WEBVTT - Aces vs. Everybody with Callie Fin (Lawson-Freeman) 0:00:01.040 --> 0:00:03.320 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're wishing 0:00:03.400 --> 0:00:06.560 all the college basketball teams a happy first week of practice, 0:00:06.800 --> 0:00:10.080 made the preseason be injury free, and the regular season 0:00:10.119 --> 0:00:11.920 for that matter, and the postseason and the rest of 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:14.400 your lives. Please every Wednesday healthy. We're super croup for 0:00:14.440 --> 0:00:16.959 this season. On today's JOWE, we'll be talking all things 0:00:17.000 --> 0:00:19.800 aces with Las Vegas Review Journal reporter Callie laws and 0:00:19.880 --> 0:00:23.520 Freeman or should we say Callie Finn Get used to it. 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:24.760 Our girl just got married. 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:27.560 Plus we get you caught up on WNBA playoff action 0:00:27.800 --> 0:00:29.840 and give you the wise words of one Twitter user 0:00:29.920 --> 0:00:32.240 that we all need to keep close to our hearts 0:00:32.240 --> 0:00:35.000 as this playoff season continues. It's all coming up right 0:00:35.040 --> 0:00:48.080 after this. Welcome back, my Orange slices. 0:00:48.120 --> 0:00:49.440 Here's what you need to know today. 0:00:51.760 --> 0:00:55.080 WNBA Playoffs two games on Tuesday night, and both top 0:00:55.120 --> 0:00:57.800 seeds finished off the sweeps in their first round matchups. 0:00:58.000 --> 0:01:00.520 In the early game, Sabrina and escued tide of franchise 0:01:00.600 --> 0:01:04.240 playoff record with thirty six points and high five Spike 0:01:04.319 --> 0:01:06.400 Lee to help the New York Liberty beat the Atlanta 0:01:06.440 --> 0:01:09.160 Dream ninety one eighty two in advance to the semi finals. 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:12.440 John qwell Jones added twenty points and thirteen rebounds for 0:01:12.480 --> 0:01:15.480 her nineteenth career playoff double double and one hundred and 0:01:15.560 --> 0:01:18.120 ninth double double of any kind in her career. The 0:01:18.200 --> 0:01:21.200 Dream fought hard to try to extend the series. They 0:01:21.240 --> 0:01:24.319 started off leading twenty eight nineteen, led by eleven in 0:01:24.360 --> 0:01:26.000 the second, and hung on to keep it within a 0:01:26.040 --> 0:01:29.000 point heading into the fourth quarter, but despite twenty six 0:01:29.000 --> 0:01:32.560 points from Alisha Gray and nineteen from Ryan Howard, Atlanta 0:01:32.680 --> 0:01:35.240 just couldn't keep pace with the top seeded Liberty New 0:01:35.319 --> 0:01:37.360 York will go on to face the Las Vegas Aces 0:01:37.440 --> 0:01:40.319 in the semi finals. Asia Wilson and Company defeating the 0:01:40.319 --> 0:01:43.360 Seattle Storm eighty three seventy six in front of baby 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:46.839 horse Alex Morgan courtside in Vegas. After a tough shooting 0:01:46.920 --> 0:01:49.760 night in Game one, Kelsey Plumb showed out twenty nine 0:01:49.760 --> 0:01:52.400 points in the win. MVP Asia Wilson add in twenty 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:55.160 four points and thirteen rebounds, and they got twelve points 0:01:55.240 --> 0:01:57.520 nine assist from Chelsea Gray to hold off a Seattle 0:01:57.600 --> 0:02:00.560 team that would not quit. Four of five starters and 0:02:00.640 --> 0:02:03.480 double digits for the Storm, and they fought but couldn't 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:06.600 finish and force a Game three. Watching how Gabby Williams 0:02:06.600 --> 0:02:09.040 played since being added to that team, man, sure makes 0:02:09.040 --> 0:02:10.400 you wonder what that team could have done if they 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:11.120 had her all season. 0:02:11.639 --> 0:02:13.400 And we've got some more Game two action. 0:02:13.520 --> 0:02:15.919 Tonight, the Connecticut Sun hosts the Indiana Fever at seven 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:19.200 thirty Eastern with an opportunity to close out that series. 