May 9, 2025 • 29 mins
The 2025 WNBA season is almost here and our team-by-team previews continue with the Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever! Plus, the latest on the PWHL playoffs, we coo over a few babies, and Sue Bird puts on yet another hat.
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The full PWHL playoff schedule can be found here
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The college softball schedule can be found here
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Check out Mal Swanson’s baby announcement here
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Coo over Sam Kerr and Kristie Mewis’s baby here
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Watch Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray review snacks here
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The 2025 WNBA rule book is here
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Leave us a voicemail at 872-204-5070 or send us a note at goodgame@wondermedianetwork.com
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Follow Sarah on social! Bluesky: @sarahspain.com Instagram: @Spain2323
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Follow producer Misha Jones! Bluesky: @mishthejrnalist.bsky.social Instagram: @mishthejrnalist
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're in
sunny SoCal for an Angel City FC game tonight, one
step closer to making Jennifer Garner our bestie. It's Friday,
May eighth, Happy Friday Slices. On today's show, we'll be
continuing the shoot around our team by team previews, getting
your prep for the twenty twenty five WNBA season. And
today we're talking Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever. Ready for
(00:23):
the Stars, Steaks, stats and stories, a little history, a
little Lord, a little gossip, and a little more strap
in y'all. It's all coming up right after this Welcome
Back slices. Here's what you need to know today in
(00:48):
hockey news. The PWHL Playoffs continue tonight with Game two
of the series between the Minnesota Frost and the Toronto Scepters.
Toronto took game one on home ice Wednesday, downing the
Frost three to two. Scepters. Forward Blair Turnbull opened up
the scoring in the first period, then position mate Julia
Gosling blasted two pucks into the goal in the second.
Britta carl Salem and Katie Nole were the players who
(01:08):
put Minnesota on the board in the second and third frames.
Puck drops on Game two at seven pm Eastern tonight.
You can catch it on Prime Video or fan Dual
Sports Network. The Montreal Ottawa series continues this weekend after
Ottawa took Game one. We'll put the full schedule in
our show notes in Hoops Friend of the Show in
Nasmith Hall of Famer Sue Byrd was named the first
ever managing director of the USA women's national team yesterday.
(01:31):
The five time Olympic gold medalist will be tasked with
choosing the national team's coaching staff and players for major
international competitions like the twenty twenty six FEEBO Women's World
Cup and the LA twenty eight Olympics. She'll also handle
roster selection for the program's training camps over the next
three years. Prior to the creation of the managing director
position on the women's side, these decisions were made by
(01:52):
a committee. Byrd, who amassed a one hundred and sixty
two to nine record in her time playing for USA basketball,
now assumes a role that is exist stood on the
men's side for two decades, currently held by former MNBA
great Grant Hill. That's two new jobs in one week.
For Sube Bird in addition to everything else that she does.
Sue drop the dates on the cloning. No way, just
(02:14):
one of you is doing all of this more hoops
Las Vegas Asystar Asia Wilson's signature A one Nike shoe
sold out within minutes of its release. On Tuesday morning.
The Pink Aura colorway dropped it ten Eastern and by
ten oh five it was out of stock on the
company's website. But if you missed it, don't worry. Wilson
wrote in a post on her Instagram story that quote
(02:35):
We're dropping again Thursday at Nike stores and other spots everywhere.
I do this for the real ones always end quote.
In addition to a restock on the Pink auras, the
Blue Indigo Girl and og Pearl colorways are dropping May fifteenth,
the day before the WNBA season tips off. Even more hoops.
The WNBA has entered into an agreement with the pop
(02:55):
culture lifestyle brand Funko Pop, which will launch its first
ever WNBA player Pop Figures. Four players will have their
likenesses transformed into these highly coveted collectibles. Asia Wilson, Angel Reese,
Brienna Stewart, and Caitlin Clark. The collab was announced on
Wednesday via press release, and the teeny tiny figures will
be available for pre sale on May fourteenth to the court.
(03:16):
Just one WNBA preseason game to indulge in this evening,
the Connecticut Sun had to Barclays Center to face the
New York Liberty at seven eastern. This will be Connecticut's
last tune up before the season officially starts May sixteenth.
We previewed both teams and yesterday's show, so if you
missed it, go back and listen before tonight's showdown. As
with the rest of the preseason games, this contest will
be available for free on League Pass in the WNBA
(03:38):
app to College Softball Conference championships are underway across the
country this weekend. Programs are buying for spots in the
Division One Softball Championships sixty four team bracket. The postseason
picture will be set in stone this coming Sunday when
the twenty twenty five NCAA Softball Selection Show airs at
seven eastern on ESPN two. Then the championship tournament begins
(03:59):
with regionals for May sixteenth to eighteenth. We'll link to
the full college softball schedule in our show notes in
vib's news. The PVF Championship is this weekend. The semi
finals are tonight starting at eight pm Eastern, with the
number one Omaha Supernovas facing number four Indie Ignite, followed
by number two Atlanta Vibe against number three Orlando Valkyries
at ten thirty pm Eastern. The winners of those contests
(04:22):
will meet in the championship match on Sunday at four
pm Eastern, and you can catch all this weekend's action
on CBS Sports Network. A little bit more on the
PVF Championship coming later in the show to Soccer. We've
got a double dose of NWSL action tonight. First up,
it's Racing Louisville FC hosting Gotham FC at eight pm
Eastern on Prime Video, followed by Angel CITYFC and the
(04:42):
Utah Royals at ten thirty pm Eastern on NWSL Plus
and Paramount Plus. Look for me and my bestie Jen
in the crowd. I'm sorry the owners suite off the pitch.
We want to say a huge congratulations to Christy Muis,
former US women's national team player and a midfielder, most
recently with west Ham United and her partner Chelsea and
Australia forward Sam Kerr. On Thursday, the footy couple announced
(05:05):
they've welcomed their first child into the world. The pair
introduced their little one via Instagram post with the caption quote,
our little man is here, Jagger muis Kerr end quote
hell of a name, young man. We'll link to the
post in our show notes. And a little more footy
and baby news. US Women's national team and Chicago Stars
forward Mallory Swanson, who announced she'd missed the Nwslcason opener
(05:28):
back in March with a quote personal Matter, has revealed
that she's expecting her first child with her husband, Chicago
Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. The caption on the Instagram announcement
read quote our greatest blessing, with a picture of the
gorgeous couple holding hands in all white. They're surrounded by
beautiful bouquets and Malice holding the sonogram in her hand.
We'll link to the post in our show notes so
(05:49):
you can check it out. How about that little Chicago
sports baby. That kid is going to be cute and
way athletic. My heart is happy for them. In tam
USA News on Tuesday, the United States Olympic and Paralympic
Committee announced the inductees to the twenty twenty five US
Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame class. The class includes
(06:10):
jymnast Gabby Douglas, rower, Anita de France, sprinter Allison Felix,
para archer, track and field athlete and wheelchair basketball player,
Susan Hagel, indoor volleyball player Flow Hyman, beach volleyball player
Carrie Walsh Jennings para track and field athlete Marla Runyon,
tennis player Serena Williams, and the two thousand and four
women's wheelchair basketball team. What a group. They'll all be
(06:33):
inducted into the Hall of Fame Saturday, July twelfth, at
a ceremony in Colorado Springs. Congratulations class of twenty twenty
five Slices. I want to let you know about a
very special E sixty feature coming out this weekend. Reported
by Friends of the show soccer legend Julie Foudy and
director producer Jennifer Carson Strauss. It's the story of Stanford
(06:53):
soccer captain Katie Meyer, who died by suicide just three
months shy of graduation. When her family went searching for answers,
they found out Katie was facing a Stanford disciplinary procedure
relating to hot coffee spilled on a football player, a
disciplinary issue they had heard nothing about. The Future tells
the heartbreaking story of Katie's death and the advocacy that's followed,
(07:13):
including the California law in her name that her parents
fought to pass. The Future premieres this Saturday, eleven am
Eastern on ESPN, and we'll be streaming afterward on ESPN Plus.
