Speaker 1: In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams is an
Speaker 1: iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports
Speaker 1: and Entertainment. Welcome to this playoff edition of In Case
Speaker 1: you missed It with Christina Williams here on the iHeartRadio
Speaker 1: app Listen. The playoffs have started and they have not disappointed.
Speaker 1: And joining me to break it all down is a
Speaker 1: friend to the show and my friend in real life,
Speaker 1: my homegirl that I do not play about. Y'all, please
Speaker 1: welcome in my friend. WNBA analyst Tarika Fosser Rasby t
Speaker 1: what's good.
Speaker 2: That's good, Christina, Thank you so much for having me back.
Speaker 3: Yeah.
Speaker 1: So look, let's just dive right into it. What do
Speaker 1: you like from these first round matchups so far?
Speaker 3: What are you seeing that you like?
Speaker 2: We got the best of both worlds. I think in
Speaker 2: the first round, the first game of the first round,
Speaker 2: we got to see a bit of dominance from New
Speaker 2: York in Connecticut, but we also got to see a
Speaker 2: very tight ending in Phoenix. So we got that competitiveness
Speaker 2: and then we got to see a great comeback because
Speaker 2: I was nervous about Vegas and they pulled the comeback
Speaker 2: for the win. To secure home court against Seattle. So
Speaker 2: I really think that Sunday gave us quite literally every
Speaker 2: aspect of basketball we could have asked for.
Speaker 1: I want to break down this New York Liberty Atlanta's
Speaker 1: dream game. I mean, in the last game of the
Speaker 1: regular season, people were kind of shaking their heads at
Speaker 1: the Liberty because they expected them to come out and
Speaker 1: win that game. I was able to attend the practice
Speaker 1: over the weekend and got a chance to talk to
Speaker 1: coach Sandy Brundello and some of the players, and you know,
Speaker 1: they said this was a learning moment for them in
Speaker 1: that last regular season game and that they were going
Speaker 1: to turn it up a notch. And that's exactly what
Speaker 1: they did over the weekend and that first against Atlanta.
Speaker 3: They came out and they were scoring for.
Speaker 1: The first seven minutes of that first quarter, like, came
Speaker 1: out punch. I've never seen a New York Liberty be
Speaker 1: that aggressive. What did you see from that game that
Speaker 1: you liked?
Speaker 2: Yeah? For one, I think that it was important for
Speaker 2: them to kind of really set that standard. Why because
Speaker 2: this is the team that everyone has favored, at least
Speaker 2: from a Vegas Odds perspective. This is the team that
Speaker 2: has been favored to win it all, just based on
Speaker 2: that stretch of the season where they looked almost unbeatable, right,
Speaker 2: And when you are someone a coming in with that
Speaker 2: kind of an expectation, b when people still are trying
Speaker 2: to figure out if you're truly ready to take it
Speaker 2: to the next level and get over that hump and
Speaker 2: win a championship. And see when you're in the season
Speaker 2: the way you ended it and you got Brianna Stewart
Speaker 2: to bringing in an es school John Quote Jones on
Speaker 2: your team, they're like, so it was important to kind
Speaker 2: of shut up the noisies and really come out. But
Speaker 2: I also think it was great for confidence, right, Like
Speaker 2: you needed today needed to be able to build their
Speaker 2: own confidence based on how the last game of the
Speaker 2: season kind of ended. So I was really excited to
Speaker 2: see them come out aggressive. I don't know if I
Speaker 2: thought they were going to come out that's aggressive. So
Speaker 2: I really just enjoyed from a totalities perspective, just what
Speaker 2: it looks like to be the mindset of the team.
Speaker 2: Stewie again just continues to show why she's one of
Speaker 2: the best players. Sabrina, My goodness, she struggled against the
Speaker 2: dream in the regular season, not so much Sunday seventeen
Speaker 2: points from her five assists. She showed up big and
Speaker 2: big moments in relation to her three point shooting, and
Speaker 2: you have argued for her improvement all season long. She
Speaker 2: is really showing us that she took this off season
Speaker 2: personally and she has really stepped up her game from
Speaker 2: every aspect, especially driving to the basket, being aggressive in
Speaker 2: the pain. I love to see that from Sabrina.
Speaker 1: How about Leoni Fhoevich, the rookie had twenty one point
Speaker 1: player game. Firstly, let me just tell the whole world
Speaker 1: that Leoni Phoebich isn't someone that just went overseas to
Speaker 1: Germany and picked up off the street.
Speaker 3: She knows how to win.
Speaker 1: She's won overseas, she has championships, She's been a pro
Speaker 1: since the age of fourteen. She's also a friend to
Speaker 1: the show. Make sure you go back and listen to
Speaker 1: that episode. But Leoni Phoebich was made for this moment.
Speaker 1: So for the whole world who's just starting to see
Speaker 1: Leoni Phoebuch, welcome to the show. Because she is a bucket.
