WNBA Semi-Finals Game One Recap with Crina Mustafa

After a raucous opening to the penultimate WNBA postseason series, Crina Mustafa of Her Hoop Stats joins Mark Schindler to break down the opening games from Sunday.

They also dive into Diana Taurasi's retirement, how lineups are changing, the importance of depth at the highest level, and much more!

You can listen to the pod on

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/theyve-got-now/id1652378572

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2eTVgaVudBvS9yox3XbgGX?si=16a02c3ea75942e8

You can watch the pod on https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSPW9eR1D5GWBw1lRpM8qTDSlliwbGp8J&si=rX7RfQZmuB6XAa3T

As always, a major thank you to James Edwards III for the intro and outro music! If you have not already, follow Mark on Twitter @MG_Schindler and be sure to rate and review the pod! Send any questions, comments, or feedback Mark's way, and enjoy the show.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:10):
Welcome into another episode that they've gotten. Now, this is
your host, Mark Schindler, as always, before we start today.
If you're not already, should you go rate and review
the pot wherever you listen, subscribe on the YouTube channel
and be sure to check out film Room series going
on YouTube. Just cut up with Jordan Hobbs from Michigan
and that was the most recent one uploaded on YouTube.
Really fantastic player, very cool person breaking down the game

(00:32):
as well to break down WNBA playoffs and the second
round series. I'm excited to be joined by one of
my favorite people to talk basketball and just anything with.
That's Kreeda Maestafa from over It. Who are Hoopstats? The
host of the Coast Coast podcast? Krina, How are you?

Speaker 2 (00:49):
I'm great. I'm excited to talk some basketball. It feels
like the series and the games are just getting better
and better, so that's just good for us.

Speaker 1 (00:57):
Yeah, no, especially getting our start kind of this like
initial feel of the semi finals. Both those games were
really fun for different reasons, kind of just getting to
watch how they played out. But I don't want to start.
I mean, like it's gonna be October starting tomorrow, which
feels kind of wild. It finally feels like fall. Now,
how are you? How are you feeling with basketball season

(01:18):
kind of rounding out and obviously I mean like college
is coming up, like right around the corner. Yeah, just
kind of now that the season is here after a
pretty winding one with the Olympic break and just the
way that pushes everything, How are you feeling?

Speaker 2 (01:32):
Yeah, I think this has probably been one of the
busiest basketball seasons that I've ever been a part of,
just like being a part of Canada basketball while also
like being very much in the w with like everything
her hoop stats. So it feels like my whole life
has just been basketball for the last like four or
five months. So like, yes, we're already at October, but

(01:52):
I'm also just like you know what, like this makes sense,
Like a lot has happened throughout this entire season, and
like even just thinking back to something as like little
as like Asia rocking that like silver Wig on media Day,
that feels like a year ago, and like somehow we're
already here. So yeah, it has been. It has been
a really busy several months.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
Yeah, No, exactly, Like mentioning media day that feels like
an eternity ago, not like four months, so very different.
I want to transition really quick. Actually, like looking at
the first round, we don't need to dive into the
series or anything, but do you have any lasting thoughts,
like something that is stuck out maybe across the board,

(02:33):
philosophically or just anything that really intrigued you from the
first round that kind of makes you think.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Yeah, I think especially when you see the teams that
made it to the semifinals, I think the biggest thing
that stuck out to me has been they've each been
sticking to their team's principles and what works for them.
And if you look at a team like New York,
they've been sticking to ball movement and making sure that
the offense is flowing at all times. So they've been successful. Vegas,
you know, leaning on Asia, leaning on that side. When

(03:01):
you look at the Sun doing their thing getting that
win against Minnesota, I think they all took these things
from the first round and just like sticking to what
they do best. I think that stuck out to me,
and that that's why they've been able to kind of
ride the momentum from that first round going into the semis. Yeah,
I think that stuck out to me the most.

Speaker 1 (03:18):
Yeah, No, I like that. I think it's cool because
part of what's so interesting about the W and just
in general, like with so few teams relative to like
thinking about the NBA, I think you just get so
much more variance and style of play. I'd argue there's
a lot more variance in style of play than people
give credit to in the NBA. But I think even

(03:40):
with the W, like you know, the stars you have
really emulate, but really I give you like kind of
a guideline of what you can do. And again, just
like with the Sheer difference in like how every roster
is built around that, I think you just get so
many different styles of play. And the thing that sticks

(04:02):
out to me most though, I think is benches and
like the versatility, and I think that's been something that's
really changed the last couple of seasons since I first
got into the W NBA because of you. I think,
you know, like not that there weren't deep benches on
other teams, but I just think like what you're bringing
off the bench and why has continued to evolve in

(04:23):
a way that is very just fitting with modern basketball
as a whole. And I think you know, I'm just
I mean, it played a huge part in the first round,
and I think it's interesting because when I look at
playoff stuff, I don't want to use it as like
a binary for everything and how I look at like
roster construction and team building and stuff. But I think
in general, when I look at it, I'm like, Okay,

(04:43):
what are the things that that are mattering the most,
What are the things that you really have to have
to make a deep, solidified run against the cement teams
in the league, And where are the ways that you
can keep improving and building upon it. To me, it
is it is the bench, and I think like you
look not to get like to far ahead of ourselves,
but I think you look at liberty aces. I think
the ACE is not having the level of depth that

(05:06):
some of the other teams do. Particularly the Liberty is
a little bit biting and something they're gonna have to
keep working through. It's been the story for them all year,
It's been a story for past years. But I think
you know, with just where things are at right now,
it plays a huge part. I think you look at
both both the links in the sun, like two teams
that made significant mid season moves. Both those players playing

(05:28):
significant minutes in the first round in the second round obviously,
I think, and Marina having a little bit of a
higher ceiling and what she brings in my issue just
because of minutes load. But like again, like there's optionality,
a lot of different ways to go. And yeah, we're
gonna talk more in depth about that, but that stood
out to me a lot. It's been really interesting to

(05:49):
watch and even like this is like a deep shot,
but like I love watching the Washington Mystics down the
stretch of the season and honestly this whole year because
I think, like you can learn just as much from
the teams that are, you know, trying to build something
compared to the ones that already have. And uh, like
I watch the Mystics playing like they played. They were

(06:10):
just about the best defense in the league over the
last month of the season, I think, second really close
to It was a big reason why they were so successful.
And it's interesting because they were playing a lot smaller
but just more speed, movement and versatility, like Emily Angstler
was kind of playing as they're five off the bench
playing the four at times two And it's fun because

(06:33):
like I mean, that's a player who got drafted and
was played as the three, as more of a three
to four. Right away, I would argue that was the
wrong decision. Respectfully, I think that if you watched Emily,
like she was very clearly somebody who was going to
be more of like okay, playing kind of a combo
big and transitioning from that. But like it just makes
me think of like how that position has continued to

(06:54):
change in evolve, like a player like my Shines Allen
playing small ball five for the Links, Like she's a
player who again has been in that kind of combo
forward spot, and like I think a lot of players
in the league, even like you talk about a player
like Atlanta Smith who like went from being a player
who really was struggling to stick as more of a
combo forward but has found her stride is playing four
or five more at the five, like you just keep

(07:16):
watching with the league is evolving and changing, And yeah,
I love watching that. That's it's so fascinating to being
fun to see.