0:02:19.480 --> 0:02:21.840 Can the Sun force Caitlin Clark and her teammates into 0:02:21.840 --> 0:02:24.120 another bad shooting night like Game one, or will a 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:26.639 young Fever team come out more poised in Game two? 0:02:27.040 --> 0:02:29.120 Second game Phoenix Mercury looking to win on the road 0:02:29.120 --> 0:02:31.440 and force a Game three with the Minnesota Lynx. That 0:02:31.560 --> 0:02:34.600 game tip's at nine to thirty Eastern. The whole If 0:02:34.639 --> 0:02:37.720 This Is It watch continues because tonight could be the 0:02:37.800 --> 0:02:41.000 end of Dinah Trossi's career If they lose. Will Britney Griner, 0:02:41.120 --> 0:02:43.760 Kalia Copper and the White Momba herself show out and 0:02:43.760 --> 0:02:47.200 make sure DT at least plays at home one last time? 0:02:47.560 --> 0:02:48.920 Find out should be a good one. 0:02:49.280 --> 0:02:50.760 By the way, on Monday and Tuesday on Twitter, I 0:02:50.760 --> 0:02:52.800 asked you all to make your predictions for the first round, 0:02:53.120 --> 0:02:55.120 and as we're starting to see them come to a close. 0:02:55.120 --> 0:02:56.320 Here's how the vote shook out. 0:02:56.600 --> 0:02:59.120 Eighty three point four percent of voters have the Aces 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:02.360 beating the storm, fifty three point eight have the Sun 0:03:02.440 --> 0:03:05.680 beating the fever, eighty point eight percent see the links 0:03:05.680 --> 0:03:08.919 top in the Mercury, and ninety three point seven percent 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:12.600 of voters had the Liberty defeating the Dream in the NWSL. 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:15.480 It's some exciting news for the league's newest club, BAYFC. 0:03:15.919 --> 0:03:17.720 They've signed a letter of intent to build an eight 0:03:17.760 --> 0:03:20.440 and a half acre training facility on Treasure Island, a 0:03:20.480 --> 0:03:22.560 move that will bolster the island's longtime role as a 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:23.079 sports and. 0:03:23.040 --> 0:03:25.440 Recreation hub in the area. Fun fact, I went to 0:03:25.480 --> 0:03:26.239 a wedding there once. 0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:28.720 The training facility deal was announced during a news conference 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:31.400 on Tuesday, and will include a twenty thousand square foot 0:03:31.400 --> 0:03:34.800 clubhouse and three practice fields. The club intends to break 0:03:34.840 --> 0:03:37.080 round on the facility in twenty twenty five and begin 0:03:37.160 --> 0:03:39.920 using it in twenty twenty seven. The franchise is also 0:03:39.960 --> 0:03:42.920 considering possible sites for a stadium in the future. Home 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:45.680 games are currently played at PayPal Park. That's the same 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:49.160 venue used by Major League Soccer as San Jose Earthquakes. Also, 0:03:49.240 --> 0:03:51.640 after we finished recording. On Monday night, the Portland Thorns 0:03:51.680 --> 0:03:53.720 earned a two to two draw with Angel City that 0:03:53.800 --> 0:03:56.920 snapped a four game losing streak for Portland. The draw 0:03:57.000 --> 0:03:59.280 keeps them in seventh place. They're three points ahead of 0:03:59.320 --> 0:04:02.240 eighth place race Louisville, while Angel City is in tenth, 0:04:02.280 --> 0:04:05.800 three points behind Louisville and BAFC, both teams still in 0:04:05.840 --> 0:04:08.840 the playoff hunt with five weeks to go. College basketball 0:04:08.920 --> 0:04:12.800 Southern Cal just landed another top recruit on Tuesday. Five 0:04:12.840 --> 0:04:15.560 star hooper Jazzy Davidson, the number three player in the 0:04:15.560 --> 0:04:18.960 twenty twenty five class according to the ESPN Hoop Girls Rankings, 0:04:19.320 --> 0:04:22.400 committed to play for the USC Trojans next year. Davidson, 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:25.360 a six foot two guard out of Klacamis, Oregon, will 0:04:25.400 --> 0:04:28.000 join All American star Juju Watkins at USC. 0:04:28.600 --> 0:04:31.960 Jazzy and Juju print the shirts now please. 