Speaker 1: She is someone who is extremely athletic. Jonathan Cole did
Speaker 1: a great job when he went out in free agency
Speaker 1: and acquired, you know, talent from overseas just to help
Speaker 1: grow this team. That second unit, that second unit was
Speaker 1: crucial when we talk about Brianna Stewart this season versus
Speaker 1: last season, when you look at the postseason, she was
Speaker 1: already exhausted by this time last year. Yeah, and so
Speaker 1: having players like a Leone, like KT, like Kennedy Burke,
Speaker 1: like a Jaylen, Shira Marcuicia Davis, that bench is helping
Speaker 1: to alleviate some of those minutes in exhaustion for some
Speaker 1: of those starters.
Speaker 3: And they just turned it up a notch.
Speaker 1: Coach Tanisha Wright post game, she said that New York
Speaker 1: Liberty came out.
Speaker 3: And punched them in the mouth.
Speaker 2: He did.
Speaker 1: That was the perfect phrase to describe what the Liberty
Speaker 1: did in Game one.
Speaker 2: They did and you beat me to it. Yeah, Leoni,
Speaker 2: the biggest surprise. Shout out to our friend Miles who
Speaker 2: has been preaching.
Speaker 1: The Leon be.
Speaker 2: True. True. You guys have both been on the Leoni
Speaker 2: phoebis train for a long time. But yeah, she was
Speaker 2: the biggest surprise yesterday. And by surprise, I don't mean
Speaker 2: by talent, because clearly the talent has always been there.
Speaker 2: She has been the person that has come off the
Speaker 2: bench the most to provide the most for New York.
Speaker 2: But to just really, in your first playoff matchup show
Speaker 2: up with four three pointers one points, that's crazy.
Speaker 1: So yeah, I want to just point out that coach
Speaker 1: Sandy Brundela really made a huge adjustment for this matchup
Speaker 1: and that was also the key to the New York
Speaker 1: Liberty winning forty Vanderslut came off the bench for the
Speaker 1: first time since twenty seventeen. Yep came off the bench,
Speaker 1: and she had a lot to say about it. Here's
Speaker 1: what she had to say post game.
Speaker 4: Leo had stepped in and been huge for us with
Speaker 4: you know, injuries and everything. So it was in the
Speaker 4: starting lineup wasn't new to her, and I think that
Speaker 4: you saw that right away. She's comfortable out there. Uh,
Speaker 4: she fits perfectly with that group. So you know, for me,
Speaker 4: it was my mentality and change. It was the same.
Speaker 4: You know, I just wanted to be able to be
Speaker 4: a spark off the bench. It's it's definitely new to
Speaker 4: me in terms of, yeah, it's gonna take me a
Speaker 4: second to adjust to this because it is different.
Speaker 2: You know, I just.
Speaker 4: Don't have that experience, you know, which is fine, It's
Speaker 4: going to take some time. But I was, you know,
Speaker 4: really happy for Leo and you know, I think it
Speaker 4: was a really great adjustment for.
Speaker 2: Us, and she was incredible tonight.
Speaker 1: So I want to talk about Courtney van deerslut coming
Speaker 1: off the bench because this is a team right that
Speaker 1: last season people questioned their chemistry, do they get along?
Speaker 1: But this season you see that everyone's bought in. Everyone
Speaker 1: is wanting to win a championship and they will do
Speaker 1: whatever it takes to reach that goal. And for Courtney
Speaker 1: Vanderslout and coach Sandy Brundello, the post game kind of
Speaker 1: alluded to the conversation that they had about her coming
Speaker 1: off the bench. She was just like, Okay, let's do it.
Speaker 1: You know, I'm happy to be that spark. And it
Speaker 1: has been the biggest adjustment because we talked about the
Speaker 1: liberty having those slow starts and what needed to be changed,
Speaker 1: and I think that they've identified it and everyone's on
Speaker 1: the same page now and they're just out to win.
Speaker 3: What do you think about that?
Speaker 2: Yeah? And you know what, it reminds me of another
Speaker 2: starter who did something similar earlier this season, well actually
Speaker 2: just a few weeks ago, where Dewana Bonner did the
Speaker 2: same thing for Connecticut where she was willing to come
Speaker 2: off the bench and let Marina Mayby start. And what
Speaker 2: I see is when I see veterans who are willing
Speaker 2: to take a back seat, that lets me know that
Speaker 2: the commitment is to winning, the commitment is to the team,
Speaker 2: and at the end of the day, if that means
Speaker 2: that someone who's playing better or someone who needs to
Speaker 2: get their chemistry or build their chemistry needs an opportunity
Speaker 2: to do this, then as a vet, as a person
Speaker 2: who wants to win. And Courtney and Dowana, for the
Speaker 2: sake of this conversation, both previous champions, former champions, so
Speaker 2: they both understand what it means to win a championship
Speaker 2: and that sometimes me being very selfless and things that
Speaker 2: helped to make your team better. In this situation, Courtney
Speaker 2: Vanderslough again suffered some injuries and also having some personal
Speaker 2: issues this season. It wasn't new for Leo to be
Speaker 2: able to take in and start into that starting position
Speaker 2: and it has worked well for them in those moments.
