September 24, 2025 • 50 mins
On today’s episode of Full Circle, Lexie and Mariah discuss the Storm’s season coming to a close and the coaching staff being let go after playoff elimination. They also discuss A’ja Wilson’s historic fourth MVP award. Along the way, the ladies discuss the rest of the first round, including the Atlanta Dream getting bounced by the Indiana Fever.
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Episode Transcript
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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. Hey, y'all,
welcome back to another episode of Full Circle.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
LEXI check in with us. You've had quite the week.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
I know, guys, our season is over due to a
Jackie Young offensive rebound put back in Vegas. So yeah, guys,
it's so crazy, Like sports are so crazy. It's like
you plan, you're locked in for like six seven months.
You plan, your whole life is revolving around your practice schedule,
your travel schedule, your game schedule, and then boom is over.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Just like that, it just ends.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
And then everyone's just like what now, And then you
get the we got our exit meetings, we have media,
you have this, and you just kind of have to
like it doesn't matter how you're feeling, if you're sad,
if you're happy, like you still have like these last
publigations to get out of the way, because then you know, life,
life moves on. So for me personally, I was sad
(01:06):
that we lost. We already know like my situation for
the season, So I was just kind of like, Okay,
well I don't have to send on the bench anymore.
I don't know if y'all any of y'all heard in
my exit interview and the statement I made. If you didn't,
it's like all over TikTok and X apparently. But I
just ensured everybody that I was healthy, and that's the
(01:27):
reason why I didn't play this season was because I
didn't play. That was the coach's decision for me not
to play all those games, not because I was sick.
But if you want to hear it all, like y'all
can find it, it's easy. But also, if you guys
didn't here, our whole coaching stuff was not re signed.
So let's she wasn't fired. They weren't fired, They just
(01:48):
were all not renewed to continue to coach for the
Seattle Storm. So another year for Lexi with a new coach.
I think I've had a new coach every year of
my career except.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
For two years.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Oh, the two years I was in Minnesota were the
only two years that I had the same coach back
to back years, so along with also being on different teams,
so it's like I just have never found peace. Everything
is always like and for me, even like dropping into
La like they were already in the middle of a
(02:23):
hot ass mess Seattle, they had their hot ass mess
from last year.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Like, I just keep getting dropped into these.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Environments that are like not good environments, and then I'm
always like around when everyone's like trying to fix it,
which I guess that's good because ultimately, like you can
leave places better than when you found them. But it's
like kind of like, dang, can I just go into
some normal shit like dang? So, yeah, another year of
a new coach. I have no idea who they're considering
(02:54):
to bring in. I'm sure they probably won't ask me.
They might, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
But I'm under contract for next year.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Me and Dom Jordan Horsten and Nico Mule I think
are the only We're the only four that are like
officially like under contract for next year. Everybody is a
free agent, guys, the whole team. I'm restricted free agents
along with the majority of the w So that's gonna
be interesting. But y'all see Mariah well you can't see
(03:26):
right now, but she got on a Vegas jersey right now, So.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
That's like what all? But whatever, whatever, listen.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
First of all, I am not wearing this Vegas jersey
to wrap your ops, LEXI. I'm wearing this Vegas jersey
to celebrate miss Asia Wilson, Nike fam That's why I
have all of these jerseys. If you always always see
me rotate jerseys, they're just Nike athletes because I work
with Nike. But I'm wearing the jersey because I was
(04:00):
just making a video about all of her insane accolades
and her winning and.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Again, which is the next thing I want to get
into that.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Because we were right. We were right about every right
and our prediction.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
We were right.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
I mean, I don't think this year was like necessarily
difficultactly to predict things, but we were.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
We went four for four.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
No, No, I didn't predict code defensive player of the year.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I didn't know.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
We didn't predict that, but we did say a lot
of Smiths had a chance. And then I did say, Agiables,
it should be the defensive player of the year. But
they they had to give the link something that was
like a here damn, Like I hate that for them,
Like you're the best team in the league and the
only individual accolade your team got was a co Defensive
Player of the Year, Like, that's so crazy to think about.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
I will say, I will say with a team that
talented and balanced, the only accolade I could really see
them getting outside of an MVP, which I don't feel
like it was deserved this year peak because of fee
getting heard and them still going on without her as
well as they did. You can only really win Coaches
(05:05):
the Year for that because everything else is really like
or maybe sixth Player of the Year. But like, I
feel like it's a compliment to how like the award
you guys need to be chasing is the championship, not
these individual yeah awards.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
I mean, I think the only reason, the only way
that they're not going to be like feeling a way
about not getting any any accolades is if they win, and.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Then they'll be like, Okay, well this is better than
any individual.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Accolade is a championship, which the way they've been playing
that seems very likely. But we'll get into we'll get
into the first round of playoffs in a second, but
we do want to give a shout out to Asia
Wilson for winning her fourth MVP. Only player in wn
WNBA history to do so her resume is insaying I
(05:49):
don't have it all written down, but I'm sure you do.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
I want to get in your I got you. Yeah,
I got Youah.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Let's hear it.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Which is exactly why I wanted to celebrate Miss Girl today,
because she has officially been named the twenty twenty five
WNBA MVP after a turnaround pretty much mid season. This
is a record fourth time winning the award. This breaks
a four way tie with WNBA legends like Sheryl Swoop,
Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson, who each have three. At
(06:16):
twenty nine years old, Asia Wilson has four MVPs, three
Defensive Player of the Year awards, and two back to
back championships. Congratulations Asia. Not to mention the two world
medals or the finals MVP, none of that, but congratulations Asia, because.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
I mean someone put out I saw some posts and
someone was like, Asia has one MVP half of her
career so far.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
Like if you think about it like.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
That, like whoy, it's just so crazy, Like the spectrum
of talent and experiences you experience have to pro like
you have someone like Asia who's the best player in
the world, and you have someone like me, who's like
begging to get on the court to score. There I
was in points, so like that, it's just so funny,
(07:04):
Like you just have such a broad spectrum of experiences
at this level because it's still the highest level, but
you still like there's still levels to the level.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
Like so, I mean, shout out to ajio I.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
We got to watch her whoop our ass the last
round she had thirty eight, but she had last game
thirty eight points.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
I think that was like half of their points.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Like she quite literally everything we talked about her, what
she does as a player, as a leader, literally quite
literally put the team on her back game three and
said we're not losing this game us. Why we never
said a double team nothing to her, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
I have no idea why we didn't do any of
those things.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
I think we were like, well, it's just let Asia
score thirty layups and win. And I mean that that's
not a horrible game plan because we did only lose
by one basket, but I wish we made a better
adjustments in game three, but we still were one basket
away from playing in the semi finals. Let's actually get
into some first round playoff talk. First, the first round
(08:06):
of playoffs is completed, so we will start with our
series against the Aces.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
We lost two to one game one.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Like I said before, they punched us Game two, we
made some adjustments. Skyler and Neka had great games. We
had sky had twenty six and seven assists, and Ika
had twenty four points ten rebounds. Erica Wheeler saved our
ass I think I need to like to check her
like clutch bucket number or something for the season and
in postseason, because Erica quite literally saved us in like
(08:37):
almost the last like five or six games of the
year just with her playmaking and her scoring ability. Unfortunately,
we lost Game three in Vegas to the Aces on
a buzzer beater basically, and it was heartbreaking.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Actually, I felt.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
More there was a moment in that game, like I
swore we were going to win, Like there was a
time in that game where I was like, there's no
way we're going to lose this game. And I very
rarely felt that about our team, considering our meltdowns that
we had throughout the season in the fourth quarters. But like,
I don't even know if I was sad that we lost,
(09:18):
I was like shocked that we lost like the way
we were executing and getting stops down the stretch was
just something that we hadn't done consistently as a team.
So the fact that finally we were doing it in
the playoffs when it mattered was like really exciting. And
then for it to just jackie freakin' jackie. But of
(09:39):
course it's a rebound. Our biggest struggle all season long
is rebounding, so of course that's how we lose the game.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I genuinely after Game two thought it could go either way,
Like genuinely thought it could go either way, because Game
two to be felt very like, Okay, if they win
this eighteenth game and they break the record streak, and
that would be insane, but y'all being able to stop
that momentum was very like.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yeah, shoot, like this could come in either or was crazy.
It's unfortunate.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
The environment was crazy in both places in Vegas and here, Like,
playoff basketball is so much fun and I haven't been
able to experience it for so many years. So to
be able to experience at least one series, yeah, to
experience one series, and then I got to even play
and score in the first game, even though it was
a blowout, like you still get to experience playoff basketball.
(10:31):
So I mean I will say this this is I
don't know if us winning the series would have had
a different outcome for you know, the changes that we're
seeing the stormmake as an organization right now. Well, that's
not something that you could be like what if because
it happened, and you don't want to like throw salt
in a wound and be like we were on one
(10:52):
basket away from like not having a new coaching staff,
Like I don't know if that's the reality, if like
that would just prolong this season and we would have
the same thing commerce no matter.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
What the outcome was.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
But yeah, I am now going into another season with
a bunch of question marks, and it's like it's not
frustrating because I'm still blessed and grateful to have a
job and playing the WNBA and stuff.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
It's still gonna be frustrating.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
There's like not been one season where I've been like
told we're going to do this, you need to do this,
and when you get back, like this is going to
happen if you do everything that we tell you.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Every year, I like walking in.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Like Okay, new teammates, new coach, new expansion teams, Like
everything is so new, and I'm not the only player
that has this experience. Obviously, I just feel like I'm
one of the more vocal ones about it. But it's
very it's been very frustrating because then, like I said,
the spectrum of experiences, you're seeing a player like Asia
(11:50):
who's been in one one team her whole career, and
you know you're seeing her build her legacy every season.
Will pivot this conversation to the Fever Dream Series. You're
seeing Kelsey Mitchell, who's been in Indiana her whole career,
and she's finally getting all of the things like MVP finalists,
all this stuff that.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
We have been preaching about Kelsey Mitchell for years.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
She just hasn't been able to get her team over
the hump or get the respect that I feel like
she has always deserves. Real pivot to the Fever Dream Series.
(12:37):
Cause what I tell you, Mariah, what did I tell
you about the Fever that they had a chance.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I'm absolutely like, I'm absolutely pissed off. Like I didn't
think I was.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Going to be that mad, Like I like, no, I
was genuinely upset. I didn't think I was going to
be as mad as I was. I was like either way,
I was just so happy to be at the game
I went to. But I do want to say, I do
want to say, I don't know if this makes things
worse for like me and my attendance of the season,
because my first game I went to this season was
(13:09):
the first when we lost to the Fever and I
was pissed. And the last game of the season I
went to, we lost to the Fever and I'm so cerious.
Let me no, let me say that no, and I'm
very superstitious, but no, to get into what the ash
(13:30):
will play that would actually went down in the game,
I just felt like, look, I'm not on the team.