0:04:32.440 --> 0:04:35.200 Davidson already has a stacked resumes, who most recently won 0:04:35.240 --> 0:04:37.200 gold in the Phoeba three x three U eighteen World 0:04:37.279 --> 0:04:40.799 Cup and in the Phoeba U eighteen AMERICAUP with Team USA. 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:44.000 Speaking of those Trojans, that young squad fought mightily last season, 0:04:44.000 --> 0:04:47.360 reaching in number three, ranking their highest since nineteen eighty six, 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:50.360 and posting a twenty nine and six overall record us 0:04:50.400 --> 0:04:51.920 He made it all the way to the Elite eight 0:04:52.000 --> 0:04:54.800 before losing to Yukon. We'll certainly be keeping an eye 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:57.920 on them this season. That rivalry with UCLA is going 0:04:57.960 --> 0:05:01.039 to be so much fun this season. College volleyball at 0:05:01.120 --> 0:05:03.920 packs late of games tonight, including the number one ranked 0:05:03.920 --> 0:05:07.159 perfect Pittsburgh Panthers putting their nine oh to O record 0:05:07.240 --> 0:05:10.600 on the line against UMBC at five eastern. There are 0:05:10.600 --> 0:05:13.360 five games across ESPN platforms tonight that you can watch, 0:05:13.400 --> 0:05:16.159 including the number nine Kansas Jayhawks taken on UCF at 0:05:16.240 --> 0:05:19.440 seven eastern on ESPNU. We'll link to the full ESPN 0:05:19.480 --> 0:05:23.040 schedule in our notes. By the way, Sunday's Nebraska Louisville 0:05:23.040 --> 0:05:26.880 matchup on ABC did numbers, becoming the most watched regular 0:05:26.920 --> 0:05:30.320 season volleyball match on all ESPN platforms and the second 0:05:30.320 --> 0:05:33.159 most watched regular season volleyball game on any network, with 0:05:33.240 --> 0:05:35.880 six hundred and eighty four thousand viewers, peaking with eight 0:05:36.000 --> 0:05:39.680 hundred eight thousand. Tennis, the China Open Gets started today 0:05:39.680 --> 0:05:42.400 at the Beijing Olympic Green Tennis Center. The same venue 0:05:42.400 --> 0:05:44.680 that was used at the two thousand and eight Olympic Games. 0:05:44.880 --> 0:05:47.159 The top names on the WTA Tour are competing in 0:05:47.160 --> 0:05:50.840 the tournament, including Americans Jessica Pagoula, Coco Goff, and Emma Navarro. 0:05:51.120 --> 0:05:54.080 Poland's egas Fontec took home the trophy in twenty twenty three, 0:05:54.120 --> 0:05:56.760 defeating Ludmila Samsonova. 0:05:56.480 --> 0:05:57.279 In straight sets. 0:05:59.520 --> 0:06:01.920 QUI out to friend of the show Lindsay dark Angelo, 0:06:01.960 --> 0:06:04.119 who you heard here talking about her women's football book, 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:06.200 Hail Mary Well. She also does a great job of 0:06:06.279 --> 0:06:08.680 covering women's hoops for awful announcing, and our interview with 0:06:08.760 --> 0:06:10.880 Cheryl Reeve inspired her to write a column this week. 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:13.320 Now you remember the Minnesota Link's head coach came on here, 0:06:13.320 --> 0:06:16.000 talked about trying to preserve the WNBA space as one 0:06:16.000 --> 0:06:19.920 that's inclusive, welcoming and empowering for people no matter their gender, 0:06:20.160 --> 0:06:21.479 sexuality identity. 0:06:21.560 --> 0:06:22.760 And as a gay sports writer. 0:06:22.600 --> 0:06:25.680 Who is masculine leaning, Lindsay really felt that she echoed 0:06:25.720 --> 0:06:28.040 Reeve in her column, writing quote, I've often felt out 0:06:28.040 --> 0:06:31.120 of place when covering men's sports and or interviewing male athletes. 0:06:31.360 --> 0:06:33.160 I always had the sense that I didn't fit some 0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:35.839 particular mold of how a female sports reporter should be 0:06:35.920 --> 0:06:38.520 and look. More often than not, I felt awkward, self 0:06:38.520 --> 0:06:40.600 conscious and out of place. But when I ventured into 0:06:40.640 --> 0:06:43.680 the women's sports space, particularly the WNBA, I never. 0:06:43.480 --> 0:06:45.360 Felt more at home. End quote. 