I know this has been a very long time coming
and took a lot of work in cooperation with Katie
Meyer's grieving family, So I want to give a shout
out to Julie Foudy for all her hard work on this.
Look forward to watching it. We got to take a
(07:35):
quick break when we come back, time to go to sleep.
Not quite, but we are talking about the Dream stick around.
Welcome back, y'all. We're starting today's previews with the Atlanta Dream,
(07:57):
who finished with a fifteen to twenty five record last
season and lost in the first round of the playoffs
to the eventual champs, the New York Liberty. Here's the
Atlanta Dream history. You Need to Know, an expansion franchise
that joined the league in two thousand and eight, The
Dream have made ten playoff appearances but have yet to
win it all. Past stars include Sancho Little, Angel mccattree
and Renee Montgomery, who's now co owner and vice president
(08:20):
of the franchise. Also, two big contributors to Dream history
are still active but with other teams, Courtney Williams, who's
not with the Minnesota Linx, and Tiffany Hayes, currently a
member of the Golden State Valkyries. Their twenty twenty five
tagline keep the Dream alive. After his sixth straight season
with a losing record, the Dream need to shake things up,
and a new look roster will hopefully do just that.
(08:42):
Let's talk this team's offseason additions and losses, starting at
the top. The team let go of head coach Tanisha
Wright in the off season and will enter twenty twenty
five under Carl Smesco, a first time w head coach
who had a very successful coaching career at Florida Gulf
Coast University. He helped them to eleven Atlantic Sun Tournament
championships and seven trips to the Division one NCAA Tournament
(09:03):
roster wise, the Dream said goodbye to some pieces from
twenty twenty four, including vet Tina Charles, who's back with
the Connecticut Sun, and forward Giant Parker Tias who's with
the Las Vegas Aces. They picked up some pretty big
names eleven year vet, nine time All Star and former
WNBA champ with Brittany Griner coming over from Phoenix, and
they signed three time All Star Breonna Jones, who spent
the first eight seasons of her w career in Connecticut,
(09:26):
making the playoffs each year but never quite coming away
with the title. They also added shatory walker kimbro who
spent the last four seasons with the Washington Mystics and
has a championship on her resume. In the draft, atl
picked up South Carolina guard to Hina Powell Pow at
number eighteen, then got Ohio State forward Taylor Theory at
thirty six. Both of them are fighting to stick on
this roster. So who are this team's stars. Well, twenty
(09:50):
five year old two time All Star Ryan Howard is
the scoring leader on this squad in just her third
year in the league. The guard paced the Dream at
seventeen point three points per game a sneaky to presence.
She also snatched the second most deals among guards in
the twenty twenty four campaign, a little under two per game.
Atlanta has also got another dynamic guard at Alisha Gray,
known for her defensive intensity and ability to hit the
(10:11):
three ball at a strong clip, shooting over thirty four percent.
An All Star in each of the last two seasons,
Gray was right on Howard's heels last season, putting up
fifteen point six points per game. Jordan, Canada's the point
guard glue who brings things together, and she had a
strong showing in her first year with Atlanta last season,
but she went down with an apparent right knee injury
in the team's first preseason game against the Washington Mystics
(10:33):
on Wednesday, so TBD on her health status to begin
the regular season. Then, of course, some stars in the
newcomers Britney Griner, one of the most dominant players in
league history coming off a seventh career season averaging at
least seventeen points and six boards, and perennial All Star
Breanna Jones. The stakes this season for Atlanta not super high.
With the coaching and personnel changes, it wouldn't be a
(10:55):
surprise if they struggle a little bit to start the
season and adjust. They finished below five hundred every year
since twenty eighteen, though the past couple seasons have seen
them clinch a playoff berth before losing in the first round.
This season, they've got the same foundational pieces Howard and Gray,
so their ceiling should be another playoff appearance. Anything more
than that and maybe goals have been exceeded. This is
(11:16):
also a team with enough talent to bring the fireworks
on any given night, though, which makes the Dream a
bit of a wildcard. As for stats, Atlanta was second
to last in three point percentage last season, hitting only
thirty point eight percent of attempts, and they were tenth
in the league in total made three pointers, slightly better
than dead last in that category of the year before,
so they need to improve their outside shooting. In fact,
(11:40):
their offense on the whole needs work. The Dream averaged
the fewest points in the league last season at seventy
seven per contest, and shot the worst field goal percentage
at forty point eight percent. The team's offensive rating, or
points scored per one hundred possessions, was ninety nine, second
to last in the WNBA last season, and to top
it off, was also eleventh in the WNBA in pace. So,
(12:03):
like I said, they got to put in some work
on the offensive side of the floor. On the flip side,
The Dream snag the third most defensive rebounds in the
WNBA at twenty six point nine per game, held opponents
to just forty two point nine percent shooting from the floor,
fourth lowest clip in the league, and we're middle of
the pack in defensive rating. The stories and lore for
this team mostly surround Ryan Howard and Alisha Gray. They're
(12:24):
not just scoring threats on the court, they're also buds
off of it. Both are kind of soft spoken with
laid back vibes, but also low key hilarious in their downtime.
Howard and Gray have earned reps as entertaining TikTok food
and drink critics. We'll be sure to link to one
of their bids in our show notes. And Grey's Sandersville,
Georgia accent is a hoot. We can listen to her
(12:45):
talk all day. I love especially how she's like surprised
that people find her accent interesting. She doesn't even hear
what she sounds like. It's great. Gray also made waves
at WNBA All Star twenty twenty four when she became
the first player to win the three point in skill
competitions in the same year. Seems like when there's money
on the line, Alisha does her best work. In an
(13:06):
interview with ros gold On Woode during the unrivaled basketball season,
Gray put it like this.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Oh, you always trying to get to the bay with
money on the line, Like, who don't want no money?
Speaker 1 (13:17):
I know, that's right. Fun fact about the dream. So
they were at the heart of major political and social
change back in twenty twenty and from within the Wubble.
Alongside their WNBA sisters, they push back against then team
owner and appointed GOP Senator Kelly Loffler, who was openly
critical of Black Lives Matter and had become more and
more aligned with President Trump and the GOP. The team
(13:38):
helped get her opponent, Raphael Warnock elected, flipping the Senate
and confirming the WNBA is one of the most powerful
forces in sport. You can watch it all unfold in
the dock. Power of the dream. All right, mesh, let's
talk dream. What did I miss?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Not much, sir. You pretty much got the long and
short of it. The Dreamer just a big wild card
to me. I was watching that preseason game the other
night against my Mystics, of course, and that's starting lineup
of Jordan Canada, Ryan Howard, Ali Sha Gray, Brianna Jones
and Britney Griner.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Looks a little scary. It's nice.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
It's very nice Canada. Of course, as you said, did
go down though, and it'd be a huge bummer if
that's serious, because I think with her in that lineup
they can orchestrate some really amazing things.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Here's hoping she's gonna be okay.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
But in a nutshell, this team's ceiling is really high,
like first second round of the playoffs high, and its
floor is really low, like last three or four teams
in the league low. I think it really all just
depends on how they mesh and whether Carl Smesco can
translate his success from FGCU in college to the pros.
