are
like a player away from changing the whole season. I

(27:10):
think they're just figuring it out. So again, it's been
three games. Hopefully they can get a win. I mean,
we're gonna talk about Dallas. Hopefully they can get a win,
and like I said last week, like that first win,
like once you get it.

Speaker 2 (27:22):
Like it's a huge weight off your shoulder.

Speaker 3 (27:24):
So I think whether Dallas gets their first win or
Chicago gets their first win, you're gonna see a shift
and energy from whoever gets that first win, for sure,
because that's how we felt when we played Dallas and
we had only lost one game. So I don't want
everybody to like overreact and stop being so mean to
the players, because damn, this season just started.

Speaker 2 (27:46):
For sure.

Speaker 1 (27:47):
We had something to say about that a little bit later,
but let's get into these winless teams because I don't
want to be sad or not anymore. So we're talking
abou Connecticut, We're gonna start talking about Dallas. I'm gonna
start with Dallas. Paidback on Pagebackers Day and pagebackers heard
our town. She had a double double in her return
to Minnesota. But we can't deny the fact that this

(28:09):
team is struggling and still trying to build chemistry. LEXI,
what are the number seven?

Speaker 3 (28:14):
So they're averaging seventy eight points per game, which is ninth,
forty four percent effective field goal percentage tenth. They're defensive
rating one O six which is twelfth, and their offensive
rating ninety six, which is tenth, so they're in the
bottom third of every category you can be in.

Speaker 2 (28:33):
Again, do not hit the panic button on this team. Again.

Speaker 3 (28:36):
This team has a whole new roster and a whole
new coaching staff.

Speaker 2 (28:41):
And I know this.

Speaker 3 (28:42):
This was my coaching staff in LA so I know
what they got going on over there, and it can
take some time.

Speaker 2 (28:48):
But again, not hitting the panic button. I think they
can focus on how well Page has been acclimating to
the WNBA. I think she looks very poised.

Speaker 3 (28:57):
I know She's been getting a lot of credit for
not being selfish enough, but that's part of Page's game
that everybody loves and why she was the number one
pick is because she plays basketball the right way.

Speaker 2 (29:08):
She likes to get her teammates involved.

Speaker 3 (29:10):
She's not going to take crazy shots, she's not going
to do anything ill advised. So that's something that I
think Dallas needs to embrace and figure out how to
utilize that part of her personality and aspect of her
game more instead of forcing her to be something that
she's not. Yes, cause she'd be more aggressive, sure, but
she's a rookie, So what do you guys really want
her to do?

Speaker 2 (29:30):
So, yeah, I know she's a number one pick.

Speaker 1 (29:32):
And Minnesota ain't no easy team.

Speaker 3 (29:34):
And she held her own against Minnesota and US playing
Minnesota twice and US that's a very tough stretch to
start your rookie season, and I think that she's played
excellent through it all. But again, like you said, building chemistry,
a lot of new players, a lot of previously role
players coming into these starting roles and different responsibilities and

(29:54):
expectation that takes some time to get used to. But again, defense,
you can control that being twelfth in defensive rating, Like
that's not good, and I know that they're not purposely
trying to not defend, but these teams are very good,
these players are very talented. It's very hard to get
stops in this league. So again not hitting the panic
button for the Wings. Did I expect them to start

(30:17):
the season, Oh four, No, But then after looking at
their schedule, I'm not.

Speaker 2 (30:21):
That like shocked that this is how they started. They
played against two teams that essentially kept their entire core
together from the previous season, So this start isn't super shocking,
but you can stay positive with the way Page has
been playing.

Speaker 1 (30:37):
And the Atlanta Dream in their first game and their
home arena, coming off of their home open hour, which
wasn't even in their arena, which was in the State
Farm Arena. I was there against the Fever after beating
the Fever by one point right before, So it's like
the Dreamerer going into this game like we gotta get
a win. Yeah exactly. And you said it's hard to

(30:58):
beat the team in home opener, and not that this
was their technical home opener, but it was their first
game and their arena, and so I feel like they
had a hard stretch.

Speaker 2 (31:09):
This was not an easy stretch game.