I'm not a WBA player. My view, just as a
fan because I don't want y'all come for me, was
it was so okay. Like the team, and we've talked
about this before. When they were doing well, it was
like everything was working.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
They were so happy.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
They were making effort to get rebounds, they were making
effort on defense. Everything was so woo yay. They were
making their shots, they were making their free throws. Everything
was going very very well.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
Well.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
When things weren't going well, like when one thing went
okay for the Fever, which was crazy because we were
winning the entire game. We were winning the entire game.
When one thing would go well for the fever, I
felt like the body language was off, the communication was off,
the effort was off. Like the rebounding really was upsetting.
(14:23):
It was just like, what are we doing? It was
classic Atlanta sports. You get down to the very end,
they get up. When they got.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Up, I knew it was over. Like I knew.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
I could see on their faces it was over. I
knew the game was over. We weren't winning worth and nothing.
Everybody in the crowd was. The energy was crazy. Everybody
was loud, everybody was excited. But me, I knew what
was about to go down. I watched it happened to
Georgia Bulldogs. I watched it out to the Falcons. I
knew what was about to go down, but.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Not being able to inbound the ball, like not being able.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
To get anything done, like it was so unproductive.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
It was disappointing. I was so upset.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Congratulations to them on an incredible season, but I'm sorry
to see it go out like that. Kelsey Mitchelle, you
are incredible, like even like seeing her, I was sitting courtside,
I was.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Hoping to have a couple more opportunities.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
But seeing it from that, how fast she's moving and
like how they were beating her up on defense, like
how often her body is hitting the floor, like hitting
that wood floor so hard, so loud, like just getting
up and like getting out, Like she's incredible and like
supererated and shout out to her.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
But yeah, even when we were in Vegas, we were
watching the score and we were like, we're going to
it because we were Are we going to it?
Speaker 4 (15:45):
Because we packed? Okay, guys, listen, when we went to Vegas,
we had.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
A pack like we were gonna win. Okay, So we
went in Vegas. We were going straight to the next city. Okay,
So we're watching the score, talk about where are we going.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
We going to Vegas, were going to Indy. We going
I mean, we're in to Atlanta. Were going to Indy.
We swore we going to Atlanta. You're all very excited
to go to Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
You know very how much fun that would have been
for us on the show.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Oh yeah, So then come to our surprise halftime check
the score fever freaking one.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
We're like Oh, dang, I guess we're gonna go to guys.
Want I tell you, I was shocked that we lost
this game.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
I'm not even being like biased about my own team,
like just the way that we.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Not everything.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
It was not a perfect game. So I had to
go back to us again. It was not a perfect game.
But like I swore, we were going to be in
the semifinals. But Kelsey Mitchell, the way that she plays
basketball is like otherworldly. She might be one of the
only people that I know that is faster with the
ball than without it. And then you pair her with
someone like Odyssey Sims, who probably is the only other
(16:50):
person who is faster with the ball than without it.
And then you had Aery McDonald who's just fast with
and without the ball, like the fever like made a
complete one eighty pivot turn when they lost Caitlyn Clark
for the season, and they are playing like they're just
(17:10):
out there vibing, they're having fun. No one thought that
they were going to be in the semifinals. They just
beat the crap out of the Aces yesterday. Like what
they're doing right now is insane. And that's one of
the most dangerous teams to play a team that just
has nothing to lose but everything to gain, and they're
not a bad team. The additions that they made, that
(17:33):
the acquisitions they made, the transactions that they had to make,
with the injuries and stuff, they weren't random. They might
have seemed random at the time, but this is like
a very good team that they put together despite the
circumstances of it all. Like they found like a personalities
that went together, styles of play that went together. I
think the addition of aerial powers has been like game
(17:55):
changing for them. Aliah Boston Andatasha Howard have quietly been
holding it down in the paint. I think Indiana can
win this series, but we'll see. Like I said prior,
in the prior series, they looked tired. But Stephanie White
does a great job of utilizing her whole team. In
the last series she had eight players played ten plus
(18:15):
minutes in all three games. So she knows how to
utilize what she has on the bench, not for a
prolonged the amount of time because she she gotta let
her stars star.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
But like not many teams are doing that.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
My hill, guys, going back on my hill, if not
playing bench players, it's what happened in the liberty why
they lost their series, which we'll get into in a second,
But the Dream shot thirty four percent by from three
in the regular season and shot twenty eight percent in
the play in that first round. I think that was
the difference between that winning and losing, is that they
didn't shoot the three ball well. BG probably lowest minutes
(18:54):
she's ever played in the playoffs. She eight minutes game one,
eight minutes Game three, and I think twelve or thirteen
minutes in Game two.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
So I don't know what's going to happen there, but yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
In those final seconds, let me just say, as somebody
who is in the building, I don't know if this
has been reported on yet or people were talking about this.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
She was not happy that she was not.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
I bet she wasn't was not happy. I bet she wasn't.
It was not happy.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
She was whispering to pow pow.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
She was not.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
I mean, this is Brittany Griner.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
And we said at the beginning of the season, not
sure how this style of play that their coach is
bringing in will benefit how she plays basketball, and it's
been proven that it Hasn't she not have a horrible season.
She just didn't play and it was just not the
beg that we are all accustomed to seeing. But that's
what happens when you kind of get kicked out your team.
Like she didn't want to leave Phoenix. She's made that
(19:48):
very she's been vocal about that. She thought she was
going to retire in Phoenix. So she's not probably in
an ideal situation. Will she's stay in Atlanta?
Speaker 4 (19:56):
I don't know. Well, a lot of players stay teams.
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
I think you guys are gonna be shocked at how
many players are gonna switch teams, Like I think you
guys are going to be shocked at how many players
are like I'm cool on this situation.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
I'm gonna go to another one.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Like it's gonna be crazy, y'all know, I love a
team that lives by the three and dies by the
three when they're living by the three, Okay, but if
you're gonna die by the three?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Watching the game, and everyone around me.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Was upset by this, like if you're not making shots
and there is no effort to give your team another opportunity,
a second chance, Like when I say, LEXI no effort,
it was like miss the shot back on defense, I'm
like some sort of effort because if it's not going in,
it's not going in right now.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
So can somebody? Can somebody get me an offensive rebound?
Can somebody get me another opportunity? Can somebody try? We
don't have time to Yeah, my shot didn't go in, Like,
come on, y'all.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
It's the playoffs and Indiana on the flip sid I
will say, because they are really impressing me, and they
are something I'm loving about the playoffs and something I'm
really hating about the playoffs as somebody who has been.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Perfectly drincked in mind by them, like their energy.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
The bench mob, as Kaitlin called it, that she got
fined two hundred dollars for a Fuley tripping.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
It was pissing me off as a fan dur in
the game. They they wait what she thought? They you
can see that? Oh oh oh Lexie Lexie.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Kayla Clark got fined two hundred dollars for commenting on
Instagram post refs couldn't stop us about the bench players
for the fever.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Oh that's two hundred. That's two hundred dollars, okay and
w n.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
B a uh. And then she responded to it and
said that's just gonna make the bench mob worse. Like
watch us next she said something.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Sutting up like I said, like this group players that
they have on the bench and the ones that are playing,
like this is a very dangerous mix of a fun
and unserious news.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
But like they're good. They're a good team. They were good.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
They made playing in an away arena so like beneficial
to themselves by pissing off the crowd so badly by
standing literally on our logo.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Like throughout the game and walking out onto the core
and like Sophie Cunningham is jumping on her one leg
and Caitlin is like absolutely screwed. They were insane and
I hated it every second of it. But I.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Like Keshy, Natasha and Aaliyah, like they are so quiet,
so like and Aalia just like this group on the
bench just being the mouthpiece for the team while their
team is just like whoop everybody's ass and they're not
saying nothing, They're just playing. And then you have the
bench going crazy, Like I think that's so funny, but
(22:55):
that's a dangerous dynamic.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
I will say, like.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
If they beat the Aces, it's going to be scary hours,
for sure. For sure scary hours. I don't I mean,
I think that both series are going to go to five.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
I think so. I don't like to make predictions because
I don't want people to be like, she hates this
team or she doesn't think this team is good. I want,
you know I, you know me.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
I want to max out all the all the games,
give us all the basketball, give it all to us.
That's what happened in Round one, and I hope it
happens in the semi finals. But the next team that
(23:41):
we're going to talk about is the Liberty Liberty Liberties,
who were disappointingly booted from the first round of the
playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
Shout out to Stewie.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
I don't know what's wrong with her knee, but she
literally left every thing out on that court in Game three.
But they just they just didn't seem like they were
ever in a rhythm offensive, lead or defensively. They averaged
seventy points per game in that series, after averaging eighty
four points per game in the regular season.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
They had the same defensive.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Rating as the Liberty, I mean Liberty and the Liberty
in Phoenix had the same defensive rating basically in the
regular season, but Phoenix has at Ka and Natasha mac
who are probably I would consider like top fifteen defenders
in the league all on one team great. And then
those liberties shot twenty five percent from three with thirty
(24:43):
attempts after shooting thirty six percent on twenty seven attempts
in the regular.
Speaker 4 (24:46):
Season, so.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
That this team, I feel like is gonna go through
a lot of changes in the offseason. I think they
had a very similar issue as we did. As far
as you have your five, you have a grade five,
but you also have a great bench that you didn't
(25:09):
really utilize to the full capacity.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
And then as a bench player that doesn't.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Get utilized to a capacity, like even when your team
is struggling or you know your starters are struggling and
you still don't really get an opportunity.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
Then that's kind of when you start to lose the
bench a little bit.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
And then you come into the playoffs where you need
them to come in and make an impact and do something.
But like you've been sitting them for a month and
now you want them to come in go crazy in
the playoffs, like on the road.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
And as a viewer. I'm going to keep a cue.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I will say I was going to speak to this
earlier for you, Lexi and for the Storm this season
and the Liberty, they kind of go hand in hand
in this that like, it was disappointing because at the
beginning of the season, when we were talking about every
single team and what we were expecting with the season,
one of the things we talked about with both of
y'all were how deep both of these teams were, and
(26:11):
how much they can do with these rosters, and how
talented their starting fives are, and how the bench is
also very talented and they're going to get to rest
and it's going to be great and whatever. Whatever. We
saw that play out with the Liberty in a way
where ever, since they were riddled by injury throughout the
regular season, they haven't We haven't really seen them be
the same. They let the dream creep in and the
(26:31):
standings and things got all over the place for them,
and it just never really.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Came back up.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
I mean, stew we tried with what she had, the
facilities she had as far as injury and whatnot, but
you can only do so much when you have been
giving your all all season.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
And have been in and out.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
You know, as far as health is concerned, if you
have a deep team, like that's, what's the point of
gassing out your star players like that, I don't I
don't get it.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
And then going back to the fever.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
This is why we're in a situation where they are
so dangerous because everyone is so bought in. Everyone on
the team is so bought in. Everyone feels like they
could go in at any point. Everyone feels like they
have something to win and something to lose, so they're
extra loud. I'm sure their locker room is super fun
before games. After games, they get super excited, like they.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
Have a lot. Everybody feels like they have something to gain,
and so it's like everyone is super bought in.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
And while their star players are hurt, Caitlyn Clark, like
Caitlyn Clark is sitting on the bench, they don't feel
so like, oh what are we gonna do now? Because
everybody's so bought in and the coach is literally like
we talked about her getting I think a flaker inner
attack or whatever she got in trouble for, like arguing
with the ref on their behalf like they had to
(27:46):
be she had to be held back by Gaitlyn Clark
and like they love that. Like everyone seems to feel
very supportive. Everybody seems to feel like they kind of
know what their role in the roster is. And when
you have that abstract confusion, you have five players that
are bought in and gassed out and risking injury every game.