It's a big jump. It's his first time as a
(14:47):
w head coach with a brand new squad, so.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
We'll just have to see. Yeah. And I think also
there's something about the dream that feels a little dated
to me, you know what I mean. I think, just
like logo and vibes. They don't stand out to me
among the rest of the teams in terms of like
their social and the way they sell themselves. I don't know,
(15:10):
just feels like they haven't quite caught up to the
modern WNBA. Does it feel like that's you ever interesting?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
So I'm biased because I know they're social teams, so
I can't quite say.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
I don't know. I think there's definitely maybe I just
don't follow as many of them. Maybe, you know what
I mean. You know, it's like so much of our
vibes just kind of come from like what fills our timelines.
That's what we see regularly. So I think that's probably
part of it. Like I probably should seek to follow
more of their players and get caught up more with
their storylines, but they don't break through as much, I guess.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
And you know what, there's there's something there, Sarah, right,
because you talked about Ryan Howard and Alicia Gray being
more soft spoken, and I feel like that has a
lot to do with it. Right, when you have stars
who are obviously doing what they do on the court,
but maybe not so much in the spotlight off the court,
that can also lend itself to what you're talking about here,
So yeah, I understand that.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
So no shade of the social team. In fact, I
just literally while we're talking, followed them back on Insta.
So part of it might just be that I wasn't
following the right people. But yeah, as far as breaking
through into the big time stories of the w part
of it is winning and when you win more, you
also get more stories told about you. So that's gonna
be a big part of it. All Right, we got
to take a break. Let me come back, crank up
(16:22):
the heat because we're talking Indiana Fever. Welcome back, slices.
Let's dig into the Indiana Fever. This squad was an
even five hundred last season. They're twenty and twenty records,
seven games better than the previous year and good enough
to earn them a spot in the playoffs, where they
(16:43):
were swept by the Connecticut Sun in two games. They'll
look to take a big leap in year two of
having phenom and crowd creator Caitlin Clark. Here's the Fever
history you need to know. The team is founded in
two thousand and shares an owner with the mnba's Indiana Pacers.
The team's all time greats include Tamika Catchings, Katie Douglas, Breon,
January Tully Bevilaqua, Candice Dupre, and Cappy Pond Dexter. The
(17:07):
Fever of qualified for the postseason in fourteen of their
twenty five seasons, winning the WNBA title in twenty twelve
over the Minnesota Lynx and twice losing in the finals
in two thousand and nine and twenty fifteen. Their twenty
twenty five tag line, the Time is Now. Here's why
their off season additions and losses, this franchise wants to
(17:28):
capitalize on every year They've got superstar Caitlin Clark on
the roster, and their off season moves make that quite clear.
First couple noteworthy losses, the Fever sent and Melissa Smith
to the Dallas Wings as part of a three team deal,
lost backup center and significant contributor Temmy fag Benley to
the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Expansion Draft, and
watched Katie Lou Samuelson leave in free agency to sign
(17:51):
with the Seattle Storm. But the additions the Fever signed
to Wanna Bonner in free agency, grabbing the Connecticut sun
Star and her head coach Stephanie White. Bonner is a
sixteen year VET, six time All Star and two time
WNBA Champ. While White was the twenty twenty three WNBA
Coach of the Year and previously coached and played for
(18:11):
the Fever, White not the only one returning to Indy.
The Fever also welcoming back three time WNBA champ Natasha Howard.
Originally drafted by the team in twenty fourteen, the thirty
three year old Howard has been around the league, playing
for five franchises and winning titles with the Minnesota Links
and Seattle Storm. The Fever also added longtime Phoenix Mercury
(18:31):
standout Sophie Cunningham acquired in the Satusaboli deal, and two
time WNBA champion Sidney Colson, a solid backup for Clark,
a seasoned bet and a locker room superstar. Speaking to stars,
who are the Fever stars, well, the only place to
start is Caitlin Clark, who has her own gravitational pull,
not just in the WNBA, but the sports world in general,
(18:54):
changing the game when it comes to eyeballs and interest,
luring in even casual viewers with logo threes and big
brash celebrations She's joined by fellow former number one overall
draft pick and fellow former Rookie of the Year a
Leah Boston, an All Star in both of her first
two seasons so far in the league, plus two time
All Star Kelsey Mitchell and new edition Bonner, whose lengthy
(19:15):
list of accomplishments we already shared the stakes for the Fever.
While twenty twenty four was the Fever's first season since
twenty sixteen without a losing record, but they were still
just five hundred. The steady improvement they've shown over the
last two years won't be enough to satiate fans from
here on out. With Caitlin Clark jerseys flying off the rack,
arenas selling out and money flowing in, folks will expect
(19:37):
wins to follow. They've got their sight set on a
championship this year. Stats Wise, last season, the Fever allowed
one hundred and five point one points per one hundred possessions,
the second highest mark in the WNBA, so improving on
defense will be a big focus this year, especially for
Clark and Mitchell. Defensive wind share is an advanced statistic
that estimates a player's contribution to team wins through the
(20:00):
defensive performance and per her hoopstats, Mitchell has posted a
negative defensive wind share in each of the last six seasons.
No other WNBA player has posted more than two such
seasons in the same span. New addition to Wanna Bonner
should help per her hoopstats. She was in the ninety
second percent tilent defensive wind shares per forty minutes last season,
(20:20):
and she's been in the top fifteen percent in each
of the last five seasons. Individually. Last year, Caitlin Clark
lit up the stat sheets, setting a few records in
a Rookie of the Year season, including becoming the only
player in league history to average more than sixteen points
and six point three assists in the same season. Her
eight point four assists per game were good for fifth
highest in league history. Unfortunately, Clark also set some new
(20:44):
records in turnovers per game and turnovers per forty minutes,
with an all time WNBA season record two hundred and
twenty three turnovers, and the next player wasn't even close.
Clark's two to twenty three were seventy eight more than
Alyssa thomas Is one hundred and forty five turnovers last year,
which itself would have been a new record. The stories
and lower around this Fever team grow every year as
(21:06):
the quote unquote Caitlin Clark effect continues. In fact, the
Fever have already set a record this season before a
single game has been played. The team will be featured
on national television in forty one of their forty four
regular season games, marking a franchise high for most national
TV games and Fever history, as well as the most
for a single team in WNBA history. Now, of course,
(21:27):
this is the first season that teams are playing forty
four games, so more to choose from, but still it's
clear that the demand for the Fever is off the charts.
Caitlan Clark and company are also inspiring a whole lot
of teams to move their games to larger arenas, anticipating
the giant crowds they attract. From Washington to Chicago, Dallas
to Vegas and even today's other featured squad Atlanta. Teams
(21:50):
that don't already play in NBA arenas are moving games
to larger spaces to take advantage of the buzz around
the Fever. Fun fact about this Fever team, Fever Superstars,
Boston and Clark share a very wholesome moment before every
game where they sit next to each other on the
bench during pregame and Caitlyn tells Aliyah, You're going to
be amazing because you are amazing. It's really cute. Guys.