Speaker 2: So it was very smart and very cognizant of Courtney
Speaker 2: to say, hey, if this is what we got to
Speaker 2: do to make sure that we can continue to win,
Speaker 2: then this is an adjustment that I'm I'm cool with.
Speaker 1: Making, absolutely, And you know, she emphasized how the media
Speaker 1: was making it more of a bigger deal than how
Speaker 1: she was taking it, which I agree. Like I was
Speaker 1: at the post Gamescrumb and there was just so many
Speaker 1: people our kid, you not. There was like ten questions
Speaker 1: about it, and She's just like, you guys are making
Speaker 1: a big deal about this.
Speaker 3: It's not like it's not that big of a deal.
Speaker 1: The only thing that I have to learn is how
Speaker 1: to adjust because when you're a starter, you're able to
Speaker 1: get warm, get hot right away. Yeah, and then versus
Speaker 1: when you're coming off the bench and you gotta be
Speaker 1: ready because everyone else is already hot, they're warmed up.
Speaker 1: And so she said that is the biggest adjustment for her,
Speaker 1: just figuring out, you know, how to match that energy
Speaker 1: with coming in with the second unit. But I agree
Speaker 1: with everything you said. And as you said, these veterans
Speaker 1: they know what it takes to win. They are committed
Speaker 1: to it, and that just shows how great of a
Speaker 1: player Courtney Vandersou is. There's no question in my mind
Speaker 1: that she is going to be a future Hall of Famer.
Speaker 1: And yesterday she broke a record for the most assist
Speaker 1: by a player in the playoffs.
Speaker 3: There was an assist to Stewie.
Speaker 1: What great a story than that, right to get an
Speaker 1: assist to Suey to break the record while Sue Bird
Speaker 1: was in the building. Because she broke the record, super
Speaker 1: Bird had the previous record, and Courtney Vandersloo broke the record.
Speaker 3: So lots of great storylines.
Speaker 1: But first of all, congrats to Courtney Vandersuit for breaking
Speaker 1: that record.
Speaker 3: I think that's so joke.
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, I congrats to her. I'm also glad that
Speaker 2: you said she'ture Hall of Famer. I got into an
Speaker 2: argument two years ago with my friend the China Robinson.
Speaker 3: I love you, La China, but China, but I said.
Speaker 2: It two years ago she was a future Halla Famer
Speaker 2: and Lachina was like really, so there we go.
Speaker 1: Yeah, no, no doubt in my mind that Courtney vanders
Speaker 1: Suit is a future Hall of Fame. All right, moving
Speaker 1: right along, I want to talk about that number six
Speaker 1: fever versus the three son. Now you brought up your
Speaker 1: girl dB She was just on the show last week
Speaker 1: to Wanna Bonner. She was the primary defender on Caitlin
Speaker 1: Clark and she really shut her down. Now, I was
Speaker 1: one of those people at Caitlyn Clark fourth with my
Speaker 1: MVP voting, and she struggled in game one. I mean,
Speaker 1: this is the WNBA playoffs where the you know, people
Speaker 1: bring their a game, and she struggled against the Connecticut
Speaker 1: Son's defense on her. Melissa Thomas had a triple double,
Speaker 1: Marina Maybury twenty seven points and oh my goodness. Now, Tarika,
Speaker 1: you are a sideline reporter for the Connecticut Son, so
Speaker 1: break down what you see in this matchup.
Speaker 2: Well, I will say that you voting Caitlyn Clark fourth,
Speaker 2: I voted her fifth in the MVP voting. Yeah, has
Speaker 2: absolutely no bearing on the fact that she struggled against
Speaker 2: the Connecticut Sun. I say that because a lot of
Speaker 2: people struggle against the Connecticut Son because they are a
Speaker 2: clamp down, stout defense. It is the one thing that
Speaker 2: they do better than every other team and that is defend.
Speaker 2: So it is no shame in saying I had a
Speaker 2: bad game against Connecticut. They played that style of basketball.
Speaker 2: They play a physical style of basketball. And it really
Speaker 2: speaks to how as a team defense is something that
Speaker 2: they all pride themselves on. Because in the first two matchups,
Speaker 2: the reason that she struggled was because of Dja Carrington.
Speaker 2: In the fourth meeting, she had a little bit more success.
Speaker 2: Connecticut was able to allow a bit more range on
Speaker 2: the outside. Kelsey Mitchell, Lexi Hall, and Caitlyn Clark had
Speaker 2: a field day and they were able to walk away
Speaker 2: in the regular season with a win. But the playoffs
Speaker 2: is very different than a regular season. It's almost to
Speaker 2: the point where I say, you can kind of throw
Speaker 2: a regular season stuff out of the window. This Connecticut
Speaker 2: team is on a mission. They understand that they are
Speaker 2: not going to have a lot of time left together.