Speaker 2 (07:25):
Yeah, And I think that even ties back to what
you were saying about, like because of the number of
the teams in the w and like just the variety
in skill sets too, Like each of these specific players
that you talk about have also kind of found their
roles with the teams that they've been able to stick
with in the specific and unique situations that they've been in.
Like talking about Emily Angster, I thought she was fantastic

(07:46):
for Washington down that stretch of the season, and obviously
they didn't make the playoffs, but you did see a
lot of good things. So I do like that that
takeaway from kind of the first round as well.

Speaker 1 (07:56):
Good I would hope, so, But yeah, I mean going
off that too, you know, speaking on the versatility of
the game and how it's changed. Obviously, Diana to Rossi
is more than likely officially retired from the game of basketball.
We got the very wildly out of nowhere going on
if this is it from Phoenix's social media, and you know,

(08:19):
obviously like a lot of cryptingness, which you know she
deserves to have that in her space. I can't imagine
like making that decision when basketball has been in your life.
But like I mean, so, Diana t Rossi has been
like a central figure in not just the w but
just basketball as a whole since like two thousand, I mean,
like burst on the scene at Yukon has been a

(08:42):
pivotal part in the W just pretty much obviously not inception,
but like since two thousand and four, two thousand and five,
Like what what kind of lasting memory do you have
of her? And how do you kind of see her
impact not just on the game as hole, but on
you and like the way that you know you've seen
things evolve and from there.

Speaker 2 (09:05):
Yeah, obviously there's like the funny aspect of Diana's farrassi
and her personality, whether it's breaking the door saying like
rookies are so annoying that you just want to fight
them when you get on the port. But I think
what I'm gonna remember is, so when I first started
coming to W four seasons ago, so those numbers are
kind of starting to add up, But the first two
teams that I started to cover were the Liberty and

(09:27):
the Mercury. Those are the teams that I was assigned
to back when I was working for Venus Sports. Shout
out Venus Sports RP. But so I went back and
of course, like I had watched the W kind of
more casually before I started covering it, so I had
a lot to catch up on. I had a lot
of history to read up on, and reading about Phoenix,
the Phoenix Mercury and reading about, you know, the championships

(09:49):
that they won together and like all the different players
that had been on the team for a while and
just kind of their history and their game and like
just like where they stand in WNBA history. I think
it was so cool to read that, and I think
DT was a big part of that. And I think
that like reading into her and like her journey and
the way that she kind of transformed the game of

(10:09):
basketball for herself. I think that just really like had
a lasting impact on me, and like we really do
need to respect the history that came before us, and
with more and more like legends retiring, whether that's like
you know, Super Berts, if you have Sylvia Fowls, obviously
Mayamore retiring super super early, I think like you appreciated
a little bit more and that's why, you know, that's

(10:31):
why we scream at each other about Agil Wilson and
like appreciating players who are in their prime who were
very clearly going to be one of the greats. So yeah,
I think I would say that's kind of the lasting
memory that DT's had on me. Is just like appreciating,
you know, her being a trailblazer in basketball history and
kind of what she stands for.

Speaker 1 (10:50):
Yeah, it's so interesting to look at too because obviously,
like you know, I was a kid in my We've
talked about before with my family wasn't like a big
sports family growing up, especially not in basketball. So it's
like a lot of me educating myself in basketball is
doing it myself and like going back and rewatching and learning.
And I think so much of what's been fun for
me and getting into the league is like how the

(11:11):
current stuff has gotten me put on to what happened
in the past and getting to learn about that because
I just I just love like trying to understand things
and add more context. And I think part of what
was fun is like I always knew Diana Trossi was
great growing up. I don't think. I mean, I think
Candas is the player for me that I always knew about,
would like wake up and hear about on Sports cent

(11:31):
in the morning if I wasn't getting to watch the games.
I knew what was going on in Kandas Parker's career,
but Diana was like the player were like, you know,
I just I always heard everybody like she's the goat,
She's the go and like I've seen highlights and stuff,
but you know, like you come in and you start
going back and watching stuff, it's like okay, wow, Like
I mean to me, the most formative aspect of watching

(11:54):
her was like I went back and I watched the
two thousand and seven Phoenix Mercury and the two thousand
nineth Phnix Mercury, like just both very very fun, very
good teams that won titles. But two thousand and seven
was like fascinating to watch because that team that Earro
is like DT is twenty five, like very much not

(12:15):
even in her prime yet. And I think the first
thing that stands out you go and watch her like
just breathtaking athlete like somebody who and I think it
gets lost because she's still like a very good mover
for somebody it was really even like past their thirties,
like a very good mover like and I think that's
the thing that stands out with her, Like having somebody

(12:37):
who's like legitimately like six foot six foot one that
can like move like that with or without the ball,
it's like rare to find, right, But then you watch
her like rtality and her ability to just do so
much like stopping on a dime coming up off the dribble,
Like I think it is lost because like obviously she
dealt with quite a few injuries towards the back end

(12:59):
of career that that sort of morphed her play, but
like she was an unreal finisher, Like that's what stood
out to me, Like I think you so much think
of Diana as like this sniper, this shooter, and like
really like I think of her as like just a
menace in transition and somebody who I mean, like looking
at this year that I have pulled up from two
thousand and seven, she shot fifty three percent on two pointers,

(13:21):
was like wildly efficient inside the arc. But also like
you go back and you watch this stuff to get
a better appreciation and understanding of where we're at now, right,
And I think, like that team is fascinating, Cause that's
Paul west Heead who was with the Lakers originally Royal
Merrimount had done a lot of great stuff with his
kind of running gun style, and he brings that to

(13:42):
the w And this is like the first time going
and watching for me. I've watched a lot all the
way back through ninety seven, Like this is like the
first time I was like, this is the team that
plays spread out a lot of like playing kind of
five out, tons of pace, tons of motion. That the
best offense in the league that year, they had the
fastest paced in the league. That you're one of the
fastest paces in league history. Still almost eighty four possessions

(14:05):
a game, which is like that's a lot when you're
considering a forty minute game. And watch them as just
like fascinating because again you go back and you watch
this stuff because of DT, and then it makes you
understand and realize these other things. Like I watched this
and I'm like, Okay, DT's amazing, definitely the best player
on this team. I can't remember if she won MVP.

Speaker 2 (14:24):
That you're not.