(22:12):
They were excited to get back to it in the
team's first preseason game, for which Caitlyn happened to be
miked up. Take a lesson, I make it gonna be
amazing because you are amazing. Love so wholesome, all right, beich,
what am I forgetting about the fever?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I mean, it's hard to miss a lot with the
fever because they've been so well documented, which I am
not mad about. I wish more WNBA teams got the
coverage that the fever has been getting. Shout out to Caitlyn,
and shout out to everybody who is obviously in for
good reason excited about her and about the rest of
the squad. You mentioned it. Clark cemented herself as one
of the best assisters in the WNBA in just her
(22:51):
rookie season. In this team in twenty twenty five has
a barrage of players who can fill it up straight
like that, like making no bones about it. All three levels,
whether it's finishing at the rim and transition. Hitting threes
doesn't matter. So I'm just looking forward to buckets being
scored at an extremely high clip, some beautiful dimes being thrown,
and hopefully, like you mentioned, a lower assist to turnover ratio.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
For Kaitlin Clark.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
But one other thing I've got my eye on Sarah,
that connection between her and do Wanna Bonner. Do Wanna
is in the sunset of her career, right, that's just
the reality of it. Does this mean it's gonna be
her last season? Not necessarily, but you know she's on
that downward slide and she's hungry for another championship after
(23:36):
being in Connecticut where they got close and then got
close again and then got close again. She needs it,
she wants it, and she's tired of coming up short.
Combine that energy with a team that's got fresh faces,
fresh energy, young legs who are also just as hungry
as she is. I think we can say that definitively
after watching the twenty twenty four season, this is gonna
(23:59):
be scary.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
There's yeah, there's no other way to put it.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
And of course I would be remiss if I didn't
mention Kelsey Mitchell is gonna do what Kelsey Mitchell does too.
She's also gonna be pouring that thing in the basket.
Plus somebody who I think is potentially the sleeper acquisition
of the entire WNBA offseason, Natasha Howard. Not only is
this lady a bucket, she's a versatile defender, she's six two,
(24:25):
three time WNBA Champ, two time All Star, great experience,
She's she can give you ten points to twenty five
points on any given night. Like She's gonna be a
Swiss army knife for this team and for Stephanie White.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Uh So a lot of people should be scared. Yeah,
people should be. I mean you summed up exactly what
I think about this team, which is very scary and
also a lot of mouths to feed. So figuring out
how to balance who's got the ball, who's taken the shots,
how many minutes people are getting, Who's the quote unquote star.
We know who the face of the team is, but
(24:59):
there a lot of players there that are used to
be in big time bucket getters. So I'm very interested
to see how Stephanie White kind of manages it all.
And I do think Caitlyn's turnovers will be helped by
the fact that she's had more time with her teammates,
at least the ones from last year. And also I
think she's playing with some good vets that are going
to have good basketball IQ be able to keep up
with where she goes. That's a lot of her turnovers
are her just you know, trying to make passes that
(25:21):
other people can't handle and things like that. So very
excited to watch this team, all right. One of the
other things we've asked you all to do is we
get ready for this big WNBA season to start, is
to send us any questions you might have, So tim
to answer another one, and this one's from seys Amanda
Vallo who emailed that she doesn't understand the restricted area.
That's that little half arc at the bottom of the lane.
(25:42):
So the long and short of it is the restricted
area is what officials use to determine whether a call
is a blocking foul on the defense or a charging
foul on the offense. When an offensive player goes up
for a shot or makes a move in the post,
their defender can be called for a blocking foul if
they make enough contact while they're inside that respect area.
This goes for defenders trying to block the shot, and
(26:03):
for defenders trying to bait the offensive player into a charge.
But when an offensive player goes up for a shot
and initiates contact with a defender who's outside that restricted
area in a legal guarding position, then the offensive player
can be called for a charge. Now that's the simple explanation,
but the rule book gets more technical about primary and
secondary defenders, what happens when the offense receives the ball,
(26:25):
and what's called the lower defensive bucks. YadA, YadA, YadA.
So we recommend checking it out. If you're really curious
about the minutia. They'll link to the rule books in
our show notes. But honestly, don't stress yourself about it,
because to this day, producer Meisch disagrees with approximately thirty
percent of all block charge goals, so being frustrated about
them is sort of part of the game's culture at
(26:46):
this point. All right, Slice is keep sending in those questions,
tell us what else you want to know about the
WNBA or basketball in general before the season starts, because
you know, we always love that you're listening, but we
want you to get in the game every day too,
So here's your good game play of the day. Tune
into the PVF Semi Finals tonight. The action starts at
eight pm Eastern on CBS Sports Network. To help you
get pumped, We've got a message from a very special guest.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Hey listeners, I'm Jens Biker, CEO for Pro Volleyball Federation,
and I am so excited for the twenty twenty five
Big Solei PVF Championship, happening tonight and Sunday at Lee's
Family Forum just outside Las Vegas and Henderson. Our top
four teams in the standings are competing for a one
million dollar prize in our match for a million the
(27:29):
title of the nation's top pro volleyball team. We've had
some amazing play in the PVF this year and are
thrilled to see the Omaha Supernovas, the Atlanta Vibe, the
Orlando Valkyries, and the Indie Ignite battle it out. Hope
you can join us in person or catch the broadcast
this weekend.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Thanks Jen. We always love to hear from you slices,
so hit us up on email good game at wondermedianetwork
dot com or leave us a voicemail at eight seven
to two two oh four fifty seventy. That's right, our
voicemail is back. Please call up. We want to hear
your voices, and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review.
It's real easy watch a Chicago Pope and Pride, Love
(28:08):
and Nuns rating ten out of ten. Grabbers and Polish
Sassages review. Honestly, it's about damn time. I'm not particularly
invested in the Pope doom, but if they're going to
scan the world for the best of the best, I'm
frankly not surprised that they found the best in Chicago.
To quote Chicago Party at Peyton, Jordan Oprah, Ditka, Roy
(28:30):
Coo and now God. And to quote friend of the
show Josh Bard, this Pope comes with pickles, mustard, relish
and poppy seeds. Don't forget the sport peppers, white onion
and a Dyl pickle spear Josh, and no ketchup. By
the way, not just the news of a Chicago born
and raised pope. We also got a nun in the
crowd in Saint Peter's Square, recording the Pope's first addressed
(28:53):
with an Orlando Pride sticker visible on the back of
her phone. God's team would explain year's title run. I
guess wait quick, someone get a Chicago Stars bumper sticker
on the popemobile. That team needs more divine intervention than
any would. Now it's your turn, y'all, rate and review.
Thanks for listening. See you Monday when we dish on
(29:13):
everything you need to know about the Chicago Sky and
Washington mystics. Good Game, Atlanta, Good Game Indiana. Few people
using Caitlin Clark as an avatar for your racism. We're
not doing any of that shit this year. Okay, You've
been warned. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart
women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
(29:36):
You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network,
our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive
producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder.
Our editors are Emily Rutterer, Britney Martinez, and Grace Lynch.
