WEBVTT - SHE TORE BOTH HER LABRUMS!! with Emily Adams 0:00:01.200 --> 0:00:03.440 Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're watching 0:00:03.440 --> 0:00:06.200 clips of Gotham FC at the White House yesterday and 0:00:06.280 --> 0:00:09.080 furiously writing up a script for a new Prestige television 0:00:09.119 --> 0:00:12.920 show starring President Ali Krieger and Vice President Midge Purse, 0:00:13.360 --> 0:00:15.680 who says no. On today's show, we'll be chatting with 0:00:15.720 --> 0:00:18.040 Emily Adams of the Hartford Current about the Connecticut Sun 0:00:18.120 --> 0:00:21.720 series against the Fever, our favorite WNBA power couple, and 0:00:21.760 --> 0:00:23.960 whether this is the year the Sun finally win it all. 0:00:24.280 --> 0:00:27.200 Plus trash talk takebacks, the Internet gets credit for casting 0:00:27.240 --> 0:00:30.040 our new favorite TV show, Assassin, and we reveal your 0:00:30.040 --> 0:00:33.360 guilty pleasure Internet rabbit holes. It's all coming up right 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:40.760 after this. Welcome back, everybody. Here's what you need to 0:00:40.800 --> 0:00:46.720 know today. In WNBA Playoff Action, we're on to Game two. 0:00:46.880 --> 0:00:48.960 Sunday's Game one action wrapped up with the number two 0:00:48.960 --> 0:00:51.599 Minnesota Links defeating the seventh seed at Phoenix Mercury one 0:00:51.600 --> 0:00:54.120 O two ninety five and the number four Las Vegas 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:57.480 Aces beating the fifth seeded Seattle Storm seventy eight sixty seven. 0:00:57.840 --> 0:00:59.680 In the late game on Sunday, the Aces entered the 0:00:59.720 --> 0:01:03.560 fourth quarter trailing by one point sixty four to sixty five, 0:01:03.800 --> 0:01:06.440 but managed to hold Seattle to just two points in 0:01:06.480 --> 0:01:09.080 the final twelve minutes. That ties the Storm with the 0:01:09.120 --> 0:01:12.240 now defunct Sacramento Monarchs for fewest points in a quarter 0:01:12.319 --> 0:01:16.480 in WNBA playoff history. Ouch. Despite a slow start in 0:01:16.520 --> 0:01:19.200 the first half, newly crowned MVP Asia Wilson finished the 0:01:19.280 --> 0:01:22.120 night with twenty one points, and after the game, Storm 0:01:22.120 --> 0:01:25.839 coach Noel Quinn put it simply, quote the MVP mvp'd. 0:01:26.200 --> 0:01:29.399 She's MVP for a reason. End quote. There were ten, 0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:33.360 count them, ten Olympians in that game, and Asia still 0:01:33.400 --> 0:01:37.720 stood tall among them. Uh amazing. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, Dinah 0:01:37.720 --> 0:01:40.840 Tarassi is one game closer to a potential retirement, something 0:01:40.840 --> 0:01:44.160 that links forward. Nafisa Collier, who scored thirty eight points 0:01:44.240 --> 0:01:46.800 and her team's win on Sunday, was quick to point out, 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:49.360 saying with a laugh after the game quote, hopefully we 0:01:49.400 --> 0:01:53.000 can end her career on Wednesday. Ooh boy. Now you 0:01:53.000 --> 0:01:55.120 got to give Fee credit for the trash talk attempt 0:01:55.160 --> 0:01:58.160 in the postgame press conference, but real trash talkers know 0:01:58.200 --> 0:02:00.919 that you got to stand by what you said. No takebacks. 0:02:01.880 --> 0:02:04.440 Fee apparently doesn't live by the trash talkers code of 0:02:04.440 --> 0:02:08.240 conduct because she followed up that press conference on Twitter, writing, Okay, 0:02:08.280 --> 0:02:09.600 I just meant that I want us to win the 0:02:09.600 --> 0:02:11.960 game on Wednesday, so we don't go to a game three. 0:02:12.120 --> 0:02:18.320 Please don't hype this, clarifying your trash talk. DT would 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:21.640 never but also we totally get it fee because we 0:02:21.680 --> 0:02:23.840 would not want to face the wrath of Tarase either. 