Speaker 1 (14:25):
But like then you get to see Penny Taylor, one
of the first really great like three and d Wings
obviously Diana's wife now and somebody who had a Hall
of Fame level career herself. You get to learn about
Cappy Pondster, who like I can't believe I never knew
about her, just an unreal player, like incredibly gifted. Hooper
and Slasher and somebody who could just create with the

(14:46):
ball in her hands, that played a very modern game,
and then like that you're their starting center is Tangela Smith,
who is six ' three, so a little bit smaller
at the five, but like a legit stretch big would
shoot two three is a game could block shots. Like again,
you just think so much about where the game is
at now. And I think part of what makes Diana
so fascinating to me is she is a player that

(15:08):
really embodied a lot of those modern traits and styles,
and I think some people conflated it to not being
efficient in this and that, Like no, it just opens
up totally different ways of playing. I think what I
try and embody is like there's no wrong way of
playing basketball or looking at basketball. It's just what do
you do from there when you see what it is? Right?
And it's just yeah, I love watching that because I mean,

(15:29):
this team was taking twenty four threes a game in
two thousand and seven, Like that would be abovely average
right now, Like that's that's a lot. And I think
the way that you get to threes and stuff is
different too, but like, I don't know, it just gives
you a different appreciation and understanding for the kind of
I don't like saying like the word pioneer, but just
like somebody who really brought a different style that I

(15:52):
think is going to be pretty lasting in the league.
And obviously there are multiple teams you can look at
throughout time that you know, embodied a lot of the
same traits and brought stuff like that. But I think
that's you know, I mean exactly like Diana Tarssi's careers
led me to having a ten to fifteen minute conversation
here about the two thousand and seven Mercury and all
the players and impact from that, and I think that's

(16:14):
kind of what it's all about.

Speaker 2 (16:16):
I wouldn't expect any less.

Speaker 1 (16:18):
Well, I appreciate that. Moving on, so let's start with
Liberty Aces. Obviously first game in the slate yesterday. Coming
out of this game, what is your resounding takeaway from
game one at Barclays What made me stood out to
you the most year?

Speaker 2 (16:34):
Well, my resounding takeaway is that the Liberty had a
very good team. I think they had just about as
good of a game as they could have had. But
I think like the biggest thing I saw was composure
from them, because the Aces did make a little bit
of a run. They did make it a little bit
scary sometimes, and I think last year's Liberty would have
folded under that. But I think the way that they
held their composure during the game, I think limiting the

(16:56):
other players around Asia. You look at Chelsea Ray Moore
points in one like they like Chelsea was basically just
like not a factor there, and I think that was
really important to the rest of the Aces kind of
kind of figured out together. Tip Hayes, another player who
exploded in the last series, only had two points against
the Liberty in this in game one. Kia Stokes also

(17:16):
they don't seem very afraid of her as well. So
I think all these different factors and just like limiting
those players around Asia as well as trying to limit
Asia as much as you can, because Asia is still
Asia and she plays a really really good basketball game.
I think that was the biggest takeaway for me. And
for sure, the Aces are going to punch back in
game two, which makes me a little bit nervous if

(17:38):
I'm the Liberty, But I think the fact that you
did have that composure in game one was a really
big positive for them.

Speaker 1 (17:44):
Yeah, I like what you mentioned in terms of having
it feel like it could have gone you know, the
other way, because it very much did. I don't remember
what the exact minute time was, but like in the
third quarter, I believe the Aces brought it within for
Sandy was getting pretty pissed, understandably on the sidelines because
they leaked like a fifteen point lead. But then I
think part of what was so interesting to watch and

(18:04):
something I want to hit on kind of in the
same vein of DT a little bit, like I don't know,
I just have such an appreciation for what Courtney Vandersluter
is doing right now because as much as like people
are projecting like, oh, you know, Sluda is like the
constant teammate for coming off the bench, like dude, she
does not want to come off the bench like and
I don't mean that to like stir shit up, like

(18:25):
she very clearly has said, like you know, I'm gonna
do whatever it takes my team, but yeah, I don't
like this, Like I don't I don't want to come
off the bench. But and saying doing it gracefully is
the wrong way to put it. But it's just like
she has found that mold in a way that is
really hard. Like I just anytime you talk to players
and just you know, being having played myself, Like you know,

(18:46):
so much of being an athlete is finding consistency, finding
a rhythm when you've done something for fifteen years and
it's like, well, you're coming off the bench now, because
that's what we need. I think that can go a
couple of different ways. And part of what was so
awesome in watching that game is I believe Slots still
finished with like a negative plus minus, which I don't

(19:07):
think really means all that much, but like point being
like she was so crucial in stopping that that run
from continuing to go on. And I honestly I think
if the Aces take the lead there, I think they
maybe end up winning the game. Like no dubt, but
like having that moment, especially like I don't try and
lean too much into like some of the narrative stuff,

(19:28):
but like I think there's a real element of if
we lose that lead at home in our first game
of this series against who we lost you in the finals,
the place we lost them in the finals, how do
you kind of come back from that? Like that's really
hard to overcome mentally, Like I think that there was
an aspect of that at times last year for the
Liberty with the Aces, like it just kind of felt

(19:49):
at times like, ah, man, like you were playing against themselves.
You're playing against the Aces and playing against yourselves and
your own expectations. And I think like to watch them
whether that storm yesterday from Courtney Vanderslup was really impressive
to me because like it's just again, I just have
such an appreciation for somebody being able to find and
slide into that role. I mean, she made some really

(20:10):
great plays defensively, was very good just kind of slowing
things down when they needed to, but also picking up
the speed when they needed to. Just yeah, I really
enjoyed watching that, that little tidbit.

Speaker 2 (20:19):
From the game. Yeah, And I think that kind of
adds into the whole point of like last year's Liberty
versus this year's Liberty. I just feel like, and like
we talked about the word versatility, I feel like they
have unlocked like a whole different level of that this year.
And I know we're going to talk about Stewie and Sab,
but I think they have also been like a key
part of that and a key part of why Slut

(20:40):
moving to the bench has worked because sab is so
much better at running that offense more so, I just think, yeah,
I just think all these key pieces have come together
at the right time and like for different reasons.

Speaker 1 (20:53):
No. Absolutely, Yeah, I mean, like you mentioned too, let's
talk about just that starting lineup. I think you look
at what this Celeberty team can do, and obviously so
much of it works because of Sabrina getting to the
level she's at now. I think that goes underrated. Like
there were times last year where it was like, we
have a lot of players who can do things, but

(21:14):
how do we mess it all together? And I think
savating to the level that she has and just being
so much more comfortable with the ball in her hands
is unlocked a lot of.

Speaker 2 (21:23):
That because the Coast to Coast during the game, Like.

Speaker 1 (21:30):
Yeah, I know I listen to and subscribe to Coast
to the Coast, but I mean exactly.

Speaker 2 (21:36):
Like she wasn't doing that last year, Like there's no
way she would have done that last year.

