October 16, 2024 • 18 mins
Friend of the show Nekias Duncan, co-host of The Dunker Spot podcast is back to chat with Khristina about the Liberty & Lynx finals. Who’s the best player? Who is the biggest X-factor, and who has stepped it up the most in this series?
In addition, they'll discuss the Golden State Valkyries' new head coach and why this hiring decision is so important for the league. Plus, the new changes that are coming to the playing format in 2025.
Want more women’s basketball scoop?
Follow the show on Instagram @ICYMIwithKW and X @ICYMIwithKW and for more on Khristina follow her on Instagram @khristinawilliams
Let us know what you think of the show by leaving a rating and a review!
CREDITS
Executive Producers:
Nikki Ettore
Jessie Katz
Tyler Klang
Jonathan Strickland
Supervising Producer:
Peter Coughter
Producer & Editor:
Tari Harrison
Host:
Khristina Williams
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. What's Up, everyone, Welcome back to another special
edition of In Case You Miss It with Christina Williams.
Here on the iHeartRadio app and the WNBA Finals are
(00:23):
underway and heading back to Minnesota where the series is
tied between the Liberty and the Links. At one apiece,
joining me to break it all down. His friend to
the show and co host of the Dunker Spot podcast,
Maikaias Duncan Macaias, Welcome back to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Thanks for having me. I'm glad I didn't bomb my
first appearance. I could come back excited to talk to
hoop with you now.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
You always are invited on this show. You're like one
of my favorite basketball minds. All right, Nikaias Liberty Links
finals are tied the series one one? What have you
been seeing throughout this series that stands out to you?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I have been seeing a whole lot of defense in
this series, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
These were the two best teams in the league. These
were two of the top four defenses in the league,
and because of the versatility that they have in the
front court, in particular John quel Abreonna Stewart with New York,
Lafisa Collier, and Atlanta Smith with Minnesota, they can execute
so many different coverages. And I think the series through
(01:19):
the first two games has really been how Sabrindi and
Escuo is going to respond to the coverages that she
seing and looking at the game too, how Courtney Wiams
is going to respond to the coverages that she's seen.
Like something that's popped for me. Through the first two games,
we saw a high volume of switching in that game
one against Sabrinia and Escue to something that she talked about,
something that Sandy Brundello talked about not want the offense
to get too stagnant. The emphasis on making quick decisions
(01:41):
and swinging the ball were necessary. And we saw a
much better job and a much better start from Sabrina
in Game two, twelve or fifteen points coming in that
first quarter, and she just looked much more decisive than
she did in that first game. And we look at
the other side of the floor with Courtney Williams making
big shots, making big plays, specifically towards the end of
that game one. The in game two it is Minnesota
(02:02):
saying actually, or New York saying, actually, this is flatting
us out. Will switch John Quell out on, you, will
blitz John Quyll Sometimes we're gonna switch Stewarie on, you
gonna mess with the matchups, and watching Courtney Williams kind
of cycle through that and figure out what New York's
trying to do became a fun little game within the game.
So I'm it's been a lot of fun defense so
far for me through too.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Listen, and how about Brandon Stewart in game two, it's
seven steals. I mean, Stueie is just putting a defensive
master class on display, as is Nafisa Collier, Who's the
defensive player of the year. Okay, so in your opinion,
who's been the best player throughout the first two games?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
You know, I was thinking about this earlier today because
I wanted to tweet out like a premature finals MVP,
like power ranking type fit, and I was like, you, actually,
I really don't know, Like I probably lean Brianna Stewart,
like she hasn't had much success going inside the York
so far. We'll see if some of those short jumpers fall,
but like the threes have mostly been there, particularly in
that game too. The defense has been outstanding, not just
(02:56):
in this series but throughout the entire season. Really, I
think she had a really rate the Defensive Player of
the Year case this year, like I think some of
like the on court ratings are slightly better. Again, it's
a two game sample, so how much does that really matter?
But you could argue Courtney Wims. You could arguing in
the Feasta Collier. I think we are in for some
fun and trying to figure out who the finals VP's
actually gonna be as the series goes on.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Listen, I agree and New York.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
This is a must win game obviously for both teams
because the series is tied. I know that Leoni Thievich
has been playing phenomenally in this postseason. She hit that
three pointer and everyone had their hands like, what are
you doing? Ba's the ball with Stewie, She's open. But
who do you think has been the biggest X factor
for each team throughout the series.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
I guess if we're removing the obvious characters, it could
just be Benije Lady Hamilton. Honestly, like that just broke
out with the twenty point game. That was her first
double digit scoring game since I believe game one of
the Atlanta series. So naturally getting that scoring punch, but
the decision making for her is going to be important.