0:02:24.000 --> 0:02:27.000 You see what she did to that door. If indeed 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:29.280 this is it for Tarasi, she's determined to go out 0:02:29.320 --> 0:02:32.160 with a bang. She scored twenty one points on five 0:02:32.440 --> 0:02:35.600 threes in the Mercury's loss on Sunday. Meantime, her teammate 0:02:35.680 --> 0:02:38.640 Natasha Cloud had a career night, recording thirty three points 0:02:38.639 --> 0:02:41.160 and ten assists. Cloud is now the first player with 0:02:41.240 --> 0:02:44.520 thirty points and five assists in consecutive playoff games. She 0:02:44.600 --> 0:02:46.560 had thirty three and nine in her last game in 0:02:46.560 --> 0:02:50.000 a Mystics uniform last postseason. Of course, DT and Cloud 0:02:50.000 --> 0:02:52.360 don't give a shit about any of that. They need 0:02:52.400 --> 0:02:55.320 to get a win. As a reminder, Round one of 0:02:55.360 --> 0:02:58.320 the WNBA Playoffs continue with two games tonight. Both the 0:02:58.360 --> 0:03:00.840 Liberty and the Aces can secure spot in the semi 0:03:00.880 --> 0:03:03.040 finals with a win, while the Dream and Storm are 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:05.440 looking to grab W's and force a Game three. The 0:03:05.480 --> 0:03:08.720 Fever Sun and the Mercury Link series will continue tomorrow. 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:11.560 We'll link to that full WNBA playoff schedule in our 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:15.840 show notes for you to soccer. Gotham FC became the 0:03:15.880 --> 0:03:18.760 first NWSL team in history to visit the White House 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:21.960 for a championship celebration on Monday, with members of last 0:03:22.040 --> 0:03:25.680 year's title winning team meeting President Joe Biden. The biggest 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:28.280 cheer of the day came when the President said this. 0:03:28.760 --> 0:03:33.480 I think it's fair to say everyone everyone watches women's sports. 0:03:35.800 --> 0:03:38.160 Got to shout out Justin Brown up together, who coined 0:03:38.160 --> 0:03:40.480 the phrase and printed the shirts. It made it all 0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:41.360 the way to the White House. 0:03:41.360 --> 0:03:41.600 Girl. 0:03:42.160 --> 0:03:45.160 And if you're wondering if Gotham is or isn't leaning 0:03:45.240 --> 0:03:47.840 into the whole Bat's nickname, here's your answer. 0:03:48.160 --> 0:03:50.160 Congratulations of the Bats of Gotham. 0:03:50.320 --> 0:03:56.800 You like being called the Bats? Goham? I like that? 0:03:57.440 --> 0:03:58.200 Did anyone else? 0:03:58.240 --> 0:03:58.320 Like? 0:03:58.400 --> 0:04:01.200 Really wish Biden would have said bad? I just wanted 0:04:01.240 --> 0:04:04.040 to hear it. Oh Also a little yes and moment. 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:07.080 While it's true that Gotam is the first NWSL club 0:04:07.120 --> 0:04:09.160 to get a White House invite. It isn't the first 0:04:09.200 --> 0:04:11.680 time the White House is honored a pro women's soccer club. 0:04:12.040 --> 0:04:15.960 Back in twenty ten, then President Barack Obama invited Gotham's predecessor, 0:04:16.040 --> 0:04:18.839 sky Blue FC, which was then part of the Women's 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:21.359 Professional Soccer League, to the White House. Kind of a 0:04:21.400 --> 0:04:23.640 neat full circle moment given that the current Gotham GM 0:04:23.720 --> 0:04:25.960 Ya l Averbush West, was a member of that Sky 0:04:25.960 --> 0:04:29.440 Blue roster and still as a Chicagoan, I have no 0:04:29.560 --> 0:04:33.000 choice but to claim East Coast bias. The only teams 0:04:33.040 --> 0:04:35.679 to visit sixteen hundred Pennsylvania Avenue are from New York. 0:04:35.920 --> 0:04:38.240 Come on, I mean, sy Sarah, want to remind us 0:04:38.279 --> 0:04:40.440 what year the Chicago Red Stars won the title? 0:04:43.440 --> 0:04:47.200 Moving on, Remember South Korean Olympic shooter Kim Yagie who 0:04:47.200 --> 0:04:49.080 looked so cool in Paris that we wanted her to 0:04:49.080 --> 0:04:51.760 start in all of our made up movies. Well, we 0:04:51.880 --> 0:04:54.960 literally made that shit happen. That's right, We manifested that shit. 0:04:55.160 --> 0:04:57.480 The Olympic silver medalist is set to make her acting 0:04:57.560 --> 0:05:01.200 debut in a television series called Crush What's the Rule 0:05:01.960 --> 0:05:05.760 Assassin Yah. She also recently did a fire photo shoot 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:08.000 for Vogue Korea. We'll link to it in the show notes. 