Speaker 1 (21:40):
Yeah, No, I mean you think about I just I'll
never forget the first year of me covering the league
when uh, sab comes to bring up the ball in
that first game against Chicago and just gets blitzed to hell.
And that was one of the grossest games that I
think you and I have ever watched together. Like remember
that they lost by like thirty in that game, and

(22:03):
that was like they had that one, they had the
one against the Sun where they set the franchise turnover
record like and I'm not meaning this to be like,
I just think, like it's it's so wild watching the
way things developed because it's not linear, Like you know,
so much of SAVAS development hasn't been linear to get
to this point, which is again, it's just like a
fascinating testament to like the way player development works. But sorry,

(22:26):
I got sidetracked, but like just thinking about that that
that team as a whole, but nyjer shot is still
not there, which I think has stood out, and I
think that's something especially to be, you know, the team
that ends up winning the finals. Like I think they're
gonna need her to get right. But I thought her
command of everything and her defense was like just lockdown yesterday.
Like to me, the ultimate play was this team is

(22:49):
part of what's so hard into having five players on
the court who can all create is like, okay, yes,
you can all create, but how do you create together,
and I think they've really they just hit that blend
so well yesterday. Like you have a drive early on
a pick and roll with Benija and JJ on an
empty side on the on the far side of the court,

(23:10):
and uh, you know, JJ rolls, uh sets a seal
screen and Benija, instead of trying to force something, nashes around.
The basket comes back around front. Asia has to switch
out otherwise Benija's wide open, and then Benija's like lost
this perfect pass overhead to JJ easy points and like,
to me, that is like so telling of the difference

(23:32):
in the sub Retina. It's not that they didn't do
that last year, but I think when you talk about
the moment, when you talk about them doing that consistently
for an entire game, that stood out a lot. And
I think Benija really set the tone for this team yesterday,
which in some ways is like very poetic when you
consider like what she first, you know, how she first
got brought in here, and how the team is kind
of coalesced around that. But yeah, their ability to just

(23:55):
move the ball and keep attacking where they had advantages
was really stand out.

Speaker 2 (24:02):
Yeah, you and I were texting during the game, and
I kind of joked that, but as you needs to
do everything except shoot in the game, and like, really,
like that's what it was, right because as we talked
about her shots not fully there, she did drop a
really a cool jumper that I think was more comfortable
to what she is normally used to. So maybe that
will help her kind of get some of that shooting
consistency back. But like until then, really it is all

(24:25):
the other things that she does that I think is
going to help make this Liberty team have solid and
consistent possessions because and I was kind of telling you
this yesterday too, is like she'll do all these great things,
whether it's like on the defensive side of the floor
or in more of that playmaking creating position, and then
she'll be open and be the only option for a shot,
and then that kind of cancels everything out. So I think,

(24:46):
like them, the Liberty finding that balance of like, Okay,
who are we putting in a good position to get
a bucket right now versus like how are we making
that happen? I think that's the recipe for success for them,
And it's been nice to see her kind of slot.

Speaker 1 (25:00):
Yeah, and it's interesting too, because like she only played
twenty one minutes history, which I think makes sense, like
you're still you know, kind of getting her to getting right.
You can tell her, I mean, she's just not fully
there yet.

Speaker 2 (25:11):
His stale no surgery is no joke, Yeah.

Speaker 1 (25:14):
No exactly. But then I think you look at, you know,
how everybody else slots in, Like Kennedy Burke played a
really impactful seven minutes off the bench yesterday, brought some
really good stuff defensively, had a good finish, nice passing.
You continue to get solid minutes from the erosby like
even just getting like two thousand from her is huge
because you get John Cuall doesn't have to play thirty

(25:34):
seven minutes. You know, Kalo Thornton did her thing yesterday
obviously mentioned salute already. I think you just like look
at this bench and how they're able to keep coming together.
And that's without even mentioning Leo being in the starting lineup.
Leo is like, again, her box score is nothing crazy yestory.
But I think when you talk about a player who
keeps bringing that that movement, that freneticism, doing everything with

(25:55):
like the right verve on the ball and continuing to
move while also bringing she does defensively, Like that was
the other thing because like, obviously the whole team I think,
but Leo and Benija just like brings something different together
win an attack. Where last year it was like, okay,
Benija has to take every tough defensive assignment right, and
now it's like, okay, well we have this player who's

(26:18):
six foot four that can like slither around screens, has
a really quick feet, and is a player that I
think should have made all defense. I don't care what
her minutes fload was, there wasn't. I think she was
one of the ten best defenders in the league this year,
particularly when you look at all the perimeter players, I
think she was up there. But like, I think that's
what stands out. So much of what the Liberty did yesterday,

(26:38):
in my opinion, was like and to point to like
ways that there can be adjustment to. I don't think
the Aces did a great job of countering. And similarly,
I mean like kind of I mean, the Liberty were
so good at moving the ball and bodies. I don't
think the Laces did a great job with that yesterday.
Part of that is the Liberty's defense, but also I
think that's just an adjustment they need to make I

(26:59):
didn't lit into the post game pressure. I'm sure Becky
said something about that, so that'll be an adjustment. But
like that's the point when you have, you know, four
players on the court who are off six to one
and taller, and then you have three players six to
four taller with crazy wingspan. Like you could just watch yesterday,
like especially as the Aces went to their smaller lineup

(27:19):
with Ac at the four, like they're just so much smaller,
and like, duh, it was similar last year, but you
just feel it so much more this year because of
the way that this team is able to keep moving
the ball and finding the right stuff. And that was
again like I just think, I mean, you see it.
Chelsea had a really rough game yesterday because of how

(27:41):
many bodies shooting, because of like there was just no
open window for her, and I think the Liberty did
a really great job would just make it tough on her,
and they were kind of not okay with KP making shots.
But if they wanted somebody to be making shots, was like,
all right, well, we'll let Kelsey beat us off the
second side or attack us off the second side, and
we'll try and contain it. And I think that's a

(28:01):
much steadier recipe to try and win against the Saces
team than you know, trying to you know, just you know.
Then then Chelsea Grey getting in the middle of the
floor and making things happen. But they did such a
good job of making her uncomfortable.

Speaker 2 (28:14):
Yeah, And that goes back to like their sticking to
their team's principles because Vegas very much wants to move
the ball too, with like Chelsea kind of leading that.
So I think putting us stop to that was very,
very good for the Liberty to get that first win.

Speaker 1 (28:28):
No. Absolutely, Looking at the Aces perspective as well, I
think it's going to be fascinating to see what happens.
I want to see them, you know, try and dip
into more stuff get Yeah, I didn't feel like they
were quite creative enough offensively at times yesterday, which again
I think part of it's tough because like you get
in a hole early and it's just ooof you know.

(28:50):
But I where are you at with Kia starting? Because
I just like I think, on one hand, I think
you kind of need you like, you need her to
be the backup five so that Asia doesn't have to
play every second in the game sometimes, like with how
big Delberty play, like you you kind of need to
have that extra body. But also I just don't think
they can afford to get into deficits to start games,

(29:12):
like they have to be honest, Like being down seven
doesn't seem anything crazy, but like it's the starting lineup.
Losing as many points as they do to open up
a game is really difficult, and I think it does
stand out. I mean, what would you maybe like to
see with that, or how would you kind of prioritize
going about it?