Our associate producer is Lucy Jones and I'm your host
Sarah Spain
Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're in
sunny SoCal for an Angel City FC game tonight, one
step closer to making Jennifer Garner our bestie. It's Friday,
May eighth, Happy Friday Slices. On today's show, we'll be
continuing the shoot around our team by team previews, getting
your prep for the twenty twenty five WNBA season. And
today we're talking Atlanta Dream and Indiana Fever. Ready for
(00:23):
the Stars, Steaks, stats and stories, a little history, a
little Lord, a little gossip, and a little more strap
in y'all. It's all coming up right after this Welcome
Back slices. Here's what you need to know today in
(00:48):
hockey news. The PWHL Playoffs continue tonight with Game two
of the series between the Minnesota Frost and the Toronto Scepters.
Toronto took game one on home ice Wednesday, downing the
Frost three to two. Scepters. Forward Blair Turnbull opened up
the scoring in the first period, then position mate Julia
Gosling blasted two pucks into the goal in the second.
Britta carl Salem and Katie Nole were the players who
(01:08):
put Minnesota on the board in the second and third frames.
Puck drops on Game two at seven pm Eastern tonight.
You can catch it on Prime Video or fan Dual
Sports Network. The Montreal Ottawa series continues this weekend after
Ottawa took Game one. We'll put the full schedule in
our show notes in Hoops Friend of the Show in
Nasmith Hall of Famer Sue Byrd was named the first
ever managing director of the USA women's national team yesterday.
(01:31):
The five time Olympic gold medalist will be tasked with
choosing the national team's coaching staff and players for major
international competitions like the twenty twenty six FEEBO Women's World
Cup and the LA twenty eight Olympics. She'll also handle
roster selection for the program's training camps over the next
three years. Prior to the creation of the managing director
position on the women's side, these decisions were made by
(01:52):
a committee. Byrd, who amassed a one hundred and sixty
two to nine record in her time playing for USA basketball,
now assumes a role that is exist stood on the
men's side for two decades, currently held by former MNBA
great Grant Hill. That's two new jobs in one week.
For Sube Bird in addition to everything else that she does.
Sue drop the dates on the cloning. No way, just
(02:14):
one of you is doing all of this more hoops
Las Vegas Asystar Asia Wilson's signature A one Nike shoe
sold out within minutes of its release. On Tuesday morning.
The Pink Aura colorway dropped it ten Eastern and by
ten oh five it was out of stock on the
company's website. But if you missed it, don't worry. Wilson
wrote in a post on her Instagram story that quote
(02:35):
We're dropping again Thursday at Nike stores and other spots everywhere.
I do this for the real ones always end quote.
In addition to a restock on the Pink auras, the
Blue Indigo Girl and og Pearl colorways are dropping May fifteenth,
the day before the WNBA season tips off. Even more hoops.
The WNBA has entered into an agreement with the pop
(02:55):
culture lifestyle brand Funko Pop, which will launch its first
ever WNBA player Pop Figures. Four players will have their
likenesses transformed into these highly coveted collectibles. Asia Wilson, Angel Reese,
Brienna Stewart, and Caitlin Clark. The collab was announced on
Wednesday via press release, and the teeny tiny figures will
be available for pre sale on May fourteenth to the court.
(03:16):
Just one WNBA preseason game to indulge in this evening,
the Connecticut Sun had to Barclays Center to face the
New York Liberty at seven eastern. This will be Connecticut's
last tune up before the season officially starts May sixteenth.
We previewed both teams and yesterday's show, so if you
missed it, go back and listen before tonight's showdown. As
with the rest of the preseason games, this contest will
be available for free on League Pass in the WNBA
(03:38):
app to College Softball Conference championships are underway across the
country this weekend. Programs are buying for spots in the
Division One Softball Championships sixty four team bracket. The postseason
picture will be set in stone this coming Sunday when
the twenty twenty five NCAA Softball Selection Show airs at
seven eastern on ESPN two. Then the championship tournament begins
(03:59):
with regionals for May sixteenth to eighteenth. We'll link to
the full college softball schedule in our show notes in
vib's news. The PVF Championship is this weekend. The semi
finals are tonight starting at eight pm Eastern, with the
number one Omaha Supernovas facing number four Indie Ignite, followed
by number two Atlanta Vibe against number three Orlando Valkyries
at ten thirty pm Eastern. The winners of those contests
(04:22):
will meet in the championship match on Sunday at four
pm Eastern, and you can catch all this weekend's action
on CBS Sports Network. A little bit more on the
PVF Championship coming later in the show to Soccer. We've
got a double dose of NWSL action tonight. First up,
it's Racing Louisville FC hosting Gotham FC at eight pm
Eastern on Prime Video, followed by Angel CITYFC and the
(04:42):
Utah Royals at ten thirty pm Eastern on NWSL Plus
and Paramount Plus. Look for me and my bestie Jen
in the crowd. I'm sorry the owners suite off the pitch.
We want to say a huge congratulations to Christy Muis,
former US women's national team player and a midfielder, most
recently with west Ham United and her partner Chelsea and
Australia forward Sam Kerr. On Thursday, the footy couple announced
(05:05):
they've welcomed their first child into the world. The pair
introduced their little one via Instagram post with the caption quote,
our little man is here, Jagger muis Kerr end quote
hell of a name, young man. We'll link to the
post in our show notes. And a little more footy
and baby news. US Women's national team and Chicago Stars
forward Mallory Swanson, who announced she'd missed the Nwslcason opener
(05:28):
back in March with a quote personal Matter, has revealed
that she's expecting her first child with her husband, Chicago
Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. The caption on the Instagram announcement
read quote our greatest blessing, with a picture of the
gorgeous couple holding hands in all white. They're surrounded by
beautiful bouquets and Malice holding the sonogram in her hand.
We'll link to the post in our show notes so
(05:49):
you can check it out. How about that little Chicago
sports baby. That kid is going to be cute and
way athletic. My heart is happy for them. In tam
USA News on Tuesday, the United States Olympic and Paralympic
Committee announced the inductees to the twenty twenty five US
Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame class. The class includes
(06:10):
jymnast Gabby Douglas, rower, Anita de France, sprinter Allison Felix,
para archer, track and field athlete and wheelchair basketball player,
Susan Hagel, indoor volleyball player Flow Hyman, beach volleyball player
Carrie Walsh Jennings para track and field athlete Marla Runyon,
tennis player Serena Williams, and the two thousand and four
women's wheelchair basketball team. What a group. They'll all be
(06:33):
inducted into the Hall of Fame Saturday, July twelfth, at
a ceremony in Colorado Springs. Congratulations class of twenty twenty
five Slices. I want to let you know about a
very special E sixty feature coming out this weekend. Reported
by Friends of the show soccer legend Julie Foudy and
director producer Jennifer Carson Strauss. It's the story of Stanford
(06:53):
soccer captain Katie Meyer, who died by suicide just three
months shy of graduation. When her family went searching for answers,
they found out Katie was facing a Stanford disciplinary procedure
relating to hot coffee spilled on a football player, a
disciplinary issue they had heard nothing about. The Future tells
the heartbreaking story of Katie's death and the advocacy that's followed,
(07:13):
including the California law in her name that her parents
fought to pass. The Future premieres this Saturday, eleven am
Eastern on ESPN, and we'll be streaming afterward on ESPN Plus.