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:15.039 What should we manifest next? We got to take a 0:05:15.080 --> 0:05:17.160 quick break when we come back. We talked to Connecticut's 0:05:17.160 --> 0:05:20.320 sun Beat reporter Emily Adams about torn labraams and sexy 0:05:20.360 --> 0:05:29.000 slumber parties. She covers yukon women's basketball and the Connecticut 0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:31.400 son of the WNBA for the Hartford Current. She's a 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:34.480 Raging Philadelphia and a winner of the twenty twenty four 0:05:34.560 --> 0:05:37.400 Rising Star Award given by the US Basketball Writers Association, 0:05:37.560 --> 0:05:40.680 and she too is familiar with college town bagels and 0:05:40.720 --> 0:05:43.839 the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. It's Emily Adams. 0:05:43.880 --> 0:05:44.719 What's up, Emily? 0:05:45.279 --> 0:05:48.080 Yeah? Wow, that's a deep cut. Hit me right in 0:05:48.120 --> 0:05:48.560 the heart there. 0:05:48.560 --> 0:05:50.120 I haven't been back to Itpica in a while, and 0:05:50.320 --> 0:05:52.200 I missed some college town bagels. 0:05:52.520 --> 0:05:54.320 I was just back like two years ago, and I 0:05:54.320 --> 0:05:57.680 feel like CTB has even upgraded. It's better than ever before. 0:05:59.040 --> 0:06:01.920 That is the biggest thing I miss from college. 0:06:02.200 --> 0:06:04.080 Yeah, and also I'm so old now that when I 0:06:04.120 --> 0:06:06.719 go back to Cornell, I'm like sad about all the 0:06:06.720 --> 0:06:08.640 bars being closed, but I'm more like, why didn't we 0:06:08.680 --> 0:06:11.520 take more walks in the waterfalls? Why didn't we hike more? 0:06:11.520 --> 0:06:13.200 And I'm like, because you were in college. You were 0:06:13.240 --> 0:06:15.920 busy drinking. You were doing dumb shit instead of enjoying 0:06:15.960 --> 0:06:20.560 the landscape. So you were covering the son who successfully 0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:24.000 won Game one of their opening round series and were 0:06:24.000 --> 0:06:26.880 the first team this season to hold the Indiana fever 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:30.520 under seventy points in that game. So how important was 0:06:30.560 --> 0:06:33.560 their length, their defense? How big of a factor was 0:06:33.560 --> 0:06:34.960 that in them getting that game one win? 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:36.360 Yeah? It was huge. 0:06:36.440 --> 0:06:40.200 I mean the defense has been their calling card really 0:06:40.240 --> 0:06:43.839 beyond this year for several years, even pre dating Stephanie 0:06:43.839 --> 0:06:45.880 White's time as head coach. That's sort of always been 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:50.560 the organization's foundation. But yeah, they really kicked it into 0:06:50.560 --> 0:06:52.880 another level with Indiana last night. They gave them a 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:56.000 lot of different looks that they hadn't in the previous 0:06:56.040 --> 0:06:59.080 games in the series. Steph White talked post game about 0:06:59.120 --> 0:07:02.760 Matchingdwana Bonner up a lot with Caitlyn Clark. Dewana Bonner 0:07:02.880 --> 0:07:04.640 is six ' four and has been in the league 0:07:04.640 --> 0:07:08.680 fifteen years and so putting her up against, you know, 0:07:09.080 --> 0:07:11.280 a rookie who's you know, six foot tall on a 0:07:11.320 --> 0:07:14.560 good day, is I thought, really smart strategy. You know, 0:07:14.640 --> 0:07:17.960 dB is someone who has had to be that lockdown 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:20.560 defender in her career. She talked a lot about it 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:24.560 during Phoenix's ten year anniversary of their twenty fourteen championship. 