So I don't know what changes are going to be made,
(28:07):
but I'm very disappointed and both of those turnouts because
it's like you have very deep teams. That was what
everybody said about going into the season.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
Why not use it when people like don't understand, Like
I feel like I am a little vague when I
talk about like utilizing your bench, Like you don't have
to throw your bench players in and like have one
of them like hit five threes or like score twenty points.
Speaker 4 (28:30):
Like, No, they have to come in and do their job.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
So if that's getting a stop on defense, knowing the
scouting report, sometimes you get thrown in the game just
to be annoying to somebody that's like going crazy. They're
just got go in there and bother them defensively. But
you got to know the scout you got to be
locked in, you got to understand the flow, the ebbs
and flows of a game, like you really got to
be locked in, and if you don't have a locked
in bench, like I'm sorry, Like so much of basketball
(28:55):
is so mental and if you're mentally checked out as
a player, like it's very hard to come into this
league find success in any minutes that you're giving an opportunity.
And I know, even for me personally, a lot of
people were like, well.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
She her stats or this or that. If you were
to look at like the actual.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Genuine minutes, I would get playing like the good things
were happening. Like the stats are very skewed because I
didn't play a lot of games. I got a lot
of DMPs and I got very limited minutes. But when
I was in the game, like very few times that
I come in the game and like, shit hit the wall.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
I should hit the fan with like she got in
the game.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
So like I when people are like, oh, here's look
at her stats and her shooting percentage and blah blah blah,
like okay, just watch the game and see what happens
when some of us would come in. That's across the
board for benches, Like there are some bench players that
come in and you're like, get her out now, Like
that is reality too, but that's like there's not very
many of those players in this league.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Honestly.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
I also feel like a great example of what you're
referring to in the men's side of things are the
Oklahoma City thunder Earth. Like as far as laying so
many players different players, having so many different lineups, you
can work with having everybody bought in.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
I mean, every single member of.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
The team is a part of the postgame interview every time,
Like everybody is super involved in that day championship winning
team and their star player gets to do crazy things
because he knows he can rast if need be.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
So I think it's a great example.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
What I hope moving forward is what we see.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
For the bench players and the six players, because this
league is just going to keep getting more talented and
the style of play is evolving and we're seeing more
players coming into this league pro ready. But we have
like a lot of veterans in this league that still
have a lot of years left to play. But there's
a lot of talent that is just not being seen
the entire season. My favorite sixth player was paying Pritcher
(30:49):
for the Celtics because when Paying Pritcher got into the game,
the whole like offense changed when he stepped on the floor,
Like their whole style of play kind of shifted a
little bit when Paying Pritchell got in the game, Like
you're playing next to Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
But when Paying Pritchard touches that floor, he's.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Getting a shot in like the next twenty seconds, like
it's going up, he's getting a play call, he's doing that, like,
but he also knows his role, so like, yeah, one
game he could go for thirty, but like some nights
is it's not your night, Paying Prichard, and that's fine.
I just feel like we are still like losing that
edge in our league of where you like put your
bench players in and it's like it like breathes a
(31:28):
new energy and life into the game. And I think
that's when we get that to that point in the
w like our games are going to be so much
more fun to watch, Like they're already fun to watch.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
But that's why I think we a lot of people
like watching the.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
Links play because when Natsia gets in the game, when
Jess Shepherd gets in the game, when Djna shot out
to Djna, who's out for the rest of the playoffs.
But when Djna would get into the game, it was
like a new life for the Links when she stepped
on the court, similar to them in Connecticut. Same thing
like when Dja and Natisha would get on the court
in Connecticut, it was like, Okay, you're coming to benches
(32:02):
like you're coming to bench mob Like it's a whole
new mindset, preparation because they come in the court ready
to contribute and they know their jobs. So I think
that is also what makes the Links so dangerous. Will
actually pivot to their series against the Valkyries. With that
being said, because of how deep they are for Valkyries,
(32:22):
they did almost they almost stole Game two.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
But I just feel like they were just Minnesota is
just too much.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
They're just too good, Like I'm sorry, they were just
a better team, but like the Valkyrie should be so
happy and proud of the season that they had. I
hate that they had to go to San Jose and
play their first home playoff game, wasn't even in their
home gym. Still had eighteen thousand people pull up though,
eighteen thousand people like, oh my gosh, so shout out
(32:50):
to the Valkyries.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
I don't really have much to say about this series.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Like I think we knew that Minnesota was gonna win
only series that went to two games, but Courney Williams.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
One thing I will say is outside of just like
the Links are what we always say they are.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
It's not changing, y'all.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
But one thing I will say for on the Valkyrie
side is I mean, congratulations to them, Like they had
a really great season, most improved Player, Coach of the Year,
like they had. They had a lot of success. They
should be proud of themselves. I didn't think they were
going to win this series. I didn't really expect them
to push it to three.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
I'm okay with the back that they didn't. It's fine,
you know, like they've got it, Like next year, good luck.
I'm trying to see, I'm trying to see what the
Links have to say for the rest of the playoffs.
That's what That's what I am very excited.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
I mean, and we didn't really talk too much about
Phoenix in their last series with the Liberty, but like
they they have blocked back in defensively. I feel like
I think at saw Too and Ka are there big three.
I think that they've finished the season playing pretty well.
Even though they're a record, they didn't like winning and
losing games, like they didn't really finish very strong, but
(34:01):
like those three in particular had a pretty strong ending
to the season. They did lose yesterday to Minnesota, though.
Was I surprised by that? No, I was not, but
at was pissed at the end of the game, like
I like, I don't know if you guys were watching it,
but like, I think their Game two is going to
(34:22):
be crazy.
Speaker 4 (34:23):
Five games. A five game series is like insane.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Like even when we were thinking about having to go
to Indiana or Atlanta, we were like, dang, we got
to be in the city for like a week to
play these two games.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
I will say, I really love this about the w NBA,
like the best two out of three and then the
best three out of five.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
I do not want them to up it.
Speaker 4 (34:46):
Like, you know their final schedules finals is best of seven?
Speaker 3 (34:52):
She changed it, Kat, Yes, what our finals are best
to seven this year for the first time ever.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Guys, Wait, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Yes, Wait, I'm actually sick that I literally just said
out of my mouth.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
I don't want that to happen, and it already happened.
I'm actually.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Like, honestly, I don't know. I mean, I get it.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
I don't even like it. I don't like it in the.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
Men's either, Like I like the cutey little series where
every game is so like like I don't want there
to be this feeling.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
Of we could just drop again. Yeah, like we could
just drop it, like oh we lost like next time,
Like no, I.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
Want like seven that's a lot of game. So you
guys have to win.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
You have to win four games, and what about your bodies? Like,
what about your bodies?
Speaker 1 (35:38):
You you get to the end of the playoffs where
things have already been so high stakes and we're already
complaining about benchminutes.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
I'm actually like a little nervous about what the finals
could potentially look like because of what I was just
talking about, Like nobody utilizing their bench for these stretches,
for these tough stretches that you have. That's why low
key in my mind. If if it's Indy many, I
(36:06):
wouldn't be surprised. They're like the only two teams that
have consistently just utilized their bench. I think Vegas does
a good job of utilizing their eventual please now.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
But yeah, I would love to see I did Indy
out loved them, was born in Indy, shout out Indy.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
But no, I'm sorry that that made me sick.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
And usually I'm the kind of fan that's like, if
you beat me, you need to win the whole thing.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
But not in this case, I'm cool.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
I kind of feel like the I mean, I would
love to see Ace's many finals. I think a lot
of people would love to see that the two people
who MBA everybody MVPs A head to head defense play
the years head to head. You know you have a
well did you see the video? I forgot who posted?
You see the video? All like the little the mini
(36:52):
beefs that the players have in their respective series right now,
I'm like, ooh, spicy, spicy, but you know, yeah, it
was like everybody getting in each other's face and like
some was from like prior seasons and.
Speaker 4 (37:05):
Blah blah blah blah. So I think both of these well.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
That's why I was so disappointed with not to bring
it back to us.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
We both keep doing that's but like, that's what I
was so disappointed with our performance against the Fever because
when I was there at the beginning of the season,
like we we had beef with them, like they that
was not It wasn't cute, it wasn't fun, it wasn't chummy,
Like I remember Ryan being like like her and Caitlyn
got into and I remember that Ry scared of you. Yeah,
(37:35):
and so I'm thinking, like, get our get back, yes, yes,
eliminate them.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (37:41):
So much just happened this year, guys.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
This season, it did go by fast, but it felt
like it was like ten years long. I was like,
oh my gosh, wrap this up for me.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Looking back at the beginning, it feels like it was so.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
It does feel so long ago. And can you believe
what episode was in the email? This, guys, is our
thirty fifth episode. That's so crazy, Like, look at us going,
going and going and going and going.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
I know you said you don't like making predictions, but
what are you predicting, slash rooting for now that you're
you can you're your personals out of it, not because
we were, because we were rooting for you, but.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Now there is no more you.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
So outside of that, what are you expecting, slash Room.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
I already said I'm rooting for all of the games
to be maxed out. So I want two game five,
I want a game seven, I want all of that.
You know, this was like breaking news.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
You might have known this already, but I just got
a notification that Pagebackers is going to be playing it out.
Speaker 4 (38:49):
Yeah, she's saying already didn't.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
But she had that. It was like a little like
they just announced that she's playing.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
It was like she was like wearing the merch and
taking pictures and that kind of thing before, but now
they're saying she's officially going to Okay, we're going to.
Speaker 4 (39:03):
Get into the prediction. I think the Links are gonna win.
I think they should have won last year, so I
would really think that they deserve it. The way that
they're playing is really good.