I know this has been a very long time coming
and took a lot of work in cooperation with Katie
Meyer's grieving family, So I want to give a shout
out to Julie Foudy for all her hard work on this.
Look forward to watching it. We got to take a
(07:35):
quick break when we come back, time to go to sleep.
Not quite, but we are talking about the Dream stick around.
Welcome back, y'all. We're starting today's previews with the Atlanta Dream,
(07:57):
who finished with a fifteen to twenty five record last
season and lost in the first round of the playoffs
to the eventual champs, the New York Liberty. Here's the
Atlanta Dream history. You Need to Know, an expansion franchise
that joined the league in two thousand and eight, The
Dream have made ten playoff appearances but have yet to
win it all. Past stars include Sancho Little, Angel mccattree
and Renee Montgomery, who's now co owner and vice president
(08:20):
of the franchise. Also, two big contributors to Dream history
are still active but with other teams, Courtney Williams, who's
not with the Minnesota Linx, and Tiffany Hayes, currently a
member of the Golden State Valkyries. Their twenty twenty five
tagline keep the Dream alive. After his sixth straight season
with a losing record, the Dream need to shake things up,
and a new look roster will hopefully do just that.
(08:42):
Let's talk this team's offseason additions and losses, starting at
the top. The team let go of head coach Tanisha
Wright in the off season and will enter twenty twenty
five under Carl Smesco, a first time w head coach
who had a very successful coaching career at Florida Gulf
Coast University. He helped them to eleven Atlantic Sun Tournament
championships and seven trips to the Division one NCAA Tournament
(09:03):
roster wise, the Dream said goodbye to some pieces from
twenty twenty four, including vet Tina Charles, who's back with
the Connecticut Sun, and forward Giant Parker Tias who's with
the Las Vegas Aces. They picked up some pretty big
names eleven year vet, nine time All Star and former
WNBA champ with Brittany Griner coming over from Phoenix, and
they signed three time All Star Breonna Jones, who spent
the first eight seasons of her w career in Connecticut,
(09:26):
making the playoffs each year but never quite coming away
with the title. They also added shatory walker kimbro who
spent the last four seasons with the Washington Mystics and
has a championship on her resume. In the draft, atl
picked up South Carolina guard to Hina Powell Pow at
number eighteen, then got Ohio State forward Taylor Theory at
thirty six. Both of them are fighting to stick on
this roster. So who are this team's stars. Well, twenty
(09:50):
five year old two time All Star Ryan Howard is
the scoring leader on this squad in just her third
year in the league. The guard paced the Dream at
seventeen point three points per game a sneaky to presence.
She also snatched the second most deals among guards in
the twenty twenty four campaign, a little under two per game.
Atlanta has also got another dynamic guard at Alisha Gray,
known for her defensive intensity and ability to hit the
(10:11):
three ball at a strong clip, shooting over thirty four percent.
An All Star in each of the last two seasons,
Gray was right on Howard's heels last season, putting up
fifteen point six points per game. Jordan, Canada's the point
guard glue who brings things together, and she had a
strong showing in her first year with Atlanta last season,
but she went down with an apparent right knee injury
in the team's first preseason game against the Washington Mystics
(10:33):
on Wednesday, so TBD on her health status to begin
the regular season. Then, of course, some stars in the
newcomers Britney Griner, one of the most dominant players in
league history coming off a seventh career season averaging at
least seventeen points and six boards, and perennial All Star
Breanna Jones. The stakes this season for Atlanta not super high.
With the coaching and personnel changes, it wouldn't be a
(10:55):
surprise if they struggle a little bit to start the
season and adjust. They finished below five hundred every year
since twenty eighteen, though the past couple seasons have seen
them clinch a playoff berth before losing in the first round.
This season, they've got the same foundational pieces Howard and Gray,
so their ceiling should be another playoff appearance. Anything more
than that and maybe goals have been exceeded. This is
(11:16):
also a team with enough talent to bring the fireworks
on any given night, though, which makes the Dream a
bit of a wildcard. As for stats, Atlanta was second
to last in three point percentage last season, hitting only
thirty point eight percent of attempts, and they were tenth
in the league in total made three pointers, slightly better
than dead last in that category of the year before,
so they need to improve their outside shooting. In fact,
(11:40):
their offense on the whole needs work. The Dream averaged
the fewest points in the league last season at seventy
seven per contest, and shot the worst field goal percentage
at forty point eight percent. The team's offensive rating, or
points scored per one hundred possessions, was ninety nine, second
to last in the WNBA last season, and to top
it off, was also eleventh in the WNBA in pace. So,
(12:03):
like I said, they got to put in some work
on the offensive side of the floor. On the flip side,
The Dream snag the third most defensive rebounds in the
WNBA at twenty six point nine per game, held opponents
to just forty two point nine percent shooting from the floor,
fourth lowest clip in the league, and we're middle of
the pack in defensive rating. The stories and lore for
this team mostly surround Ryan Howard and Alisha Gray. They're
(12:24):
not just scoring threats on the court, they're also buds
off of it. Both are kind of soft spoken with
laid back vibes, but also low key hilarious in their downtime.
Howard and Gray have earned reps as entertaining TikTok food
and drink critics. We'll be sure to link to one
of their bids in our show notes. And Grey's Sandersville,
Georgia accent is a hoot. We can listen to her
(12:45):
talk all day. I love especially how she's like surprised
that people find her accent interesting. She doesn't even hear
what she sounds like. It's great. Gray also made waves
at WNBA All Star twenty twenty four when she became
the first player to win the three point in skill
competitions in the same year. Seems like when there's money
on the line, Alisha does her best work. In an
(13:06):
interview with ros gold On Woode during the unrivaled basketball season,
Gray put it like this.
Speaker 2 (13:10):
Oh, you always trying to get to the bay with
money on the line, Like, who don't want no money?
Speaker 1 (13:17):
I know, that's right. Fun fact about the dream. So
they were at the heart of major political and social
change back in twenty twenty and from within the Wubble.
Alongside their WNBA sisters, they push back against then team
owner and appointed GOP Senator Kelly Loffler, who was openly
critical of Black Lives Matter and had become more and
more aligned with President Trump and the GOP. The team
(13:38):
helped get her opponent, Raphael Warnock elected, flipping the Senate
and confirming the WNBA is one of the most powerful
forces in sport. You can watch it all unfold in
the dock. Power of the dream. All right, mesh, let's
talk dream. What did I miss?
Speaker 2 (13:53):
Not much, sir. You pretty much got the long and
short of it. The Dreamer just a big wild card
to me. I was watching that preseason game the other
night against my Mystics, of course, and that's starting lineup
of Jordan Canada, Ryan Howard, Ali Sha Gray, Brianna Jones
and Britney Griner.
Speaker 1 (14:10):
Looks a little scary. It's nice.
Speaker 2 (14:13):
It's very nice Canada. Of course, as you said, did
go down though, and it'd be a huge bummer if
that's serious, because I think with her in that lineup
they can orchestrate some really amazing things.
Speaker 1 (14:24):
Here's hoping she's gonna be okay.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
But in a nutshell, this team's ceiling is really high,
like first second round of the playoffs high, and its
floor is really low, like last three or four teams
in the league low. I think it really all just
depends on how they mesh and whether Carl Smesco can
translate his success from FGCU in college to the pros.