0:07:24.600 --> 0:07:26.680 That was sort of her role on that team was 0:07:26.680 --> 0:07:29.760 to be the go to defender. So seeing her kind 0:07:29.800 --> 0:07:33.200 of reassume that old role and turn into vintage dB 0:07:33.400 --> 0:07:36.680 last night was really cool. And then yeah, I mean, 0:07:36.720 --> 0:07:41.120 I think everybody defensively really contributed. You know, Dje Carrington 0:07:41.160 --> 0:07:44.360 obviously was huge, as she always is. She did a 0:07:44.400 --> 0:07:47.280 lot of work on Kelsey Mitchell, who got held to 0:07:47.480 --> 0:07:51.400 write about her season average and below her average since 0:07:51.400 --> 0:07:54.880 the Olympic break. You know, Veronica Burton was really really 0:07:54.880 --> 0:07:57.200 good for them off the bench, coming in a point guard. 0:07:57.280 --> 0:07:59.240 She ended up with some reps on Clark and on 0:07:59.280 --> 0:08:02.320 Mitchell as well. And then bree Jones and Aliah Boston 0:08:02.360 --> 0:08:03.760 were having a war. 0:08:03.680 --> 0:08:04.400 In the bait. 0:08:06.040 --> 0:08:07.800 And you know, I don't know that either of them 0:08:07.840 --> 0:08:10.080 won it, but they were both giving each other a 0:08:10.080 --> 0:08:13.720 hard time. And that's not an easy matchup for Breezy. 0:08:13.840 --> 0:08:17.800 She's like two three inches smaller than Aliah. So yeah, 0:08:17.880 --> 0:08:20.200 I was really really impressed with just sort of the 0:08:20.600 --> 0:08:22.360 complete effort that they put together. 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:24.880 Completely agree. I have to admit I was not expecting 0:08:24.960 --> 0:08:28.560 Dewana on Caitlin Dwana Bonner, who is a miracle of physics. 0:08:28.560 --> 0:08:30.840 She's like a human wishbone. At any moment, I think 0:08:30.880 --> 0:08:33.120 she's gonna snap, and instead she pops out two babies 0:08:33.120 --> 0:08:35.160 and continues to move up the record books of all 0:08:35.200 --> 0:08:38.840 time players. She's pretty unbelievable. And what's really cool is 0:08:38.880 --> 0:08:40.920 as well as that worked, and I don't see any 0:08:40.960 --> 0:08:43.040 reason to go away from that strategy based on how 0:08:43.120 --> 0:08:45.120 much Caitlyn struggled and how much the fever in general 0:08:45.160 --> 0:08:48.760 struggled offensively. But you can switch up to Djona and 0:08:48.800 --> 0:08:50.920 put Djona on Caitlin whenever you want, and that's a 0:08:50.960 --> 0:08:55.120 completely different vibe, completely different defensive. Look what a gift 0:08:55.200 --> 0:08:57.120 that is for the Sun to be able to have 0:08:57.160 --> 0:08:59.400 two folks that you feel pretty confident about making her 0:08:59.440 --> 0:09:00.000 life difficult. 0:09:00.440 --> 0:09:03.319 Yeah, it's and I think with dB, you know's she's 0:09:03.400 --> 0:09:06.000 so good from the perimeter because of that length. 0:09:06.080 --> 0:09:09.480 You know, just to get hands and faces can. 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:12.679 Just sort of disrupt all of those lanes. And you know, 0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:15.280 the Sun are so experienced as a whole, and the 0:09:15.320 --> 0:09:18.480 Fever are so young, and I think they really were 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:20.880 able to use that to their advantage and kind of 0:09:21.200 --> 0:09:23.880 get them out of sorts early and they never never 0:09:23.960 --> 0:09:25.080 kind of found it after that. 0:09:25.600 --> 0:09:28.520 A lot of focus on Marina Maybray twenty seven points 0:09:28.559 --> 0:09:30.640 most off the bench in a game in post season history. 