Speaker 2: They also understand that they are tired of being a
Speaker 2: bridesmaid and never a bride, and so similar to New York,
Speaker 2: their mission coming out into this matchup was to punch
Speaker 2: somebody in the mouth, was to make it very clear
Speaker 2: who they are. They have also heard all of the
Speaker 2: conversation about this Fever team is dangerous. This Fever team
Speaker 2: is a scary team. You don't want to see them
Speaker 2: in their building. You don't want to And they had
Speaker 2: point to prove, and I think that they did a
Speaker 2: great job improving that. Lastly, Dewana Bonner absolutely had something
Speaker 2: to prove. She had not played her best basketball over
Speaker 2: your last couple of weeks. She was uncharacteristically inefficient from
Speaker 2: the field. She wasn't able to provide an impact on
Speaker 2: the scoring charts. She just was kind of missing for
Speaker 2: the last couple of matchups. And yet she had some
Speaker 2: defensive moments, but for the most part, her three wasn't falling.
Speaker 2: She just wasn't being able to contribute in the way
Speaker 2: that she was accustomed to. So it was very important
Speaker 2: for her to get started early. This team has struggled
Speaker 2: with scoring offensively. They have been one of the lower
Speaker 2: end of the on the lower end of the ratings
Speaker 2: of the rankings. So the two things they want to
Speaker 2: focus on is a being aggressive early and two being
Speaker 2: able to put points on the board, like serious points
Speaker 2: on the board, not sixty, not seventy eighties nineties. To
Speaker 2: do that, they need Dewana Bonner to score. So I
Speaker 2: think they did a great job with like being able
Speaker 2: to combine those things in those goals and making a
Speaker 2: statement in the first game against Indiana.
Speaker 3: If you're the fever. How do you respond to that
Speaker 3: Game one?
Speaker 2: If you're at the fever, you want have to put
Speaker 2: Game one out of your mind, right. You go back
Speaker 2: and you look at film and you say, okay, we
Speaker 2: need to be more aggressive in the paint number one.
Speaker 2: Number two. We got to figure out a way to
Speaker 2: not let Marina Maybrey get the ball where she wants
Speaker 2: it and just shoot it how she wants it, because
Speaker 2: she's dangerous. She is one person who knows how to
Speaker 2: create her own shot from anywhere, and so you have
Speaker 2: to minimize how she's able to get the ball in
Speaker 2: different spots in order to minimize her effect of creating
Speaker 2: her own shot. Easier said than done, I know, but
Speaker 2: you've got to be able to do that too. If
Speaker 2: you're Caitlyn, you've got to shake it off, right. You
Speaker 2: know that your team plays well when you are facilitating
Speaker 2: more in shooting less. So going forward for seventeen isn't
Speaker 2: the biggest deal when you really think about what your
Speaker 2: strong suit is. Once you start to facilitate the ball
Speaker 2: the way that you had been doing for Kelsey, the
Speaker 2: way that you had been doing for Aliah Bouston, when
Speaker 2: you let Melissa work her game in the high low action.
Speaker 2: Letting it come to you is always better than trying
Speaker 2: to force it. And you could see instantly in yesterday's
Speaker 2: matchup they were trying to force it. So that's what
Speaker 2: I would do. Play your game, let it come to you.
Speaker 2: Don't try to outdo certain things that you know. You know,
Speaker 2: shooting the ball up is not going to help you
Speaker 2: win it against this team that is very cognizant of
Speaker 2: you on the court, Dish it out. They're gonna double Kaitlin.
Speaker 2: Dish it out right. That's that would be my advice.
Speaker 3: No, that's some great advice.
Speaker 1: And I know that you serve as the Connecticut Sun's
Speaker 1: sideline and porter, and I know ty Harris. There was
Speaker 1: a sort of injury during the game. Is there any
Speaker 1: updates on Tysha Harris.
Speaker 2: We have not been provided an update on whether or
Speaker 2: not she will or will not play in Wednesday's matchup. However,
Speaker 2: it did appear that she tweaked her ankle and when
Speaker 2: she left the game, she left the game in a
Speaker 2: walking boot. So we don't know as of yet, if
Speaker 2: it's just crossing, if she will be you know, if
Speaker 2: she is going to play. I'm pretty sure we will
Speaker 2: have an update, and I'm definitely gonna be following that
Speaker 2: story very closely outside of the fact that it's part
Speaker 2: of the job, but just because ty Harris has been
Speaker 2: so important as a guard. She worked really hard to
Speaker 2: be a starter this year, and she is one of
Speaker 2: their stronger defenders at the at the top of the
Speaker 2: key as well, so having her presence is important. But
Speaker 2: kudos to the trade working for Connection. Oh my god,
Speaker 2: like girl, they won that trade, okay, because Marina is
Speaker 2: not only giving them twenty seven points off the bench,
Speaker 2: but she has stepped up her game as a defender.