Speaker 3 (39:14):
I think it sucks that they didn't get any of
the individual awards coach that they didn't get anything. So
I'm like, they should probably just win the finals and
they'll feel a lot better about their season. If there
is a team that won't have a lot of personal
changes from this year to next year, it probably will
be them. So I'm gonna say the Links are gonna win.
Pivoting to what Maria just said about arrival, So we
(39:34):
can talk a little bit about like offseason stuff.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
I Alyssa Thomas also, and I just got to are they.
Speaker 4 (39:41):
Doing their little rollout right now?
Speaker 3 (39:44):
Because I have some I have some inside scoop about
some players that are going, but it's not my business
to tell, so I'm not going to.
Speaker 4 (39:53):
Say it. But it seems like.
Speaker 3 (39:59):
Almost everybody that played last year will be returning for
the most part. There's a few surprise additions. Like I said,
not my business to tell that. I think people will
be really excited about. So between Unrivaled, who added two
more clubs, and AU, which is forty that will be
(40:20):
because how many do they have an Unrivaled like almost
eighty ish eighty ish and then they have.
Speaker 4 (40:24):
Like a pool of injury reserve also in Unrivaled. I
don't know how many that is.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
So we'll say like roughly eighty ninety players will be
in the States playing in the off season, which I
think is amazing.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
But there's still like a lot lots of temperies. It's
going to be crazy, but not even AU.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
So the funny thing about AU versus Unrivaled is like
it's just like you can see the difference of like
quote unquote star power in each league from the outside
looking in, but like we still have have like super
solid talented players in AU, and I think a lot
of people are so caught up in the newness, Like Unrivaled,
(41:07):
they're doing their big one. I'm not gonna lie from
day one, they've been doing their big one, and AU
we kind of like have been like chucking along trying
to build brick by brick, and a rival just came in.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
It was like boom, we're here.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
And it's kind of like made AU step up their
game as well, which I am grateful for you.
Speaker 4 (41:23):
It's a nice have a little healthy competition.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
You know. Ultimately, we all want to growth women's game
and have more opportunities for everybody in the States. So
ultimate goal is iron is sharpening iron. At this point,
I think that the amount of tampering that is going
to go on is going to be crazy also because
there's so much turnover year to year, especially the last
(41:46):
few seasons leading up to this new CBA. Guys, just
imagine you're at work, right, you have a philosophy.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
You have a thing to do, right, this is your job.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Everybody goes away for five months does the same job,
but somewhere else and they they're the best at their
job over there. This person's the best at their job here,
and then we all reconvene back five months later to like, Okay, y'all,
it doesn't work. It's not a that's not how you
(42:18):
should do things, that's not how you should play, that's
not how you should be a professional. But like, that's
been the reality of the WNBA for so many years
because we all have had to go do other leagues
and play overseas. But it's like every year you come
back with new philosophies, you come back with a new confidence,
You've learned some new stuff from different coaches and different players,
(42:41):
and you all come back and try to win a
championship in the summertime after I haven't seen none of
y'all since our last game of the year, So I'm
hoping moving forward. Yes, tamper everybody, tamper la la la
la la. Build all the teams you want.
Speaker 4 (42:55):
Love that, but I hope that the whole, the league
as a whole.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
Makes an effort to like keep these teams together for
at least a few years. Like that's why the Aces
were so good, That's why who else is that's why
Minnesota has been so good. They've had like this course
five or six for like two three four years, and
you don't really see that that much in the W.
So I'm hoping moving forward that everybody has fun and
(43:22):
they're off season endeavors, unrivaled, au overseas, whatever else. But
I'm like really excited for free agency. Me.
Speaker 4 (43:35):
I'm locked in with the Storm as of right now
and for the foreseeable future. Guys.
Speaker 3 (43:40):
So I will not be participating in free agency, but
me and Mariah will be spilling tea.
Speaker 4 (43:47):
We will be talking all about it.
Speaker 3 (43:49):
You know.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
I can't wait.
Speaker 1 (43:52):
But I do think that continuity is a huge ingredient
in the recipe to winning. I I really think that
teams that we've seen have long term success it's because
of things like continuity and organizations being willing to be
patient when things aren't going exactly the way that they
(44:12):
want them to, because it's a little hard to improve
when you're improving somewhere different every single year under someone
different every single year, with different people and different.
Speaker 2 (44:21):
Especially with coaching.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
Like the coaches, I mean they set the star players
as well, but like they set such a big part
of the culture and like how.
Speaker 2 (44:29):
Things are going to go and what everyone's role is
and for that to continue to.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
Be different and different and different and different, and your
star player to be different and different. It's just not
a recipe for winning. And I want to see you win.
I want to see the players win. And I feel
like letting things be as stable as they can, especially
with all the change with the CBA and with new
teams coming in and everything else going on, some sort
of stability. And it also helps on the flip side
(44:57):
with fans recognizing who plays for who and who's going
to be where and what's going to happen and who
are the coaches when they fall in love and by
these jerseys and everything changes.
Speaker 3 (45:07):
Like honestly, I feel like the CBA, god willing it
gets done, will be like a reset. But I feel
like for the league, like I think this is the
first time we have had this well, along with the
expansion teams coming, we have like there's like three or
four teams that are like.
Speaker 4 (45:26):
At a crossroads in their organization right now.
Speaker 3 (45:29):
Like so for example, you have a team like Chicago
who is giving we every blowing this.
Speaker 4 (45:36):
Whole thing up. That's what it looks like from the outside.
Speaker 3 (45:39):
But then you have a Dallas that they didn't have
a great season, but they have a great young pieces,
They have the Rookie of the year, they have great vets,
new coach, So you know, I know everyone's like fire them,
but I'm like, is this first year guys?
Speaker 4 (45:56):
Like you what the hell?
Speaker 3 (45:57):
Like, I don't think that coaches should get fired after
one players, even though that happened, we've.
Speaker 4 (46:03):
Seen it half before. I do not think that coaches
should get fired after their first season. Like, I think
that's crazy.
Speaker 3 (46:10):
Connecticut, Like what are they going to do? Like so
many things, like they're trying to are they going to
move to Boston? Are they going to go somewhere else?
Like there's so many question marks in this off season
outside of where players are going to sign, and I
don't know who's going to be responsible to cover this
and make sure everybody's up to date.
Speaker 4 (46:30):
So thank goodness y'all have us, because we're going to
keep y' all locked in.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
Wait, LEXI, what is the like do date we're working
with with these CBA discussions? Because so I.
Speaker 3 (46:44):
Think like it technically like expires like next month, like
our CBA is done. Yeah, so when the last CBA
like the date passed. But because we're an off season
during like we have, we're not playing, obviously we can
like technically take as long as we need to until
the next season starts. One of the things that has
(47:08):
been coming up as of late is them not wanting
anybody to do other leagues in the off season. So
that could be, you know, an area of trouble for
us because Okay, you guys are gonna give us more
money or whatever, but the season is still only five
(47:30):
or six months. They're trying to like change a lot
in the CBA. I mean, it goes much deeper than salary, guys.
I know that's why everybody wants to focus on. But
there's like so many little details and nuances throughout the
CBA that have to be negotiated.
Speaker 4 (47:45):
On, and I don't think we're like anywhere near all
of them.
Speaker 3 (47:50):
So it's gonna be interesting to see, like if they
because they seem to not be budging all the revenue
split thing and now this new development of not wanting
play to do off season leagues and injury and all
this other stuff. So it's going to be interesting, guys.
It's gonna be this off season is going to be crazy.
(48:10):
I know we still have a few more weeks left
of playoffs to to get into and discuss, and we
will be here to keep y'all updated in the loop
of playoffs, but like keep tapping in with us.
Speaker 4 (48:21):
I appreciate y'all helping me get through my eighth season
in the league.
Speaker 1 (48:26):
Before we love y'all, I was gonna say before we go,
I want to congratulate you on another as I know,
and I wish I had I wish I had an
audience like like applause track, But we're just gonna pretend so,
but congratulations. I know everything wasn't exactly what you wanted,
and I do not mean to be repping your your
(48:47):
offs as I give your speech. Let's just pretend that
this is Lexi's jersey, like you say you jersey. But
congratulations still like on a healthy season, you know, like
even though people like to speculate and oh she's sick
or this is that, that's not the case. You moved
to a new place, you got involved a new system,
You were the best teammate you could possibly be, Like,
(49:09):
you did what you could in the fits A thank
you like a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (49:13):
Ever, so congratulations.
Speaker 4 (49:16):
I love y'all.
Speaker 3 (49:18):
I hope you have fun listening to us. Yep, yet again,
but you know where to find us. So thank you
guys for tuning in to another episode of Full Circle.
We will see y'all next week. Bye.
Speaker 1 (49:29):
Thanks for listening to Full Circle. We'll be back next
week with more basketball for the Girls.
Speaker 4 (49:33):
By the girls.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
We want to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (49:35):
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 Maria Rose. Our executive producer
is Jesse Katz. Our supervising producer is Grace Fused. 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 Maria Rose
(49:57):
and start listening
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. Hey, y'all,
welcome back to another episode of Full Circle.
Speaker 2 (00:17):
LEXI check in with us. You've had quite the week.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
I know, guys, our season is over due to a
Jackie Young offensive rebound put back in Vegas. So yeah, guys,
it's so crazy, Like sports are so crazy. It's like
you plan, you're locked in for like six seven months.
You plan, your whole life is revolving around your practice schedule,
your travel schedule, your game schedule, and then boom is over.
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Just like that, it just ends.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
And then everyone's just like what now, And then you
get the we got our exit meetings, we have media,
you have this, and you just kind of have to
like it doesn't matter how you're feeling, if you're sad,
if you're happy, like you still have like these last
publigations to get out of the way, because then you know, life,
life moves on. So for me personally, I was sad
(01:06):
that we lost. We already know like my situation for
the season, So I was just kind of like, Okay,
well I don't have to send on the bench anymore.
I don't know if y'all any of y'all heard in
my exit interview and the statement I made. If you didn't,
it's like all over TikTok and X apparently. But I
just ensured everybody that I was healthy, and that's the
(01:27):
reason why I didn't play this season was because I
didn't play. That was the coach's decision for me not
to play all those games, not because I was sick.
But if you want to hear it all, like y'all
can find it, it's easy. But also, if you guys
didn't here, our whole coaching stuff was not re signed.
So let's she wasn't fired. They weren't fired, They just
(01:48):
were all not renewed to continue to coach for the
Seattle Storm. So another year for Lexi with a new coach.
I think I've had a new coach every year of
my career except.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
For two years.
Speaker 3 (02:02):
Oh, the two years I was in Minnesota were the
only two years that I had the same coach back
to back years, so along with also being on different teams,
so it's like I just have never found peace. Everything
is always like and for me, even like dropping into
La like they were already in the middle of a
(02:23):
hot ass mess Seattle, they had their hot ass mess
from last year.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
Like, I just keep getting dropped into these.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
Environments that are like not good environments, and then I'm
always like around when everyone's like trying to fix it,
which I guess that's good because ultimately, like you can
leave places better than when you found them. But it's
like kind of like, dang, can I just go into
some normal shit like dang? So, yeah, another year of
a new coach. I have no idea who they're considering
(02:54):
to bring in. I'm sure they probably won't ask me.