0:09:30.679 --> 0:09:32.520 She came to the team via a trade from my 0:09:32.720 --> 0:09:35.720 Chicago Sky to which I said, we lost a dog 0:09:36.640 --> 0:09:38.880 just before the All Star break. What has her addition 0:09:39.040 --> 0:09:39.680 meant for the Sun. 0:09:39.960 --> 0:09:43.200 Yeah, it's honestly, it's been better than I even expected 0:09:43.280 --> 0:09:47.120 it would be when the trade happened. I think she 0:09:47.400 --> 0:09:51.440 has just given them such a different dimension offensively. Obviously 0:09:51.480 --> 0:09:55.319 there's some questions now with Ty Harris who got hurt yesterday, 0:09:55.320 --> 0:09:58.080 but you know, having her and Marina on the floor 0:09:58.080 --> 0:10:00.280 together has been huge for their spacing, just to have 0:10:00.360 --> 0:10:02.800 another three point threat, to have someone else who can 0:10:02.800 --> 0:10:05.560 take those shots reliably when you know Tie in dB 0:10:06.040 --> 0:10:09.160 don't have a hot hand. And I think you know 0:10:09.240 --> 0:10:11.520 you've just seen Marina get more and more comfortable as 0:10:11.559 --> 0:10:14.800 time has gone on. You know, they had some rocky 0:10:14.840 --> 0:10:17.880 patches with her just trying to figure out rotations and 0:10:17.920 --> 0:10:20.559 figure out lineups and things. Early on out of the break. 0:10:20.600 --> 0:10:23.880 But you know, when she's hot, there's really no stopping her. 0:10:24.600 --> 0:10:27.480 And that's what they needed. They needed a true scorer 0:10:27.520 --> 0:10:29.360 who is just going to go and get. 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:32.360 You creator own shot. Yep, absolutely every time. Because we're 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:34.800 focused on Marina though, which twenty seven points off the bench, 0:10:34.840 --> 0:10:36.559 and she's a huge laid addition to the team. There's 0:10:36.559 --> 0:10:39.360 a great story there. We almost didn't put enough emphasis 0:10:39.400 --> 0:10:44.440 on another Alissa Thomas triple double. So Sunday's triple double 0:10:44.640 --> 0:10:48.200 makes her the person accounting for four of the six 0:10:48.240 --> 0:10:51.719 postseason triple doubles in the history of the WNBA. There 0:10:51.720 --> 0:10:54.319 have been six, she has gotten four of them. How 0:10:54.320 --> 0:10:56.400 do you describe what Alyssa means to this team? 0:10:56.880 --> 0:10:59.120 I mean, it's unreal, truly. I mean, I just I 0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:02.040 don't I don't think I ever seen a player like her. 0:11:02.080 --> 0:11:03.800 I don't think anyone has ever seen a player like her, 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:07.040 and the numbers reflect that. I mean, it's just the 0:11:07.480 --> 0:11:10.280 vision that she has as a passer is the most 0:11:10.280 --> 0:11:13.280 impressive thing to me. I mean, she just like sees 0:11:13.360 --> 0:11:15.360 the floor, She sees the way her teammates are moving. 0:11:15.440 --> 0:11:19.319 She has such an understanding of tendencies and preferences and 0:11:19.440 --> 0:11:22.400 who wants the ball where and then Yeah, I mean 0:11:22.440 --> 0:11:25.200 she's just a beast. I think that's the best word 0:11:25.280 --> 0:11:29.160 to describe her. Like, she's so physical, she can get downhill. 0:11:29.320 --> 0:11:32.880 You know, she's can't can't shoot, but certainly like has 0:11:32.920 --> 0:11:35.600 figured out how to get those mid ranges to fall. 0:11:35.720 --> 0:11:37.679 She's been you know, floating a couple of those in 0:11:37.760 --> 0:11:41.120 the last couple of games. She is an incredible rebounder, 0:11:41.120 --> 0:11:45.000 obviously with with her physicality, she's you know, one of 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:45.880 the best defenders in. 0:11:45.840 --> 0:11:47.560 The league year after year after year. 0:11:48.440 --> 0:11:50.320 I think this is her third straight year finishing top 0:11:50.360 --> 0:11:54.359 five and MVP voting. I mean, it's just the consistency 0:11:54.400 --> 0:11:57.760 of her career with you know, the injuries she's dealt with, 0:11:57.880 --> 0:12:00.440 and you know, having been in Connecticut, which is not 0:12:00.480 --> 0:12:03.320 a well resourced franchise relative to you know. 0:12:03.400 --> 0:12:04.920 What a lot of the league is starting to see 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:05.360 right now. 