Speaker 2: Like Marina is defendant out there, and I bet when
Speaker 2: you got at you know, cussing you out every five minutes,
Speaker 2: right right, But they like, thank god for that because
Speaker 2: losing tie in that moment, you legitimately had someone who
Speaker 2: you can put in and who you knew. And Veronica
Speaker 2: Burton has also played incredibly will with this team. They
Speaker 2: have done a phenomenal job of bringing in players to
Speaker 2: this team that have truly been contributors in the best
Speaker 2: of ways. I could not have planned Veronica Burton and
Speaker 2: Marina Mayby being the kind of contributors that they have been.
Speaker 1: This year, and they played together in Dallas, and they
Speaker 1: already have that chemistry to automatically turn it on and
Speaker 1: do what needs to be done. All right, moving right
Speaker 1: along to number five Seattle Storm versus number four the
Speaker 1: l Las Vegas Aces. Now, one thing that surprised me
Speaker 1: about this game was that Seattle didn't score in the
Speaker 1: fourth quarter. But in addition to that, MVP Asia Wilson
Speaker 1: unanimous MVP was announced on the same day as the
Speaker 1: game one, and of course she showed out twenty one
Speaker 1: point eight rebounds in that game. They went off, the
Speaker 1: Aces went off, and we already said prior to the
Speaker 1: regular season ending that they started peaking at the right time.
Speaker 1: So what did you like about this matchup? I know
Speaker 1: I read a couple of your tweets. You gave Jordan
Speaker 1: Horsten some praise, So what did you like from that?
Speaker 2: I totally loved Jordan Horsted. I've been high on her
Speaker 2: since her rookie year, right like I've been high on
Speaker 2: her since Tennessee.
Speaker 1: I know, we met her mom, and then we met
Speaker 1: her mom at the draft.
Speaker 2: And as soon as I meet your mamma, that's what
Speaker 2: happened with Ricky. As soon as I meet your mom likest,
Speaker 2: they are the best. But no, I've been high on
Speaker 2: Jordan because I feel like she's with the right team
Speaker 2: at the right moment, in the right atmosphere. Nobody's going
Speaker 2: to give her the guidance that she needs. She's with
Speaker 2: players that are going to provide that guidance and you
Speaker 2: can see it right. Definitely someone who could have been
Speaker 2: in consideration for six Women of the Year of how
Speaker 2: she has been able to get be the uplift and
Speaker 2: in moments and yes, in Sad Sunday's matchup, she was
Speaker 2: the uplift. Skylar Diggins also, I believe, started off the
Speaker 2: game playing incredibly well, establishing her presence. This was a
Speaker 2: back and forth matchup, but for the first quarter, see
Speaker 2: I owned this game. They were literally getting out in transition.
Speaker 2: They were tough down in the paint. They were making
Speaker 2: it very difficult for Asia offensively to start the game.
Speaker 2: Mekka Agoumakay, she also was someone who was really establishing herself.
Speaker 2: I voted her in my MVP valley because she is efficient.
Speaker 2: She was shooting sixty percent plus you know, and had
Speaker 2: been for like the last five games. They took their
Speaker 2: foot off the gas and this is also a Las
Speaker 2: Vegas Aces team that doesn't take long to figure it out.
Speaker 2: Chelsea Gray didn't take long to figure it out. She's
Speaker 2: the point god for a reason. Right, you can only
Speaker 2: hold Asia down for so long, and you really ain't
Speaker 2: gonna hold her down that long on the day she
Speaker 2: gets her MVP trophy. So there's that. But I loved
Speaker 2: the back and forth. I don't know if you can
Speaker 2: say any more about Asia in her game than has
Speaker 2: already been said. And I think what's crazy about that
Speaker 2: is she was asked is there a nuts level? Like
Speaker 2: is there still something more? And her response was like sure,
Speaker 2: why not?
Speaker 3: She still got stuff in her back.
Speaker 1: I don't think people know this, but Asian Wolfson can
Speaker 1: actually dunk the ball, so she can if we see
Speaker 1: a transition dunk. I think I don't even know what
Speaker 1: I would do if I saw that. But there's some
Speaker 1: footage from South Carolina.
Speaker 3: Yeah, but I.
Speaker 2: Mean I say that to say, how do you stop
Speaker 2: someone who has everything and it's still motivated for more?
Speaker 2: Like that is that is somebody on a mission. And
Speaker 2: you could see that towards the end of this game,
Speaker 2: holding holding Seattle to literally only two points in an
Speaker 2: entire quarter is masterful, and it really just speaks to
Speaker 2: the caliber of this Las Vegas team. As you said, Christina,
Speaker 2: the teams in the playoffs that do well aren't necessarily
Speaker 2: the ones that have the best record, but they are
Speaker 2: certainly the ones that play the right way and have
Speaker 2: the hot hand at the right time. That twenty twenty
Speaker 2: one Chicago Sky team will always be my example of that.