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:47.760 What Lindsay wrote after that about how the league and 0:06:47.800 --> 0:06:50.680 the w space will respond to increasingly toxic rhetoric and 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:52.719 a changing vibe really stood out to me. 0:06:52.920 --> 0:06:56.400 I totally agree. She wrote, quote the eyes, the rise in. 0:06:56.440 --> 0:06:59.960 Viewership, the increased attention, the additional coverage across mainstream media, 0:07:00.080 --> 0:07:02.760 the heightened conversation. It's all been amazing. It's what the 0:07:02.880 --> 0:07:06.720 WNBA community, WNBA media, players, and the league have wanted 0:07:06.760 --> 0:07:09.280 and hoped for. The troubling part is that we're now 0:07:09.279 --> 0:07:12.120 expected to be okay with and accept the influx of 0:07:12.160 --> 0:07:15.119 toxicity that has come along with it. I know growing 0:07:15.160 --> 0:07:16.960 pains are a thing, but this isn't a pain. That's 0:07:17.000 --> 0:07:20.240 a natural part of the growing process. The WNBA is 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:22.560 one of the most, if not the most, progressive major 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:24.960 sports league in history. It raised the bar when it 0:07:25.000 --> 0:07:27.960 came to diversity and acceptance. It changed and evolved over 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:31.000 time because the players use their platforms and autonomy to 0:07:31.040 --> 0:07:33.560 demand better. Now it's supposed to lower the bar just 0:07:33.560 --> 0:07:37.640 because it's more popular. New fans, media, personalities, and voices 0:07:37.680 --> 0:07:40.360 to the space should instead rise to the occasion and 0:07:40.440 --> 0:07:42.840 meet the standards of where the bar is at. Taking 0:07:42.840 --> 0:07:45.440 steps backward just because that's been the status quo in 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:48.800 men's leagues isn't how the WNBA operates. It shouldn't be 0:07:48.800 --> 0:07:50.920 how any women's sports league operates. 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:52.720 End quote. Couldn't agree more. 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:56.120 Lindsay Well said, terrible people will exist in every space 0:07:56.160 --> 0:07:59.960 in life, on social and sports. Fans are notoriously the world, 0:08:00.800 --> 0:08:03.520 but we can't just accept it, whether from fans, media, 0:08:03.640 --> 0:08:06.760 or players. Simply shrugging our shoulders, or even worse, lowering 0:08:06.760 --> 0:08:10.000 ourselves to contribute to it cannot be the answer. If 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:11.440 you want to read the full story, we put a 0:08:11.480 --> 0:08:14.200 link to it in our show notes. We got to 0:08:14.240 --> 0:08:16.480 take a quick break when we come back. Cali laws 0:08:16.520 --> 0:08:22.840 In Freeman Finn is our ace in the hole stick around. 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:28.160 She's a Las Vegas ass and UNLV sports reporter for 0:08:28.200 --> 0:08:31.760 the Las Vegas Review Journal, with previous stops at Yahoo Sports, ESPN, 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:34.720 Front Office Sports, and The Sacramento Observer. She was a 0:08:34.720 --> 0:08:37.640 college track athlete at uc Riverside and San Francisco State, 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:38.320 and she's. 0:08:38.120 --> 0:08:42.720 A newlywed, like new new It's Cali laws and Freeman. 0:08:43.000 --> 0:08:43.800 What's up CALLI. 0:08:44.600 --> 0:08:46.720 Oh my goodness, that was such a great intro. I 0:08:46.720 --> 0:08:48.760 didn't know that you would have all that info, but 0:08:48.920 --> 0:08:50.040 thank you so much. 0:08:50.480 --> 0:08:52.120 You know I went dig in. You know you already 0:08:52.120 --> 0:08:53.520 have three names? Do we have a fourth? 0:08:53.559 --> 0:08:56.800 Now? Are we sticking with these three? No, it'll be changed. 0:08:56.840 --> 0:08:59.720 I'm gonna take kids so professionally, I'll have a shorter 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:03.600 last name soon It'll just be Cali Finn fi nd, 0:09:03.640 --> 0:09:06.800 which is easier. The hyphen was from both of my parents, so. 0:09:07.679 --> 0:09:10.760 Perfect fi and in French. Perfect. 