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:09.199 It's just it's really really incredible what she's been able 0:12:09.200 --> 0:12:09.480 to do. 0:12:09.880 --> 0:12:12.040 Yeah, you know, part of it is like her style 0:12:12.120 --> 0:12:16.040 of play, this like bold Dozery style of play doesn't 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:18.319 always match with the kind of player we imagine putting 0:12:18.360 --> 0:12:20.240 up triple doubles. So I think it almost comes as 0:12:20.280 --> 0:12:24.079 a surprise. And then there's that god awful ugly shot 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:26.520 and a lot of people don't know that that jacked 0:12:26.559 --> 0:12:28.720 up look in Jay is the result of an injury 0:12:29.080 --> 0:12:31.520 and it is based in necessity. Can you explain to 0:12:31.520 --> 0:12:33.520 folks what a miracle it is that she's just even 0:12:33.600 --> 0:12:36.839 out there knocking down shots, no matter how ugly it 0:12:36.960 --> 0:12:37.400 might look. 0:12:37.559 --> 0:12:41.720 Yeah, it's it's absolutely fascinating to me. So Alissa has 0:12:42.120 --> 0:12:46.320 torn labrams in both shoulders. It's been like that for many, 0:12:46.320 --> 0:12:51.240 many years now, and she essentially taught herself how to 0:12:51.280 --> 0:12:54.680 shoot without putting her arms above her head and using 0:12:54.880 --> 0:12:59.520 mostly only her offhand because she she physically can't like 0:12:59.679 --> 0:13:03.200 put her her body through the typical shooting motion. So 0:13:03.240 --> 0:13:07.480 it looks crazy and it's not super consistent, but you know, 0:13:07.640 --> 0:13:11.240 she's figured out how to, you know, keep that aspect 0:13:11.760 --> 0:13:14.440 of her game at least present and at least a threat. 0:13:15.240 --> 0:13:17.520 And it works. You know, when it works, it works. 0:13:18.000 --> 0:13:20.200 I would literally spend it all day on social media, 0:13:20.480 --> 0:13:22.720 like finding people making fun of my shot and be 0:13:22.760 --> 0:13:24.840 like it it's because of Angel, Like it's just like 0:13:24.880 --> 0:13:27.560 the ego listeness of being able to go out there 0:13:27.600 --> 0:13:29.080 and be like, I'm going to get it done, however, 0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:32.560 and the ability, the ambidextriousness of being able to pull 0:13:32.559 --> 0:13:35.400 it off is it's truly incredible. You know, you mentioned 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:37.560 the team being under resource. There was a story coming 0:13:37.559 --> 0:13:39.760 out right before that game one about them practicing on 0:13:39.840 --> 0:13:43.440 a half court at a community center. Women's sports is 0:13:43.440 --> 0:13:46.400 at a really interesting inflection point where there's an incredible 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:49.760 amount of investment and so the halves are becoming more 0:13:49.840 --> 0:13:52.640 halves than ever before. You look at that facility, for 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:54.640 for instance, the Mercury, you look at the new Valkyrie's 0:13:54.640 --> 0:13:57.240 facility that they've posted shots of what that's going to 0:13:57.280 --> 0:14:00.640 look like, and then the have nots. Chicago's I are one. 0:14:00.800 --> 0:14:03.600 They were literally bullied into announcing a new facility that 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:05.280 that's supposed to come by the next couple of years 0:14:05.559 --> 0:14:09.120 and then the Sun. So how do the players feel 0:14:09.200 --> 0:14:11.440 and is there a feeling from the players about like 0:14:11.480 --> 0:14:12.920 you got to fix this or we out here, because 0:14:12.960 --> 0:14:17.160 in Chicago we've lost a number of literal MVPs because 0:14:17.160 --> 0:14:18.959 they're like, we got to play for somewhere that feels 0:14:19.000 --> 0:14:19.520 like it cares. 0:14:19.640 --> 0:14:21.880 Yeah, I think the center very much in the same position, 0:14:21.960 --> 0:14:24.560 and I think, you know, You started to see that 0:14:24.600 --> 0:14:26.680 movement with with the loss of John Paul Jones to 0:14:26.720 --> 0:14:27.440 the New York Liberty. 0:14:27.480 --> 0:14:30.520 I think that was sort of a really really. 