Speaker 2: So kudos to Las Vegas. But I will say, of
Speaker 2: all the teams that we saw on Sunday, I believe
Speaker 2: Seattle and Phoenix may be the two teams who could
Speaker 2: actually force a Game three.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and to your point, I mean, we look at
Speaker 1: that fourth quarter with the Aces in Seattle. Credits to
Speaker 1: the Las Vegas Aces defense, because that is something that
Speaker 1: Becky Hammond was hammering the entire season is we need
Speaker 1: to be better defensively, and they've just turned on that
Speaker 1: extra gear. All right, let's take a quick break. When
Speaker 1: we come back, we will hit the first round series
Speaker 1: with the Mercury and Links and discuss the incredible career
Speaker 1: of Diana Tarazi more with Terrifa Posseur Frisby. When we
Speaker 1: get back, now, Tea, that number two Links versus seven
Speaker 1: Mercury was such a tight game. There was just so
Speaker 1: many great moments. I mean, Natasha Clode was here in
Speaker 1: corner threes, Diana Tarazi went off for twenty one points,
Speaker 1: the Visa Collier finished with thirty eight point Like it
Speaker 1: was crazy. Everybody was getting buckets. What did you like
Speaker 1: from this linx Mercury matchup?
Speaker 2: Two things? Number one, Diana Tarazzi was like, we've been
Speaker 2: doing this, if this is it campaign, She's like, well,
Speaker 2: if this is it, I'm gonna remind y'all who why
Speaker 2: num before I go?
Speaker 3: Okay?
Speaker 2: So that was number one? And then number two? Who
Speaker 2: keeps allowing Bridget Carlton to get the falling?
Speaker 1: But she did that against the New York Liberty, like
Speaker 1: she didn't those threes and I'm like, yo.
Speaker 2: Quite literally just last Tuesday did the exact same thing
Speaker 2: against Connecticut. This was all the way at the back,
Speaker 2: so they have the word mohegan in the floor. She
Speaker 2: was all the way at the gene so why it
Speaker 2: wasn't even a close shot like she was far.
Speaker 3: Bridget Carlton is a bucket.
Speaker 1: She is an Olympian on the Canada national team, but
Speaker 1: she has been lighting it up from three for the Links.
Speaker 2: Oh my god, Bridget Carlton hit the biggest three. It
Speaker 2: was like thirty nine seconds left in that game, and
Speaker 2: and honestly they were up, but she certainly gave them
Speaker 2: the breathing room and hit the dagger for them. That
Speaker 2: really solidified this comeback for Phoenix. So to me, those
Speaker 2: were the two biggest things that stood out. It's just
Speaker 2: that they have players that really can show up in
Speaker 2: big moments. But Fee, what can't she do? Just adding her,
Speaker 2: adding pieces around her have only made her better. Courtney
Speaker 2: Williams playing with the Fista Collier has certainly made her better.
Speaker 2: And Courtney will even say playing she's a silent leader,
Speaker 2: a humble leader, but she does everything and she she
Speaker 2: want to play your best basketball. And at that time
Speaker 2: where Phoenix were making their comeback, they were really climbing
Speaker 2: back in. It was the chemistry between Courtney and the
Speaker 2: FISA where Courtney was allowed to kind of play her game,
Speaker 2: to hit that nasty mid range that she has and
Speaker 2: tom off the game. Oh my god, it's crazy, but
Speaker 2: like and she was feeding off the Fee in order
Speaker 2: to make those moments happen. It was. It was just
Speaker 2: brilliant and that is what's gonna make this Minnesota team dangerous.
Speaker 2: But Phoenix came out ready. They did not give up.
Speaker 2: Kullia Copper continues to show why she was an Olympian,
Speaker 2: why she is someone who you need to make sure
Speaker 2: that you respect on the court, and that chemistry with
Speaker 2: her and Diana Taarassi playing, I think is what will
Speaker 2: help to force a game three. I do believe that
Speaker 2: this series is going back to Phoenix.
Speaker 1: And to that point, I think people forget that, you know,
Speaker 1: when we look at the starters for Phoenix, Natasha Cloud,
Speaker 1: Kalia Copper, Diana Tarazzi, and Brittany Griner have all won
Speaker 1: at the highest level.
Speaker 3: They've all won WNBA.
Speaker 1: Championships before, so they have that experience when it comes
Speaker 1: to going deep in the playoffs. And like you said,
Speaker 1: they're gonna put their foot on the gas. Diana Tarazi,
Speaker 1: as you mentioned, if this is it, I'm going out
Speaker 1: with a bang, and so they're gonna put their best
Speaker 1: effort forward. So I'm looking forward to seeing, you know,
Speaker 1: the rest of this series between the links.