0:09:11.760 --> 0:09:14.199 You literally got buried last weekend, so we got to 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:17.160 start there first. Give us the one minute wedding recap. 0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:21.120 Oh my gosh, it was amazing. We so his grandmother 0:09:21.240 --> 0:09:23.880 has an apple orchard in New Mexico, so we got 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:26.720 married there. It was a very like intimate family affair 0:09:26.800 --> 0:09:29.840 and it was so fun. Our DJ went hard, We 0:09:29.880 --> 0:09:32.040 had a photo booth. It was just a really fun time. 0:09:32.040 --> 0:09:35.400 It felt like a big party after the serious romantic 0:09:35.440 --> 0:09:36.120 stuff was over. 0:09:37.240 --> 0:09:38.880 That sounds amazing, so fun. 0:09:39.240 --> 0:09:42.120 It's right in the middle of your beat, though, I mean, 0:09:42.160 --> 0:09:44.360 this is your first year on the Aces beat. The 0:09:44.360 --> 0:09:46.480 playoffs get going and you're like, let me just sneak 0:09:46.520 --> 0:09:48.439 away real quick to get married and then come back. 0:09:48.480 --> 0:09:50.600 Which I love that you pulled it off because now 0:09:50.600 --> 0:09:52.920 you're back already working. I'm hoping for a nice long 0:09:52.920 --> 0:09:54.760 honeymoon once you know you get a break. 0:09:54.800 --> 0:09:56.880 But let's talk about the Aces. 0:09:57.240 --> 0:09:59.800 Two time defending WNBA champs got off to a rough 0:09:59.800 --> 0:10:01.920 star this season, but they've got the talent, They've got 0:10:01.960 --> 0:10:04.520 the experience to go the distance. We are talking to 0:10:04.520 --> 0:10:06.760 each other just before Game two between the Aces and 0:10:06.800 --> 0:10:09.120 the Storm, so folks hearing this will either be processing 0:10:09.160 --> 0:10:11.840 a Vegas sweep or readying themselves for a Game three 0:10:11.840 --> 0:10:13.959 on Thursday. So let's back up a little and do 0:10:14.080 --> 0:10:16.320 big picture what you saw from the Aces in the 0:10:16.360 --> 0:10:19.120 regular season. What went right for this team when they 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:21.160 won and what went wrong when they lost? 0:10:21.320 --> 0:10:23.720 Yeah, I mean, I think what went wrong when they 0:10:23.760 --> 0:10:26.000 lost is the easier question to answer because it was 0:10:26.040 --> 0:10:29.400 so obvious their defense was really struggling, and so that 0:10:29.640 --> 0:10:31.360 was clear. It didn't seem like they were on the 0:10:31.360 --> 0:10:36.280 same page defensively, even sometimes offensively. Becky Hammond would sometimes 0:10:36.679 --> 0:10:40.200 say that the Aces were struggling from kind of like 0:10:40.240 --> 0:10:43.640 a main character complex, like everybody on the team was 0:10:43.679 --> 0:10:46.679 wanting to have their moment and that was really making 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:50.200 the offense disjointed. And obviously they've kind of moved past that, 0:10:50.440 --> 0:10:53.400 like they have really gotten to the point where running 0:10:53.480 --> 0:10:56.520 through Asia is what's working and makes sense, and you're 0:10:56.559 --> 0:10:59.880 not seeing a lot of a lot of you know, 0:11:00.080 --> 0:11:03.400 differing from that. But then you're also seeing you know, 0:11:03.520 --> 0:11:06.679 Chelsea Gray looking like the point god that we know 0:11:06.800 --> 0:11:09.400 and love. We're getting you know, sparks off the bench 0:11:09.520 --> 0:11:12.840 from Tiffany Hayes. We're seeing Jackie Young looking more like herself. 0:11:12.880 --> 0:11:15.040 So I think, I mean, yeah, when things were going wrong, 0:11:15.080 --> 0:11:18.200 it was definitely the defense and just kind of miscommunications 0:11:18.240 --> 0:11:20.720 and lack of trust and things like that on both 0:11:20.720 --> 0:11:22.880 sides of the ball. And I think when things are 0:11:22.920 --> 0:11:25.920 going right, it's the opposite of that, like everything you 0:11:25.960 --> 0:11:27.760 know is firing on all cylinders. And I think that's 0:11:27.800 --> 0:11:30.480 what you're starting to see, Like they they're clicking. They 0:11:30.600 --> 0:11:33.240 just held the Storm to two points in the fourth 0:11:33.320 --> 0:11:35.680 quarter like that, and some of that obviously is on 0:11:35.679 --> 0:11:38.200 the Storm, right, but you kind of want to give 0:11:38.240 --> 0:11:41.640 the ACYSM credit for their improved defense at this point. 