0:14:30.560 --> 0:14:32.960 Tough player to lose for them, who had been so 0:14:33.080 --> 0:14:37.240 integral to that franchise, who had won an MVP with 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:41.520 that franchise. And now I think, you know, they're starting 0:14:41.560 --> 0:14:43.640 to hit the point. You know, Bree Jones, Alyssa Thomas, 0:14:43.680 --> 0:14:46.120 and Dowana Bonner are all free agents after this season 0:14:46.920 --> 0:14:49.080 and you can only core one of them, so you know, 0:14:49.120 --> 0:14:52.400 they're in a position now where and dbn AT are 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:55.600 not getting any younger, you know, they that is the 0:14:55.800 --> 0:14:58.520 point where you have players who who want resources and 0:14:58.560 --> 0:15:02.520 who need those kind of resource and deserve absolutely and 0:15:02.600 --> 0:15:04.520 you know, and I think we even saw it with 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:07.520 with Tiffany Hayes who played in Connecticut last year and 0:15:07.640 --> 0:15:11.000 retired and then was willing to come out of retirement 0:15:11.120 --> 0:15:12.640 to play in Las Vegas. 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:16.200 Who are you know, the the topic has right. 0:15:17.760 --> 0:15:20.360 So you know, I think, yeah, they like currently they 0:15:20.360 --> 0:15:23.480 practice at the center in an odd situation because of 0:15:23.480 --> 0:15:29.480 their ownership. They're owned by the Mohegan Tribe, so they 0:15:29.480 --> 0:15:32.000 don't function like a typical ownership group. You know, this 0:15:32.120 --> 0:15:35.320 is not you know, we have money and all of 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:37.200 our money is dedicated to the Sun. You know, this 0:15:37.280 --> 0:15:39.960 is this is an organization that is dedicated to supporting 0:15:39.960 --> 0:15:42.760 their community first and foremost, and that like is their 0:15:42.800 --> 0:15:46.080 responsibility and that has to be their priority. Which is 0:15:46.120 --> 0:15:51.280 why the Suns practice facility is their community center because 0:15:51.320 --> 0:15:54.000 it's uh, you know, a cost effective space for them 0:15:54.000 --> 0:15:57.320 to use. Unfortunately, what that also means is if their 0:15:57.320 --> 0:16:00.320 practice runs over time, there are events booked on either 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:02.600 end of them in those rooms. You know, they have 0:16:02.680 --> 0:16:06.880 like workout classes and kids' birthday parties, and if they're 0:16:06.880 --> 0:16:07.560 booked in that. 0:16:07.480 --> 0:16:10.480 Space, that's taking up half of the yeah, for part 0:16:10.520 --> 0:16:10.960 of the world. 0:16:11.040 --> 0:16:15.120 Just so yeah, it's it's really really crazy for a 0:16:15.160 --> 0:16:18.520 professional sports team, and it is a circumstance of their 0:16:18.960 --> 0:16:20.800 you know, weird owners having. 0:16:20.680 --> 0:16:24.080 Ever covered them, I'm curious does a representative for the 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:27.080 ownership ever speak about the team occasionally? 0:16:27.280 --> 0:16:31.960 The tribe is very kind of close off within itself, 0:16:32.960 --> 0:16:35.880 but yeah, they have spoken about it, and Gen Rozzotti, 0:16:35.880 --> 0:16:40.280 their president, has spoken about it. Jen has has specifically 0:16:40.320 --> 0:16:44.600 said they that a practice facility is one hundred percent 0:16:44.640 --> 0:16:45.520 in the near future. 0:16:46.480 --> 0:16:47.040 That's vague. 0:16:47.160 --> 0:16:50.600 Obviously, it doesn't give you know, a timeline, but it's 0:16:50.640 --> 0:16:53.160 something they're talking about. It's something that they're aware that 0:16:53.200 --> 0:16:55.520 they need to stay competitive. I think the question is 0:16:55.600 --> 0:16:58.040 just where the money comes from for that. 0:16:59.120 --> 0:17:01.480 Wondering about that community center, Do you know what the 0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:03.960 event was that was taking up half of the court. 