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Speaker 1: Full Circle is an iheartwoman's sports production and partnership with

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Speaker 1: Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on

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Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Speaker 2: Hi, everybody, Welcome back to another episode of the Full

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Speaker 2: Circle Podcast. I am Lexi Brown. I am doing another

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Speaker 2: solo episode today, guys. Surprise. Mariah had some scheduling conflicts

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Speaker 2: today and honestly, I just wanted to get this episode

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Speaker 2: out for you guys, so I decided to give another

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Speaker 2: solo vibe check a try. So this episode is not

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Speaker 2: gonna be very long. I know we say that all

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Speaker 2: the time, but I actually mean that. This is funny.

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Speaker 2: You know. I'm just like talking to myself in the

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Speaker 2: camera right now. But there's a lot to get into.

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Speaker 2: We are in the last nine days of the WNBA season.

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Speaker 2: If you can even believe that the month of August

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Speaker 2: for me personally, flew by didn't really play a lot.

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Speaker 2: I'm still not to a thousand points, guys. I'm still

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Speaker 2: four points away. We have two regular season games left,

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Speaker 2: and I do not know if that four points is

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Speaker 2: gonna happen for me, But I'm keeping hope alive. I'm

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Speaker 2: excited about it. The fact that I'm even this close

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Speaker 2: to a thousand points in my career is an accomplishment

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Speaker 2: within itself. There's a lot of players that I have

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Speaker 2: played in this league, a lot of great players that

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Speaker 2: didn't get to a thousand points. So you know, that's

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Speaker 2: something that I'm gonna be proud of and be excited about.

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Speaker 2: Whether anybody else thinks it's important or impressive or whatever

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Speaker 2: or not. I think a thousand points or a thousand

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Speaker 2: if anything, is impressive and something that I should be

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Speaker 2: proud of. So we're still on the hunt for the

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Speaker 2: one thousandth point. We're close, but let's get into this

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Speaker 2: playoff push. We are, like I said, nine days away

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Speaker 2: from the end of the regular season, so today, if

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Speaker 2: playoffs started, these will be the teams in the playoffs.

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Speaker 2: It would be the Links, the Aces, the Dream, the Mercury,

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Speaker 2: the Liberty, the Valkyries, the Fever, and the Storm. So

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Speaker 2: we officially have four teams eliminated from playoff contention, The Mystics,

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Speaker 2: the Sun, the Sky, and the Wings. So they are done.

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Speaker 2: There's nothing that they can do but mess up other

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Speaker 2: people's playoffs hopes, which can be kind of fun if

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Speaker 2: you frame it that way. I watched Dallas play yesterday

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Speaker 2: before our game. You know, gave Minnesota a game for

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Speaker 2: about three three quarters and you know, Minnesota did their

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Speaker 2: Minnesota thing and pulled away in one I think by

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Speaker 2: twenty twenty points. Kyle McBride did not play in that game,

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Speaker 2: and that just shows the depth that we continue to

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Speaker 2: see in the Minnesota Links that they're able to, you know,

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Speaker 2: win games that they're supposed to win large margin without

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Speaker 2: one of their stars, one of their all stars playing.

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Speaker 2: So the Links won their game. Yesterday. We had a

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Speaker 2: game against the Sparks that was a must win for us,

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Speaker 2: and I say it almost every episode. Every game that

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Speaker 2: we're about to play is like a must win, and

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Speaker 2: we were not able to get it done. We lost

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Speaker 2: ninety one to eighty five to the Sparks last night.

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Speaker 2: We had a seventeen point lead and we were not

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Speaker 2: able to get that win last night at home, which

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Speaker 2: for us, that was a game that we needed to

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Speaker 2: ensure that we would be in the postseason. So, like

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Speaker 2: I said, we have two games left. A lot of

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Speaker 2: teams have four or five games left, so we're still

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Speaker 2: in control of our destiny. But a little bit less

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Speaker 2: now with that loss that we had last night, and

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Speaker 2: then the Dream took care of the Sun. Like I said,

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Speaker 2: the Sun our team that can come in and mess

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Speaker 2: up some seeding. So the Sun, like those teams are

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Speaker 2: gonna get teams best because yes, they don't have anything

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Speaker 2: to play for, but there's a lot of seating that's

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Speaker 2: still in flux right now. And I will tell you

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Speaker 2: what teams can still move up and down in the playoffs.

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Speaker 2: So you have the Links that are just very comfortable

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Speaker 2: at number one, at thirty two and eight, they're gonna

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Speaker 2: they have secured home court for the first rounds and

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Speaker 2: they are comfy, cozy in first place. Now where it

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Speaker 2: gets a little sticky. So we got two parts of

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Speaker 2: the playoffs that are sticky. So the first part of

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Speaker 2: the playoffs right now that are sticky is the second

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Speaker 2: place through fifth place. So you have two teams that

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Speaker 2: are twenty six and fourteen, one team that is twenty

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Speaker 2: five and fourteen, and another team that is twenty four

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Speaker 2: and sixteen. And these teams still have a few more

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Speaker 2: games to play left in their regular season. The second

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Speaker 2: part that's a little sticky is the six through eight seed,

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Speaker 2: where we have twenty one in eighteen twenty one and

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Speaker 2: nineteen twenty two and twenty Then the Sparks, you know,

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Speaker 2: is the team that is going to give people some

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Speaker 2: issues like they gave us last night. They have a

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Speaker 2: very difficult schedule ahead of them to continue their playoff hopes.

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Speaker 2: They have the dream twice, they have the Wings, they

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Speaker 2: have Phoenix, and then they have the Aces. So by

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Speaker 2: no means do they have a cake walk to the playoffs.

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Speaker 2: But it is still very, very possible for them to

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Speaker 2: make the postseason, which selfishly I'm like they but overall,

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Speaker 2: like I've said earlier in the year, when the Sparks

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Speaker 2: are on the postseason, when the Sparks are playing good basketball,

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Speaker 2: that's a good thing for the WNBA. So another thing

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Speaker 2: that I feel like is going to be really important

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Speaker 2: for the playoffs is what teams can stay healthy. This

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Speaker 2: entire year, we have been dealing with stars getting injured,

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Speaker 2: super important role players getting injured, and it devastatingly affecting

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Speaker 2: some of the teams. The team that I'm looking at

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Speaker 2: in particular, as far as health is a liberty, they

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Speaker 2: are currently sitting in fifth place in the WNBA standings.

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Speaker 2: This is their tithe This is like their WNBA title

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Speaker 2: defense year, and I feel like that is not being

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Speaker 2: said enough about this Liberty team, Like they're literally the

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Speaker 2: defending champions, and they're not looking very championship contending at

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Speaker 2: the moment from what our standards are of what the

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Speaker 2: Liberty should look like. But you're going to have to

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Speaker 2: credit that to their injuries that they've been dealing with

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Speaker 2: all season long. You know, they went a significant amount

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Speaker 2: of time without jj, significant amount of time without Stewie.

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Speaker 2: They missed Tosh Cloud, I think she broke her nose,

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Speaker 2: Isabelle Harrison was out the concussion, Kennedy Burke was out

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Speaker 2: for a significant amount of time. Like, they have not

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Speaker 2: been able to put a full healthy team together for

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Speaker 2: most of this season, So we really don't even know

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Speaker 2: what the Liberty look like. Sabrina's missed some games, you know.

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Speaker 2: I feel like they are still one of the favorites

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Speaker 2: to win a WNBA title because they have such a

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Speaker 2: talented roster and they have better in experience, they have

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Speaker 2: championship experience, and then they have the confidence from last

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Speaker 2: season being the WNBA champs. So I feel like even

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Speaker 2: though they're in fifth place right now, they still can

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Speaker 2: definitely secure home court for the first round. But if

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Speaker 2: they don't, I mean, that's a hard matchup for anybody

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Speaker 2: in the first round. Is a liberty. Honestly, all of

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Speaker 2: these teams is a hard matchup for the first round.