Speaker 2: And I will say this one thing before we get
Speaker 2: off of them, if they want to continue to move
Speaker 2: this needle and make sure that they get to a
Speaker 2: game three, they have got to defend better from the
Speaker 2: three point line. They allow way too many three point shots.
Speaker 2: And there are some shooters on Minnesota Fee can shoot,
Speaker 2: Kayler McBride can shoot. We talked about Courtney and you
Speaker 2: know clearly Bridget Carlton can shoot from anywhere on the court.
Speaker 2: So that is my one thing for Phoenix. You got
Speaker 2: to defend the three better.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And and to that point, the Minnesota Links are
Speaker 1: the top three point shooting team in the regular season.
Speaker 1: Also one of the top defensive teams as well. And
Speaker 1: you know, when you put that combination together, that is
Speaker 1: a winning team. In addition to the great mind of
Speaker 1: Cheryl Reeve and her coaching staff, who you know, have
Speaker 1: some Hall of famers and Katie Smith Rebeca Bronson, you know,
Speaker 1: so like this is a well oiled machine. You know,
Speaker 1: when a playoff time comes, they have all of the
Speaker 1: pieces on the court, off the court to make something
Speaker 1: shake in go. You know, the long distance to the
Speaker 1: goal of winning a championship. And you know, I'm just
Speaker 1: excited to see how deep this link seam stays. I'm
Speaker 1: not rooting for anyone, but I'm just saying I'm excited
Speaker 1: to see how deep they can go.
Speaker 2: You can say I'm not rooting for anyone publicly, but
Speaker 2: I mean secretively. I think we all know who I'm
Speaker 2: rooting for.
Speaker 3: I think I know Shoes T. I think I know too.
Speaker 1: All Right, before you get out of here, te, I
Speaker 1: just want to go over some breaking news. Three time
Speaker 1: WNBA champion Natasha Howard has announced that you will be
Speaker 1: leaving Dallas in free agency. So, in a statement online,
Speaker 1: she said, quote, I would like to thank the Dallas
Speaker 1: Wings for two great years. It's been a wonderful opportunity
Speaker 1: to play for this franchise and in front of our
Speaker 1: loyal fans. I've enjoyed playing alongside my teammates and wish
Speaker 1: them all the best. Free agency is upon us and
Speaker 1: I am focused on exploring every option. I look forward
Speaker 1: to this next chapter with a new team and a
Speaker 1: new city.
Speaker 3: End quote.
Speaker 1: So Natasha Howard basically said that Magic Johnson meme, I
Speaker 1: ain't going to be here like I gonna be here.
Speaker 1: She's looking forward to her next opportunity in free agency.
Speaker 1: She's like, I'm out. It's been a great two seasons,
Speaker 1: but I'm out now. I think that Natasha Howard Obviously,
Speaker 1: she has the experience to help any team win. But
Speaker 1: when we look at twenty twenty five, you have the
Speaker 1: Golden State Valkyries that are coming in. But also I
Speaker 1: think that Natasha Howard is a player that can do
Speaker 1: very well on a team like the Indiana Fever. She
Speaker 1: can do very well on a team like the Asis
Speaker 1: with Asia Wilson in acquiring a big who can stretch
Speaker 1: the floor. What are your thoughts on Natasha Howard leaving
Speaker 1: the Dallas Wings and free agency and where do you
Speaker 1: think the three time champion should go.
Speaker 2: It's interesting that you say that because part of me
Speaker 2: feels that one of these bigs in Indiana not gonna
Speaker 2: be there. I don't know which one, but it feels
Speaker 2: like one of those bigs might be making a move,
Speaker 2: and just you know, we can't say yet because there's
Speaker 2: still plan So I could absolutely see Natasha Howard being
Speaker 2: a force in Indiana, but I think I would really
Speaker 2: love to see her in Golden State. I mean, there
Speaker 2: are a few players who I think maybe trying to
Speaker 2: make a move to a new team, and since we
Speaker 2: don't know what this expansion draft could possibly look like
Speaker 2: or who may or may not end up being cored
Speaker 2: at the end of the season. I think it's going
Speaker 2: to be important to keep that option open that we
Speaker 2: could see a whole new threat and a whole new
Speaker 2: instant powerhouse in Golden State. But I think Indiana would
Speaker 2: be a good move for her. A part of me
Speaker 2: wants to see her in a Washington uniform, but I
Speaker 2: also know, you know the way that Aleah Edwards has
Speaker 2: been maturing this season and how she really came into
Speaker 2: her own. We're really not talking enough about the rookie
Speaker 2: campaign that she had, and Shakira Austin is already kind
Speaker 2: of holding it down, but she had been battling some
Speaker 2: injuries her first couple of years, right, So it would
Speaker 2: it be a bad idea to have someone like a
Speaker 2: Natasha Howard that can come in provide that veteran presence
Speaker 2: something that they definitely could utilize. In Washington might be
Speaker 2: an interesting move, but I feel like she would also
Speaker 2: want to go to a contender, right and I and
Speaker 2: although Washington battled for that AF seed, not quite sure
Speaker 2: that I considered them a contender just yet. So those
Speaker 2: would probably be my three. Indiana, Washington or just go
Speaker 2: to Golden State and make something new happen.