0:11:41.960 --> 0:11:44.199 Yeah, and I think you know, obviously, Chelsea Gray was 0:11:44.200 --> 0:11:45.959 out with injury for a while. Her return was a 0:11:46.040 --> 0:11:47.680 huge boost for the team, and then she needed some 0:11:47.720 --> 0:11:49.360 time to catch back up. But it was one of 0:11:49.360 --> 0:11:52.840 those situations where Asia Wilson was having insane season, but 0:11:52.880 --> 0:11:57.240 the numbers were down for great Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum 0:11:57.520 --> 0:11:59.000 from last year. And I don't know if that's the 0:11:59.040 --> 0:12:02.319 inevitable result of a player like Asia being as dominant 0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:04.599 as she's been and just everyone getting the ball a 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:08.360 little less, getting fewer looks, or if Asia's compensating for 0:12:08.480 --> 0:12:11.000 those players not having as great as a start. 0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:13.280 Can you tell if one caused the other. 0:12:13.480 --> 0:12:16.160 Yeah, I mean, I think that's a great point. Like, 0:12:16.320 --> 0:12:19.400 I don't know correlation causation, but I do think. I mean, 0:12:19.400 --> 0:12:22.679 even Becky has said herself, like she said last year 0:12:22.720 --> 0:12:25.160 that if she utilized Asia more in fourth quarters, that 0:12:25.600 --> 0:12:28.400 Asia would have been, you know, the unanimous MVP. There 0:12:28.400 --> 0:12:31.200 would have been no way to kind of discount the 0:12:31.200 --> 0:12:34.840 season that Asia had last season. So this year, obviously 0:12:34.920 --> 0:12:37.160 the Aces weren't performing on the same level. Like you said, 0:12:37.160 --> 0:12:39.480 the numbers were down kind of from the core four 0:12:39.559 --> 0:12:42.040 and even the bench early in the season, and so 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:44.920 then it was on Asia to really carry the team. 0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:46.920 And that's not my words. I've heard Becky say that, 0:12:46.960 --> 0:12:49.640 I've heard other players say that Asia really put the 0:12:49.679 --> 0:12:53.240 team on her back, and so I mean you could 0:12:53.280 --> 0:12:55.800 say that that's because of the way that the season 0:12:55.800 --> 0:12:57.560 has gone. I mean, I think a lot of that 0:12:57.640 --> 0:13:00.600 has to do with like Chelsea Gray's early the absence 0:13:00.679 --> 0:13:04.320 that put Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum out of position. Early, 0:13:04.559 --> 0:13:08.040 Like Jackie Young was finding herself facilitating the offense, which 0:13:08.080 --> 0:13:11.400 was a position she wasn't super comfortable with, but Chelsea 0:13:11.480 --> 0:13:13.000 Gray was gone, so that's what she had to do, 0:13:13.040 --> 0:13:15.959 and that kind of shifted things for the whole teams. 0:13:16.040 --> 0:13:18.760 Like if you have one player playing out a position, 0:13:18.840 --> 0:13:21.880 then everybody has to adjust. And so Asia was really 0:13:22.040 --> 0:13:24.320 carrying the brunt of that weight. 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:26.720 She's been otherworldly. 0:13:26.840 --> 0:13:28.719 We know, getting her the ball is always the move, 0:13:28.800 --> 0:13:30.600 but you got to have those other folks who step 0:13:30.679 --> 0:13:32.560 up as the season has gone on and as they've 0:13:32.679 --> 0:13:35.680 entered this postseason, who is that person that you know 0:13:35.760 --> 0:13:37.680 will step up if Asia is having an off day 0:13:37.760 --> 0:13:40.160 or if AG's on the bench, who's the go to? 0:13:40.400 --> 0:13:43.040 Yeah, I love this question. I think that's what makes 0:13:43.040 --> 0:13:45.360 the Aces so dangerous is because you don't really know 0:13:45.600 --> 0:13:48.840 the answer to that any given game, Like they're obviously 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:51.120 you know what the options are. You