Speaker 2 (29:33):
Right? It's hard because it feels like New York's, you know,
bigger lineup is a little bit better than when you
do have Kia in the mix there, and it feels
like they aren't really afraid of her. And I think
that's kind of the issue here because it's not like
she's a threat on the offensive side, Like she's barely
even attempted any shots. I don't even know how she
attempted a shot so far in the playoffs, it really

(29:55):
doesn't feel like much. And so I think on that
end of the floor it she does seem a little
bit of a non factor. And it is hard because
like it is hard when your other players are kind
of struggling on the offensive side, because that is what
you need, Like that's what you brought Tim Hayzen for
to get to be kind of that extra scoring load
as well. And so I don't know, I think it's

(30:16):
tough Becky. You know, Becky can figure it out, though
she's a good coach. I think you do gotta, you do,
gotta find a way to counter that. But it is
a bit of an interesting situation because like New York
is a little bit stronger there. But then also when
you look at the guards, New York's kind of winning
that side too, So it's like, Okay, where does she

(30:36):
actually fit in here? And what can how can you
insert Kia in a way that like disrupts what the
Liberty are doing? Like how can you find a way
where like whether it's like getting up on the boards
or like finding a way to disrupt the flow of
their offense where like I just don't see that happening
right now. So it is a little bit tougher.

Speaker 1 (30:54):
Yeah, I think what I look at too, it's not
even like scoring for her. I'm just like she needs
like you cannot play thirteen minutes and only get one
rebound like respectfully, like, I think that's really difficult. Like,
if you're gonna be on the court, you have to
find ducans, you have to find ways to keep moving
go screen like And again part of that too, it's
not just her like, that's teammates that's setting up the

(31:14):
secondary actions and being creative in that. But like, I mean,
there was a lot of talk about thousand stuff. I
just don't think that the ace is played with force,
to be honest, and I don't think they had a
lot of great areas to assert themselves because of how
well the Liberty played defense. But also I think that's
part of it, Like you need Keya to be a
player who ducks in and okay, maybe she gets two

(31:34):
or three offensive rebounds and that opens things up and
then maybe you're able to create something from there. Because
with how efficient the Liberty were on defense, there wasn't
a ton of transition opportunity to kind of put them
on their back heel and you know, go against the
non set defense. And yeah, that makes it difficult. The
last thing I want to talk about with this game,

(31:55):
well two things. Number one, I think continuing to get
more out of that creativities to be so big and
getting Asia going still because she had sixteen shot attempts
yesterday and I don't think a single one was uncontested.
Felt like she saw two or three bodies every time
she touched the ball, particularly in the post. But I
think again, like that's continuing to get more out of
what you have off the ball. But then the sab

(32:19):
Stewie two player game, to me is what like really
won this game for the Liberty, particularly Sabrina as a
screener for Stewie, Like that was money. I mean they were.
Do you have any idea how many Liberty players scored
in fourth for you? How many you're supposed.

Speaker 2 (32:39):
To guess, I'm not a good guesser.

Speaker 1 (32:41):
Do you tell me the answer is three? Kenny Kennedy Burke,
Kennedy Burke the traumatic cause, yeah, Kennedy Burke had one basket,
and then Sabrina and Stewie combined for fourteen points, which
is I think you look at that. Granted it was

(33:01):
like a kind of kg fourth quarter sixteen to fifteen.
Liberty took that one over the aces, but like again,
like the bread and butter was, Okay, We're getting Stewie
going downhill off these actions in early offense between her
and Sab and so much of Stewie like getting her impact,
I think, like being able to just attack off the
catch and get downhill and get to the middle of

(33:23):
the floor. I mean, she was just on a mission yesterday.
She was incredible. And I think her and tandem with
with Sab, like the two of them together was like,
it's just a very different field than last year and
what they can do. And yeah, I'm gonna be fascinating
to watch how the Aces continue to try and take
take take that out because again, like when they play small,

(33:43):
Ac was Stewie's primary defender yesterday, and I think part
of what's tough, like I saw people like, oh, maybe
Asia should just defense to him, Like okay, so who's
defending John Quell Jones. Like Alicia Clark's a very good defender,
but like I think asking her to guard of five
is a lot and John pol Jones with that six
six like can play really strong. Like that's asking a lot.

(34:06):
And I thought Alicia Clark did some some good things
against Stewie, but at the point, at the same point too,
is like just with how these actions were hitting, it's
really tough, Like Okay, cool. If Stewie's screening for Sab
and she slips because you're, you know, kind of prepping
on the screen and you don't want to give Sab
a wide open three, which understandable, then Stewie's gonna be

(34:28):
taking a ten footer, which she shoots like fifty percent on. Like,
it just felt like they had such a good cohesion
yesterday and the Aces were not able to really dictate
with their defense and take them out of anything.

Speaker 2 (34:41):
Ac also got into foul trouble, i'd say pretty quickly,
like already racked up like four fouls through I can
forget how many quarters. But I feel like that also
plays such a big factor into like how you do
defend the other teams, because like it turns into such
a hesitant game and then it just gets like too
hard to stop something that is flowing on on the
other side.

Speaker 1 (35:01):
No, that's such a great point, but I think that
closes out on this game. Did you have anything else
to sit out to you?

Speaker 2 (35:10):
Honestly, just the fact that like the Aces were able
to make a little bit of a comeback during that
game with not everything working the way that they wanted to. So,
like I anticipate Game two to be even closer than
Game one was, and like, I think it could go
either way. So that's what I'm going to be watching.

Speaker 1 (35:29):
Yeah, no, I agree, I'm excited for it. Well. Transitioning
to our second series with link Son, this entire series
has been just like one of my favorite back and
forth to watching basketball as a whole, and I think
this series just continues to give us some great basketball.

(35:50):
I mean, we got last week, or I guess the
week before gave us one of the best basketball games
I've ever watched. Yesterday was like right up there again too.
I mean, we have a lake clock execution, we have
down to the wire, not a ton of stoppages. This
was just really fun basketball. Like when again, similar to

(36:10):
the first game, when you come out of this game,
what's maybe your primary takeaway.

Speaker 2 (36:15):
Yeah, I mean, just how back and forth it was,
because it feels like we think about constant of the
sun and the Lynx and what that kind of brings,
and I think that brought like a really exciting back
and forth where it's like they'll make the same amount
of shots, they'll miss the same amount of shots because
they have two of the top defenses in the league
going at each other. They have their players who do

(36:37):
specific things for each side, and I think that just
is what makes it so exciting and what made it
so close. And I think something that really stuck out
to me was like the late game execution from the
Sun to kind of close this one out, because I
feel like that's what it's going to come down to
in this series. It literally is going to be back
and forth for I think it might even go five games,

(36:57):
who knows, But what's going to matter is how each
team executes in those final thirty seconds, because it really
really feels like that is what it's going to come
down to. And I think the Sun did a phenomenal
job in Game one to kind of close that out
and disrupt what Minnesota wanted to do.