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Speaker 2: I feel like this playoffs is going to be so exciting,

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Speaker 2: It's going to be so much fun. But home court,

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Speaker 2: I think is most important, the most important thing. I've

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Speaker 2: never seen a postseason that home court is so important

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Speaker 2: in the last few seasons since we left the single

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Speaker 2: elimination format. If y'all didn't know, when I first got

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Speaker 2: into the league, the playoffs were single elimination in the

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Speaker 2: first round, like college, like March madness. So my first

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Speaker 2: two seasons in the WNBA, I was eliminated in a

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Speaker 2: single elimination game in the first round. First year, my

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Speaker 2: rookie year I was in Connecticut, we got upset at

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Speaker 2: home by Phoenix, I want to say. And then my

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Speaker 2: second year in Minnesota, we lost in Seattle first round,

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Speaker 2: and that was hard, Like that's not you don't work

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Speaker 2: your whole season to get eliminated in the first in

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Speaker 2: one game. So I'm glad that that no longer exists

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Speaker 2: in the WNBA because postseason basketball is fun, and teams

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Speaker 2: worked too hard all year long with these long seasons

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Speaker 2: to get bounced in one game. So I'm so happy

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Speaker 2: that they took that single elimination game off. Like I said,

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Speaker 2: a lot of the teams are very similar in record,

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Speaker 2: and if you guys do not know how tiebreakers work,

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Speaker 2: I didn't know that there was a whole process with

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Speaker 2: multiple tiers of how to do tiebreakers. So in the

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Speaker 2: event that a team finishes with a similar record, this

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Speaker 2: is how they decide who advances. So first you go

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Speaker 2: head to head matchups, and if that doesn't settle anything,

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Speaker 2: then they go to the team's records versus teams that

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Speaker 2: are above five hundred, so team their record against the

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Speaker 2: better teams in the league, which for us is every

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Speaker 2: team that would make the playoffs. If that doesn't work,

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Speaker 2: you go to point differential head to head of the

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Speaker 2: two teams that are tied. If that doesn't work, you

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Speaker 2: go to overall point differential I guess from all of

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Speaker 2: the games in the season, and then finally, if that

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Speaker 2: doesn't work, then you coin toss it. So that's worst

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Speaker 2: case last resort. I would hate to make the playoffs

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Speaker 2: or miss the playoffs. From a coin flip. That would

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Speaker 2: be horrible, horrifying that my whole season hangs in the

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Speaker 2: balance of a coin flip that we probably don't even

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Speaker 2: get to see. What if they don't, is this even

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Speaker 2: a real coin flip? Do they use a computer? Is

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Speaker 2: it like randomized?

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Speaker 1: Like?

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Speaker 2: I don't know, but I don't think we've ever gotten

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Speaker 2: to that point before. But there could be a lot

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Speaker 2: of tiebreakers at the end of the season, so I'm

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Speaker 2: very very interested to see how that shakes out. Our

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Speaker 2: team is absolutely included in one of those situation scenarios

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Speaker 2: where we could be in a tiebreak. And if we're

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Speaker 2: talking realistically, we talk in numbers. Y'all know I'm a

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Speaker 2: numbers girl. The odds are not in our favor when

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Speaker 2: it comes to tiebreakers with the teams that I am

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Speaker 2: looking at that we could potentially be tied up with,

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Speaker 2: And that's really disheartening. It's it's sad when you, like

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Speaker 2: I said, work your entire season to get so close

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Speaker 2: to the playoffs and then you have to wait and

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Speaker 2: see what other teams do, wait and hope that other

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Speaker 2: teams lose instead of just winning games being in control

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Speaker 2: of your own destiny. But that's what it's like sometimes

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Speaker 2: and that's you know, the beauty and you know the

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Speaker 2: heartbreak of sports, and that's why everyone loves sports. The

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Speaker 2: last thing that I will say about playoffs that I'm

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Speaker 2: looking at is if one if the Fever make the postseason,

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Speaker 2: which right now they are in seventh place at twenty

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Speaker 2: one and nineteen, and if they do make the playoffs,

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Speaker 2: will Caitlyn Clark return from her injury to play in

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Speaker 2: the WNBA playoffs? I think one for storylines, narratives, whatever,

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Speaker 2: that would be great for the league, it would be

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Speaker 2: great for the Fever, it would be great for her.

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Speaker 2: She just unveiled her new logo with Nike. We actually

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Speaker 2: we played in Indiana. They if that was the day

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Speaker 2: that it got like unveiled. So the whole arena had

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Speaker 2: T shirts with the logo all over. The whole arena

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Speaker 2: filled with Kaitlyn Clark logos, which actually was really cool.

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Speaker 2: I've never seen anything like that before, So I thought

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Speaker 2: that was a really cool gesture that Nike did that

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Speaker 2: the Fever did for her, even though she's not playing.

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Speaker 2: I think it's dope that she got a logo. I

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Speaker 2: think it's dope that she's dropping a signature shoe line.

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Speaker 2: Whatever she's doing with Nike, I think it's also fire.

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Speaker 2: They proceeded to bailt to ask us as well in

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Speaker 2: that game, but we don't got to talk about that.

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Speaker 2: But I had already said in a previous episode that

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Speaker 2: we struggle with the Fever because of how fast they play,

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Speaker 2: and that's basically exactly what happened. Like their their pace

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Speaker 2: was insane. Honestly, let me let me let me back

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Speaker 2: up real quick and talk about the Fever real quick,

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Speaker 2: because y'all know this is the Kelsey Mitchell standpod, of course,

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Speaker 2: but what the Fever have been able to do without

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Speaker 2: their all star point guard, with all of the season

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Speaker 2: ending injuries, with all of the new players coming in

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Speaker 2: and out of the roster, and for them to be

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Speaker 2: able to still be in playoff contention, it's very impressive.

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Speaker 2: And I do will continue to give Kelsey Mitchell her

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Speaker 2: flowers every chance I can, because she deserves them. She

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Speaker 2: just broke another thing that happened while we were there.

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Speaker 2: She broke the franchise record for most points in this

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Speaker 2: season and they still have a few more games left.

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Speaker 2: She's the first player this season to get to one

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Speaker 2: hundred and may to three pointers, which is great. I

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Speaker 2: think I just looked. I think Kaylea McBride is right

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Speaker 2: behind her at ninety nine or something like that. So

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Speaker 2: we'll have two players at least break the threshold of

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Speaker 2: one hundred and may threes, which I think is awesome.