have the core four, 0:13:51.679 --> 0:13:54.120 which is outside of Asia, you have you know, Chelsea Gray, 0:13:54.160 --> 0:13:56.600 you have Jackie Young, you have Kelsey Plum like, you 0:13:56.720 --> 0:14:00.600 have these incredibly talented players, and then you have somebody 0:14:00.640 --> 0:14:03.199 like Tiffany Hayes coming off the bench and it's not 0:14:03.320 --> 0:14:07.319 just her, like, they have a pretty significant bench. We 0:14:07.320 --> 0:14:09.600 could even start talking about Cydny Golesen and things like 0:14:09.640 --> 0:14:12.200 that and kind of the options that they have. But 0:14:12.280 --> 0:14:14.439 I think, I mean, Becky Hammond has said this, it's 0:14:14.480 --> 0:14:16.400 kind of a pick your poison thing, and you see 0:14:16.400 --> 0:14:20.680 this a lot when defenses really concentrate on Asia, they 0:14:20.720 --> 0:14:23.480 double triple team her and they focus all of their 0:14:23.480 --> 0:14:26.520 defensive attention on her. That puts somebody like a Kelsey 0:14:26.560 --> 0:14:28.720 Plumber Jackie Young open and that's how you know, we 0:14:28.840 --> 0:14:32.400 have had thirty four thirty two point games from from 0:14:33.200 --> 0:14:36.840 from KP and Jackie this season because of situations like that, 0:14:36.880 --> 0:14:38.760 where you know, you try to take Asia out of 0:14:38.760 --> 0:14:40.960 the equation. But you gotta that means that you got 0:14:40.960 --> 0:14:43.360 to leave somebody else open, and they have plenty of 0:14:43.400 --> 0:14:45.920 options offensively. 0:14:46.080 --> 0:14:47.000 Yeah, they sure do. 0:14:48.040 --> 0:14:50.240 You know you you mentioned Tiffany Hayes after she went 0:14:50.280 --> 0:14:52.200 off in Game one, Becky Hammond talked about getting to 0:14:52.200 --> 0:14:55.200 snag her out of retirement. How important has she been 0:14:55.240 --> 0:14:57.200 to this team this season and how important is it 0:14:57.240 --> 0:14:59.480 to have a player that hasn't been on the team 0:14:59.600 --> 0:15:01.760 for the previous two titles, because that's a big thing, 0:15:01.840 --> 0:15:04.880 is finding motivation, finding drive when you've just come off 0:15:04.920 --> 0:15:07.400 back to back wins. And I think Tip brings that 0:15:07.480 --> 0:15:09.080 coming from a team like the Sun that haven't won. 0:15:09.240 --> 0:15:12.000 Yeah, I think, yeah, you're right. Tip has a level 0:15:12.000 --> 0:15:14.880 of hunger that is just unreal for someone who you know, 0:15:15.120 --> 0:15:17.640 seemed I mean, who was retired, who you would think 0:15:17.760 --> 0:15:20.520 was ready to be done with the game. But she's 0:15:21.000 --> 0:15:25.040 so aggressive. She sacrifices her body on so many different plays, 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:28.560 like and it's just incredible to see. Becky was telling 0:15:28.600 --> 0:15:32.480 me recently that sometimes she just watches Tiffany Hayes highlights 0:15:32.520 --> 0:15:36.000 because they're so aesthetically pleasing, and I think that that 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:38.600 makes total sense. It's like the energy that she plays with. 0:15:39.080 --> 0:15:40.760 I think sometimes like if you just look at the 0:15:40.800 --> 0:15:44.800 games where Tiffany Hayes excels, it's also games where Asia 0:15:44.880 --> 0:15:46.800 is playing really well, and so they work as like 0:15:47.080 --> 0:15:49.840 this really impressive tandem with like Tip off the bench 0:15:50.240 --> 0:15:52.920 and then Asia kind of I don't know, it seems 0:15:52.960 --> 0:15:55.640 like they kind of build on each other's energy, and 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:59.040 so it's really important. I think that, like you said, 0:15:59.280 --> 0:16:01.440 I think you don't amount of retirement for no reason, 0:16:01.560 --> 0:16:04.080 like she wants a ring and she has the hunger 0:16:04.160 --> 0:16:06.880 that the Aces were kind of missing. Like you heard 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:09.640 Becky Hammond say during that rough you know, six and 0:16:09.680 --> 0:16:12.120 six start without Chelsea Gray, that she didn't like the 0:16:12.160 --> 0:16:14.840 Aces energy from day one. She didn't like their deepense, 0:16:14.840 --> 0:16:17.640 and she didn't like their vibes. And it's crazy to 0:16:17.680 --> 0:16:20.480 hear a Hall of Famer like her use the word 0:16:20.560 --> 0:16:24.119 vibes to describe kind of how she's taking the team's temperature. 