0:17:04.520 --> 0:17:05.159 I do so. 0:17:05.240 --> 0:17:08.840 It was a children's birthday party. They had a little 0:17:08.840 --> 0:17:11.160 inflatable bounce house going on. It seemed like they were 0:17:11.160 --> 0:17:14.360 having a really fun time when we left. But yeah, 0:17:14.560 --> 0:17:16.320 they were only and I will say they were only 0:17:16.359 --> 0:17:19.399 on that half court for about forty five minutes of 0:17:19.440 --> 0:17:21.120 their you know, three hour practice. 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:23.600 But it's the day before a playoff game. You know. 0:17:23.880 --> 0:17:25.760 Listen, that's a story for that kid to tell. You 0:17:25.800 --> 0:17:27.400 know how much it would cost to pay all those 0:17:27.440 --> 0:17:29.840 players appearance fees to show up at your birthday? 0:17:29.960 --> 0:17:31.240 Seriously, you know. 0:17:31.240 --> 0:17:34.000 We saw that incredible crowd show up for the Sun 0:17:34.080 --> 0:17:38.000 in Boston. Chance that team might be headed to a 0:17:38.000 --> 0:17:40.560 different city or even just venue as a result of 0:17:40.600 --> 0:17:41.280 what we saw there. 0:17:42.200 --> 0:17:43.440 Yeah, I mean, I think it's a thing. 0:17:43.840 --> 0:17:46.639 It's something that gets talked about all the time, obviously 0:17:46.760 --> 0:17:50.360 for this exact reason. You know, Uncasville is not near anything, 0:17:50.520 --> 0:17:52.720 you know. I'm up in Hartford and it's an hour 0:17:52.760 --> 0:17:56.040 from Hartford event and that's you know, the nearest major city. 0:17:57.320 --> 0:17:59.240 So it's you know, they're in a tough spot. But 0:17:59.280 --> 0:18:03.200 I also think, you know, the Tribe has The Tribe 0:18:03.240 --> 0:18:05.639 was one of the very early investors in the w 0:18:05.880 --> 0:18:08.720 and NBA. You know, the Sun, you know, we're filling 0:18:08.760 --> 0:18:12.439 that arena long long before this year. The Sun, you know, 0:18:12.520 --> 0:18:16.040 have had one of the most loyal and consistent fan bases. 0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:17.280 In the league. 0:18:17.520 --> 0:18:19.239 And I think there are loyal Sun fans who are 0:18:19.240 --> 0:18:23.400 concerned that they're gonna have moving, especially after how well 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:27.320 that Boston game went for everybody, you know Jen. I 0:18:27.400 --> 0:18:29.560 asked Jen around that Boston game if that was something 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:32.760 they were even having discussions about right now, and she said, 0:18:32.760 --> 0:18:34.800 they're not. She said, you know, the goal is the 0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:38.200 same Mohegan. The Tribe is invested in keeping the team there. 0:18:39.640 --> 0:18:41.760 But yeah, I mean, I think, you know, especially right 0:18:41.760 --> 0:18:44.440 now with the Celtics for sale, I would be really 0:18:44.480 --> 0:18:47.680 surprised if they're not at least sort of exploring options. 0:18:47.920 --> 0:18:50.399 It's such an interesting thing for women's sports. There's this 0:18:50.560 --> 0:18:52.880 balance between when you're in a big city, you do 0:18:52.960 --> 0:18:55.480 have the draw of millions of people that live there, 0:18:55.800 --> 0:18:58.840 the resources, the space, the venues. But there's also so 0:18:58.880 --> 0:19:01.720 many women's sports teams that thrive in places that don't 0:19:01.720 --> 0:19:05.280 have the competition of other professional particularly men's teams. And 0:19:05.320 --> 0:19:08.040 you've seen Yukon Women's Basketball and the Connecticut Sun and 0:19:08.080 --> 0:19:10.320 part thrive because they're it and that's the thing that 0:19:10.359 --> 0:19:13.520 you want to do and see. And yeah, it's interesting 0:19:13.640 --> 0:19:17.080 to continue reconciling those differing kind of sides of the 0:19:17.119 --> 0:19:20.560 coin as women's sports continues to get more investment. You 0:19:20.600 --> 0:19:23.639 mentioned Ty Harris, who had to leave the game with 0:19:23.640 --> 0:19:26.320 an ankle injury ended up sitting courtside. Do we have 0:19:26.400 --> 0:19:28.680 status for her for Wednesday night's game too? 0:19:28.880 --> 0:19:30.400 Unfortunately we do not yet. 0:19:30.680 --> 0:19:33.840