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Speaker 2: I think that just is just showing what direction the

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Speaker 2: WNBA is going in as far as style of play,

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Speaker 2: a lot of outside shooting. There is still a lot

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Speaker 2: of paint production. We got sixty points put on our

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Speaker 2: head last night in the paint, so there's very much

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Speaker 2: paint points being scored still, But there also is three

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Speaker 2: pointers being shot at a high clip and at a

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Speaker 2: high level. So I think that the trend of women's

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Speaker 2: basketball is mirroring the NBA, not as dramatic. I don't

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Speaker 2: think we'll ever get to that style of play completely

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Speaker 2: as far as the outside shooting, but we're heading in

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Speaker 2: that direction. I think that Indiana has found a lineup

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Speaker 2: that has worked started working for them. I think the

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Speaker 2: season is kind of taking a toll on them physically

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Speaker 2: a mentally. It's a lot. It's a long game, it's

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Speaker 2: a lot of minutes being played. But the addition of

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Speaker 2: aerial powers and Odyssey Sims Like, those were two really

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Speaker 2: really good pickups for them. Aerial Powers has been a

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Speaker 2: staple in this league for years and years, and she's

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Speaker 2: left her mark and she has the respect of her peers,

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Speaker 2: So that was a great pick up for her. A

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Speaker 2: lot of people were really happy when they saw that

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Speaker 2: she signed there. Now she's getting significant minutes, making an impact, scoring,

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Speaker 2: rebounding the ball, being a playmaker. I think that she

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Speaker 2: was a great sign for them, and then Odyssey as well, Like,

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Speaker 2: that's an All Star, that's a national champ. That's what

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Speaker 2: else has Odyssey done? Like, I don't know, I just

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Speaker 2: don't feel like this new wave of fandom even realizes

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Speaker 2: what type of player Odyssey Simms is. So even for

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Speaker 2: her getting her opportunity in Indiana after being in LA

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Speaker 2: getting waves unexpectedly, her coming back and making an impact,

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Speaker 2: leaving her mark and helping a team get to the

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Speaker 2: postseason hopefully, I think that's, you know, a really good

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Speaker 2: look for Odyssey. She signed back to Athletes Unlimited. You know,

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Speaker 2: she's been playing with US for the last few seasons,

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Speaker 2: so seeing her get her spark back, her confidence back,

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Speaker 2: and bringing that to the WNBA has been really, really amazing.

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Speaker 2: To see. So Indiana Fever is a team that I'm

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Speaker 2: looking at for playoffs, and the Valkyries, And we'll get

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Speaker 2: into the Valkyries a little bit later, because I know

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Speaker 2: I was really high on coach s Mesco. I think

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Speaker 2: that's how you say his name from the dream being

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Speaker 2: coach of the Year, not even thinking consider I was

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Speaker 2: so hyper focused on how good like the Valkyri's team

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Speaker 2: has been, how good their organization has been, how good

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Speaker 2: their fans have been. Like Coach nat like didn't even

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Speaker 2: cross my mind, like she's the reason for all of that.

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Speaker 2: So we'll get into that conversation a little bit later

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Speaker 2: when it comes to Coach of the Year, because I

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Speaker 2: absolutely think that Coach Natalie can win and deserves to

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Speaker 2: win Coach of the Year. Before we get into that,

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Speaker 2: we have some other postseason things to get into. I

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Speaker 2: think the first one obviously we're gonna get into is MVP,

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Speaker 2: And last week we said it was a three player race.

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Speaker 2: Is it still a three player race? We'll say yes,

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Speaker 2: because I want the voters to actually have to make

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Speaker 2: a real decision and use their basketball brains and not

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Speaker 2: let their bias ruin another MVP vote. So we'll still

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Speaker 2: say it's a three player race between Asia Wilson, the

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Speaker 2: FISA Collier, and Alyssa Thomas. But my two front runners

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Speaker 2: right now are Asia and Fee, and Asia is currently

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Speaker 2: averaging twenty four and ten, Fee averaging twenty four and eight.

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Speaker 2: Asia has powered the A to the second seed, but

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Speaker 2: they are also tied with Atlanta at twenty six and fourteen,

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Speaker 2: and Phoenix is right behind them at twenty five and fourteen,

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Speaker 2: and New York is right behind them at twenty four

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Speaker 2: and sixteen. So, like I discussed earlier, there is a

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Speaker 2: lot of change that still can happen in these playoff seedings.

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Speaker 2: I don't I don't have a favorite. I really don't.

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Speaker 2: I think it's going to come down to preference. I

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Speaker 2: think it's going to come down to who values team

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Speaker 2: success versus what will this team look like without this player.

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Speaker 2: I saw a clip from my girl Jordan on her

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Speaker 2: page and she was like, if you put Asia on

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Speaker 2: the links, what would the links look like? And if

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Speaker 2: you put feet on the aces, what would the aces

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Speaker 2: look like? And I don't think that's a necessarily fair

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Speaker 2: thing to use as a comparison because these teams are

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00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:07,600
Speaker 2: literally built around Fee, built around Asia, so you're going

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Speaker 2: to bring players in that are suitable for the way

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Speaker 2: that they play basketball. So, although it is a fun

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Speaker 2: way to get people to have meaningful discourse about the

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Speaker 2: MVP race, I don't necessarily like that approach to who's

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Speaker 2: more valuable to what team because they're not on those teams.

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Speaker 2: Those are not the teams that they're on. So like,

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Speaker 2: let's not use that as a way to determine who's

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Speaker 2: gonna win MVP. Let's look at the numbers, let's look

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Speaker 2: at the wins. Let's pass the eye test. There is

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Speaker 2: a level of eye test that needs to be passed.

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Speaker 2: So yes, it is fair to be like, well, well,

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Speaker 2: what would this team look like? I think the more

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Speaker 2: fair way to frame that type of conversation is what

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Speaker 2: would the team look like without that player? And we've

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Speaker 2: seen both teams without Asia. She was out for a

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Speaker 2: little bit. And we've seen the Links without Fee and

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Speaker 2: the Links were still very much the Minnesota Links. The

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Speaker 2: Aces struggled a little bit without Asia. So again, it's

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Speaker 2: going to really come down to the numbers, which I

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Speaker 2: think that's first and foremost what do the numbers look like?

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Speaker 2: And then team's success and overall, like what that player

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Speaker 2: means to that team, like what would that what would

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00:20:22,200 --> 00:20:25,320
Speaker 2: that team look like without them? And again that is

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Speaker 2: so relative to the person that you're asking. That is

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00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:35,919
Speaker 2: a very like opinionated stance. And you know, it's like

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00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:38,919
Speaker 2: that like everything, Yes, numbers and analytics and data is

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00:20:38,920 --> 00:20:40,800
Speaker 2: all very important, but there is a level of bias

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Speaker 2: and opinions that come in when it comes to making

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Speaker 2: decisions and giving out postseason awards. So I'm still very

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Speaker 2: very very much intrigued about how this MVP race is

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Speaker 2: going to shake out because I can't wait to see

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Speaker 2: what that voting tally looks like. Who gets the most

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Speaker 2: first place votes, who gets a random fourth place vote,

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Speaker 2: which I hope doesn't happen because I was absolutely ridiculous.

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Speaker 2: I hope that person never gets to vote again. Whoever

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Speaker 2: you are, we will find you, mister or missus fourth

349
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Speaker 2: place voter. I promise we gonna get to the bottom

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Speaker 2: of that at some point. I hope that maybe in

351
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Speaker 2: like ten years, the person will like come out like

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Speaker 2: anonyestly on Twitter. No, Anonyestly, say what is just guys?

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Speaker 2: I was a fourth place voter, and I hope that

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Speaker 2: they at least explain why, because they could have a

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00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:30,399
Speaker 2: very valid reason and if that's the case, which it

356
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Speaker 2: won't be, but in the rare case that they do

357
00:21:33,440 --> 00:21:36,320
Speaker 2: have a very valid reason why they gave Asia Wilson

358
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Speaker 2: a fourth place vote, I would like to hear it.

359
00:21:40,320 --> 00:21:43,680
Speaker 2: I love hearing people's different opinions. I love hearing why

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Speaker 2: people think the way they do. I love hearing it

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Speaker 2: all as long as it makes sense, make it make

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Speaker 2: sense to me. That's like my motto of life. Make

363
00:21:52,520 --> 00:21:55,800
Speaker 2: it make sense. Make it make sense to me, so

364
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Speaker 2: I can understand you, so we can understand each other.

365
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Speaker 2: And I think more people need to have that logic

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Speaker 2: when they're making decisions, voting for stuff whatever. Okay, so MVP.