Speaker 1 (37:13):
Yeah, I mean even just looking at the late came
execution standpoint. So it was interesting because Sun had lead
at halftime. I think they were up four at halftime,
and Minnesota just like hit the gas in the third
quarter twenty four points outscored to Sun by nine in
this quarter, and then the Sun just like clamped up

(37:37):
in the fourth grand. I think Minnesota missed some shots
and their offense just wasn't there, but to me, this
was so much more Like Connecticut's defense was just phenomenal
in that fourth quarter I think, I mean pitched a
no hitter as far as I'm concerned in that one.
And I think part of what's just so fun and
watching this, like you mentioned two of the best defenses.
That's the top two defenses, Like Connecticut finished number one,

(37:58):
Minnesota number two, and just like the way that they
both played defense is so fascinating. Like I talked about
this with Djna on that film room I did a
week or two ago, and it's like this team is
just so different than they were two years ago. Like
two years ago you have at spending time playing the
three you know with with Bree Jones and JJ both

(38:18):
on the court, and like they were so good because
mobile size, like a lot of just ability to change
course with the way that they played defense. But now
it's the same but in different ways. Like Okay, so
much of it is like they're just so fast, like
they I mean the majority of the second half they

(38:40):
are playing a lineup with Veronica Burton. At point, Veronica
played sixteen minutes in the second half out of twenty possible,
which is like, Wow, Djna and Marina both played full
twenty in the second half. Djna played it was the
only player in the second round the playoffs so far
that's played a full forty minute game, and I think

(39:02):
that stands out so much. Like Bridget Carlton came out
of the gates just killing it yesterday. I think she
had three baskets in the first like three or four
minutes of that game, had ten points early and then yeah,
I mean, which is what.

Speaker 2 (39:16):
Makes me sad about the final possession. But we'll talk about.

Speaker 1 (39:19):
It, of course, of course. But like, but I think
that speaks to this defense, like they're so good at
shutting down off ball actions, playing with quickness and being
able to just kind of beat people to their spots
and be so fast and close things down in a
way that's like extremely difficult to play against, even for
a team that is as offensively potent as as Minnesota,

(39:42):
like you look at Kle McBride had a solid game still,
but like really could not get anything clean behind the arc.
So it was a ton of Connecticut running or off
saying we want you to take a tough two. And
I thought they did a really good job at that
I'm interested to see how Minnesota kind of counters. But
even then, like you talk about Minnesota in the way
that they play defense, like it's a ton of being

(40:05):
able to switch and then scram stuff out. Their communication
just rocks. They do so much good stuff together. And
then and then they have Alanta Smith at the back line,
who Atlanta Smith was awesome yesterday on the defensive end.
Like I think you can points in this shots being difficult,
but I don't think they're in that game without what
she brought on the defensive end. Just like totally wall

(40:27):
Off had three blocks alone in the second half, Like
just was tremendous on the defensive side of this game.
But again, it's two teams that just have very different
ways of playing defense, but also both are like they're
trying to take away space. Like the Sun are the
best team at attacking the paint in basketball this year.

(40:47):
They're there. They corral offensive rebounds at a high rate,
they drive, everybody drives, and it's forceful getting in to
the basket. They I think they took the most attempts
at the rim out of any team in the league
this season, which shows like Minnesota by the end of
the game they are like so packed in, trying to
condense everything, trying to make it difficult, and so I

(41:10):
not have to play in a phone booth a little bit.
But then you know, Minnesota like they're spreading everything out.
They're like late in the game that fourth quarter when
they started to really put in a like I guess
late third when they're really putting in a run. It's
like they're trying to run all this stuff on the
sidelines with Fee to get her going downhill and it
found traction early. But then the son are like, Okay,

(41:32):
we have everybody spread out. But then like the Veronica
Burdon I think changed that game with the rotation she
made coming off the far side slot, dropping down to
pick up and get the charge on Fee coming down
off that baseline drive was like one of the biggest
plays of the game. And again it speaks the way
this team plays like fast speed, so much covering up

(41:53):
on the backside in a way that's just really difficult
to contend with. So I've just been loving the way
that both these teams are playing defense.

Speaker 2 (42:03):
Yeah, for sure, and that really is what it's going
to come down to. I feel like every single night
that they play so yeah, I was like really bummed.
I thought we were going to get another Bridget dagger
to kind of tie that game. But I think, like
what I do wish because what stuck out to me
at least like about the final possession of that game
where the Sun were up seventy three to seventy and

(42:26):
they needed Minnesota needed a three, and like b and
Bridget are on opposite sides of the court for that
entire possession. And I think, like, even when you look
back to that, to the dagger that Bridget hit just
over a week ago that won them the game, you
know who passed it to her heeded, So like I
need them to be on the same side of the
court because those are two options that you have for

(42:48):
that Lake game execution that are probably your best shot
if you are Minnesota. If he can't make something happen,
she'll pass it to BC, and BC will try. If
BC can't make something happen, she'll pass it to Fee
and let Fee go to work. And I think, like
Connecticut just did such a good job of like making
sure that was not going to happen, and therefore, you know,
they did not get a great shot at all in

(43:08):
time to tie that up. So I think that's what
stuck out to me the most, and like that maybe
another adjustment moving forward from Minnesota if they do want
to try to close this out. But yeah, that's what
I that's what I was kind of salty about there
in the last stuff in the last possession of the game.

Speaker 1 (43:23):
Understandable. It's interesting too because even in that I like,
I need to go back and rewatch that possession, but
it felt like maybe they were trying to just use
her as a decoy a little bit because she didn't
have it going late in the game. But even then,
like I just thought Connecticut did such a good job
playing tendencies, like they did no replay fee. They said, okay, cool,
if you want to drive it, we know you guys

(43:44):
need a three, so we're just good luck, like go
find one. And literally I think I mean that that
was the game changer. He actually came execution because you
look at the fifty second market again, I think this
goes back to just defense and uh modernization as a whole,
like so much of this team is a time as
was here at soe over on the Ringer Pot earlier today,
Like so much of what these teams are doing is

(44:06):
like about playing more modern, and I think, like I
understand that everybody's going to come back to defense with this,
because the defense matters and it's fantastic, But like it's
the offenses that just like really make me think, because
this Connecticut team like very similar to kind of what
the Sacramento Kings started doing a couple of years ago.
It's like it's all high post reads and motion and

(44:27):
playing through at with inverted offense, and it's difficult, and
I think part of what was fun because this goes
into two parts, Like you look at the Fever series
and I think there was a ton of let's lay
off of AT and just try and cover up what's
in the paint and at found I thought that to me,
the Fever series was probably the best blend she's ever
had consistently, or at least of a two game back

(44:50):
to back of blending her scoring and play making together,
because I think my one of my only gripes with
her as a player is that she can sometimes pass
up and open look and part of that like too,
like she's not a player with a like a typical
jump shot, right, so like she has that push shot
and It's fascinating because I went through yesterday and I
tracked all of her push shots in the postseason, and