Speaker 1 (31:10):
If I had a guess right now, put a little
prediction on it. I got the Wings getting their first
win again this Sky.

Speaker 2 (31:16):
Sorry, Okay, where are they playing?

Speaker 3 (31:18):
If it's in Dallas, I will one hundred percent agree
with you. If it's in Chicago, I will seventy percent
agree with you.

Speaker 1 (31:27):
It is in Chicago.

Speaker 2 (31:29):
Okay, well, I guess we're gonna see.

Speaker 1 (31:31):
That changes things just.

Speaker 3 (31:32):
A little bit, though not that much. Shout out to
the way guy, growing pains. They happened early in the season.
It's a long season. So last team trying to get
their first win, the Sun. What we got going on
with the Sun, Mariah.

Speaker 1 (31:47):
The Sun are winless and don't seem able to score.
And I don't mean that to be mean. Okay, I'm
not one of these it's there's proof there. I'm not
one of these people covering the w just saying stuff
because I saw some tweets. Okay, they have the lowest
points per game and near worst three point percentage in
the league. But Lexi, I'm sure you have a little

(32:07):
bit more for us. I just want to mention they
have had some closed losses, but something is off.

Speaker 2 (32:13):
Something is off. I just think that the whole.

Speaker 3 (32:17):
There's just they have like a lot of interesting things
that went on leading up to the seasons, even when
it came to like some of the players that they
chose to wave. And yes, I'm very biased in that
opinion because diamond Is Shields, one of our previous guests
who was very excited to have a fresh starting Connecticut,
was one of those players that was waved. So you know,

(32:38):
I don't really got I got beefoot Connecticut because of that,
because that's my girl. But I know that basketball is
business at the end of the day. But that's still
something that it's hard to see your friend go through.
But like Mariah said, sixty eight points per game, which
is thirteenth, forty one percent effective field goal, defensive rating
eleventh at one oh five, and they're offensive rating eighty

(32:59):
six at twelve. Again, this is a team, lots of
new faces, new coach the team. They trying to sell
the team like, there's just a lot going on in Connecticut,
which looking forward, if we're going to be positive selling
the team could end up being a very good thing
for this franchise. But when you're in the middle of

(33:19):
a season and you're dealing with that and people might
be asking you how you feel about the team getting
sold and why can't y'all win and all this stuff,
like it's like pile piling, piling.

Speaker 2 (33:31):
But again, just.

Speaker 3 (33:32):
Like Chicago, you can control what goes on defensively, so
you know, you have one of the best scores in
the history of the WNB on your team, and you
have probably one of the top isolation shooting slash scores
in Marina Maybry. So I think that their their offense
will get there again. It's just about meshing with new

(33:52):
players and figuring it out. Their rookie Rivers has been
a really bright spot for them as well. And sending
prayers to her. She just lost her mother, so for
her to come back and be able to play at
a high level after that happened is amazing, So sending
love and prayers to her for that.

Speaker 2 (34:08):
But yeah, I mean.

Speaker 3 (34:09):
Again, this team, you might be able to hit the
panic button a little bit because they have a lot
of like veteran players, maybe not veteran WNBA players, but
they have like a lot of veteran overseas players.

Speaker 2 (34:21):
And yeah, I mean I think if they.

Speaker 3 (34:23):
Let this these losses keep piling up, it's going to
be a hard hole to dig themselves out of.

Speaker 1 (34:29):
Well, speaking of letting the losses pile up, I want
to get into their future, what they have to look
forward to, because they will be playing the Indiana Fever
on Friday without Caitlyn Clark. So let's talk about the
Fever just for a second. The Fever are two and two,
Caitlin Clark will be out for two weeks with a
quad strain, at least two weeks, and is this going

(34:51):
to be time for Kelsey Mitchell or do you want
a bonner to step up. I'm interested to see what
this team looks like without Caitlyn Clark for the first time.
I want to know from you Lexi, numbers wise, how
does this team look and could a little bit of time,
especially this early in the season without Caitlin help the
fever long term getting all of those other players a

(35:12):
little bit more involved.