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Speaker 2: One award that we have not talked about yet at

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Speaker 2: all actually is Defensive Player of the Year. As a

369
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Speaker 2: defensive Player of the Year winner back in college, back

370
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:19,800
Speaker 2: in my back in my heyday, Duke, it is very

371
00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:24,480
Speaker 2: interesting to see what people value on the defensive side

372
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Speaker 2: of the floor. We talk about it all the time

373
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Speaker 2: on gills one. How hard it is for guards to

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Speaker 2: even sneak into the conversation for Defensive Player of the

375
00:22:33,359 --> 00:22:36,680
Speaker 2: Year because a lot of the metrics that are used

376
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Speaker 2: for rating a defender. Are front court player metrics, rebounds, blocks, gravity,

377
00:22:48,400 --> 00:22:51,359
Speaker 2: like at the rim, like we always talk about it

378
00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,760
Speaker 2: with like when Rudy Gobert was winning his Defensive Player

379
00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:57,400
Speaker 2: of the Years, Like how he all like he might

380
00:22:57,440 --> 00:22:59,919
Speaker 2: not always get a block shot, but like he's the

381
00:23:00,040 --> 00:23:04,000
Speaker 2: anchor of the defense. He alters shots. He makes people

382
00:23:04,040 --> 00:23:05,919
Speaker 2: not want to drive to the basket or get to

383
00:23:05,960 --> 00:23:08,440
Speaker 2: the rim because he's so big down there. So it's

384
00:23:08,480 --> 00:23:11,679
Speaker 2: like a level of fear that you think that this

385
00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:16,040
Speaker 2: player instills into the other team's offense, which for a

386
00:23:16,880 --> 00:23:20,119
Speaker 2: smaller frontcore player, that's not fair because we have no

387
00:23:20,200 --> 00:23:23,760
Speaker 2: gravity down there. We're small, we're not blocking shots, we're

388
00:23:23,800 --> 00:23:26,399
Speaker 2: not preventing people from getting into the lane because we're

389
00:23:26,480 --> 00:23:29,640
Speaker 2: not even down there. So last year and if he's

390
00:23:29,680 --> 00:23:31,760
Speaker 2: to call your one defensive player of the Year, which

391
00:23:32,040 --> 00:23:36,919
Speaker 2: definitely was an award that she deserved this year, I

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00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:40,040
Speaker 2: think she has a case for winning it again. But

393
00:23:40,240 --> 00:23:43,919
Speaker 2: also her teammate Alana Smith definitely has a case for

394
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Speaker 2: Defensive Player of the Year. Fee leads a team of

395
00:23:46,480 --> 00:23:50,399
Speaker 2: rebounding followed by Jessica Shepherd. They both average seven and

396
00:23:50,440 --> 00:23:56,200
Speaker 2: Alta Smith averages five, So I saw a post that

397
00:23:56,640 --> 00:24:02,280
Speaker 2: was predicting postseason awards and they put Alana Smith, And

398
00:24:02,320 --> 00:24:06,240
Speaker 2: I think it is because she's such a versatile defender.

399
00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:12,600
Speaker 2: She's like sneakily athletic as hell, like she is super athletic,

400
00:24:12,720 --> 00:24:15,520
Speaker 2: like you would look at her, and not like she's

401
00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:18,320
Speaker 2: fast as shit. She could jump a little bit. She

402
00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:23,520
Speaker 2: got long arms, like she's her body is like she's

403
00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,120
Speaker 2: way taller though you think she is. Like she has

404
00:24:26,160 --> 00:24:28,960
Speaker 2: a great body for the position that she plays, especially

405
00:24:29,040 --> 00:24:31,600
Speaker 2: on that Links team. She leads the team in blocks

406
00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:33,800
Speaker 2: at one point nine, Fees right behind her at one

407
00:24:33,800 --> 00:24:39,720
Speaker 2: point six. The b Links are the top defensive team

408
00:24:39,720 --> 00:24:43,320
Speaker 2: in the league, so their defensive rating is number one.

409
00:24:44,080 --> 00:24:51,119
Speaker 2: I think that they could give Defensive Player of the

410
00:24:51,240 --> 00:24:56,480
Speaker 2: Year to Fee. Again, I think Smith has a great case.

411
00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:03,280
Speaker 2: You know who else has a great case, Wilson. She

412
00:25:03,440 --> 00:25:08,520
Speaker 2: could sweep MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. And

413
00:25:08,800 --> 00:25:12,480
Speaker 2: I don't think that's a problem because the numbers don't lie.

414
00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:16,080
Speaker 2: She's top two in rebounding and she's number one in blocks.

415
00:25:17,119 --> 00:25:19,800
Speaker 2: The only thing that is hindering her from being a

416
00:25:19,840 --> 00:25:21,840
Speaker 2: front runner of Defense Player of the Year is that

417
00:25:21,920 --> 00:25:26,639
Speaker 2: her team is not top five in defensive rating. But again,

418
00:25:26,840 --> 00:25:30,639
Speaker 2: defense is a team offense is a team thing. So again,

419
00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:35,000
Speaker 2: the moving of the goalpost continues in all aspects for everybody.

420
00:25:35,560 --> 00:25:39,159
Speaker 2: My dark horse for defensive Player of the Year was

421
00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:46,000
Speaker 2: my teammate Gabby Williams. But as I previously mentioned how

422
00:25:46,280 --> 00:25:50,040
Speaker 2: hard it is for guards to get into the conversation

423
00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:52,600
Speaker 2: for defensive player of the year. She is leading the

424
00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:55,720
Speaker 2: league in steals at two point three per game, and

425
00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:59,600
Speaker 2: that's something that all coaches, all players are so high

426
00:25:59,680 --> 00:26:03,679
Speaker 2: on about Gabby is her presence defensively. And there's so

427
00:26:03,760 --> 00:26:08,040
Speaker 2: many things that you do on defense that cannot be counted,

428
00:26:08,119 --> 00:26:11,520
Speaker 2: that cannot be put on a stat sheet. Can You

429
00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,560
Speaker 2: won't see it in a box score. And some of

430
00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:18,800
Speaker 2: the best defenders, if you ask any of the players

431
00:26:18,800 --> 00:26:21,160
Speaker 2: in the league, like you're not going to be able

432
00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:24,879
Speaker 2: to pinpoint something specific that they do stat wise that

433
00:26:24,920 --> 00:26:28,320
Speaker 2: makes them a good defender. It's they have good instincts.

434
00:26:28,359 --> 00:26:32,719
Speaker 2: They are in help side, They're always where they need

435
00:26:32,760 --> 00:26:35,800
Speaker 2: to be, they make timely plays, they will go rebound

436
00:26:35,840 --> 00:26:38,560
Speaker 2: if they absolutely need to. I'm talking about guards. I'm

437
00:26:38,600 --> 00:26:43,200
Speaker 2: talking about guards here. They could defend multiple positions. So

438
00:26:43,480 --> 00:26:47,080
Speaker 2: I think if our record was better, Gabby would definitely

439
00:26:47,119 --> 00:26:52,000
Speaker 2: be more in the conversation for defensive play of their year. Also, Ezzie,

440
00:26:52,480 --> 00:26:55,600
Speaker 2: my other teammate, who is second in the league in blocks,

441
00:26:55,920 --> 00:27:01,080
Speaker 2: She's probably one of the best posts of that I've

442
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:04,879
Speaker 2: played with. Her feel for the game, the way she

443
00:27:04,960 --> 00:27:08,840
Speaker 2: can track the ball in block shots, her communication, her

444
00:27:08,920 --> 00:27:12,600
Speaker 2: understanding of the game has been really fun and enjoyable