It's a big jump. It's his first time as a
(14:47):
w head coach with a brand new squad, so.
Speaker 1 (14:50):
We'll just have to see. Yeah. And I think also
there's something about the dream that feels a little dated
to me, you know what I mean. I think, just
like logo and vibes. They don't stand out to me
among the rest of the teams in terms of like
their social and the way they sell themselves. I don't know,
(15:10):
just feels like they haven't quite caught up to the
modern WNBA. Does it feel like that's you ever interesting?
Speaker 2 (15:16):
So I'm biased because I know they're social teams, so
I can't quite say.
Speaker 1 (15:21):
I don't know. I think there's definitely maybe I just
don't follow as many of them. Maybe, you know what
I mean. You know, it's like so much of our
vibes just kind of come from like what fills our timelines.
That's what we see regularly. So I think that's probably
part of it. Like I probably should seek to follow
more of their players and get caught up more with
their storylines, but they don't break through as much, I guess.
Speaker 2 (15:41):
And you know what, there's there's something there, Sarah, right,
because you talked about Ryan Howard and Alicia Gray being
more soft spoken, and I feel like that has a
lot to do with it. Right, when you have stars
who are obviously doing what they do on the court,
but maybe not so much in the spotlight off the court,
that can also lend itself to what you're talking about here,
So yeah, I understand that.
Speaker 1 (16:01):
So no shade of the social team. In fact, I
just literally while we're talking, followed them back on Insta.
So part of it might just be that I wasn't
following the right people. But yeah, as far as breaking
through into the big time stories of the w part
of it is winning and when you win more, you
also get more stories told about you. So that's gonna
be a big part of it. All Right, we got
to take a break. Let me come back, crank up
(16:22):
the heat because we're talking Indiana Fever. Welcome back, slices.
Let's dig into the Indiana Fever. This squad was an
even five hundred last season. They're twenty and twenty records,
seven games better than the previous year and good enough
to earn them a spot in the playoffs, where they
(16:43):
were swept by the Connecticut Sun in two games. They'll
look to take a big leap in year two of
having phenom and crowd creator Caitlin Clark. Here's the Fever
history you need to know. The team is founded in
two thousand and shares an owner with the mnba's Indiana Pacers.
The team's all time greats include Tamika Catchings, Katie Douglas, Breon,
January Tully Bevilaqua, Candice Dupre, and Cappy Pond Dexter. The
(17:07):
Fever of qualified for the postseason in fourteen of their
twenty five seasons, winning the WNBA title in twenty twelve
over the Minnesota Lynx and twice losing in the finals
in two thousand and nine and twenty fifteen. Their twenty
twenty five tag line, the Time is Now. Here's why
their off season additions and losses, this franchise wants to
(17:28):
capitalize on every year They've got superstar Caitlin Clark on
the roster, and their off season moves make that quite clear.
First couple noteworthy losses, the Fever sent and Melissa Smith
to the Dallas Wings as part of a three team deal,
lost backup center and significant contributor Temmy fag Benley to
the Golden State Valkyries in the WNBA Expansion Draft, and
watched Katie Lou Samuelson leave in free agency to sign
(17:51):
with the Seattle Storm. But the additions the Fever signed
to Wanna Bonner in free agency, grabbing the Connecticut sun
Star and her head coach Stephanie White. Bonner is a
sixteen year VET, six time All Star and two time
WNBA Champ. While White was the twenty twenty three WNBA
Coach of the Year and previously coached and played for
(18:11):
the Fever, White not the only one returning to Indy.
The Fever also welcoming back three time WNBA champ Natasha Howard.
Originally drafted by the team in twenty fourteen, the thirty
three year old Howard has been around the league, playing
for five franchises and winning titles with the Minnesota Links
and Seattle Storm. The Fever also added longtime Phoenix Mercury
(18:31):
standout Sophie Cunningham acquired in the Satusaboli deal, and two
time WNBA champion Sidney Colson, a solid backup for Clark,
a seasoned bet and a locker room superstar. Speaking to stars,
who are the Fever stars, well, the only place to
start is Caitlin Clark, who has her own gravitational pull,
not just in the WNBA, but the sports world in general,
(18:54):
changing the game when it comes to eyeballs and interest,
luring in even casual viewers with logo threes and big
brash celebrations She's joined by fellow former number one overall
draft pick and fellow former Rookie of the Year a
Leah Boston, an All Star in both of her first
two seasons so far in the league, plus two time
All Star Kelsey Mitchell and new edition Bonner, whose lengthy
(19:15):
list of accomplishments we already shared the stakes for the Fever.
While twenty twenty four was the Fever's first season since
twenty sixteen without a losing record, but they were still
just five hundred. The steady improvement they've shown over the
last two years won't be enough to satiate fans from
here on out. With Caitlin Clark jerseys flying off the rack,
arenas selling out and money flowing in, folks will expect
(19:37):
wins to follow. They've got their sight set on a
championship this year. Stats Wise, last season, the Fever allowed
one hundred and five point one points per one hundred possessions,
the second highest mark in the WNBA, so improving on
defense will be a big focus this year, especially for
Clark and Mitchell. Defensive wind share is an advanced statistic
that estimates a player's contribution to team wins through the
(20:00):
defensive performance and per her hoopstats, Mitchell has posted a
negative defensive wind share in each of the last six seasons.
No other WNBA player has posted more than two such
seasons in the same span. New addition to Wanna Bonner
should help per her hoopstats. She was in the ninety
second percent tilent defensive wind shares per forty minutes last season,
(20:20):
and she's been in the top fifteen percent in each
of the last five seasons. Individually. Last year, Caitlin Clark
lit up the stat sheets, setting a few records in
a Rookie of the Year season, including becoming the only
player in league history to average more than sixteen points
and six point three assists in the same season. Her
eight point four assists per game were good for fifth
highest in league history. Unfortunately, Clark also set some new
(20:44):
records in turnovers per game and turnovers per forty minutes,
with an all time WNBA season record two hundred and
twenty three turnovers, and the next player wasn't even close.
Clark's two to twenty three were seventy eight more than
Alyssa thomas Is one hundred and forty five turnovers last year,
which itself would have been a new record. The stories
and lower around this Fever team grow every year as
(21:06):
the quote unquote Caitlin Clark effect continues. In fact, the
Fever have already set a record this season before a
single game has been played. The team will be featured
on national television in forty one of their forty four
regular season games, marking a franchise high for most national
TV games and Fever history, as well as the most
for a single team in WNBA history. Now, of course,
(21:27):
this is the first season that teams are playing forty
four games, so more to choose from, but still it's
clear that the demand for the Fever is off the charts.
Caitlan Clark and company are also inspiring a whole lot
of teams to move their games to larger arenas, anticipating
the giant crowds they attract. From Washington to Chicago, Dallas
to Vegas and even today's other featured squad Atlanta. Teams
(21:50):
that don't already play in NBA arenas are moving games
to larger spaces to take advantage of the buzz around
the Fever. Fun fact about this Fever team, Fever Superstars,
Boston and Clark share a very wholesome moment before every
game where they sit next to each other on the
bench during pregame and Caitlyn tells Aliyah, You're going to
be amazing because you are amazing. It's really cute. Guys.