Speaker 3 (35:14):
I'm very interested to see who they start. Are they
going to be point guard by committee and bring Sophie
Cunningham off the bench or bring dB back into the
starting lineup, or are they going to stay traditional and
have Sidney Colson run the one for that team and

(35:34):
keep the starting lineup the same. So very interested to
see what lineup they go with moving forward.

Speaker 1 (35:41):
What would you do?

Speaker 2 (35:41):
What would I do?

Speaker 3 (35:42):
Yeah, I'm putting dB back in the lineup and I'll
have Kelsey Mitchell or Lexi Holl bring the ball up.
Whoever has the less serve on ball defender is going
to initiate the offense, I think, And then this might
be a great opportunity to get dB comfortable in this
new situation, because she's kind of started off a little
bit rough this season, and I think it's just because

(36:05):
she's on a new team. She was playing in a
very comfortable system that was very suitable to her style
of play for a lot of years, and to have
a change like that, it's difficult, and it doesn't matter
if your top five score.

Speaker 2 (36:18):
In WNBA history.

Speaker 3 (36:19):
Adjustments to a new team and a new city and
a new situation is freaking hard, and we're seeing it
happen with dB right now. Again, nothing to be worried about,
because she's also a Hall of Famer and I think
she's going to be just fine. But I think this
is the perfect opportunity for them to start implementing her
skill setting into their offense, and I think she can
compliment Leah Boston and Kelsey Mitchell really well with her versatility.

(36:42):
That's a big lineup of Lexi Hall, Natasha Howard, dB,
Eleiah Boston.

Speaker 2 (36:47):
Like, that's a.

Speaker 3 (36:48):
Massive lineup, so I think it'll be fun to watch
and see if they can if they can make that happen.
But to get into some of their numbers, eighty eight
points per game, which is second, fifty one percent effective
field goal which is third, defensive rating is third at
ninety three, and their offensive rating is third at one
o five. So they're top five in almost every category statistically,

(37:09):
and it shows again two and two that's what they are.
I don't think that's like a great picture of how
good this team is. But again, lots of new pieces,
so yeah, I think this is a great growth moment
for this team that has put so much I don't
want to say pressure, but a lot of the responsibility
has fallen on Kaitlyn Clark's shoulders the last season and

(37:31):
coming into this season, so I think this is a
great time for the rest of the team to step
into their roles because they've all been playing really well.
So I don't think that this team is gonna skip
a beat and no one's going to make up for
her three point shooting and her logo threes or anything
like that, so it's going to look a little different.
But I think that they can absolutely win without her,

(37:52):
and I think that's going to be a good thing
for them moving forward, because when you're winning and then
you insert a superstar like Kaitlyn Clark back into the mix,
that's probably one of your ideal situations. So to be interesting,
I'm just excited to see what lineup they roll out,
you know, so we'll see.

Speaker 1 (38:08):
Agreed, this team is gonna be fun to watch regardless,
but it is. It is a blow to lose Caitlyn
because I love her game. So me and Lexi both
are hoping that Caitlyn gets well very very soon because
it's more fun when she is available for all of us.
So get well soon, speedy recovery to Caitlin. Okay, next,

(38:30):
and this is the last team we're gonna get a
deep dive into before y'all comment. Everybody's gonna get talked
about every point during the season, but we're trying to
keep the episodes a little short for y'all. Okay, so
if you if you have a team you really want
us to get into, if you're watching us on YouTube, whatever,
make sure you comment and let us know. Otherwise I'm
not gonna know. Okay, the Las Vegas Aces, y'all blew

(38:51):
them out, Okay, But outside of just that, it has seemed,
at least for a spectator, like a little bit of
inconsistent play. Jewel is shooting just thirty one percent on
the season, and I'm curious, based on the numbers or
based on what you have seen, is this a real
slump or just a little bit of early season weirdness.

Speaker 2 (39:13):
I want to say early season weirdness.

Speaker 3 (39:16):
Again, this is in the group of teams with a
lot of personnel changes. Some of their numbers sixth in
points per game, ninth in effective field goal percentage, tenth
in defensive rating, and sixth in offensive rating. So not
great numbers wise for a team that we're used to
being top of the top of every statistical category for

(39:37):
the past few seasons. What I think that fans sometimes
don't understand, like when trades happen, is like you're not
like replacing again jigsaw puzzle.