445
00:27:12,640 --> 00:27:14,920
Speaker 2: to be around. I wish that we had more time

446
00:27:14,960 --> 00:27:18,359
Speaker 2: together on the court because I really do like playing

447
00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:20,600
Speaker 2: with her in the minutes that we have had together,

448
00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:24,600
Speaker 2: especially on the defensive side of the ball. So I

449
00:27:24,640 --> 00:27:27,640
Speaker 2: think I don't know if both of them can make

450
00:27:28,760 --> 00:27:32,160
Speaker 2: first team All Defense considering our record being what it is,

451
00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:36,480
Speaker 2: but I do think that Ezie and Gabby should both be,

452
00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:39,760
Speaker 2: you know, considered for first and second all defensive teams

453
00:27:39,760 --> 00:27:42,520
Speaker 2: in the WNBA. But defensive player of the Year, I

454
00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:44,800
Speaker 2: think that is going to be between Asia fe and

455
00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,880
Speaker 2: Alana Smith if the If the voters aren't getting voter fatigue,

456
00:27:48,920 --> 00:27:52,399
Speaker 2: I don't know why I feel like voter fatigue, Like

457
00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:56,040
Speaker 2: I just don't know why that exists, Like why people

458
00:27:56,160 --> 00:27:58,520
Speaker 2: get tired of people being great at what they do,

459
00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:02,000
Speaker 2: especially if it's something that they work really really hard at.

460
00:28:02,680 --> 00:28:04,800
Speaker 2: I just have never understood that if you think someone

461
00:28:04,880 --> 00:28:07,040
Speaker 2: is really great at something and they've work really hard

462
00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:09,159
Speaker 2: and you can tell that they've worked really hard, then

463
00:28:09,160 --> 00:28:10,879
Speaker 2: they should be rewarded for that, and they should be

464
00:28:10,920 --> 00:28:13,760
Speaker 2: applauded for that, and they should win all the awards

465
00:28:13,760 --> 00:28:15,960
Speaker 2: that they deserve. I don't understand why there's ever any

466
00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:19,480
Speaker 2: back and forth as to why great players shouldn't continue

467
00:28:19,480 --> 00:28:23,320
Speaker 2: to get all of their things. So MVP race is

468
00:28:23,359 --> 00:28:25,080
Speaker 2: going to be tight. I do think the Defensive Player

469
00:28:25,080 --> 00:28:26,600
Speaker 2: of the Year race is also going to be tight,

470
00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:30,960
Speaker 2: but front runner from what I've been reading up on

471
00:28:31,119 --> 00:28:33,639
Speaker 2: is Alana Smith for the Minnesota Lenk, So we shall

472
00:28:33,680 --> 00:28:45,360
Speaker 2: see how that shakes out. Sixth Player of the Year.

473
00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:51,280
Speaker 2: It's not as Hillman and nobody else. Unfortunately. I have

474
00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:57,120
Speaker 2: looked far and why to see anybody that could give

475
00:28:57,160 --> 00:28:59,240
Speaker 2: her a run for her money as far as sixth

476
00:28:59,240 --> 00:29:02,320
Speaker 2: Player of the Year, and I have not found a

477
00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:05,840
Speaker 2: single player in the league that has the impact that

478
00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:09,360
Speaker 2: she has off the bench as consistently as she has

479
00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:13,400
Speaker 2: done it all year, and now she's starting. And that's

480
00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:17,120
Speaker 2: the thing about a six player, like your six players

481
00:29:17,160 --> 00:29:22,000
Speaker 2: of the year, can probably start on almost any team

482
00:29:22,080 --> 00:29:25,640
Speaker 2: in the league. So her coming into the starting lineup

483
00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:30,680
Speaker 2: when Beigi was injured. In her sticking in the starting

484
00:29:30,680 --> 00:29:33,600
Speaker 2: lineup is a credit to her, her work ethic, her readiness,

485
00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:36,920
Speaker 2: but also a credit to that Atlanta Dream coach like

486
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:40,800
Speaker 2: he you know, Bgi got healthy, but Nas was hooping

487
00:29:40,880 --> 00:29:42,440
Speaker 2: and he was like, you know what, I'm just gonna

488
00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:44,720
Speaker 2: keep her in the lineup because we're finding success in it.

489
00:29:44,880 --> 00:29:47,600
Speaker 2: So shout out to Nas. I think she's gonna win

490
00:29:48,280 --> 00:29:52,240
Speaker 2: six Player of the Year. She's averaging eight points, six rebounds,

491
00:29:52,760 --> 00:29:58,240
Speaker 2: two assists, shooting thirty percent from three. She's shooting almost

492
00:29:58,320 --> 00:30:02,240
Speaker 2: four threes a game. The last three years combined, she

493
00:30:02,320 --> 00:30:06,000
Speaker 2: didn't even take one to three a game, and now

494
00:30:06,000 --> 00:30:09,280
Speaker 2: she's taking four her game and making them at a

495
00:30:09,360 --> 00:30:12,360
Speaker 2: high level. And she's making tough shots like these aren't

496
00:30:12,360 --> 00:30:15,000
Speaker 2: just like wide open. Oh, we're just gonna let her

497
00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:18,640
Speaker 2: shoot shots like she's coming off of action shooting. She's

498
00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:22,840
Speaker 2: winning games. She's shooting go ahead buckets from the three

499
00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:26,040
Speaker 2: point line. Last night, actually she went five to seven

500
00:30:26,120 --> 00:30:29,240
Speaker 2: from three. So it's something that she has been worth.

501
00:30:29,520 --> 00:30:31,920
Speaker 2: Last night, her stat oh, let me look at her stats.

502
00:30:31,960 --> 00:30:37,120
Speaker 2: Last night, fifteen seventeen, six and six, and that that's

503
00:30:37,160 --> 00:30:40,560
Speaker 2: that's our that's your six, your six man. Put it

504
00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:42,680
Speaker 2: up numbers like that in the starting lineup. That's what

505
00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:46,120
Speaker 2: I keep telling y'all, Like, there's so much talent just

506
00:30:46,320 --> 00:30:50,880
Speaker 2: sitting around in our league right now. Like I really

507
00:30:50,920 --> 00:30:55,480
Speaker 2: do not think y'all really understand the level of talent

508
00:30:56,600 --> 00:30:59,200
Speaker 2: that is sitting on these benches. I'm gonna preach it

509
00:30:59,240 --> 00:31:01,640
Speaker 2: from the mountaintop because I am now one of those

510
00:31:01,680 --> 00:31:07,800
Speaker 2: players sitting on the bench, not playing, and I just

511
00:31:07,840 --> 00:31:11,080
Speaker 2: look around sometimes going back to the Dallas game that

512
00:31:11,120 --> 00:31:15,080
Speaker 2: I was watching last night, there was a moment in

513
00:31:15,120 --> 00:31:17,440
Speaker 2: that Dallas game in the first half that they had

514
00:31:17,560 --> 00:31:23,040
Speaker 2: three players on the floor, four players on the court.

515
00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,760
Speaker 2: Was it for no three players on the court that

516
00:31:26,960 --> 00:31:32,880
Speaker 2: were not on the roster? Like ten days ago, they

517
00:31:32,880 --> 00:31:38,840
Speaker 2: were at home and they found themselves on a WNBA roster,

518
00:31:41,480 --> 00:31:45,000
Speaker 2: playing the number one team in the league, getting meaningful

519
00:31:45,120 --> 00:31:50,720
Speaker 2: minutes and giving Minnesota a hard time for three quarters.