How quickly is she decided to shoot, how quickly is
he deciding to drive? What are those entry passes to
(04:00):
look like when she's trying to feed John Quill. But ultimately,
the defense has been really strong throughout this entire postseason run.
I think her early ball pressure on Courtney Winias in
particular has been impactful, making Minnesota work deep into the clock.
And so when she has a game like she did
in Game two, where she's hitting corner threes on top
of the defense and on top of the you know
everything else, she provides like, it's such a swing for
(04:21):
New York. So I guess I would go with Benija
right now.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeah, And if you look at the series from last
year against the Aces, it was also Benija and Landy
Hamilton who was sort of that X factor.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Because people are so.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Help bent on what she can do defensively, they almost
forget that she's a bucket on offense as well, and
so just to see her just overcome a lot of
adversity with getting back into the swing of things post
injury and surgery this season.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
I think it's great to see.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
I think she needed that game, that twenty point game,
just for a confidence booster for herself going into Games
three and four Minnesota, they're gonna need to win on
the road if they want.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
To win this championship.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Which player did you expect to see step up for
the rest of the series. I mean, we talked about
Jolane Hamilton, but on the Minnesota ink side, for me,
I think it's kill and McBride.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
I would like to see her, you know, be a
little bit more consistent. But what do you think, because.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
I also go to the Minnesota's side, I think Kayla
is shooting the leather off the ball right now, but
to your point, it hasn't been a consistent wave of
production for her, so you would love to see that.
If you're Minnesota, I probably go to Bridget Carlton. I
think because of the year that she's had and because
of the postseason run that she's had, the three point
shooting hasn't hit quite the same, but she is still
someone that can knock down big shots when they matter.
(05:29):
I think a little bit more from her offensively be helpful.
They have used her a little bit as an initiator
just to counter some of the full court pressure that
we seen from New York, so she's able to get
some of the pull up two's going, she's able to
knock down those crucial threes, and ultimately her defense both
on the perimeter and when she's been asked to switch
on to some of the bigger players for the Liberty, Like,
if that continues to hold up, like I think Minnesota
(05:50):
could be in good shape. But I do think as
the serious shifts back to Minnesota, they're going to need
a big Bridget game, give me an eighteen point out
and or something like that to really put an exclamation
point on the type of season that she's had.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
All Right, Nikias, before we stop talking about the playoffs,
you know, I gotta ask you, who do you have?
What is your playoff predictions for this series against the
Liberty Links, Who do you have poisoning up that trophy
at the end of the series.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I had the Liberty in five ahead of the series.
We are now tied, Like, I haven't seen enough to
shift off of that, so I will stick with the
Liberty getting their first championship in franchise history. But I
do think this goes to distance. This has been a
fun series so far and I don't anticipate that changing all.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Right, Leakaias has Liberty in five. So Nikayas the Golden
State Valkyries announced this week their new head coach and
Natalie Nikowski from the Las Vegas Aces.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
So what do you think about this hire?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
In particular, it feels like a slam dunk to me,
like as someone that does W coverage, But I'm also
around the Aces quite a bit, both virtually and in
person when I can get out there. Like the players
lover Becky Hammond has a great deal of respect for her.
She obviously has experience underneath this a staff, she has
previous NBA experience and so like she already brings a
wealth of basketball notlice. She's a former player in her
(07:05):
day on top of that, so she just brings a
wealth of knowledge verse in terms of diverse backgrounds and
learning and coaching, her own playing background and the consistent
message that you hear from Becky from the player like,
she just has a way of building relationships. And I
think as we are in this era of not just basketball,
but in sports like I do think that human connection
is even more important as people have become more aware
(07:26):
on how you treat people, what the effects are in
terms of performance and things like that. So I believe
the basketball knowledge kind of speaks for herself. The basketball
experience speaks for herself, but the way she connects with people,
and like reading the messages that players will tweeting out
Chelsea Gray, Sidney Colson and others, you could kind of
see there's a genuine love there beyond the basketball respect.
So I believe you're to go to State Valkyries, you
(07:46):
want to make a snap dunk higher. This fits the outline.
Someone that's been there, that's done that, can connect with
people and has the actor type to build something from
the ground up.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Sad to see that ass coaching staff kind of break
up a little bit, but I'm excited to see how
Natalie prospers with the Golden State Valkyries, and also looking
ahead to the expansion draft that is happening in December. Obviously,
the Golden State Valkyries are going to you know, have
the one up on other teams in terms of you know,
(08:17):
forming their team ahead of the twenty twenty five draft,
when you look at you know, the hires in the
front office paired with you know, the players that may
become available.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Who can we look.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
To see with the Golden State Valkyries in twenty twenty five?
And are the rumors about Kelsey Plumb true?