Speaker 2 (39:50):
It's not a jigsaw puzzle.

Speaker 3 (39:52):
Like what Kelsey Plum did for that Vegas team is
not going to be the same thing that Jewellloyd is
going to bring to this Vegas team. And I think
I think anybody who was thinking that needs to get
that out of their head or you're going to be
disappointed because Jewel Lloyd is not Kelsey Plumb.

Speaker 2 (40:07):
Okay.

Speaker 3 (40:08):
So with that being said, you bring in a score
like Jewel on a team like this that has been
running like a well oiled machine for years, it's going
to take some time to adjust. I think that the
Seattle game was kind of a one off because it
did look like they were like trying to feed Jewel,
probably a little bit extra because it was her first

(40:29):
game back in Seattle. At least from where I was sitting,
that's what it looked like. She started the game off amazing.
I think she had nine points in the first quarter,
so I thought she was like gonna go for forty.
I was like, oh no, we got to stop her.
But she cooled down and then they didn't adjust to
her being cooled down, and we capitalized off that. I
think that something that was also underrated about Plum is

(40:51):
even though she's not a point guard, she can slide
to the one if necessary, and then that's when Chelsea
Gray would get loose.

Speaker 2 (40:59):
That's when you know Jackie could get a little bit
more loose.

Speaker 3 (41:01):
Even though Jackie had a decent game against US as well,
and she's shooting the ball extremely well from three, and they.

Speaker 2 (41:07):
Don't have that right now.

Speaker 3 (41:08):
They don't have someone that can give Chelsea a break
from running the offense. Because Chelsea is an elite scorer,
as we've seen her entire career. How we definitely saw
her and unrivaled how she was getting busy in that league.
I know fans probably were expecting more of that in
this but this is not that. It's a completely different
style of play. It's a different game, the spacing is different,

(41:30):
so many things are different. But I think they're going
to figure it out. Becky Hammond one of the best
coaches in the league, and she's only been in probably
league history, and she's only been a coach for a
few years, and she's already stamped again, no need to
hit the panic button. And I'm interesting to see what
changes and adjustments they make when we see them again
very soon, because that's what again, what the season's about,

(41:50):
is making adjustments and playing chess, and then Asia's doing
Asia things. She had kind of an off game against us,
and I'm going to credit Neca and Ezzie for playing
excellent defense because she is not an easy person to
stop or frustrate or anything like that. So I think
that we locked into our game plan extremely well and
Nika and Ezzi did an excellent job on her, but

(42:11):
that that doesn't happen often, you know, with hers, so again,
no need to hit the panic button. A lot of
new faces. I think they're also trying to figure out
their rotations. They played like their whole team. I know
it was a blowout, but they had a lot of
their bench in early, which that's something that Vegas isn't
known for doing, is going to their bench early. So

(42:31):
even seeing that change is different for us. So they're
gonna be fine again. I think they're gonna make the playoffs.
I think Jewel is gonna start shooting the ball better
once they figure out their offensive flow.

Speaker 2 (42:43):
So yeah, I think they'll be fine.

Speaker 1 (42:45):
Being able to get Asiel Wilson off her step even
a little bit is a huge whatever, y'all and a
good sign yea, where the storm are going. So you

(43:06):
guys might not know this, but me and Lexi obviously
we've be texting throughout the week seeing the stuff. You'll
be saying, what people, what's going on in the world,
and nine times out of ten, we just keep it.
We just keep it within us, within I message. But
as responsible people covering this game who want to keep
things very, very positive, and we have made our valw
to do that and we will continue to do that.

(43:28):
I do want to take a minute just to say
what are we doing? Just because Lexi alluded to it
a little bit earlier in the show, but I wanted
to talk about a very irresponsible article that was written
I won't get into detail, but by a big sperience platform,
by somebody who probably went to journalism school for four
years and likes doing this now. But they wrote an

(43:52):
entire article about Angel reason I will say it was
her specifically because that adds an important layer to the conversation,
but they used fanto tweets as sources for the entire article. Lexi,
I am got well.