0:16:24.240 --> 0:16:26.280 But I mean, she was pretty clear about that she 0:16:26.320 --> 0:16:27.240 didn't like it. She didn't. 0:16:27.400 --> 0:16:28.160 Sometimes it's just. 0:16:28.320 --> 0:16:31.960 Exactly Sometimes it really is just vibes. And so it's 0:16:32.000 --> 0:16:34.320 so funny that you know, Tip has that like she 0:16:34.440 --> 0:16:37.640 has that hunger. It's innate for her and not to 0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:40.160 say that, you know, the Aces don't have it now, 0:16:40.200 --> 0:16:42.400 but there definitely was a point starting where it just 0:16:42.520 --> 0:16:45.480 wasn't there, and so she always brings it every single night. 0:16:46.440 --> 0:16:50.560 You mentioned sid Colson, great basketball player, somehow an even 0:16:50.600 --> 0:16:55.040 better comedian just not only there for the lightness and 0:16:55.400 --> 0:16:58.440 the vibes that we mentioned, also obviously brings a ton 0:16:58.480 --> 0:17:00.640 of energy and skins on the court. 0:17:00.800 --> 0:17:01.680 But how do you. 0:17:01.680 --> 0:17:05.800 Really just evaluate or sum up what she brings to 0:17:05.840 --> 0:17:08.320 a team because of what she brings with her personality 0:17:08.359 --> 0:17:08.680 as well. 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:12.040 Yeah, I mean I think that, like you said, the 0:17:12.080 --> 0:17:14.440 comedy is I think hard for some people to overlook 0:17:14.480 --> 0:17:17.040 because they're just like, wow, she just must be, you know, 0:17:17.880 --> 0:17:20.720 a joker through and through, but she's really not. I've 0:17:20.760 --> 0:17:24.879 seen sid very serious, like I think a lot of 0:17:24.880 --> 0:17:28.760 people probably saw. When Asia accepted her MVP award or 0:17:28.760 --> 0:17:32.400 when she was informed of it privately, she read these 0:17:32.480 --> 0:17:35.639 letters that she wrote to each player on the team, 0:17:35.760 --> 0:17:38.560 and Sidney Colson's letter she said that Sidney taught her 0:17:38.880 --> 0:17:41.080 how to be a leader. And I can totally see 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:45.520 that because I've seen Sidney, like she has this switch 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:48.800 that she can flip where it's very funny, it's very playful, 0:17:48.840 --> 0:17:50.400 and then the next thing, you know, she's being very 0:17:50.440 --> 0:17:52.879 serious and you know that you need to like really 0:17:52.960 --> 0:17:55.760 listen to what she's saying. And so I think that 0:17:55.760 --> 0:17:57.760 that's a big part of it. It's like she has 0:17:57.800 --> 0:18:03.000 a personality that is so magnetic and like, yes, so fun, 0:18:03.880 --> 0:18:07.680 but she also is is crucial to like the culture 0:18:07.760 --> 0:18:10.240 of the team, and so I think you pair that 0:18:10.359 --> 0:18:13.680 with the way that she is absolutely fearless on the court. 0:18:13.720 --> 0:18:16.040 I mean you look at she's not a tall player, 0:18:16.080 --> 0:18:18.399 but she plays like she's giant. Like she gets in 0:18:18.480 --> 0:18:20.440 the game and these for a lot of times fourth 0:18:20.520 --> 0:18:22.800 quarter situations, they'll kind of utilize her as like a 0:18:22.880 --> 0:18:25.879 closer of sorts, and then she'll bring the defensive spark. 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:28.400 She's getting steels, she's going up for layups. Sometimes she's 0:18:28.400 --> 0:18:31.040 smoking the layups, but it doesn't matter because she just 0:18:31.119 --> 0:18:35.439 like does not get nervous. And that's something that I 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:40.040 think is huge for the aces because when you're not scared, 0:18:40.160 --> 0:18:42.280 there are a lot of things that you can that 0:18:42.359 --> 0:18:45.639 you can do that that others can't. You know, like 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:49.440 she'll go for behind the back pass and the WBA Finals, 0:18:49.440 --> 0:18:52.119