Speaker 2 (08:33):
I understand the rumblings of Kelsey Plum, you are a
Golden State Valkyrie because she is a free agent, and
naturally Natalie Nicasse was just there. But with the Aces
having the core designation available, I would imagine that the
Aces just core Kelsey Plumb, even if it turns into
them eventually moving on, Like, it just makes more sense
to me, Hey, let's core and then let's work on
(08:53):
a trade destination if that's where it's gonna go, versus
Kelsey just being an unprotected player and the Valkyries have
and the ability selector. Like I, I guess, crazier things
have happened, but like, I just don't foresee something like
that happening Beyond that, I am just generally curious on
what the player pool is going to look like. I
think the rule is you can protect up to six.
You don't have to protect six players for each team,
(09:14):
and so I would imagine we're going to see some
interesting rookie scale players available, Like even if we stick
with the Aces, I would imagine they're going to keep
their core for again, I would guess that Kelsey Plum
gets the court designation and then from there, like does
Kate Martin become available? Does Kirsten Bell come available? Actually
didn't have much of a role because of injury, Like
I would be looking at players or on those lines
(09:36):
for someone that they may want to pick up. Beyond
that interesting thing, like I look at Atlanta like I
would be no reporting here, Like I would be surprised
if Shyanne Parker Tias is back in Atlanta next season.
So like, does that become like a primary free agency
pick up for the Goal Stay Valkyries or just an
expansion pick for them as they designate, like they're one
under straight to free agency selection in the draft, Like
(09:57):
that's probably where I go. And then going to Indiana,
I guess we would just keep an eye on what
the Melissa Smith situation is gonna be. I would guess
they protect her and if nothing else, if they do
decide to move on, it's going to be a trade
from there.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Kensley Mitchell is also going to be a free agent too, so.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
This is true. I believe she I'll have to check
her who stats, but I believe she still has core eligibility.
So they made core Kelsey Mitchell as well. So like
Melissa Smith, will be a player that would keep an
eye on if she becomes available. That's someone that has
proven that they can score and grab boards and they
can be a financial, a foundational scoring piece for you.
(10:32):
And just curious what she would look like in a
different situation altogether if this was an up and down
season for her, But those would probably be the names
that come to mind first for me.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Sticking on the Aces, what do you think they need
next season in order to get better?
Speaker 2 (10:46):
I think, well, one just an off season to recharge
and fully heal. As you get the reporting on Chelsea Gray,
the Aces had their docu series on her and she
went into in detail what she was dealing with, what
she was coming back from. So I think one just
rest will help them quite a bit in terms of
the actual roster needs, like a little bit more versatility
(11:06):
in the front court is probably where I would want
to go. I think they have found money over the
past few years with being able to go smaller with
Asia at the five and Alicia Clark at the four.
Having Asia next to another big last year it was
lights out with Kia Stokes. This year not so much.
They wanted to stretch element with Meghan Goustason that was
hit or miss throughout the season. So if they can
find a big that pairs better with Asia, I think
(11:29):
that's probably where I go. I mean, entering last season,
they were hoping that was still going to be Campus Parker,
and right before training camp she announces the retirement, so
they still had their Roston ultimately still had a really
good season. But I think that's probably the one thing
that I look at. Can you find a big that,
even if they aren't a pure stretch five, someone would
size that you could utilize as a handoff hub or
just a passer so you can still space them out
(11:50):
and give Asia all that room inside yard to work with.
Just a better fitting five is probably where I would look.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Can I did you Natasha Howard? She's a three time
WNBA champion. She is a for her Instagram posts. After Dallas,
I'm looking forward to a new city and new team
next season.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
I must say one that might be the quickest goodbye
message I have from SO and on the w side,
she hey, I appreciate the fans and my teammates. I
can't wait to see what's what's gonna happen with my
new team. It's like, okay, fair enough, but her next
to Asia is interesting to me. I think naturally she's
sloped more in as a four than a five next
(12:31):
to Asia. But like I think, if you are going
to continue to ramp things up with Asia and pick
a roll in particular and have her at the level,
having someone like Natata Howard in a situation where the
defensive ecosystem and the expectation is higher, I think she
can get back to playing high level defense. We mostly
saw flashes of that last season. She had her own
entry stuff to deal with earlier in the year, but
I would just say it was an adventure watching the
(12:53):
Dallas Wings play defense this past season. So I would
imagine one year deal because I don't think anyone's taking
a multi year deal this offseason, but one year deal
in a championship situation, I think you could see a
rebounding effort and overall intensity from Natasha Howard. I think
I like that fit.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Oh, okay, we'll keep our eyes out for it. Also,
if the WNBA announced that starting next season, there will
be a new playoff format and so you know, the
finals would go to a best of seven series and
then round one would go to that one one one
format where the home team will get home court. Then
you'll go on away game and go back home potentially.