They might, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
But I'm under contract for next year.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Me and Dom Jordan Horsten and Nico Mule I think
are the only We're the only four that are like
officially like under contract for next year. Everybody is a
free agent, guys, the whole team. I'm restricted free agents
along with the majority of the w So that's gonna
be interesting. But y'all see Mariah well you can't see
(03:26):
right now, but she got on a Vegas jersey right now, So.
Speaker 4 (03:33):
That's like what all? But whatever, whatever, listen.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
First of all, I am not wearing this Vegas jersey
to wrap your ops, LEXI. I'm wearing this Vegas jersey
to celebrate miss Asia Wilson, Nike fam That's why I
have all of these jerseys. If you always always see
me rotate jerseys, they're just Nike athletes because I work
with Nike. But I'm wearing the jersey because I was
(04:00):
just making a video about all of her insane accolades
and her winning and.
Speaker 2 (04:04):
Again, which is the next thing I want to get
into that.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Let's get into it.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Because we were right. We were right about every right
and our prediction.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
We were right.
Speaker 3 (04:12):
I mean, I don't think this year was like necessarily
difficultactly to predict things, but we were.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
We went four for four.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
No, No, I didn't predict code defensive player of the year.
Speaker 2 (04:23):
I didn't know.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
We didn't predict that, but we did say a lot
of Smiths had a chance. And then I did say, Agiables,
it should be the defensive player of the year. But
they they had to give the link something that was
like a here damn, Like I hate that for them,
Like you're the best team in the league and the
only individual accolade your team got was a co Defensive
Player of the Year, Like, that's so crazy to think about.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
I will say, I will say with a team that
talented and balanced, the only accolade I could really see
them getting outside of an MVP, which I don't feel
like it was deserved this year peak because of fee
getting heard and them still going on without her as
well as they did. You can only really win Coaches
(05:05):
the Year for that because everything else is really like
or maybe sixth Player of the Year. But like, I
feel like it's a compliment to how like the award
you guys need to be chasing is the championship, not
these individual yeah awards.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
I mean, I think the only reason, the only way
that they're not going to be like feeling a way
about not getting any any accolades is if they win, and.
Speaker 4 (05:26):
Then they'll be like, Okay, well this is better than
any individual.
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Accolade is a championship, which the way they've been playing
that seems very likely. But we'll get into we'll get
into the first round of playoffs in a second, but
we do want to give a shout out to Asia
Wilson for winning her fourth MVP. Only player in wn
WNBA history to do so her resume is insaying I
(05:49):
don't have it all written down, but I'm sure you do.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
I want to get in your I got you. Yeah,
I got Youah.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
Let's hear it.
Speaker 1 (05:56):
Which is exactly why I wanted to celebrate Miss Girl today,
because she has officially been named the twenty twenty five
WNBA MVP after a turnaround pretty much mid season. This
is a record fourth time winning the award. This breaks
a four way tie with WNBA legends like Sheryl Swoop,
Lisa Leslie, and Lauren Jackson, who each have three. At
(06:16):
twenty nine years old, Asia Wilson has four MVPs, three
Defensive Player of the Year awards, and two back to
back championships. Congratulations Asia. Not to mention the two world
medals or the finals MVP, none of that, but congratulations Asia, because.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
I mean someone put out I saw some posts and
someone was like, Asia has one MVP half of her
career so far.
Speaker 4 (06:41):
Like if you think about it like.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
That, like whoy, it's just so crazy, Like the spectrum
of talent and experiences you experience have to pro like
you have someone like Asia who's the best player in
the world, and you have someone like me, who's like
begging to get on the court to score. There I
was in points, so like that, it's just so funny,
(07:04):
Like you just have such a broad spectrum of experiences
at this level because it's still the highest level, but
you still like there's still levels to the level.
Speaker 4 (07:12):
Like so, I mean, shout out to ajio I.
Speaker 3 (07:15):
We got to watch her whoop our ass the last
round she had thirty eight, but she had last game
thirty eight points.
Speaker 4 (07:24):
I think that was like half of their points.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
Like she quite literally everything we talked about her, what
she does as a player, as a leader, literally quite
literally put the team on her back game three and
said we're not losing this game us. Why we never
said a double team nothing to her, I don't know.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
I have no idea why we didn't do any of
those things.
Speaker 3 (07:43):
I think we were like, well, it's just let Asia
score thirty layups and win. And I mean that that's
not a horrible game plan because we did only lose
by one basket, but I wish we made a better
adjustments in game three, but we still were one basket
away from playing in the semi finals. Let's actually get
into some first round playoff talk. First, the first round
(08:06):
of playoffs is completed, so we will start with our
series against the Aces.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
We lost two to one game one.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Like I said before, they punched us Game two, we
made some adjustments. Skyler and Neka had great games. We
had sky had twenty six and seven assists, and Ika
had twenty four points ten rebounds. Erica Wheeler saved our
ass I think I need to like to check her
like clutch bucket number or something for the season and
in postseason, because Erica quite literally saved us in like
(08:37):
almost the last like five or six games of the
year just with her playmaking and her scoring ability. Unfortunately,
we lost Game three in Vegas to the Aces on
a buzzer beater basically, and it was heartbreaking.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Actually, I felt.
Speaker 3 (08:57):
More there was a moment in that game, like I
swore we were going to win, Like there was a
time in that game where I was like, there's no
way we're going to lose this game. And I very
rarely felt that about our team, considering our meltdowns that
we had throughout the season in the fourth quarters. But like,
I don't even know if I was sad that we lost,
(09:18):
I was like shocked that we lost like the way
we were executing and getting stops down the stretch was
just something that we hadn't done consistently as a team.
So the fact that finally we were doing it in
the playoffs when it mattered was like really exciting. And
then for it to just jackie freakin' jackie. But of
(09:39):
course it's a rebound. Our biggest struggle all season long
is rebounding, so of course that's how we lose the game.
Speaker 1 (09:45):
I genuinely after Game two thought it could go either way,
Like genuinely thought it could go either way, because Game
two to be felt very like, Okay, if they win
this eighteenth game and they break the record streak, and
that would be insane, but y'all being able to stop
that momentum was very like.
Speaker 2 (10:05):
Yeah, shoot, like this could come in either or was crazy.
It's unfortunate.
Speaker 3 (10:10):
The environment was crazy in both places in Vegas and here, Like,
playoff basketball is so much fun and I haven't been
able to experience it for so many years. So to
be able to experience at least one series, yeah, to
experience one series, and then I got to even play
and score in the first game, even though it was
a blowout, like you still get to experience playoff basketball.
(10:31):
So I mean I will say this this is I
don't know if us winning the series would have had
a different outcome for you know, the changes that we're
seeing the stormmake as an organization right now. Well, that's
not something that you could be like what if because
it happened, and you don't want to like throw salt
in a wound and be like we were on one
(10:52):
basket away from like not having a new coaching staff,
Like I don't know if that's the reality, if like
that would just prolong this season and we would have
the same thing commerce no matter.
Speaker 4 (11:01):
What the outcome was.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
But yeah, I am now going into another season with
a bunch of question marks, and it's like it's not
frustrating because I'm still blessed and grateful to have a
job and playing the WNBA and stuff.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
It's still gonna be frustrating.
Speaker 3 (11:18):
There's like not been one season where I've been like
told we're going to do this, you need to do this,
and when you get back, like this is going to
happen if you do everything that we tell you.
Speaker 4 (11:28):
Every year, I like walking in.
Speaker 3 (11:29):
Like Okay, new teammates, new coach, new expansion teams, Like
everything is so new, and I'm not the only player
that has this experience. Obviously, I just feel like I'm
one of the more vocal ones about it. But it's
very it's been very frustrating because then, like I said,
the spectrum of experiences, you're seeing a player like Asia
(11:50):
who's been in one one team her whole career, and
you know you're seeing her build her legacy every season.
Will pivot this conversation to the Fever Dream Series. You're
seeing Kelsey Mitchell, who's been in Indiana her whole career,
and she's finally getting all of the things like MVP finalists,
all this stuff that.
Speaker 4 (12:11):
We have been preaching about Kelsey Mitchell for years.
Speaker 3 (12:13):
She just hasn't been able to get her team over
the hump or get the respect that I feel like
she has always deserves. Real pivot to the Fever Dream Series.
(12:37):
Cause what I tell you, Mariah, what did I tell
you about the Fever that they had a chance.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
I'm absolutely like, I'm absolutely pissed off. Like I didn't
think I was.
Speaker 1 (12:48):
Going to be that mad, Like I like, no, I
was genuinely upset. I didn't think I was going to
be as mad as I was. I was like either way,
I was just so happy to be at the game
I went to. But I do want to say, I do
want to say, I don't know if this makes things
worse for like me and my attendance of the season,
because my first game I went to this season was
(13:09):
the first when we lost to the Fever and I
was pissed. And the last game of the season I
went to, we lost to the Fever and I'm so cerious.
Let me no, let me say that no, and I'm
very superstitious, but no, to get into what the ash
(13:30):
will play that would actually went down in the game,
I just felt like, look, I'm not on the team.
I'm not a WBA player. My view, just as a
fan because I don't want y'all come for me, was
it was so okay. Like the team, and we've talked
about this before. When they were doing well, it was
like everything was working.
Speaker 2 (13:49):
They were so happy.
Speaker 1 (13:51):
They were making effort to get rebounds, they were making
effort on defense. Everything was so woo yay. They were
making their shots, they were making their free throws. Everything
was going very very well.
Speaker 4 (14:00):
Well.
Speaker 1 (14:01):
When things weren't going well, like when one thing went
okay for the Fever, which was crazy because we were
winning the entire game. We were winning the entire game.
When one thing would go well for the fever, I
felt like the body language was off, the communication was off,
the effort was off. Like the rebounding really was upsetting.
(14:23):
It was just like, what are we doing? It was
classic Atlanta sports. You get down to the very end,
they get up. When they got.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Up, I knew it was over. Like I knew.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
I could see on their faces it was over. I
knew the game was over. We weren't winning worth and nothing.
Everybody in the crowd was. The energy was crazy. Everybody
was loud, everybody was excited. But me, I knew what
was about to go down. I watched it happened to
Georgia Bulldogs. I watched it out to the Falcons. I
knew what was about to go down, but.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Not being able to inbound the ball, like not being able.
Speaker 1 (14:54):
To get anything done, like it was so unproductive.
Speaker 2 (15:00):
It was disappointing. I was so upset.