520
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:57,719
Speaker 2: So when I say that there's talent not being utilized

521
00:31:57,920 --> 00:32:00,280
Speaker 2: all over this league, I'm not just saying that because

522
00:32:00,320 --> 00:32:03,160
Speaker 2: of my current situation. Even when I was playing, I

523
00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:06,080
Speaker 2: felt the same way I told y'all, like, I've never

524
00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:09,840
Speaker 2: surpassed thirty minutes per game ever, Like in the one

525
00:32:10,120 --> 00:32:13,080
Speaker 2: year I did that, I was right at thirty and

526
00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:15,080
Speaker 2: it was very early in the season, and that was

527
00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:17,080
Speaker 2: right before I got six. So I'm sure that would

528
00:32:17,080 --> 00:32:20,160
Speaker 2: have either went up or it would have leveled out

529
00:32:20,200 --> 00:32:23,880
Speaker 2: to my twenty twenty five minutes that I was usually playing.

530
00:32:24,040 --> 00:32:30,719
Speaker 2: So I will continue to say how many All Stars

531
00:32:30,760 --> 00:32:37,600
Speaker 2: are on benches, how many scoring threats, how many just

532
00:32:37,800 --> 00:32:42,320
Speaker 2: really amazing talented players are just sitting on the benches

533
00:32:42,400 --> 00:32:45,520
Speaker 2: right now. So now as Hillman right now is the

534
00:32:45,520 --> 00:32:48,360
Speaker 2: front runner for most I mean for sixth player of

535
00:32:48,400 --> 00:32:53,520
Speaker 2: the Year, the person that I would now give as

536
00:32:53,520 --> 00:32:57,880
Speaker 2: her competition is Juwel Lloyd, who is now coming off

537
00:32:57,920 --> 00:33:01,840
Speaker 2: the bench for the Aces. But she has started too

538
00:33:01,880 --> 00:33:05,400
Speaker 2: many games to even be in contention. I think she

539
00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:12,960
Speaker 2: started twenty five games, so if she had started less

540
00:33:13,000 --> 00:33:17,160
Speaker 2: than half, you just have to you have to play

541
00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:20,560
Speaker 2: more games coming off the bench than starting. So if

542
00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:25,560
Speaker 2: Jewel Lloyd was put into the six player role sooner,

543
00:33:26,080 --> 00:33:29,160
Speaker 2: then I don't know if they would have given it

544
00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:35,120
Speaker 2: to Jewel given her resume, But sixth player is nothing

545
00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:38,120
Speaker 2: to be frowned upon. So I think it actually would

546
00:33:38,120 --> 00:33:41,160
Speaker 2: have been a good thing if Jewel was eligible for

547
00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:43,440
Speaker 2: that award and she maybe won, even though I think

548
00:33:43,520 --> 00:33:45,800
Speaker 2: nas absolutely deserves it and she's gonna win it. I

549
00:33:45,840 --> 00:33:48,840
Speaker 2: think it would have been really interesting to see how

550
00:33:48,920 --> 00:33:53,120
Speaker 2: the conversation about the sixth player role would change if

551
00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:56,600
Speaker 2: Jewel Lloyd was able to win it this season. I

552
00:33:56,600 --> 00:33:58,680
Speaker 2: think it should have changed when Kelsey Plumb won it,

553
00:33:59,320 --> 00:34:02,720
Speaker 2: because that is an All Star who won six Player

554
00:34:02,720 --> 00:34:05,760
Speaker 2: of the Year. But even Deerica winning it back to

555
00:34:05,800 --> 00:34:09,239
Speaker 2: back years, she's now an All Star and killing it

556
00:34:09,280 --> 00:34:13,759
Speaker 2: in LA I hope the dialogue continues to change when

557
00:34:13,760 --> 00:34:17,440
Speaker 2: it comes to utilizing your bench players. When you have

558
00:34:17,480 --> 00:34:21,080
Speaker 2: a six player, that is a role, that is something

559
00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,400
Speaker 2: that you do. I'm not sure if I did a

560
00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,640
Speaker 2: good job of explaining like what the six man actually is,

561
00:34:26,719 --> 00:34:28,799
Speaker 2: so I'm like going to quickly just blow through that.

562
00:34:29,000 --> 00:34:32,200
Speaker 2: What I think is six player is you have a rotation.

563
00:34:32,440 --> 00:34:36,240
Speaker 2: Teams have a rotation. You know, you have the substitutions,

564
00:34:36,280 --> 00:34:40,640
Speaker 2: your patterns, but your sixth man is like your secret weapon.

565
00:34:40,760 --> 00:34:46,480
Speaker 2: It's like your X factor. And in certain situations that

566
00:34:46,600 --> 00:34:49,960
Speaker 2: is and for certain players that's like the best situation

567
00:34:50,120 --> 00:34:52,279
Speaker 2: and role that you can be in. You pretty much

568
00:34:52,280 --> 00:34:54,759
Speaker 2: get to go in the game and just do you.

569
00:34:56,400 --> 00:35:00,520
Speaker 2: So typically when you have a six man, a very

570
00:35:00,560 --> 00:35:04,759
Speaker 2: consistent six man, like when this person checks in the game,

571
00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:08,200
Speaker 2: the other team's like, ah shit, here go this person

572
00:35:08,280 --> 00:35:13,560
Speaker 2: coming in. You're scouted for, you have play calls, you

573
00:35:13,640 --> 00:35:16,480
Speaker 2: have offenses ran for you, and you typically can change

574
00:35:16,520 --> 00:35:19,799
Speaker 2: the whole flow of a game with your presence. That's

575
00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:23,440
Speaker 2: what a sixth player is. It's not the first person

576
00:35:23,640 --> 00:35:26,960
Speaker 2: that gets checked in, like, because that could be anybody,

577
00:35:26,960 --> 00:35:28,959
Speaker 2: depending on how the game is going. If someone gets

578
00:35:28,960 --> 00:35:31,400
Speaker 2: in foul trouble, like a different player could get subbed

579
00:35:31,400 --> 00:35:34,200
Speaker 2: in earlier, depending on who the player is that is

580
00:35:34,239 --> 00:35:39,360
Speaker 2: in foul trouble. When you have a designated six man,

581
00:35:39,719 --> 00:35:43,719
Speaker 2: when they come in, it's their time to shine. They

582
00:35:43,800 --> 00:35:48,120
Speaker 2: gonna get a play call almost immediately, and their presence

583
00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:51,640
Speaker 2: is going to be felt almost immediately. So I think

584
00:35:51,680 --> 00:35:55,799
Speaker 2: that the role of the six players should be uplifted

585
00:35:55,840 --> 00:35:58,919
Speaker 2: more and it should be utilized more. I just don't

586
00:35:58,920 --> 00:36:05,280
Speaker 2: think that enough team teams have that role carved out appropriately.

587
00:36:06,239 --> 00:36:08,399
Speaker 2: But I also think that's because there's been so much

588
00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:12,080
Speaker 2: movement in rosters and teams haven't been together long enough

589
00:36:12,120 --> 00:36:17,360
Speaker 2: to find that dynamic that works long term, because everybody

590
00:36:17,400 --> 00:36:19,440
Speaker 2: been on a new team every year for the last

591
00:36:19,480 --> 00:36:22,480
Speaker 2: like two three years. So not Selman's gonna win six

592
00:36:22,560 --> 00:36:24,960
Speaker 2: Man of the Year, six Women of the Year. Excuse me,

593
00:36:26,160 --> 00:36:32,240
Speaker 2: last two. We'll get into most Improved. I have already

594
00:36:32,280 --> 00:36:36,200
Speaker 2: said that Veronica Burton deserves most improved. It's not even close.