Speaker 3 (44:06):
I texted I said it to Mariah because I didn't
even I didn't even search. I don't even know what
I was searching. It was nothing related to this article.
I think it was maybe Stats for a gat. I
don't know what I was searching. It wasn't Angel Reese
and it wasn't the Chicago Sky.

Speaker 2 (44:22):
I can tell you that for a fact.

Speaker 3 (44:24):
But this is one of the first articles that showed
up on my Google search and I click it because
it looked like a TMZ headline.

Speaker 2 (44:32):
First of all, read through it.

Speaker 3 (44:34):
No official sources have validated this entire think piece, but
we're gonna throw some fan tweets.

Speaker 2 (44:42):
What I texted Maria, I said, is this allowed?

Speaker 3 (44:45):
Like just because you say no official sources has been cited,
can you still write an article that you just pulled
out of your ass and found mean.

Speaker 2 (44:55):
Tweets to support your bullshit.

Speaker 3 (44:58):
I don't understand that, especially with so many amazing things
going on to the WNBA right now amongst all thirteen teams,
that this is what we are still doing a whole
year later, after we saw what the season was like
and how lazy the coverage was. I do not see
an ounce of improvement of the overall coverage from big

(45:22):
platforms like you said. Like we said last week, there
are a lot of smaller creators that are responsibly covering
the WNBA, and we appreciate y'all, and y'all are doing
great and keep doing what you're doing. When we have
these conversations, we're talking about the big dogs. We're talking
about these platforms that are supposed to do things responsibly,

(45:44):
have sources, not people that go on Twitter and pull
mean things just.

Speaker 2 (45:50):
To get clicks on your article.

Speaker 3 (45:53):
And I'm just like baffled, just like you were when
I saw that, because at the end of the day,
we are people. These are human beings. You can't just
say random things. These are people that are part of teams,
part of organizations.

Speaker 2 (46:06):
Everybody's on the internet. You can't ignore everything. I'm sorry.
I know you guys are like just log off, just
log off.

Speaker 3 (46:11):
No, Like the world is online, okay, so yes, you
can log off, but you're not going to be able
to skip over everything. So it was just really disappointing
to see that from a publication.

Speaker 2 (46:23):
As large as that was.

Speaker 3 (46:24):
That was like super disappointing to see this early in
the season.

Speaker 1 (46:29):
As a basketball fan who is saying not just that,
but that was like a really stark example, but a
lot of examples this week of just irresponsible coverage. I
want to say that number one. We're using that very
specific example so that you guys aren't just saying it's,
oh my gosh, it's rage. It's people just saying people
are being mean, but there's not actually anything to point
to it. It's not about being mean and it's not

(46:50):
about feelings. It's about being responsible, because that kind of
rhetoric is dangerous. It's dangerous to the players themselves, it's
dangerous to the league, and it doesn't help anyone. As
me and Lexi have stated using the numbers throughout this episode,
the Chicago skuy are in a rebuilding sort of time.
They have so much turnover, a new staff, they're trying

(47:11):
to figure out new personnel, a new system, everything, and
to keep this team continuously so so high up you
weren't even researching them in the news, and not for
things that have to do with that. I think that
conversations that have to do with that are more than
valid what they can do better offensively and defensively. But
conversations that are team Z headlines about the team that

(47:32):
are harmful, that are using fan tweets from people who
specifically hate players just to what continue the narrative of
why people should hate this players shouldn't like them, or
why this team is bad that have no basis, and
actually why the team isn't performing. I'm not even gonna
say underperforming, because this is exactly what we said was
going to happen before the season started. But it doesn't

(47:54):
allow the team space to grow and get better. It
doesn't allow for the WNBA to push stories that are
positive and the actual best teams and players and storylines
going on in the league. It's just overall harmful. So
we just wanted to mention that just so that you
guys know, when you're looking up things about the WNBA
or reading about the league or basketball in general, not

(48:15):
just a w any sport, make sure you are paying
attention to what these sources, even the big dogs, even
the ones you're watching on TV every day and have
millions of dollars and have real trained journalists working for them.
Make sure you're like, hmm, this headline says that this
girl and this team hates this girl, but all the
sources are fans tweets. That's probably not an article you

(48:37):
should be listening to. Go find a source that's a
lot more reliable than that.