Speaker 1 (15:01):
Congratulations to them on an incredible season, but I'm sorry
to see it go out like that. Kelsey Mitchelle, you
are incredible, like even like seeing her, I was sitting courtside,
I was.
Speaker 2 (15:12):
Hoping to have a couple more opportunities.
Speaker 1 (15:14):
But seeing it from that, how fast she's moving and
like how they were beating her up on defense, like
how often her body is hitting the floor, like hitting
that wood floor so hard, so loud, like just getting
up and like getting out, Like she's incredible and like
supererated and shout out to her.
Speaker 3 (15:35):
But yeah, even when we were in Vegas, we were
watching the score and we were like, we're going to
it because we were Are we going to it?
Speaker 4 (15:45):
Because we packed? Okay, guys, listen, when we went to Vegas,
we had.
Speaker 3 (15:47):
A pack like we were gonna win. Okay, So we
went in Vegas. We were going straight to the next city. Okay,
So we're watching the score, talk about where are we going.
Speaker 4 (15:55):
We going to Vegas, were going to Indy. We going
I mean, we're in to Atlanta. Were going to Indy.
We swore we going to Atlanta. You're all very excited
to go to Atlanta.
Speaker 2 (16:02):
You know very how much fun that would have been
for us on the show.
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Oh yeah, So then come to our surprise halftime check
the score fever freaking one.
Speaker 4 (16:13):
We're like Oh, dang, I guess we're gonna go to guys.
Want I tell you, I was shocked that we lost
this game.
Speaker 3 (16:20):
I'm not even being like biased about my own team,
like just the way that we.
Speaker 4 (16:26):
Not everything.
Speaker 3 (16:27):
It was not a perfect game. So I had to
go back to us again. It was not a perfect game.
But like I swore, we were going to be in
the semifinals. But Kelsey Mitchell, the way that she plays
basketball is like otherworldly. She might be one of the
only people that I know that is faster with the
ball than without it. And then you pair her with
someone like Odyssey Sims, who probably is the only other
(16:50):
person who is faster with the ball than without it.
And then you had Aery McDonald who's just fast with
and without the ball, like the fever like made a
complete one eighty pivot turn when they lost Caitlyn Clark
for the season, and they are playing like they're just
(17:10):
out there vibing, they're having fun. No one thought that
they were going to be in the semifinals. They just
beat the crap out of the Aces yesterday. Like what
they're doing right now is insane. And that's one of
the most dangerous teams to play a team that just
has nothing to lose but everything to gain, and they're
not a bad team. The additions that they made, that
(17:33):
the acquisitions they made, the transactions that they had to make,
with the injuries and stuff, they weren't random. They might
have seemed random at the time, but this is like
a very good team that they put together despite the
circumstances of it all. Like they found like a personalities
that went together, styles of play that went together. I
think the addition of aerial powers has been like game
(17:55):
changing for them. Aliah Boston Andatasha Howard have quietly been
holding it down in the paint. I think Indiana can
win this series, but we'll see. Like I said prior,
in the prior series, they looked tired. But Stephanie White
does a great job of utilizing her whole team. In
the last series she had eight players played ten plus
(18:15):
minutes in all three games. So she knows how to
utilize what she has on the bench, not for a
prolonged the amount of time because she she gotta let
her stars star.
Speaker 4 (18:28):
But like not many teams are doing that.
Speaker 3 (18:33):
My hill, guys, going back on my hill, if not
playing bench players, it's what happened in the liberty why
they lost their series, which we'll get into in a second,
But the Dream shot thirty four percent by from three
in the regular season and shot twenty eight percent in
the play in that first round. I think that was
the difference between that winning and losing, is that they
didn't shoot the three ball well. BG probably lowest minutes
(18:54):
she's ever played in the playoffs. She eight minutes game one,
eight minutes Game three, and I think twelve or thirteen
minutes in Game two.
Speaker 4 (19:03):
So I don't know what's going to happen there, but yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
In those final seconds, let me just say, as somebody
who is in the building, I don't know if this
has been reported on yet or people were talking about this.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
She was not happy that she was not.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
I bet she wasn't was not happy. I bet she wasn't.
It was not happy.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
She was whispering to pow pow.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
She was not.
Speaker 4 (19:24):
I mean, this is Brittany Griner.
Speaker 3 (19:26):
And we said at the beginning of the season, not
sure how this style of play that their coach is
bringing in will benefit how she plays basketball, and it's
been proven that it Hasn't she not have a horrible season.
She just didn't play and it was just not the
beg that we are all accustomed to seeing. But that's
what happens when you kind of get kicked out your team.
Like she didn't want to leave Phoenix. She's made that
(19:48):
very she's been vocal about that. She thought she was
going to retire in Phoenix. So she's not probably in
an ideal situation. Will she's stay in Atlanta?
Speaker 4 (19:56):
I don't know. Well, a lot of players stay teams.
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (20:00):
I think you guys are gonna be shocked at how
many players are gonna switch teams, Like I think you
guys are going to be shocked at how many players
are like I'm cool on this situation.
Speaker 4 (20:11):
I'm gonna go to another one.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Like it's gonna be crazy, y'all know, I love a
team that lives by the three and dies by the
three when they're living by the three, Okay, but if
you're gonna die by the three?
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Watching the game, and everyone around me.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
Was upset by this, like if you're not making shots
and there is no effort to give your team another opportunity,
a second chance, Like when I say, LEXI no effort,
it was like miss the shot back on defense, I'm
like some sort of effort because if it's not going in,
it's not going in right now.
Speaker 2 (20:47):
So can somebody? Can somebody get me an offensive rebound?
Can somebody get me another opportunity? Can somebody try? We
don't have time to Yeah, my shot didn't go in, Like,
come on, y'all.
Speaker 1 (20:57):
It's the playoffs and Indiana on the flip sid I
will say, because they are really impressing me, and they
are something I'm loving about the playoffs and something I'm
really hating about the playoffs as somebody who has been.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Perfectly drincked in mind by them, like their energy.
Speaker 1 (21:12):
The bench mob, as Kaitlin called it, that she got
fined two hundred dollars for a Fuley tripping.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
It was pissing me off as a fan dur in
the game. They they wait what she thought? They you
can see that? Oh oh oh Lexie Lexie.
Speaker 1 (21:28):
Kayla Clark got fined two hundred dollars for commenting on
Instagram post refs couldn't stop us about the bench players
for the fever.
Speaker 4 (21:38):
Oh that's two hundred. That's two hundred dollars, okay and
w n.
Speaker 1 (21:41):
B a uh. And then she responded to it and
said that's just gonna make the bench mob worse. Like
watch us next she said something.
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Sutting up like I said, like this group players that
they have on the bench and the ones that are playing,
like this is a very dangerous mix of a fun
and unserious news.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
But like they're good. They're a good team. They were good.
Speaker 2 (22:05):
They made playing in an away arena so like beneficial
to themselves by pissing off the crowd so badly by
standing literally on our logo.
Speaker 1 (22:15):
Like throughout the game and walking out onto the core
and like Sophie Cunningham is jumping on her one leg
and Caitlin is like absolutely screwed. They were insane and
I hated it every second of it. But I.
Speaker 3 (22:31):
Like Keshy, Natasha and Aaliyah, like they are so quiet,
so like and Aalia just like this group on the
bench just being the mouthpiece for the team while their
team is just like whoop everybody's ass and they're not
saying nothing, They're just playing. And then you have the
bench going crazy, Like I think that's so funny, but
(22:55):
that's a dangerous dynamic.
Speaker 4 (22:58):
I will say, like.
Speaker 3 (23:00):
If they beat the Aces, it's going to be scary hours,
for sure. For sure scary hours. I don't I mean,
I think that both series are going to go to five.
Speaker 4 (23:10):
I think so. I don't like to make predictions because
I don't want people to be like, she hates this
team or she doesn't think this team is good. I want,
you know I, you know me.
Speaker 3 (23:18):
I want to max out all the all the games,
give us all the basketball, give it all to us.
That's what happened in Round one, and I hope it
happens in the semi finals. But the next team that
(23:41):
we're going to talk about is the Liberty Liberty Liberties,
who were disappointingly booted from the first round of the
playoffs by the Phoenix Mercury.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
Shout out to Stewie.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
I don't know what's wrong with her knee, but she
literally left every thing out on that court in Game three.
But they just they just didn't seem like they were
ever in a rhythm offensive, lead or defensively. They averaged
seventy points per game in that series, after averaging eighty
four points per game in the regular season.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
They had the same defensive.
Speaker 3 (24:19):
Rating as the Liberty, I mean Liberty and the Liberty
in Phoenix had the same defensive rating basically in the
regular season, but Phoenix has at Ka and Natasha mac
who are probably I would consider like top fifteen defenders
in the league all on one team great. And then
those liberties shot twenty five percent from three with thirty
(24:43):
attempts after shooting thirty six percent on twenty seven attempts
in the regular.
Speaker 4 (24:46):
Season, so.
Speaker 3 (24:49):
That this team, I feel like is gonna go through
a lot of changes in the offseason. I think they
had a very similar issue as we did. As far
as you have your five, you have a grade five,
but you also have a great bench that you didn't
(25:09):
really utilize to the full capacity.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
And then as a bench player that doesn't.
Speaker 3 (25:16):
Get utilized to a capacity, like even when your team
is struggling or you know your starters are struggling and
you still don't really get an opportunity.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
Then that's kind of when you start to lose the
bench a little bit.
Speaker 3 (25:28):
And then you come into the playoffs where you need
them to come in and make an impact and do something.
But like you've been sitting them for a month and
now you want them to come in go crazy in
the playoffs, like on the road.
Speaker 2 (25:44):
And as a viewer. I'm going to keep a cue.
Speaker 1 (25:50):
I will say I was going to speak to this
earlier for you, Lexi and for the Storm this season
and the Liberty, they kind of go hand in hand
in this that like, it was disappointing because at the
beginning of the season, when we were talking about every
single team and what we were expecting with the season,
one of the things we talked about with both of
y'all were how deep both of these teams were, and
(26:11):
how much they can do with these rosters, and how
talented their starting fives are, and how the bench is
also very talented and they're going to get to rest
and it's going to be great and whatever. Whatever. We
saw that play out with the Liberty in a way
where ever, since they were riddled by injury throughout the
regular season, they haven't We haven't really seen them be
the same. They let the dream creep in and the
(26:31):
standings and things got all over the place for them,
and it just never really.
Speaker 2 (26:37):
Came back up.
Speaker 1 (26:38):
I mean, stew we tried with what she had, the
facilities she had as far as injury and whatnot, but
you can only do so much when you have been
giving your all all season.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
And have been in and out.
Speaker 1 (26:48):
You know, as far as health is concerned, if you
have a deep team, like that's, what's the point of
gassing out your star players like that, I don't I
don't get it.