Speaker 1: So you don't agree with my sentiment that she would
Speaker 1: be a good fit for the Aces and have Asia
Speaker 1: playing the four.
Speaker 2: I don't know if I would see that just because
Speaker 2: the Aces ain't got no money.
Speaker 3: Now, they to us she wants a bag. Yeah, they say, figure.
Speaker 2: It out somehow some way. Ain't never trying to get
Speaker 2: somebody pay. I ain't mad at it. I'm just saying
Speaker 2: it is what it is, right, So they figure it out.
Speaker 2: But they ain't got no money.
Speaker 1: But Natasha, all right, tee, all right, gee, thank you
Speaker 1: so much for being here this week on In Case
Speaker 1: you missed It with Christina Williams on the iHeartRadio app.
Speaker 1: It's been always a pleasure to talk coops with you
Speaker 1: girl anytime.
Speaker 2: I'm always here, love it.
Speaker 3: Thanks, thank you.
Speaker 1: All right, coming up, we have the things I loved
Speaker 1: this week. Welcome back to In Case you missed It
Speaker 1: with Christina Williams, and it's time for the things that
Speaker 1: I love this week, and so let's get right into it.
Speaker 1: The thing that I loved this week was the New
Speaker 1: York Liberty collaboration with Off White. Off White and the
Speaker 1: New York Liberty collaborated to create these custom varsity jackets,
Speaker 1: and let me tell you, when you see it in person,
Speaker 1: it is such a drip. Okay, So let's break down
Speaker 1: the deal. The New York Liberty and off White teamed
Speaker 1: up for a multi year deal and then off White
Speaker 1: is going to serve as the official style and couacial
Speaker 1: curator for the New York Liberty. And this is the
Speaker 1: first brand partnership that off White has done with a.
Speaker 3: US sports team.
Speaker 1: So I'm all for, you know, the WNBA and women
Speaker 1: athletes and women's sports teams making history. But this was
Speaker 1: one of my favorite collaborations because one, I love me
Speaker 1: a good varsity jacket, but just the design and the
Speaker 1: sparkles and everything, I was just like, I love this.
Speaker 1: I was able to go to the New York Liberty
Speaker 1: game on Sunday for Game one, and all of the
Speaker 1: players and Ellie the mascot, they came to the game
Speaker 1: with these jackets and they had a chance.
Speaker 3: Weird in their own individual way.
Speaker 1: So it was great to see how they dressed it
Speaker 1: up or dressed it down. New York Liberty owner Clara Wusie,
Speaker 1: she came to the game with the jacket on the
Speaker 1: musician her If.
Speaker 3: You listen to R and B music.
Speaker 1: She had a jacket on, so everyone had jackets on,
Speaker 1: and I think that it's just so great to see
Speaker 1: them set the tone when it comes to these high
Speaker 1: fashion beauty and partnerships and things like that and just
Speaker 1: exploring new options to find, you know, new entry points
Speaker 1: to engage fans with the WNBA.
Speaker 3: So that was the thing that I love. This week.
Speaker 1: I also had a chance to speak to Brianna Stewart
Speaker 1: about these Off White jackets and here's what she had
Speaker 1: to say about this new partnership with the New York
Speaker 1: Liberty and Off White need.
Speaker 4: The collab with the Off White and the Liberty, I
Speaker 4: think is something that's really exciting to just bring like
Speaker 4: high fashion to what we're doing here.
Speaker 2: Shanea talked about it a lot, you know, where we
Speaker 2: have a lot of similarities and what we're trying to do.
Speaker 3: And that jacket is fired, so you see you were assumer.
Speaker 1: So it just seems like, you know, this is a
Speaker 1: partnership that the players love as well, and that the
Speaker 1: team is just really listening to, you know, their players
Speaker 1: and their interest. So we love when a good collaboration
Speaker 1: come together, and that's gonna do it for this episode
Speaker 1: of In Case You Missed It with Christina Williams. Please
Speaker 1: don't forget to rate, review, and subscribe to the podcast.
Speaker 1: Coming up next time, more WNBA playoff coverage, and we're
Speaker 1: gonna have a special episode featuring UCLA women's basketball, So
Speaker 1: stay tuned and locked in for more in case you
Speaker 1: missed it here on the iHeartRadio app. In Case You
Speaker 1: Missed It with Christina Williams is an iHeart women's sports
Speaker 1: production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You
Speaker 1: can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or
Speaker 1: wherever you get your podcasts.