595
00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:39,279
Speaker 2: The only person that was giving her a run for

596
00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:42,239
Speaker 2: her money was her own teammate Kayla Thorn, who has

597
00:36:42,280 --> 00:36:45,600
Speaker 2: been out since All Star breaks. So since Kayla Thorn

598
00:36:46,280 --> 00:36:49,239
Speaker 2: has been injured, Veronica Burton has absolutely stepped up her

599
00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:54,839
Speaker 2: game even more. She she is averaging twelve points, four rebounds,

600
00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:59,480
Speaker 2: and six assists two turnovers, so her sister turnover ratio

601
00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:02,440
Speaker 2: is two point nine, which is super high, super good,

602
00:37:03,080 --> 00:37:05,799
Speaker 2: and she's playing twenty nine minutes per game. So I mean,

603
00:37:05,840 --> 00:37:07,560
Speaker 2: I don't think that there has to be much to

604
00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,520
Speaker 2: be said about why Veronica Burton deserves most improved. She

605
00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:14,200
Speaker 2: has the highest point and assist differential from last season

606
00:37:14,239 --> 00:37:16,719
Speaker 2: to this season. She's averaging nine more points per game

607
00:37:17,239 --> 00:37:20,280
Speaker 2: from last year, and she's averaging almost four more assists

608
00:37:20,280 --> 00:37:26,919
Speaker 2: per game. Earlier this season, she had a absolutely ridiculous

609
00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:32,080
Speaker 2: stat line twenty five thirteen assists, five rebound and four

610
00:37:32,200 --> 00:37:37,680
Speaker 2: block game. Did you guys hear that? Twenty five points,

611
00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:45,520
Speaker 2: thirteen assists, five rebounds, and four blocks. Yeah. And that

612
00:37:45,680 --> 00:37:49,280
Speaker 2: is a player that was sitting on a WNBA bench

613
00:37:50,360 --> 00:37:54,120
Speaker 2: for the last few years waiting for her opportunity, and

614
00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:58,000
Speaker 2: she was given an opportunity and she has thrived in it.

615
00:37:58,120 --> 00:38:03,080
Speaker 2: She has taken full advantage of this new Valkyries team,

616
00:38:03,120 --> 00:38:08,319
Speaker 2: which has surprised everybody with their success. They are in

617
00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:11,880
Speaker 2: sixth place right now, well could potentially be the first

618
00:38:11,920 --> 00:38:14,760
Speaker 2: expansion team to make it to the postseason. They're twenty

619
00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:17,279
Speaker 2: one and eighteen. They are our last game of the

620
00:38:17,320 --> 00:38:21,160
Speaker 2: season and if y'all have been following us or this show,

621
00:38:21,280 --> 00:38:24,960
Speaker 2: the Valkyris have had our number all season long, and

622
00:38:25,400 --> 00:38:29,680
Speaker 2: again in a must win scenario, we have to beat them.

623
00:38:29,800 --> 00:38:32,920
Speaker 2: We have New York first, then we finish up the

624
00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:36,200
Speaker 2: season with the Valkyries, both at home. But I will

625
00:38:36,320 --> 00:38:40,439
Speaker 2: use this to segue into the Coach of the Year

626
00:38:40,480 --> 00:38:43,880
Speaker 2: conversation and more about the Valkyries, So shout outs of

627
00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:46,120
Speaker 2: Ronica Burton. I think She's gonna win Most Improved. She

628
00:38:46,239 --> 00:38:52,640
Speaker 2: deserves it. She's been a star in Bajalla. That's where

629
00:38:52,640 --> 00:38:57,280
Speaker 2: the Valkyris play. If you guys didn't know, Balhalla most

630
00:38:57,320 --> 00:39:00,640
Speaker 2: turns up arena in the league. I'm sorry to everyone

631
00:39:00,680 --> 00:39:03,680
Speaker 2: that might think otherwise, but that was probably the most

632
00:39:03,719 --> 00:39:06,319
Speaker 2: fun environment I've ever played in the league since I've

633
00:39:06,360 --> 00:39:09,160
Speaker 2: been in the league. But anyway, Coach of the Year,

634
00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:13,480
Speaker 2: I was very very set on the Atlanta coach, but

635
00:39:13,640 --> 00:39:20,480
Speaker 2: once I dialed it back a little bit, I realized

636
00:39:20,520 --> 00:39:24,719
Speaker 2: that the Valkyries coach should actually win Coach of the Year.

637
00:39:25,480 --> 00:39:28,600
Speaker 2: What the coach at Atlanta has done with that team

638
00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:35,760
Speaker 2: is very good, very impressive. But he has multiple All Stars,

639
00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:39,000
Speaker 2: a Hall of Famer in BG. Not taking anything away

640
00:39:39,040 --> 00:39:42,360
Speaker 2: from his coaching the success that they've had, but that

641
00:39:42,520 --> 00:39:45,719
Speaker 2: is a very very good team that he has over there.

642
00:39:46,239 --> 00:39:48,879
Speaker 2: Not saying that the Valkyries are not a very very

643
00:39:48,920 --> 00:39:51,879
Speaker 2: good team, but they don't have anybody on their team

644
00:39:51,960 --> 00:39:55,239
Speaker 2: averaging over twelve points per game. I don't even know

645
00:39:55,320 --> 00:40:00,800
Speaker 2: the amount of roster spots that they've had lost. They've

646
00:40:00,960 --> 00:40:05,880
Speaker 2: lost Tiffany Hayes the injury, They've lost Cayla Thorne the injury.

647
00:40:06,080 --> 00:40:08,520
Speaker 2: They had Monique Billings out with injury. I think she

648
00:40:08,680 --> 00:40:11,000
Speaker 2: is now reactivated, So shout out to my girl Mo

649
00:40:11,200 --> 00:40:14,720
Speaker 2: for getting reactivated for the last push of the season.

650
00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:20,280
Speaker 2: But I don't know if I've given coach nat enough

651
00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:23,800
Speaker 2: credit for her role in the success of the Valkyries

652
00:40:23,840 --> 00:40:26,480
Speaker 2: as a team, as an organization. And if you guys

653
00:40:26,520 --> 00:40:30,319
Speaker 2: don't know much about coach Natalie, she was the Las

654
00:40:30,440 --> 00:40:33,520
Speaker 2: Vegas Aces assistant coach from twenty twenty two to twenty

655
00:40:33,520 --> 00:40:36,400
Speaker 2: twenty four. Helped them win those back to back championships

656
00:40:36,760 --> 00:40:41,240
Speaker 2: by being Becky's right hand. She was such an important

657
00:40:41,280 --> 00:40:46,480
Speaker 2: part to the success of that Vegas team winning those

658
00:40:46,520 --> 00:40:49,520
Speaker 2: back to back championships. So when she got the head

659
00:40:49,520 --> 00:40:53,840
Speaker 2: coaching job, everyone was like, duh. She absolutely deserves to

660
00:40:53,880 --> 00:40:55,840
Speaker 2: be a head coach in this league and she's proving

661
00:40:55,880 --> 00:40:59,239
Speaker 2: it every single day with what she's done with this

662
00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:02,680
Speaker 2: Vokyri's team. Like I said, no players are averaging over

663
00:41:02,719 --> 00:41:06,160
Speaker 2: twelve points per game, they have a top five defense.