Speaker 2 (48:41):
That's all I'm gonna say exactly.

Speaker 3 (48:43):
This is exactly what we've been talking about since we
started this podcast, and the fact that there's been absolutely
no improvement at all and now.

Speaker 2 (48:57):
It's just getting worse and worse and worse.

Speaker 3 (48:59):
A very interested to see what coverage happens in this
league now that Kayla Clark is injured, Like now, Cay,
y'all cover the league like you're supposed to, Yeah, instead
of being weird when she's playing. Absolutely she's getting all
of the headlines because she's playing at an insane level.

(49:21):
She's playing. She's one of the best players in the league. Absolutely,
you talk about her, but there's.

Speaker 2 (49:26):
Other players playing at a high level as well that
y'all refuse to talk about.

Speaker 3 (49:30):
And even at the high level that she's playing, people
are still putting her in these very weird, unfair, non
basketball related conversations. And I thought we were going to
be past that this season, but clearly we're not. So
maybe this will be a good time for y'all to
get your lives together and tighten up. Because it's not cute,
And we asked y'all to keep it cute last week,

(49:52):
so we gonna ask you again, can we please keep
it cute and keep about basketball. Yes, nobody cannot be criticized,
Yes all you want.

Speaker 2 (50:01):
I have not hit a three all season, and I
say I'm the best shoot in the league.

Speaker 3 (50:04):
I still believe that. But I can't shoot shots that
I don't get. I don't can't shoot shots that I
haven't taken. I can't make shots that I haven't taken.
But best believe. I'm in that gym every day working
my ass off, So I'm still standing on that. So
y'all could criticize me all y'all want. Y'all don't think
I have a little head, a little voice inside my
head being like, girl, why you ain't play Like we
work so hard for you to get on the court,

(50:24):
and now the season's here, you not on the court.

Speaker 2 (50:27):
Like.

Speaker 3 (50:27):
I'm absolutely not immune to criticism or questions or anything
like that. But that's why we have this show because
everybody needs to be having spaces for criticism, critique, positivity,
but never negativity.

Speaker 2 (50:41):
Okay, so that was my mini rants. Amen.

Speaker 3 (50:45):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (50:45):
The takeaway from me and Lexi's very heated rands today
is let's not act like fan tweets or facts. Let's
stop pitting women against each other to farm clicks Okay,
I'm not going to say what the network is, but
then one sports network that everybody watches and I watch
every single morning as part of my morning routine. Now
that Caitlyn Clark is injured, which sucks for me as

(51:06):
a basketball fan, but also very interested to see what
you guys talk about for your one woman sports segment
a day other than just that one player. And speaking
of Kaitlyn Clark's injury, because she very much did have
a place in the MVP odds to close out for today, Lexi,
because we've already been through some of the big matchups
that are coming up this week, what are you seeing

(51:27):
as far as the MVPA race is concerned, Very early
in the season, But I love overreaction.

Speaker 3 (51:34):
For me, it's very interesting at what my list is
because there are players that are my teammates and players
that after today I have played against, and then team
players that I've already played against. Obviously Fee number one
right now playing at a super high level. The Links
are undefeated, and I think that this MVP push started
for her a little too late last season, so they

(51:56):
wasted no time this season, rightfully, so, so I got
Fee in the car conversation. I'm gonna throw Necko or
Skuyler in there for the Storm. When you have a one, A,
one B, these conversations get a little hard because what
they both do add so much value and bring so
much to the team. How do you choose one to
put in an MVP conversation. But because we're so early
in the season, I'm throwing them both in there. I'm

(52:17):
gonna throw do the same thing for the Mercury, throwing
At and Satou in there. I think people are starting
to really see how talented Saw two is. She has
struggled with injuries over her career, but when she's healthy,
she is one of the best players in the WNBA.
And I'm praying that she has a full, healthy season
because the way she has started has been very elite.

(52:39):
And then At, she was a favorite for MVP a
few seasons ago, and if she can keep her numbers
like they are right now and lead this team to
wins in the playoffs, it she'll absolutely be.