Speaker 2 (26:57):
And then going back to the fever.
Speaker 1 (27:00):
This is why we're in a situation where they are
so dangerous because everyone is so bought in. Everyone on
the team is so bought in. Everyone feels like they
could go in at any point. Everyone feels like they
have something to win and something to lose, so they're
extra loud. I'm sure their locker room is super fun
before games. After games, they get super excited, like they.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
Have a lot. Everybody feels like they have something to gain,
and so it's like everyone is super bought in.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
And while their star players are hurt, Caitlyn Clark, like
Caitlyn Clark is sitting on the bench, they don't feel
so like, oh what are we gonna do now? Because
everybody's so bought in and the coach is literally like
we talked about her getting I think a flaker inner
attack or whatever she got in trouble for, like arguing
with the ref on their behalf like they had to
(27:46):
be she had to be held back by Gaitlyn Clark
and like they love that. Like everyone seems to feel
very supportive. Everybody seems to feel like they kind of
know what their role in the roster is. And when
you have that abstract confusion, you have five players that
are bought in and gassed out and risking injury every game.
So I don't know what changes are going to be made,
(28:07):
but I'm very disappointed and both of those turnouts because
it's like you have very deep teams. That was what
everybody said about going into the season.
Speaker 3 (28:15):
Why not use it when people like don't understand, Like
I feel like I am a little vague when I
talk about like utilizing your bench, Like you don't have
to throw your bench players in and like have one
of them like hit five threes or like score twenty points.
Speaker 4 (28:30):
Like, No, they have to come in and do their job.
Speaker 3 (28:33):
So if that's getting a stop on defense, knowing the
scouting report, sometimes you get thrown in the game just
to be annoying to somebody that's like going crazy. They're
just got go in there and bother them defensively. But
you got to know the scout you got to be
locked in, you got to understand the flow, the ebbs
and flows of a game, like you really got to
be locked in, and if you don't have a locked
in bench, like I'm sorry, Like so much of basketball
(28:55):
is so mental and if you're mentally checked out as
a player, like it's very hard to come into this
league find success in any minutes that you're giving an opportunity.
And I know, even for me personally, a lot of
people were like, well.
Speaker 4 (29:06):
She her stats or this or that. If you were
to look at like the actual.
Speaker 3 (29:10):
Genuine minutes, I would get playing like the good things
were happening. Like the stats are very skewed because I
didn't play a lot of games. I got a lot
of DMPs and I got very limited minutes. But when
I was in the game, like very few times that
I come in the game and like, shit hit the wall.
Speaker 4 (29:27):
I should hit the fan with like she got in
the game.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
So like I when people are like, oh, here's look
at her stats and her shooting percentage and blah blah blah,
like okay, just watch the game and see what happens
when some of us would come in. That's across the
board for benches, Like there are some bench players that
come in and you're like, get her out now, Like
that is reality too, but that's like there's not very
many of those players in this league.
Speaker 4 (29:50):
Honestly.
Speaker 1 (29:51):
I also feel like a great example of what you're
referring to in the men's side of things are the
Oklahoma City thunder Earth. Like as far as laying so
many players different players, having so many different lineups, you
can work with having everybody bought in.
Speaker 2 (30:05):
I mean, every single member of.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
The team is a part of the postgame interview every time,
Like everybody is super involved in that day championship winning
team and their star player gets to do crazy things
because he knows he can rast if need be.
Speaker 2 (30:18):
So I think it's a great example.
Speaker 4 (30:21):
What I hope moving forward is what we see.
Speaker 3 (30:25):
For the bench players and the six players, because this
league is just going to keep getting more talented and
the style of play is evolving and we're seeing more
players coming into this league pro ready. But we have
like a lot of veterans in this league that still
have a lot of years left to play. But there's
a lot of talent that is just not being seen
the entire season. My favorite sixth player was paying Pritcher
(30:49):
for the Celtics because when Paying Pritcher got into the game,
the whole like offense changed when he stepped on the floor,
Like their whole style of play kind of shifted a
little bit when Paying Pritchell got in the game, Like
you're playing next to Jalen Brown and Jason Tatum.
Speaker 4 (31:04):
But when Paying Pritchard touches that floor, he's.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Getting a shot in like the next twenty seconds, like
it's going up, he's getting a play call, he's doing that, like,
but he also knows his role, so like, yeah, one
game he could go for thirty, but like some nights
is it's not your night, Paying Prichard, and that's fine.
I just feel like we are still like losing that
edge in our league of where you like put your
bench players in and it's like it like breathes a
(31:28):
new energy and life into the game. And I think
that's when we get that to that point in the
w like our games are going to be so much
more fun to watch, Like they're already fun to watch.
Speaker 4 (31:38):
But that's why I think we a lot of people
like watching the.
Speaker 3 (31:40):
Links play because when Natsia gets in the game, when
Jess Shepherd gets in the game, when Djna shot out
to Djna, who's out for the rest of the playoffs.
But when Djna would get into the game, it was
like a new life for the Links when she stepped
on the court, similar to them in Connecticut. Same thing
like when Dja and Natisha would get on the court
in Connecticut, it was like, Okay, you're coming to benches
(32:02):
like you're coming to bench mob Like it's a whole
new mindset, preparation because they come in the court ready
to contribute and they know their jobs. So I think
that is also what makes the Links so dangerous. Will
actually pivot to their series against the Valkyries. With that
being said, because of how deep they are for Valkyries,
(32:22):
they did almost they almost stole Game two.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
But I just feel like they were just Minnesota is
just too much.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
They're just too good, Like I'm sorry, they were just
a better team, but like the Valkyrie should be so
happy and proud of the season that they had. I
hate that they had to go to San Jose and
play their first home playoff game, wasn't even in their
home gym. Still had eighteen thousand people pull up though,
eighteen thousand people like, oh my gosh, so shout out
(32:50):
to the Valkyries.
Speaker 4 (32:51):
I don't really have much to say about this series.
Speaker 3 (32:53):
Like I think we knew that Minnesota was gonna win
only series that went to two games, but Courney Williams.
Speaker 1 (33:03):
One thing I will say is outside of just like
the Links are what we always say they are.
Speaker 2 (33:09):
It's not changing, y'all.
Speaker 1 (33:10):
But one thing I will say for on the Valkyrie
side is I mean, congratulations to them, Like they had
a really great season, most improved Player, Coach of the Year,
like they had. They had a lot of success. They
should be proud of themselves. I didn't think they were
going to win this series. I didn't really expect them
to push it to three.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
I'm okay with the back that they didn't. It's fine,
you know, like they've got it, Like next year, good luck.
I'm trying to see, I'm trying to see what the
Links have to say for the rest of the playoffs.
That's what That's what I am very excited.
Speaker 3 (33:41):
I mean, and we didn't really talk too much about
Phoenix in their last series with the Liberty, but like
they they have blocked back in defensively. I feel like
I think at saw Too and Ka are there big three.
I think that they've finished the season playing pretty well.
Even though they're a record, they didn't like winning and
losing games, like they didn't really finish very strong, but
(34:01):
like those three in particular had a pretty strong ending
to the season. They did lose yesterday to Minnesota, though.
Was I surprised by that? No, I was not, but
at was pissed at the end of the game, like
I like, I don't know if you guys were watching it,
but like, I think their Game two is going to
(34:22):
be crazy.
Speaker 4 (34:23):
Five games. A five game series is like insane.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
Like even when we were thinking about having to go
to Indiana or Atlanta, we were like, dang, we got
to be in the city for like a week to
play these two games.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
I will say, I really love this about the w NBA,
like the best two out of three and then the
best three out of five.
Speaker 2 (34:45):
I do not want them to up it.
Speaker 4 (34:46):
Like, you know their final schedules finals is best of seven?
Speaker 3 (34:52):
She changed it, Kat, Yes, what our finals are best
to seven this year for the first time ever.
Speaker 2 (34:58):
Guys, Wait, I didn't know that.
Speaker 1 (35:01):
Yes, Wait, I'm actually sick that I literally just said
out of my mouth.
Speaker 2 (35:05):
I don't want that to happen, and it already happened.
I'm actually.
Speaker 4 (35:10):
Like, honestly, I don't know. I mean, I get it.
Speaker 2 (35:13):
I don't even like it. I don't like it in the.
Speaker 1 (35:15):
Men's either, Like I like the cutey little series where
every game is so like like I don't want there
to be this feeling.
Speaker 2 (35:22):
Of we could just drop again. Yeah, like we could
just drop it, like oh we lost like next time,
Like no, I.
Speaker 4 (35:27):
Want like seven that's a lot of game. So you
guys have to win.
Speaker 2 (35:30):
You have to win four games, and what about your bodies? Like,
what about your bodies?
Speaker 1 (35:38):
You you get to the end of the playoffs where
things have already been so high stakes and we're already
complaining about benchminutes.
Speaker 3 (35:45):
I'm actually like a little nervous about what the finals
could potentially look like because of what I was just
talking about, Like nobody utilizing their bench for these stretches,
for these tough stretches that you have. That's why low
key in my mind. If if it's Indy many, I
(36:06):
wouldn't be surprised. They're like the only two teams that
have consistently just utilized their bench. I think Vegas does
a good job of utilizing their eventual please now.
Speaker 1 (36:16):
But yeah, I would love to see I did Indy
out loved them, was born in Indy, shout out Indy.
Speaker 2 (36:23):
But no, I'm sorry that that made me sick.
Speaker 1 (36:25):
And usually I'm the kind of fan that's like, if
you beat me, you need to win the whole thing.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
But not in this case, I'm cool.
Speaker 3 (36:31):
I kind of feel like the I mean, I would
love to see Ace's many finals. I think a lot
of people would love to see that the two people
who MBA everybody MVPs A head to head defense play
the years head to head. You know you have a
well did you see the video? I forgot who posted?
You see the video? All like the little the mini
(36:52):
beefs that the players have in their respective series right now,
I'm like, ooh, spicy, spicy, but you know, yeah, it
was like everybody getting in each other's face and like
some was from like prior seasons and.
Speaker 4 (37:05):
Blah blah blah blah. So I think both of these well.
Speaker 2 (37:10):
That's why I was so disappointed with not to bring
it back to us.
Speaker 1 (37:13):
We both keep doing that's but like, that's what I
was so disappointed with our performance against the Fever because
when I was there at the beginning of the season,
like we we had beef with them, like they that
was not It wasn't cute, it wasn't fun, it wasn't chummy,
Like I remember Ryan being like like her and Caitlyn
got into and I remember that Ry scared of you. Yeah,
(37:35):
and so I'm thinking, like, get our get back, yes, yes,
eliminate them.
Speaker 3 (37:40):
Yes.
Speaker 4 (37:41):
So much just happened this year, guys.
Speaker 3 (37:44):
This season, it did go by fast, but it felt
like it was like ten years long. I was like,
oh my gosh, wrap this up for me.