(45:13):
she did not shoot well on push shots in the
series against Indiana, but the fact that she was taking
them was so crucial. And I think it's one of
the things that people will always get caught up on
is looking at efficiency. And I understand the importance of efficiency, right,
like you have to be efficient, you have to be
efficient to win games. But I also think too, like

(45:34):
being willing to take the inefficient shots quickly without thinking
and making the defense think is so important because you
look at that second game against the Fever, which was
incredibly close the entire way, especially late in that game.
I think at took seven push shots in the second
game against Indiana. If I had it, Chargo correctly missed

(45:55):
a lot of the early ones, but then hits like
three or four in the last I think six or
seven minutes of that game, and it opens up like
a complete line drive towards the end. And again like
it's not always perfect, it's not always one. For one,
I think it's also just really hard to always play
the tendency's like when a player hits that shot like
a Wonkee twelve to fourteen foot floater enough times in

(46:19):
front of you, it's really difficult to not contest. And
also playing in the playoffs, it goes out the window
when somebody hits that. And to an extent too, you
had at hits another one late in the game yesterday.
That was really big for Connecticut getting back and getting
towards the lead. But then you look at that too.
So the way that Connecticut is, I mean that Minnesota

(46:40):
is playing off of her, They had Atlanta playing on
her off of that that ato With fifty seconds left,
Steph calls the timeout and some come out. Alyssa has
a ball in the high post technically in the slot
on the far side of the court in the links zone,

(47:00):
and they bring Veronica Burton kind of like uh is
cutting behind Alana Smith. But the fun part with that,
I tracked this after the game. I put this clip
on Twitter, so small thing that like just kind of
went I won't even say unnoticed, but like it didn't
really have an impact throughout early in the game. But
like one of the things that they've done since they

(47:21):
added Veronica Burton earlier on the year off Waivers is
like because v isn't technically a shooting threat. They'll use
her for like rub screens and like really quick snub
picking rolls for At, like just to if you put
anything in the defense, it just makes it cleaner for
At to get downhill right. Minnesota did a really great
job blowing up all those yesterday, like got absolutely nothing

(47:43):
off of it, did a great job of condensing everything
down making it tough. But just because they ran that
like seven or eight times in the game, Alana Smith,
out of the corner of her eye sees Veronica Burton
coming in, thinks there's a screen, repositions her feet for
the oncoming screen, mean that ends up not being a
screen at all, and At gets a line drive right

(48:04):
to the basket. And again, like I think, in a
series where so much is defined by like being able
to to to just cause some kind of defensive breakdown
because both teams are so good defensively, like just that consistent,
constant execution just stands out so much. And that was
really fun to watch because like just seeing that moment

(48:24):
like ah, wow, like you know, you don't have anything
working the whole game. I don't know if that was
the call I think to me, it was just to
read that a teammate off of what wasn't really supposed
to be a screen. It was just, I don't know,
that was really fun. I loved watching that.

Speaker 2 (48:39):
That's what the playoffs are all about. It's about fun
and know and not being able to predict what's gonna
happen when it when it most matters.

Speaker 1 (48:47):
Yeah, no, and exactly, I mean, because like that's the
whole point with AT's push shot, Like I think it's
just like an interesting conundrum you get as a player,
and just in general, At was like, I mean, she
was incredibly good yesterday, eight to twelve from the field.
She hit quite a few push shots and was just
really efficient, continue to do all the right things, didn't

(49:08):
turn over the ball at a high level I was.
I mean, I've been so impressed with her in the playoffs.
Let me pull up her numbers for the playoffs as
a whole real quick, because they're just kind of nasty. Like, yeah,
playing thirty nine minutes per game right now, averaging sixteen points,
eight point three rebounds and eleven point seven assists, well,
only turning over the ball one point seven times per game,

(49:31):
Like that's ridiculous. Shooting thick two point three percent from
the floor. Like this, here's the other fun fact, So
this is other than last year's. Last year she took
fifteen point seven field goal attempts per game in the playoffs,
which was a career high. She's at fourteen point seven,
which is second career high. So like it's again, it's
continuing to find that wind of efficiency and ease of

(49:53):
making things happen. She really hasn't even be getting to
the free throw line at all. The sneaky part, like
everybody was like, oh, the Sun really didn't shoot that
will last. I'm like, the Sun got to the free
throw line three times and they led the league in
free throw attempts this season and free throw rate and
getting there and I think part of that was the
Links again playing really good defense. But also I think
that's something might change moving forward, So that'll be interesting
to watch. And even with that, like I'm sorry, I

(50:17):
have so many thoughts, Like with that closing lineup, it
was just fascinating because like they closed pretty much the
entire second half other than a small stretch when Bree
Jones Jones came back on court, like they played Veronica Burton,
Wana Bonner Mariena Maybury, OLiS Thomas and dj A Carrington
and that was their five. What did you think of
that and the way that they closed that game.

Speaker 2 (50:40):
I think it speaks to that depth piece that we've
been talking about in the versatility because they go smaller
and it worked.

Speaker 1 (50:47):
You talk.

Speaker 2 (50:47):
It's an interesting also discussion when you look at kind
of Bree Jones live in Nelson Adota and kind of
where they have slotted in for Connecticut. But I literally
thought that in like game one of the Playoffs, so
like against the Fever, Veronica Burton gave really solid minutes
and that was something that kind of stuck with me
in my mind, and so like to see this kind
of progress to her being more of that you know,

(51:09):
late late game execution lineup, I think that speaks to
a lot to what Connecticut is able to do and
like how they're able to muck things up, and like
it really helps when you do have also someone like
Marina who just continues to be one of the most
exciting players of the Playoffs in my opinion so far,
Like she'd probably be in my top three of top
performers so far. I think she had twenty in this game,

(51:31):
and like literally just continues to be a piece where
like you can go as small as you need to
because you know that she's going to be there and
be that another player that you can rely on. So
I think they've done a good well of like figuring
out those lineups and figuring out what works, and we
like it's clearly been working. So yeah, I think that's
what's been exciting to me.

Speaker 1 (51:52):
Yeah. I mean the tough part too with Marina is
like I think again, I watched that game yesterday, and
I think the best part about Marine is what it
does for Duana because like Dowana just did not have
it yesterday for most of the game on offense, finished
four to seventeen from the field, but when it counted
most in the fourth quarter, she had two big buckets late.