Speaker 2 (52:49):
In the conversation again.

Speaker 3 (52:51):
And then for the Liberty, you know, it's hard to
be have an MVP player when the whole team is hooping,
So I just put the Liberty and I don't have
a specific player because every game has been somebody different
that's gone crazy. But absolutely a player from the Liberty
is going to be in contention for MVP, at least
be in the conversation because you have to include a

(53:14):
player on the best team, which as of right now
is the Liberty, I think, even though.

Speaker 2 (53:20):
Uh is it the Links? I don't know.

Speaker 3 (53:22):
I'm not going to say that today because we play
them tonight, so I'm not going to say that about
the Links. So I'm going to say the Liberty are
the best team right now. But when you have a
team playing at a high level like that, it's hard
to just pinpoint one specific player. So I'm just going
to put player from the New York Liberty. But again,
Stewie is always a shoe in.

Speaker 2 (53:40):
For MVP conversation every season, that's how a lead of
a player she is.

Speaker 3 (53:45):
But this is going to be a fun MVP race,
I think. And it's so early in the season and
so much can change and so much can happen, and
our season is very short, so you really got to
get off to a hot start early to you know,
get a little bit ahead of the curve. And I
think that's what those players are doing, and I'm really
excited to see how the rest of the season pans
out for this MVP race.

Speaker 2 (54:05):
For sure.

Speaker 1 (54:06):
My take for the MVP race is that number one Liberty.
Just like we talked about Big Ellie being the face
of the team and nobody else probably even caring about
that shit, is that I think that that team is
so loged in on winning a championship it's not even
giving somebody is trying to make an MVP push. Obviously,
Stewie is the best player, but she's been a winner

(54:26):
of her whole basketball career and I'm not just talking
about the W and so I think for her it's
like winning is the number one thing. I think you
can say the same thing so far for Nakan Skyler,
like the one A, one B situations, But as far
as the links are concerned, yep, there's a very clear one.

Speaker 3 (54:43):
Yes, I will say, out of all the teams that
don't have a one, Minnesota absolutely is one of the
teams that has a one A, two three.

Speaker 2 (54:53):
They ain't no one A, one B over there.

Speaker 1 (54:56):
So yeah, ah, so I think that this is this
is Fees MVP to grab, But it's early.

Speaker 2 (55:03):
In the season, very early, very early. We gave our
flowers earlier.

Speaker 3 (55:08):
So if you guys did not peep who we gave
our flowers to, we gave them to Mekka Agum mackay
for top ten, passing Candice Parker for ninth.

Speaker 1 (55:17):
Right ninth all time leading scorer.

Speaker 2 (55:20):
Like, are we serious? Are you kidding me? So?

Speaker 3 (55:23):
Flowers aging freaking backwards, So shout out to Mekka flowers
for you.

Speaker 2 (55:29):
Do you have anything else? Do you have any flowers
to give? Any other flowers? No?

Speaker 1 (55:32):
How can I not give them the Madam President after that?

Speaker 2 (55:35):
Congratulations, you get all the flowers? Okay Meikka, Okay, y'all.
We're never going to keep these episodes as short as
we think we are. But it's Basketball's fun, y'all.

Speaker 3 (55:44):
And if you having fun listening, keep tuning in, spread
the words, share with your friends, subscribe, comment teams you
want us to tap in with more, and thank you
again for tuning in to an episode of Full Circle.

Speaker 2 (55:55):
We will see y'all next week.

Speaker 1 (55:57):
Bye, guys, thanks for listening to Full Circle. We'll be
back next week with more basketball for the girls.

Speaker 2 (56:03):
By the girls. We want to hear from you.

Speaker 1 (56:05):
Leave us a review, on Apple Podcasts and tell us
what you want us to talk about. Full Circle is
hosted by Lexi Brown and Mariah Rose. Our executive producer
is Jesse Katz. Our supervising producer is Grace Fuse. Our
producer is Zoe Danklab. Listen to Full Circle on America's
number one podcast network, iHeart, Open your free iHeart app
and search full Circle with Lexi Brown and Mariah Rose

(56:27):
and start listening.