Speaker 2 (37:55):
Looking back at the beginning, it feels like it was so.
Speaker 3 (37:58):
It does feel so long ago. And can you believe
what episode was in the email? This, guys, is our
thirty fifth episode. That's so crazy, Like, look at us going,
going and going and going and going.
Speaker 1 (38:12):
I know you said you don't like making predictions, but
what are you predicting, slash rooting for now that you're
you can you're your personals out of it, not because
we were, because we were rooting for you, but.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Now there is no more you.
Speaker 1 (38:24):
So outside of that, what are you expecting, slash Room.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
I already said I'm rooting for all of the games
to be maxed out. So I want two game five,
I want a game seven, I want all of that.
You know, this was like breaking news.
Speaker 1 (38:43):
You might have known this already, but I just got
a notification that Pagebackers is going to be playing it out.
Speaker 4 (38:49):
Yeah, she's saying already didn't.
Speaker 2 (38:53):
But she had that. It was like a little like
they just announced that she's playing.
Speaker 1 (38:56):
It was like she was like wearing the merch and
taking pictures and that kind of thing before, but now
they're saying she's officially going to Okay, we're going to.
Speaker 4 (39:03):
Get into the prediction. I think the Links are gonna win.
I think they should have won last year, so I
would really think that they deserve it. The way that
they're playing is really good.
Speaker 3 (39:14):
I think it sucks that they didn't get any of
the individual awards coach that they didn't get anything. So
I'm like, they should probably just win the finals and
they'll feel a lot better about their season. If there
is a team that won't have a lot of personal
changes from this year to next year, it probably will
be them. So I'm gonna say the Links are gonna win.
Pivoting to what Maria just said about arrival, So we
(39:34):
can talk a little bit about like offseason stuff.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
I Alyssa Thomas also, and I just got to are they.
Speaker 4 (39:41):
Doing their little rollout right now?
Speaker 3 (39:44):
Because I have some I have some inside scoop about
some players that are going, but it's not my business
to tell, so I'm not going to.
Speaker 4 (39:53):
Say it. But it seems like.
Speaker 3 (39:59):
Almost everybody that played last year will be returning for
the most part. There's a few surprise additions. Like I said,
not my business to tell that. I think people will
be really excited about. So between Unrivaled, who added two
more clubs, and AU, which is forty that will be
(40:20):
because how many do they have an Unrivaled like almost
eighty ish eighty ish and then they have.
Speaker 4 (40:24):
Like a pool of injury reserve also in Unrivaled. I
don't know how many that is.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
So we'll say like roughly eighty ninety players will be
in the States playing in the off season, which I
think is amazing.
Speaker 4 (40:35):
But there's still like a lot lots of temperies. It's
going to be crazy, but not even AU.
Speaker 3 (40:45):
So the funny thing about AU versus Unrivaled is like
it's just like you can see the difference of like
quote unquote star power in each league from the outside
looking in, but like we still have have like super
solid talented players in AU, and I think a lot
of people are so caught up in the newness, Like Unrivaled,
(41:07):
they're doing their big one. I'm not gonna lie from
day one, they've been doing their big one, and AU
we kind of like have been like chucking along trying
to build brick by brick, and a rival just came in.
Speaker 4 (41:17):
It was like boom, we're here.
Speaker 3 (41:19):
And it's kind of like made AU step up their
game as well, which I am grateful for you.
Speaker 4 (41:23):
It's a nice have a little healthy competition.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
You know. Ultimately, we all want to growth women's game
and have more opportunities for everybody in the States. So
ultimate goal is iron is sharpening iron. At this point,
I think that the amount of tampering that is going
to go on is going to be crazy also because
there's so much turnover year to year, especially the last
(41:46):
few seasons leading up to this new CBA. Guys, just
imagine you're at work, right, you have a philosophy.
Speaker 4 (41:53):
You have a thing to do, right, this is your job.
Speaker 3 (41:57):
Everybody goes away for five months does the same job,
but somewhere else and they they're the best at their
job over there. This person's the best at their job here,
and then we all reconvene back five months later to like, Okay, y'all,
it doesn't work. It's not a that's not how you
(42:18):
should do things, that's not how you should play, that's
not how you should be a professional. But like, that's
been the reality of the WNBA for so many years
because we all have had to go do other leagues
and play overseas. But it's like every year you come
back with new philosophies, you come back with a new confidence,
You've learned some new stuff from different coaches and different players,
(42:41):
and you all come back and try to win a
championship in the summertime after I haven't seen none of
y'all since our last game of the year, So I'm
hoping moving forward. Yes, tamper everybody, tamper la la la
la la. Build all the teams you want.
Speaker 4 (42:55):
Love that, but I hope that the whole, the league
as a whole.
Speaker 3 (43:00):
Makes an effort to like keep these teams together for
at least a few years. Like that's why the Aces
were so good, That's why who else is that's why
Minnesota has been so good. They've had like this course
five or six for like two three four years, and
you don't really see that that much in the W.
So I'm hoping moving forward that everybody has fun and
(43:22):
they're off season endeavors, unrivaled, au overseas, whatever else. But
I'm like really excited for free agency. Me.
Speaker 4 (43:35):
I'm locked in with the Storm as of right now
and for the foreseeable future. Guys.
Speaker 3 (43:40):
So I will not be participating in free agency, but
me and Mariah will be spilling tea.
Speaker 4 (43:47):
We will be talking all about it.
Speaker 3 (43:49):
You know.
Speaker 2 (43:49):
I can't wait.
Speaker 1 (43:52):
But I do think that continuity is a huge ingredient
in the recipe to winning. I I really think that
teams that we've seen have long term success it's because
of things like continuity and organizations being willing to be
patient when things aren't going exactly the way that they
(44:12):
want them to, because it's a little hard to improve
when you're improving somewhere different every single year under someone
different every single year, with different people and different.
Speaker 2 (44:21):
Especially with coaching.
Speaker 1 (44:23):
Like the coaches, I mean they set the star players
as well, but like they set such a big part
of the culture and like how.
Speaker 2 (44:29):
Things are going to go and what everyone's role is
and for that to continue to.
Speaker 1 (44:34):
Be different and different and different and different, and your
star player to be different and different. It's just not
a recipe for winning. And I want to see you win.
I want to see the players win. And I feel
like letting things be as stable as they can, especially
with all the change with the CBA and with new
teams coming in and everything else going on, some sort
of stability. And it also helps on the flip side
(44:57):
with fans recognizing who plays for who and who's going
to be where and what's going to happen and who
are the coaches when they fall in love and by
these jerseys and everything changes.
Speaker 3 (45:07):
Like honestly, I feel like the CBA, god willing it
gets done, will be like a reset. But I feel
like for the league, like I think this is the
first time we have had this well, along with the
expansion teams coming, we have like there's like three or
four teams that are like.
Speaker 4 (45:26):
At a crossroads in their organization right now.
Speaker 3 (45:29):
Like so for example, you have a team like Chicago
who is giving we every blowing this.
Speaker 4 (45:36):
Whole thing up. That's what it looks like from the outside.
Speaker 3 (45:39):
But then you have a Dallas that they didn't have
a great season, but they have a great young pieces,
They have the Rookie of the year, they have great vets,
new coach, So you know, I know everyone's like fire them,
but I'm like, is this first year guys?
Speaker 4 (45:56):
Like you what the hell?
Speaker 3 (45:57):
Like, I don't think that coaches should get fired after
one players, even though that happened, we've.
Speaker 4 (46:03):
Seen it half before. I do not think that coaches
should get fired after their first season. Like, I think
that's crazy.
Speaker 3 (46:10):
Connecticut, Like what are they going to do? Like so
many things, like they're trying to are they going to
move to Boston? Are they going to go somewhere else?
Like there's so many question marks in this off season
outside of where players are going to sign, and I
don't know who's going to be responsible to cover this
and make sure everybody's up to date.
Speaker 4 (46:30):
So thank goodness y'all have us, because we're going to
keep y' all locked in.
Speaker 2 (46:35):
Wait, LEXI, what is the like do date we're working
with with these CBA discussions? Because so I.
Speaker 3 (46:44):
Think like it technically like expires like next month, like
our CBA is done. Yeah, so when the last CBA
like the date passed. But because we're an off season
during like we have, we're not playing, obviously we can
like technically take as long as we need to until
the next season starts. One of the things that has
(47:08):
been coming up as of late is them not wanting
anybody to do other leagues in the off season. So
that could be, you know, an area of trouble for
us because Okay, you guys are gonna give us more
money or whatever, but the season is still only five
(47:30):
or six months. They're trying to like change a lot
in the CBA. I mean, it goes much deeper than salary, guys.
I know that's why everybody wants to focus on. But
there's like so many little details and nuances throughout the
CBA that have to be negotiated.
Speaker 4 (47:45):
On, and I don't think we're like anywhere near all
of them.
Speaker 3 (47:50):
So it's gonna be interesting to see, like if they
because they seem to not be budging all the revenue
split thing and now this new development of not wanting
play to do off season leagues and injury and all
this other stuff. So it's going to be interesting, guys.
It's gonna be this off season is going to be crazy.
(48:10):
I know we still have a few more weeks left
of playoffs to to get into and discuss, and we
will be here to keep y'all updated in the loop
of playoffs, but like keep tapping in with us.
Speaker 4 (48:21):
I appreciate y'all helping me get through my eighth season
in the league.
Speaker 1 (48:26):
Before we love y'all, I was gonna say before we go,
I want to congratulate you on another as I know,
and I wish I had I wish I had an
audience like like applause track, But we're just gonna pretend so,
but congratulations. I know everything wasn't exactly what you wanted,
and I do not mean to be repping your your
(48:47):
offs as I give your speech. Let's just pretend that
this is Lexi's jersey, like you say you jersey. But
congratulations still like on a healthy season, you know, like
even though people like to speculate and oh she's sick
or this is that, that's not the case. You moved
to a new place, you got involved a new system,
You were the best teammate you could possibly be, Like,
(49:09):
you did what you could in the fits A thank
you like a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (49:13):
Ever, so congratulations.
Speaker 4 (49:16):
I love y'all.
Speaker 3 (49:18):
I hope you have fun listening to us. Yep, yet again,
but you know where to find us. So thank you
guys for tuning in to another episode of Full Circle.
We will see y'all next week. Bye.
Speaker 1 (49:29):
Thanks for listening to Full Circle. We'll be back next
week with more basketball for the Girls.
Speaker 4 (49:33):
By the girls.
Speaker 2 (49:34):
We want to hear from you.
Speaker 1 (49:35):
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 Maria Rose. Our executive producer
is Jesse Katz. Our supervising producer is Grace Fused. 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 Maria Rose
(49:57):
and start listening
Hosts And Creators
Lexie Brown
Mariah Rose
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Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.