(22:12):
They were excited to get back to it in the
team's first preseason game, for which Caitlyn happened to be
miked up. Take a lesson, I make it gonna be
amazing because you are amazing. Love so wholesome, all right, beich,
what am I forgetting about the fever?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
I mean, it's hard to miss a lot with the
fever because they've been so well documented, which I am
not mad about. I wish more WNBA teams got the
coverage that the fever has been getting. Shout out to Caitlyn,
and shout out to everybody who is obviously in for
good reason excited about her and about the rest of
the squad. You mentioned it. Clark cemented herself as one
of the best assisters in the WNBA in just her
(22:51):
rookie season. In this team in twenty twenty five has
a barrage of players who can fill it up straight
like that, like making no bones about it. All three levels,
whether it's finishing at the rim and transition. Hitting threes
doesn't matter. So I'm just looking forward to buckets being
scored at an extremely high clip, some beautiful dimes being thrown,
and hopefully, like you mentioned, a lower assist to turnover ratio.
Speaker 1 (23:14):
For Kaitlin Clark.
Speaker 2 (23:16):
But one other thing I've got my eye on Sarah,
that connection between her and do Wanna Bonner. Do Wanna
is in the sunset of her career, right, that's just
the reality of it. Does this mean it's gonna be
her last season? Not necessarily, but you know she's on
that downward slide and she's hungry for another championship after
(23:36):
being in Connecticut where they got close and then got
close again and then got close again. She needs it,
she wants it, and she's tired of coming up short.
Combine that energy with a team that's got fresh faces,
fresh energy, young legs who are also just as hungry
as she is. I think we can say that definitively
after watching the twenty twenty four season, this is gonna
(23:59):
be scary.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
There's yeah, there's no other way to put it.
Speaker 2 (24:02):
And of course I would be remiss if I didn't
mention Kelsey Mitchell is gonna do what Kelsey Mitchell does too.
She's also gonna be pouring that thing in the basket.
Plus somebody who I think is potentially the sleeper acquisition
of the entire WNBA offseason, Natasha Howard. Not only is
this lady a bucket, she's a versatile defender, she's six two,
(24:25):
three time WNBA Champ, two time All Star, great experience,
She's she can give you ten points to twenty five
points on any given night. Like She's gonna be a
Swiss army knife for this team and for Stephanie White.
Speaker 1 (24:38):
Uh So a lot of people should be scared. Yeah,
people should be. I mean you summed up exactly what
I think about this team, which is very scary and
also a lot of mouths to feed. So figuring out
how to balance who's got the ball, who's taken the shots,
how many minutes people are getting, Who's the quote unquote star.
We know who the face of the team is, but
(24:59):
there a lot of players there that are used to
be in big time bucket getters. So I'm very interested
to see how Stephanie White kind of manages it all.
And I do think Caitlyn's turnovers will be helped by
the fact that she's had more time with her teammates,
at least the ones from last year. And also I
think she's playing with some good vets that are going
to have good basketball IQ be able to keep up
with where she goes. That's a lot of her turnovers
are her just you know, trying to make passes that
(25:21):
other people can't handle and things like that. So very
excited to watch this team, all right. One of the
other things we've asked you all to do is we
get ready for this big WNBA season to start, is
to send us any questions you might have, So tim
to answer another one, and this one's from seys Amanda
Vallo who emailed that she doesn't understand the restricted area.
That's that little half arc at the bottom of the lane.
(25:42):
So the long and short of it is the restricted
area is what officials use to determine whether a call
is a blocking foul on the defense or a charging
foul on the offense. When an offensive player goes up
for a shot or makes a move in the post,
their defender can be called for a blocking foul if
they make enough contact while they're inside that respect area.
This goes for defenders trying to block the shot, and
(26:03):
for defenders trying to bait the offensive player into a charge.
But when an offensive player goes up for a shot
and initiates contact with a defender who's outside that restricted
area in a legal guarding position, then the offensive player
can be called for a charge. Now that's the simple explanation,
but the rule book gets more technical about primary and
secondary defenders, what happens when the offense receives the ball,
(26:25):
and what's called the lower defensive bucks. YadA, YadA, YadA.
So we recommend checking it out. If you're really curious
about the minutia. They'll link to the rule books in
our show notes. But honestly, don't stress yourself about it,
because to this day, producer Meisch disagrees with approximately thirty
percent of all block charge goals, so being frustrated about
them is sort of part of the game's culture at
(26:46):
this point. All right, Slice is keep sending in those questions,
tell us what else you want to know about the
WNBA or basketball in general before the season starts, because
you know, we always love that you're listening, but we
want you to get in the game every day too,
So here's your good game play of the day. Tune
into the PVF Semi Finals tonight. The action starts at
eight pm Eastern on CBS Sports Network. To help you
get pumped, We've got a message from a very special guest.
Speaker 3 (27:09):
Hey listeners, I'm Jens Biker, CEO for Pro Volleyball Federation,
and I am so excited for the twenty twenty five
Big Solei PVF Championship, happening tonight and Sunday at Lee's
Family Forum just outside Las Vegas and Henderson. Our top
four teams in the standings are competing for a one
million dollar prize in our match for a million the
(27:29):
title of the nation's top pro volleyball team. We've had
some amazing play in the PVF this year and are
thrilled to see the Omaha Supernovas, the Atlanta Vibe, the
Orlando Valkyries, and the Indie Ignite battle it out. Hope
you can join us in person or catch the broadcast
this weekend.
Speaker 1 (27:46):
Thanks Jen. We always love to hear from you slices,
so hit us up on email good game at wondermedianetwork
dot com or leave us a voicemail at eight seven
to two two oh four fifty seventy. That's right, our
voicemail is back. Please call up. We want to hear
your voices, and don't forget to subscribe, rate and review.
It's real easy watch a Chicago Pope and Pride, Love
(28:08):
and Nuns rating ten out of ten. Grabbers and Polish
Sassages review. Honestly, it's about damn time. I'm not particularly
invested in the Pope doom, but if they're going to
scan the world for the best of the best, I'm
frankly not surprised that they found the best in Chicago.
To quote Chicago Party at Peyton, Jordan Oprah, Ditka, Roy
(28:30):
Coo and now God. And to quote friend of the
show Josh Bard, this Pope comes with pickles, mustard, relish
and poppy seeds. Don't forget the sport peppers, white onion
and a Dyl pickle spear Josh, and no ketchup. By
the way, not just the news of a Chicago born
and raised pope. We also got a nun in the
crowd in Saint Peter's Square, recording the Pope's first addressed
(28:53):
with an Orlando Pride sticker visible on the back of
her phone. God's team would explain year's title run. I
guess wait quick, someone get a Chicago Stars bumper sticker
on the popemobile. That team needs more divine intervention than
any would. Now it's your turn, y'all, rate and review.
Thanks for listening. See you Monday when we dish on
(29:13):
everything you need to know about the Chicago Sky and
Washington mystics. Good Game, Atlanta, Good Game Indiana. Few people
using Caitlin Clark as an avatar for your racism. We're
not doing any of that shit this year. Okay, You've
been warned. Good Game with Sarah Spain is an iHeart
women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment.
(29:36):
You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts,
or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network,
our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive
producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder.
Our editors are Emily Rutterer, Britney Martinez, and Grace Lynch.
Our associate producer is Lucy Jones and I'm your host
Sarah Spain
Host
Sarah Spain
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