664
00:41:06,840 --> 00:41:09,359
Speaker 2: They still shoot the most threes in the league, but

665
00:41:09,440 --> 00:41:12,719
Speaker 2: they now make the most. You know, their percentage is

666
00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:15,440
Speaker 2: not great, but they are making the most threes at

667
00:41:15,480 --> 00:41:18,160
Speaker 2: ten per game. They take thirty three per game, which

668
00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:21,480
Speaker 2: is outrageous, but I love it and their top three

669
00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:28,840
Speaker 2: and rebounding. So she has had this roster not only

670
00:41:28,920 --> 00:41:34,200
Speaker 2: buy into her philosophy, but buy into each other. And

671
00:41:34,239 --> 00:41:36,239
Speaker 2: I think that's what makes them so dangerous, and that's

672
00:41:36,239 --> 00:41:39,520
Speaker 2: what makes them so good, is that they all genuinely

673
00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:42,600
Speaker 2: believe in one another. They all genuinely want to see

674
00:41:42,640 --> 00:41:47,479
Speaker 2: each other succeed. There's no ego over there at all,

675
00:41:47,560 --> 00:41:50,879
Speaker 2: at least from the outside looking in and playing against them. Like, yeah,

676
00:41:50,920 --> 00:41:56,000
Speaker 2: there's whatever regular team drama and end game back and forth,

677
00:41:56,080 --> 00:41:58,759
Speaker 2: but like, outside of that, what that Valkyrie's team has

678
00:41:58,840 --> 00:42:02,400
Speaker 2: done this season was not expected at all. Nobody had

679
00:42:02,440 --> 00:42:05,080
Speaker 2: them in the postseason. I mean, there's a chance that

680
00:42:05,120 --> 00:42:07,120
Speaker 2: they fall out. There's a chance that a few teams

681
00:42:07,120 --> 00:42:08,960
Speaker 2: can fall out of the of the playoffs, if we're

682
00:42:09,000 --> 00:42:12,080
Speaker 2: being honest, But the fact that they're sitting in sixth

683
00:42:12,120 --> 00:42:14,319
Speaker 2: place right now at the end of the year was

684
00:42:14,360 --> 00:42:16,840
Speaker 2: something that no one was expecting. I don't want anybody

685
00:42:16,880 --> 00:42:19,520
Speaker 2: to lie and say that they thought that the expansion

686
00:42:19,600 --> 00:42:22,440
Speaker 2: team was going to be in the playoffs, because even

687
00:42:22,480 --> 00:42:24,880
Speaker 2: we said that they weren't going to be in the

688
00:42:24,880 --> 00:42:29,000
Speaker 2: playoffs and we were wrong and I was quickly proven

689
00:42:29,000 --> 00:42:31,520
Speaker 2: wrong the first time we went there and they punched

690
00:42:31,560 --> 00:42:35,160
Speaker 2: us in the mouth. So I want to give a

691
00:42:35,200 --> 00:42:39,160
Speaker 2: shout out to coach nat because I feel like she

692
00:42:39,280 --> 00:42:41,840
Speaker 2: should win Coach of the Year. And are there are

693
00:42:41,840 --> 00:42:44,120
Speaker 2: a few coaches that I think that could be in

694
00:42:44,120 --> 00:42:46,000
Speaker 2: the conversation for Coach of the year. Like there's been

695
00:42:46,080 --> 00:42:49,280
Speaker 2: some really really good basketball being played, there's some really

696
00:42:49,360 --> 00:42:52,400
Speaker 2: not so good basketball being played, But I think that

697
00:42:52,480 --> 00:42:56,279
Speaker 2: it's a good thing to focus on the good basketball,

698
00:42:56,320 --> 00:43:00,200
Speaker 2: the good hoop, the good stories, the good healthy competition

699
00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:02,839
Speaker 2: that's been going on in the league all season long.

700
00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:06,520
Speaker 2: I'm really excited for these last nine days. I want

701
00:43:06,520 --> 00:43:08,799
Speaker 2: to shout out to y'all for rocket with me for

702
00:43:08,920 --> 00:43:11,280
Speaker 2: the whole season. I can't believe this season is about

703
00:43:11,280 --> 00:43:13,479
Speaker 2: to end. I cannot believe that we did this show

704
00:43:13,520 --> 00:43:15,640
Speaker 2: every week. I really thought that it was going to

705
00:43:15,719 --> 00:43:20,160
Speaker 2: be a lot harder than it was to keep up

706
00:43:20,280 --> 00:43:24,239
Speaker 2: with this show while the season was going on, especially

707
00:43:24,360 --> 00:43:26,560
Speaker 2: when the season kind of took a turn for me

708
00:43:26,719 --> 00:43:29,560
Speaker 2: personally the way it did. But I will say, like

709
00:43:29,719 --> 00:43:33,880
Speaker 2: I see y'all's comments, I see y'all commenting on my tiktoks.

710
00:43:33,880 --> 00:43:37,359
Speaker 2: I see y'all commenting on the YouTube. I really appreciate

711
00:43:38,560 --> 00:43:41,920
Speaker 2: the listeners and the viewers of this show because this,

712
00:43:42,200 --> 00:43:47,520
Speaker 2: like literally has been the outlet that I have needed

713
00:43:47,719 --> 00:43:51,360
Speaker 2: to get through this season, and I'm just really grateful

714
00:43:51,360 --> 00:43:53,319
Speaker 2: to have it. I'm really grateful to have y'all. I'm

715
00:43:53,320 --> 00:43:56,160
Speaker 2: grateful that you guys show up for me every single week.

716
00:43:56,400 --> 00:43:58,760
Speaker 2: That's why I always want to show up for y'all

717
00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:02,000
Speaker 2: every single week and help y'all stay hip and in

718
00:44:02,080 --> 00:44:05,640
Speaker 2: tune to everything going on in women's basketball. So with

719
00:44:05,719 --> 00:44:09,000
Speaker 2: all of that being said, thank you guys for tuning

720
00:44:09,040 --> 00:44:12,080
Speaker 2: in to this week's episode. Next week we will be

721
00:44:12,200 --> 00:44:15,640
Speaker 2: back full strength. Mariah will be back. I hope y'all

722
00:44:15,719 --> 00:44:21,800
Speaker 2: enjoyed my second single Vibe out show. I love y'all.

723
00:44:22,600 --> 00:44:25,160
Speaker 2: Wish us luck good vibes. We need these last two

724
00:44:25,200 --> 00:44:29,040
Speaker 2: wins to keep our playoff hopes alive. Hopefully next week

725
00:44:29,080 --> 00:44:31,160
Speaker 2: I will be telling y'all how we are preparing for

726
00:44:31,200 --> 00:44:35,160
Speaker 2: the playoffs. So fingers across to that. Love y'all. Again.

727
00:44:35,320 --> 00:44:38,279
Speaker 2: Appreciate y'all, and this has been another episode of Full

728
00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:43,040
Speaker 2: Circle Podcasts. We will see y'all next week. Bye.

729
00:44:43,520 --> 00:44:45,719
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to Full Circle. We'll be back next

730
00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:48,760
Speaker 1: week with more basketball for the Girls by the girls.

731
00:44:49,080 --> 00:44:51,160
Speaker 1: We want to hear from you. Leave us a review

732
00:44:51,200 --> 00:44:53,600
Speaker 1: on Apple Podcasts, and tell us what you want us

733
00:44:53,600 --> 00:44:56,200
Speaker 1: to talk about. Full Circle is hosted by Lexi Brown

734
00:44:56,200 --> 00:44:59,560
Speaker 1: and Mariah Rose. Our executive producer is Jesse Katz. Our

735
00:44:59,600 --> 00:45:03,160
Speaker 1: supervis producer is Grace Fused. Our producer is Zoe dan

736
00:45:03,200 --> 00:45:07,480
Speaker 1: klab Listen to Full Circle on America's number one podcast network,

737
00:45:07,600 --> 00:45:10,720
Speaker 1: iHeart open your free iHeart app and search full Circle

738
00:45:10,760 --> 00:45:13,000
Speaker 1: with Lexi Brown and Mariah Rose and start listening