(13:27):
What do you think about this new playoff format? And
do you think that the WNBA reinforced this change because
teams like the Indiana Fever didn't get a home game
in round one and was pretty much out.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
What are your thoughts on that in terms of the finals,
going to seven like that feels long overdue and it
makes sense if you're going to implement that change to
do so not in an Olympic year where the season
is already more spread out than you want it to be.
So I love that portion. As far as going to
one one one, that felt more like a we got
charters now and we can afford to do more travel
and so now we can do this. Because I understand
(14:01):
the noise about, hey, the league changed just because of
the Fever, and like I won't say it wasn't any
kind of accelerant on this, but this is something that
I've been complaining about for years or when they made
the change, I'm just like, just from a league perspective,
why would you have a playoff format to where a
team doesn't get playoff game? Yeah, like that, just as
(14:21):
you're trying to go to the league financially that that
didn't make much sense to me. Now, granted, you know,
we didn't get full blown charts into this year, sprinkled
in last year, so trying to get the travel together.
But I was very much unpopular opinion, but I was like, Okay,
well then just let the road team start at home
since they only getting one game, and then the higher
seed you just get too crackit to go. So that's
where I landed all that, and again I recognized I
(14:43):
was very much in the minority on that flot. But
now that you have the flights, it makes sense that
you go one to one one because I do believe
again both teams should just have a home game, if
for no other reason, then for a financial reason. Where
it gets interesting for me though, considering we don't have
like the Western Conference in the Eastern Conference when it
comes to the playoffs, is if we mess around and
get Seattle and the Liberty in round one, like we
(15:03):
just got aces Storm in round one for the four
or five what happens if the Liberty have like an
injury real season or something. They're the four seed, Seattle's
to five seed. Now you're going cross country in the
first round, Like, are you prepared to deal with that? Like?
I wonder what the safeguard is going to be. Do
we get an extra day between you know, games one
and game two to account for that travel? Yeah, there
has to be something in place to kind of counter
(15:25):
that potential thing.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Yeah, I absolutely agree with that.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Like, if there's two teams that are completely opposite sides
of the country and they have to travel, that could
definitely be hell for a team in terms of rest
and recovery and less of a fear playing field advantage
when you think about that one one one format. But
I love that the finals are going to the best
of seven series round.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
I do think it's.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
Fair to give you know, in a way team a
game in the playoffs as well, as you mentioned, as
the game continues to rise and grow, so I think
I like it could there be more for improvement. Maybe
this should have been implemented when the team moved to
seat team teams, and you could probably do the conferences,
as you said, but I'm looking forward to seeing this.
I mean, I feel like the league is very receptive
(16:08):
to the players and teams in terms of changing the
playoff format. A couple of years ago, Sue Berd made
a lot of noise when Seattle was said in the
playoffs and it was the single game elimination, and then
they changed it to the best of three, like after
she was really vocal about it. And now we see
teams and players talking about this, and so I like
that we're seeing the change happen immediately, but it'll be
interesting to say the least. Nikaias, thank you so much
(16:31):
for joining us this week. And Casey missed it with
Christina Williams. It's been such a pleasure to chat with
you this week.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Thanks for having me a game and continue doing what
you're doing in the space, Christina.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
You two keep killing it all right. When we come back,
it's going to be the things that I loved this week.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
More from and Casey missed it with Christine Williams.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Will we returned, Welcome back to and Casey missed it
with Christina Williams, and I just want to thank my
(17:08):
guy Niicaius again for coming in to talk about all
things w playoffs and the latest news.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Around the league. Now it's time for my favorite segment.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
It's time for the things that I loved this week.
And I'm super excited about this because, one, I've had
so much fun this week. But the one thing that
I loved that I did this week was I hosted
a finals watch party in collaboration with The Flagrant magazine
and the sports Bras. Shout out to Jenny, And it
(17:39):
was so much fun. WNBA champion and Phoenix Mercury guard
Natasha Cloud came through. My guy Juju Gotti from the
Dan LeBatard Show was there.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
It was great vibes all around.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
We had good food, good eats, and of course I
got to interact with some of the fans and the
people who loved this show. And so that was such
a fun time because it meant so much to me
to just be there in person and get to meet
and talk to new people in the women's basketball community.
All Right, that's gonna do it for this episode of
(18:15):
In Case you missed It with Christina Williams.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Don't forget to rate, review and.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Subscribe to the podcast, and on the next episode we
have law J.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Johnson coming through. Peace Out.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
In case you missed it with Christina Williams is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. What's Up, everyone, Welcome back to another special
edition of In Case You Miss It with Christina Williams.