(52:14):
It's that three pointer that was absolutely massive. Has another
drive to the interior. It was either a driver or
driving to a poll up. I can't remember my head,
but what goes underrated, Like her defense was awesome yesterday.
She played on Courtney Williams a bunch. I love the
way that they keep mixing and matching who their defenders are.
That's part of what's been fun because like having this speedy,
versatile group, Like they can just continue to do stuff

(52:38):
like that, play different matchups and kind of throw people
off with that because they've been so locked in on
that in But also like dB was insane on the
glass yesterday in a game where they needed every rebound
and they finished beating the Links by seven boards on
the glass one had eleven. She led the game in
rebounding yesterday, Like she was awesome on that end, especially

(52:59):
on the defense glass. Like, I think continuing to not
allow anything was big on that obviously, you know, brought
as a pass or two, did just a lot of
really good stuff. But then, like you mentioned Marina, like
I'm still not over that nuke three, Like that felt
like the deepest three that anybody has hit this year.
Like that was like legit almost from the Link's logo
and their logo they have one of the smaller logos.

(53:21):
To have Marina able to do that is just such
a big difference maker in terms of alleviating that and
making the defense mean more, because if you can score
enough and continue to make things be threatening, like it
just changes the calculus.

Speaker 2 (53:37):
Yeah, And like I think getting that win was huge too,
because they can continue to figure that stuff out and
just get better with every game and you feel better
knowing that you're one to oh rather than like being
on the other end of a really close game. So yeah,
I think it's it's just about that consistency and like
keep on building. I really, I truly believe that vibes
matter a lot, just as much as like the encore products. So, uh,

(54:01):
the Sun are probably feeling pretty good right about now.

Speaker 1 (54:04):
Absolutely last thing to kind of close out on with
this one. I think worry is the wrong way to
put it. But like, how do you feel about Ree
Jones's postseason so far? Because like, yeah, I'll let you
go ahead.

Speaker 2 (54:18):
Yeah, she's obviously not been as dominant as we've seen
her be in the past. I don't think she is
quite the player that like we know Bree Jones to be. Obviously,
it's tough. You miss that much time, it's like really
hard to kind of also slot yourself back into it
coming back. I'm not sure what to think. I think
they're going to continue to need her, especially as this

(54:40):
series goes on, whether that's like and you know, I'm
not really placing her at the same level as like Kia,
like in that Las Vegas series. But like if you
can kind of get her a little bit more involved,
whether that is on the rebounding side, just to kind
of help things move a little bit better, maybe that's
a way to get her kind of going a little bit.
But yeah, I think it's interesting. It's also interesting and

(55:00):
kind of like kind of talked about this earlier too,
just like how Olivia has like slotted in as well too,
because she's been playing pretty solid minutes when she's been in.
So there's also that kind of like finding that balance
of your bigs and what they can kind of do
for you on the floor. But yeah, I don't really
know what to think. I don't know how to evaluate
a player who's come back from like a really long

(55:20):
injury period and where they how what their development kind
of is. But yeah, I think it's safe to say
she hasn't been the player that we've known her to
be previously.

Speaker 1 (55:30):
Yeah, I think it's tough. I think so I don't
know if she's I mean, I don't know. I want
to and it makes me want to go back and
watch stuff now that you're saying that. I think it's
just in a hard element of like she's coming back
from the Achilles injury still, and like, I do think
that there's an element of like it just really takes
time to get back from that. But also I think

(55:52):
it kind of speaks to how the games continue to evolve, right,
Like not saying that true, like you know, being a
big is you can't be a big in the league
any more, blah blah blah, But I do think it
like it speaks to how it's continued to evolve and change.
And I wonder what this looks like in two or
three years when we see you know, I think the
teams at the bottom are going to be building up
to be more in this kind of vein, right, and

(56:12):
like what does that look like for players who are
more of like a like a real like kind of
anchor post who plays in the low post. And obviously
Bree does like a lot of tremendous good stuff outside that.
I honestly think like, if this team is going to
win in the finals or make it to the finals,
even like, I think they need Brie to have an
even bigger impact than this. And I think, like, I mean,

(56:34):
we've seen or have very good games against the Links
earlier this year, which is part of what made this
closing lineup like that so fascinating because it's just very different.
But I also think too, like the way that the
Links were playing, like they were very specifically saying as soon,
like especially in that second stint when Bree came in
in the third quarter towards the start of the fourth two,
it was like immediately the Links like, all right, let's

(56:56):
put you in some stuff, move you side aside, and
put you in space. And not that she can't hang
in space, but with the personnel the Links have and
how they play, like, it's really tough to contend with
the motion that they put in. And I just look
at it and I'm like, I think that's part of
what mix having a player like Lives so important, like

(57:17):
having that versatility off the bench to go to that,
And like, I still think we're going to see even
more from these two teams with like, Okay, maybe we
have a bigger game from Olivia Nelsondoda like we saw
against the Fever. Maybe we see more of my chains Allen.
I thought that she had some good moments in this
game too, when you know, as the sun went smaller,
they the Mayosha came in for the Links and was

(57:40):
able to do some stuff on the interior too, without
really taking too much off the table. Like, I think
there's just a lot to keep looking at how these
teams keep kind of playing off of one another. With that,
I'm really excited to watch, and I kind of I
wish that we could just get even more of this series,
because I am It's only one game in and I'm
very excited to see where it continues to go.

Speaker 2 (57:58):
Yeah, I know you want that best of seven, but well,
I'll stick with the best of five for now.

Speaker 1 (58:02):
Correct. Well, yeah, I mean, is there anything else that
you want to hit on from this series that you're
kind of looking forward to?

Speaker 2 (58:11):
Honestly, just like that, it feels like the stars aligned
for both of these series, like getting Liberty aces in
the semifinals and getting sun Links. I think I know
people were sad that we didn't get that in like
the finals rematch, but I honestly think like when it
comes to playing styles like these are two pretty exciting
matchups and the fact that anything can happen, Like I
can't say right now that I'm like super in favor

(58:34):
of any team on any side, like winning their series,
And I think that's what makes this all the more
exciting and just like a really cool basketball matchup.

Speaker 1 (58:42):
Yeah, I agree, that's my favorite part. It's just good basketball,
Like that's what I'm here for. That's what we're here for.
We want to watch goodball. We want to watch, you know,
how things keep growing and not in like the annoying
clichesess like grow the game or whatever, more like the
how is the basketball literally growing? Like yeah, I think
you can see that in these series, which is what's
really fun and I'm just excited to watch that keep
playing out Koreina, Is there anything you want to plug

(59:05):
or mention before you out here?

Speaker 2 (59:07):
Yeah, so we kind of talked about it a little bit,
but I do host a podcast called Coast to Coast
on her hoopstats, so make sure you're following her hoopstats
to keep up with that. We got a lot to
talk about this week because expansion draft rules just dropped,
so we might talk about that a little bit of
a coaching carousel as well as everything playoffs. Yeah, you
can follow myself at Kreina. Mm I post all my

(59:29):
work over there and yeah, just really excited and of
course make sure you're following Mark and They've got now
because if you're missing out on his pill rooms, if
you're missing out on his pauses videos, then I feel
sorry for you and you should go to that right now.
But if you're listening all the way through, then you're
probably already tapped in, so good job.

Speaker 1 (59:47):
I give you a sticker thank you to everyone listening
and watching. Thank you for that. Of course, keep up
with all things that Krina is doing. Most portantly, enjoy
the rest of your day.