Here on the iHeartRadio app and the WNBA Finals are
(00:23):
underway and heading back to Minnesota where the series is
tied between the Liberty and the Links. At one apiece,
joining me to break it all down. His friend to
the show and co host of the Dunker Spot podcast,
Maikaias Duncan Macaias, Welcome back to the show.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Thanks for having me. I'm glad I didn't bomb my
first appearance. I could come back excited to talk to
hoop with you now.
Speaker 1 (00:45):
You always are invited on this show. You're like one
of my favorite basketball minds. All right, Nikaias Liberty Links
finals are tied the series one one? What have you
been seeing throughout this series that stands out to you?
Speaker 2 (00:58):
I have been seeing a whole lot of defense in
this series, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
These were the two best teams in the league. These
were two of the top four defenses in the league,
and because of the versatility that they have in the
front court, in particular John quel Abreonna Stewart with New York,
Lafisa Collier, and Atlanta Smith with Minnesota, they can execute
so many different coverages. And I think the series through
(01:19):
the first two games has really been how Sabrindi and
Escuo is going to respond to the coverages that she
seing and looking at the game too, how Courtney Wiams
is going to respond to the coverages that she's seen.
Like something that's popped for me. Through the first two games,
we saw a high volume of switching in that game
one against Sabrinia and Escue to something that she talked about,
something that Sandy Brundello talked about not want the offense
to get too stagnant. The emphasis on making quick decisions
(01:41):
and swinging the ball were necessary. And we saw a
much better job and a much better start from Sabrina
in Game two, twelve or fifteen points coming in that
first quarter, and she just looked much more decisive than
she did in that first game. And we look at
the other side of the floor with Courtney Williams making
big shots, making big plays, specifically towards the end of
that game one. The in game two it is Minnesota
(02:02):
saying actually, or New York saying, actually, this is flatting
us out. Will switch John Quell out on, you, will
blitz John Quyll Sometimes we're gonna switch Stewarie on, you
gonna mess with the matchups, and watching Courtney Williams kind
of cycle through that and figure out what New York's
trying to do became a fun little game within the game.
So I'm it's been a lot of fun defense so
far for me through too.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Listen, and how about Brandon Stewart in game two, it's
seven steals. I mean, Stueie is just putting a defensive
master class on display, as is Nafisa Collier, Who's the
defensive player of the year. Okay, so in your opinion,
who's been the best player throughout the first two games?
Speaker 2 (02:34):
You know, I was thinking about this earlier today because
I wanted to tweet out like a premature finals MVP,
like power ranking type fit, and I was like, you, actually,
I really don't know, Like I probably lean Brianna Stewart,
like she hasn't had much success going inside the York
so far. We'll see if some of those short jumpers fall,
but like the threes have mostly been there, particularly in
that game too. The defense has been outstanding, not just
(02:56):
in this series but throughout the entire season. Really, I
think she had a really rate the Defensive Player of
the Year case this year, like I think some of
like the on court ratings are slightly better. Again, it's
a two game sample, so how much does that really matter?
But you could argue Courtney Wims. You could arguing in
the Feasta Collier. I think we are in for some
fun and trying to figure out who the finals VP's
actually gonna be as the series goes on.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
Listen, I agree and New York.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
This is a must win game obviously for both teams
because the series is tied. I know that Leoni Thievich
has been playing phenomenally in this postseason. She hit that
three pointer and everyone had their hands like, what are
you doing? Ba's the ball with Stewie, She's open. But
who do you think has been the biggest X factor
for each team throughout the series.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
I guess if we're removing the obvious characters, it could
just be Benije Lady Hamilton. Honestly, like that just broke
out with the twenty point game. That was her first
double digit scoring game since I believe game one of
the Atlanta series. So naturally getting that scoring punch, but
the decision making for her is going to be important.
How quickly is she decided to shoot, how quickly is
he deciding to drive? What are those entry passes to
(04:00):
look like when she's trying to feed John Quill. But ultimately,
the defense has been really strong throughout this entire postseason run.
I think her early ball pressure on Courtney Winias in
particular has been impactful, making Minnesota work deep into the clock.
And so when she has a game like she did
in Game two, where she's hitting corner threes on top
of the defense and on top of the you know
everything else, she provides like, it's such a swing for
(04:21):
New York. So I guess I would go with Benija
right now.
Speaker 1 (04:23):
Yeah, And if you look at the series from last
year against the Aces, it was also Benija and Landy
Hamilton who was sort of that X factor.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Because people are so.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Help bent on what she can do defensively, they almost
forget that she's a bucket on offense as well, and
so just to see her just overcome a lot of
adversity with getting back into the swing of things post
injury and surgery this season.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
I think it's great to see.
Speaker 1 (04:45):
I think she needed that game, that twenty point game,
just for a confidence booster for herself going into Games
three and four Minnesota, they're gonna need to win on
the road if they want.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
To win this championship.
Speaker 1 (04:55):
Which player did you expect to see step up for
the rest of the series. I mean, we talked about
Jolane Hamilton, but on the Minnesota ink side, for me,
I think it's kill and McBride.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
I would like to see her, you know, be a
little bit more consistent. But what do you think, because.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
I also go to the Minnesota's side, I think Kayla
is shooting the leather off the ball right now, but
to your point, it hasn't been a consistent wave of
production for her, so you would love to see that.
If you're Minnesota, I probably go to Bridget Carlton. I
think because of the year that she's had and because
of the postseason run that she's had, the three point
shooting hasn't hit quite the same, but she is still
someone that can knock down big shots when they matter.
(05:29):
I think a little bit more from her offensively be helpful.
They have used her a little bit as an initiator
just to counter some of the full court pressure that
we seen from New York, so she's able to get
some of the pull up two's going, she's able to
knock down those crucial threes, and ultimately her defense both
on the perimeter and when she's been asked to switch
on to some of the bigger players for the Liberty, Like,
if that continues to hold up, like I think Minnesota
(05:50):
could be in good shape. But I do think as
the serious shifts back to Minnesota, they're going to need
a big Bridget game, give me an eighteen point out
and or something like that to really put an exclamation
point on the type of season that she's had.
Speaker 1 (06:01):
All Right, Nikias, before we stop talking about the playoffs,
you know, I gotta ask you, who do you have?
What is your playoff predictions for this series against the
Liberty Links, Who do you have poisoning up that trophy
at the end of the series.
Speaker 2 (06:14):
I had the Liberty in five ahead of the series.
We are now tied, Like, I haven't seen enough to
shift off of that, so I will stick with the
Liberty getting their first championship in franchise history. But I
do think this goes to distance. This has been a
fun series so far and I don't anticipate that changing all.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Right, Leakaias has Liberty in five. So Nikayas the Golden
State Valkyries announced this week their new head coach and
Natalie Nikowski from the Las Vegas Aces.
Speaker 3 (06:42):
So what do you think about this hire?
Speaker 2 (06:44):
In particular, it feels like a slam dunk to me,
like as someone that does W coverage, But I'm also
around the Aces quite a bit, both virtually and in
person when I can get out there. Like the players
lover Becky Hammond has a great deal of respect for her.
She obviously has experience underneath this a staff, she has
previous NBA experience and so like she already brings a
wealth of basketball notlice. She's a former player in her
(07:05):
day on top of that, so she just brings a
wealth of knowledge verse in terms of diverse backgrounds and
learning and coaching, her own playing background and the consistent
message that you hear from Becky from the player like,
she just has a way of building relationships. And I
think as we are in this era of not just basketball,
but in sports like I do think that human connection
is even more important as people have become more aware
(07:26):
on how you treat people, what the effects are in
terms of performance and things like that. So I believe
the basketball knowledge kind of speaks for herself. The basketball
experience speaks for herself, but the way she connects with people,
and like reading the messages that players will tweeting out
Chelsea Gray, Sidney Colson and others, you could kind of
see there's a genuine love there beyond the basketball respect.
So I believe you're to go to State Valkyries, you
(07:46):
want to make a snap dunk higher. This fits the outline.
Someone that's been there, that's done that, can connect with
people and has the actor type to build something from
the ground up.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Sad to see that ass coaching staff kind of break
up a little bit, but I'm excited to see how
Natalie prospers with the Golden State Valkyries, and also looking
ahead to the expansion draft that is happening in December. Obviously,
the Golden State Valkyries are going to you know, have
the one up on other teams in terms of you know,
(08:17):
forming their team ahead of the twenty twenty five draft,
when you look at you know, the hires in the
front office paired with you know, the players that may
become available.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Who can we look.
Speaker 1 (08:27):
To see with the Golden State Valkyries in twenty twenty five?
And are the rumors about Kelsey Plumb true?
Speaker 2 (08:33):
I understand the rumblings of Kelsey Plum, you are a
Golden State Valkyrie because she is a free agent, and
naturally Natalie Nicasse was just there. But with the Aces
having the core designation available, I would imagine that the
Aces just core Kelsey Plumb, even if it turns into
them eventually moving on, Like, it just makes more sense
to me, Hey, let's core and then let's work on
(08:53):
a trade destination if that's where it's gonna go, versus
Kelsey just being an unprotected player and the Valkyries have
and the ability selector. Like I, I guess, crazier things
have happened, but like, I just don't foresee something like
that happening Beyond that, I am just generally curious on
what the player pool is going to look like. I
think the rule is you can protect up to six.
You don't have to protect six players for each team,
(09:14):
and so I would imagine we're going to see some
interesting rookie scale players available, Like even if we stick
with the Aces, I would imagine they're going to keep
their core for again, I would guess that Kelsey Plum
gets the court designation and then from there, like does
Kate Martin become available? Does Kirsten Bell come available? Actually
didn't have much of a role because of injury, Like
I would be looking at players or on those lines
(09:36):
for someone that they may want to pick up. Beyond
that interesting thing, like I look at Atlanta like I
would be no reporting here, Like I would be surprised
if Shyanne Parker Tias is back in Atlanta next season.
So like, does that become like a primary free agency
pick up for the Goal Stay Valkyries or just an
expansion pick for them as they designate, like they're one
under straight to free agency selection in the draft, Like
(09:57):
that's probably where I go. And then going to Indiana,
I guess we would just keep an eye on what
the Melissa Smith situation is gonna be. I would guess
they protect her and if nothing else, if they do
decide to move on, it's going to be a trade
from there.
Speaker 3 (10:08):
Kensley Mitchell is also going to be a free agent too, so.
Speaker 2 (10:11):
This is true. I believe she I'll have to check
her who stats, but I believe she still has core eligibility.
So they made core Kelsey Mitchell as well. So like
Melissa Smith, will be a player that would keep an
eye on if she becomes available. That's someone that has
proven that they can score and grab boards and they
can be a financial, a foundational scoring piece for you.
(10:32):
And just curious what she would look like in a
different situation altogether if this was an up and down
season for her, But those would probably be the names
that come to mind first for me.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Sticking on the Aces, what do you think they need
next season in order to get better?
Speaker 2 (10:46):
I think, well, one just an off season to recharge
and fully heal. As you get the reporting on Chelsea Gray,
the Aces had their docu series on her and she
went into in detail what she was dealing with, what
she was coming back from. So I think one just
rest will help them quite a bit in terms of
the actual roster needs, like a little bit more versatility
(11:06):
in the front court is probably where I would want
to go. I think they have found money over the
past few years with being able to go smaller with
Asia at the five and Alicia Clark at the four.
Having Asia next to another big last year it was
lights out with Kia Stokes. This year not so much.
They wanted to stretch element with Meghan Goustason that was
hit or miss throughout the season. So if they can
find a big that pairs better with Asia, I think
(11:29):
that's probably where I go. I mean, entering last season,
they were hoping that was still going to be Campus Parker,
and right before training camp she announces the retirement, so
they still had their Roston ultimately still had a really
good season. But I think that's probably the one thing
that I look at. Can you find a big that,
even if they aren't a pure stretch five, someone would
size that you could utilize as a handoff hub or
just a passer so you can still space them out
(11:50):
and give Asia all that room inside yard to work with.
Just a better fitting five is probably where I would look.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Can I did you Natasha Howard? She's a three time
WNBA champion. She is a for her Instagram posts. After Dallas,
I'm looking forward to a new city and new team
next season.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
I must say one that might be the quickest goodbye
message I have from SO and on the w side,
she hey, I appreciate the fans and my teammates. I
can't wait to see what's what's gonna happen with my
new team. It's like, okay, fair enough, but her next
to Asia is interesting to me. I think naturally she's
sloped more in as a four than a five next
(12:31):
to Asia. But like I think, if you are going
to continue to ramp things up with Asia and pick
a roll in particular and have her at the level,
having someone like Natata Howard in a situation where the
defensive ecosystem and the expectation is higher, I think she
can get back to playing high level defense. We mostly
saw flashes of that last season. She had her own
entry stuff to deal with earlier in the year, but
I would just say it was an adventure watching the
(12:53):
Dallas Wings play defense this past season. So I would
imagine one year deal because I don't think anyone's taking
a multi year deal this offseason, but one year deal
in a championship situation, I think you could see a
rebounding effort and overall intensity from Natasha Howard. I think
I like that fit.
Speaker 1 (13:06):
Oh, okay, we'll keep our eyes out for it. Also,
if the WNBA announced that starting next season, there will
be a new playoff format and so you know, the
finals would go to a best of seven series and
then round one would go to that one one one
format where the home team will get home court. Then
you'll go on away game and go back home potentially.
(13:27):
What do you think about this new playoff format? And
do you think that the WNBA reinforced this change because
teams like the Indiana Fever didn't get a home game
in round one and was pretty much out.
Speaker 2 (13:39):
What are your thoughts on that in terms of the finals,
going to seven like that feels long overdue and it
makes sense if you're going to implement that change to
do so not in an Olympic year where the season
is already more spread out than you want it to be.
So I love that portion. As far as going to
one one one, that felt more like a we got
charters now and we can afford to do more travel
and so now we can do this. Because I understand
(14:01):
the noise about, hey, the league changed just because of
the Fever, and like I won't say it wasn't any
kind of accelerant on this, but this is something that
I've been complaining about for years or when they made
the change, I'm just like, just from a league perspective,
why would you have a playoff format to where a
team doesn't get playoff game? Yeah, like that, just as
(14:21):
you're trying to go to the league financially that that
didn't make much sense to me. Now, granted, you know,
we didn't get full blown charts into this year, sprinkled
in last year, so trying to get the travel together.
But I was very much unpopular opinion, but I was like, Okay,
well then just let the road team start at home
since they only getting one game, and then the higher
seed you just get too crackit to go. So that's
where I landed all that, and again I recognized I
(14:43):
was very much in the minority on that flot. But
now that you have the flights, it makes sense that
you go one to one one because I do believe
again both teams should just have a home game, if
for no other reason, then for a financial reason. Where
it gets interesting for me though, considering we don't have
like the Western Conference in the Eastern Conference when it
comes to the playoffs, is if we mess around and
get Seattle and the Liberty in round one, like we
(15:03):
just got aces Storm in round one for the four
or five what happens if the Liberty have like an
injury real season or something. They're the four seed, Seattle's
to five seed. Now you're going cross country in the
first round, Like, are you prepared to deal with that? Like?
I wonder what the safeguard is going to be. Do
we get an extra day between you know, games one
and game two to account for that travel? Yeah, there
has to be something in place to kind of counter
(15:25):
that potential thing.
Speaker 3 (15:26):
Yeah, I absolutely agree with that.
Speaker 1 (15:27):
Like, if there's two teams that are completely opposite sides
of the country and they have to travel, that could
definitely be hell for a team in terms of rest
and recovery and less of a fear playing field advantage
when you think about that one one one format. But
I love that the finals are going to the best
of seven series round.
Speaker 3 (15:45):
I do think it's.
Speaker 1 (15:46):
Fair to give you know, in a way team a
game in the playoffs as well, as you mentioned, as
the game continues to rise and grow, so I think
I like it could there be more for improvement. Maybe
this should have been implemented when the team moved to
seat team teams, and you could probably do the conferences,
as you said, but I'm looking forward to seeing this.
I mean, I feel like the league is very receptive
(16:08):
to the players and teams in terms of changing the
playoff format. A couple of years ago, Sue Berd made
a lot of noise when Seattle was said in the
playoffs and it was the single game elimination, and then
they changed it to the best of three, like after
she was really vocal about it. And now we see
teams and players talking about this, and so I like
that we're seeing the change happen immediately, but it'll be
interesting to say the least. Nikaias, thank you so much
(16:31):
for joining us this week. And Casey missed it with
Christina Williams. It's been such a pleasure to chat with
you this week.
Speaker 2 (16:36):
Thanks for having me a game and continue doing what
you're doing in the space, Christina.
Speaker 3 (16:40):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
You two keep killing it all right. When we come back,
it's going to be the things that I loved this week.
Speaker 3 (16:45):
More from and Casey missed it with Christine Williams.
Speaker 1 (16:47):
Will we returned, Welcome back to and Casey missed it
with Christina Williams, and I just want to thank my
(17:08):
guy Niicaius again for coming in to talk about all
things w playoffs and the latest news.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
Around the league. Now it's time for my favorite segment.
Speaker 1 (17:18):
It's time for the things that I loved this week.
And I'm super excited about this because, one, I've had
so much fun this week. But the one thing that
I loved that I did this week was I hosted
a finals watch party in collaboration with The Flagrant magazine
and the sports Bras. Shout out to Jenny, And it
(17:39):
was so much fun. WNBA champion and Phoenix Mercury guard
Natasha Cloud came through. My guy Juju Gotti from the
Dan LeBatard Show was there.
Speaker 3 (17:49):
It was great vibes all around.
Speaker 1 (17:52):
We had good food, good eats, and of course I
got to interact with some of the fans and the
people who loved this show. And so that was such
a fun time because it meant so much to me
to just be there in person and get to meet
and talk to new people in the women's basketball community.
All Right, that's gonna do it for this episode of
(18:15):
In Case you missed It with Christina Williams.
Speaker 3 (18:17):
Don't forget to rate, review and.
Speaker 1 (18:19):
Subscribe to the podcast, and on the next episode we
have law J.
Speaker 3 (18:24):
Johnson coming through. Peace Out.
Speaker 1 (18:29):
In case you missed it with Christina Williams is an
iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app,
Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Host
Khristina Williams
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