Olivia Miles Goes Off for WNBA Record, and Fever Start Righting the Ship

(upbeat music) - Welcome to the Riga WNDA Show. I'm Sierra, so we are joined by Tyler Deluca of No Cap Space and Tyler. We are recording after a pretty fun double header, but I will say it felt like the universe was collapsing on the Indiana fever. They have banned credentials of long-time reporters. They have had multiple players. They have had Caitlin Clark has talked about crazy narratives. It has been a insane week around the Indiana fever after they lost to the Portland Fire. They lost two games in a row. And Caitlin Clark's defense was under the microscope, the Steph White schemes, the relationship, the video of them on the bench. It really felt like a dark night of the soul moment for the Indiana fever. And boy, did we end up getting an average game out of it. - All of this for just like. - All of the narrative forced in the world, adding up to like, hey. - Good one in fever? Like that's it, like that's nice one for the Indiana fever against the Atlanta, here's the other end of it. Here's the other end of it. You have the Atlanta Dream who were lost to the fever in the playoffs. - This was supposed to be the. - In a fashion that would make me angry. - Out of all the opponents that they could have gone against, like in the midst of all of this, that like could have like, taken the most advantage of like, rage-baiting them, given everything else that's happening. - It's killing a dream. Like they were in the perfect position to get their get back. And just didn't at all. - I'm not gonna lie. So like, at all is for my cards. I am a known Caitlin Glazer. I was however disappointed in the Atlanta Dream. I just feel like this was a stop on their next moment. - Yes, if my mortal nemesis was next on the list, if they had, it's like, imagine you run into the worst ex you ever had after knowing that they had just gotten dumped by the one person who knew which insults to throw at them. Like when they weren't in the shower, you knew that they were at their absolute worst. You run into them and you start like, jumbling your words. - Yeah, you completely fumbled the moment. - You forget where you're everything, you and everything that's just blown. - You had the perfect lob thrown. And you break the dunk off the back of the rim. Like, are we so serious? - You had the opposite. - You could have shot, no rock bottom is worse. - Yes. - Yes. Like, I'd rather be the Indiana fever. The be the one that failed to dunk on the Indiana fever. - Absolutely, I would definitely, definitely after that win too. - Now, yeah, now the moment's gone. Like, I mean, could we circle back, who knows? But like, ultimately right now, what was like bubbling here with Indiana? It's, we got the, we got the olive branch chest bump between Stephanie White and Caitlin Clark. Like, it's the moment, at least for now. It's past. The Atlanta Dream had their moment. And they, we also had Caitlin Clark complimenting Bre January and saying that she worked with Bre January on her defense and how she could make defense easier, like her life easier for herself. So just like, like, what, one in oh night for the Indiana fever, over to night for AI Slop, as well, like, I don't know. - What are they gonna do to full skip Bayless now? I mean, like, there was no beef, it was a calm win. What, what are they going to, like, what is the AI going to try and use next? I, I don't know. - Apple Sauce is bad from-- - Oh my god, no more Apple Sauce. - No more Apple Sauce. - That is the noodles. - Apple Sauce is Caitlin Clark's latest op. - Not big Apple. If anybody who doesn't know this, Caitlin was puking before the second half started, which, honestly, great setup for a flu game moment too. She did have a better second half. However, so she said that she tried to basically eat some Apple Sauce and that Apple Sauce trigger just everything coming up with it. She said she had not puked that much in a very long time. And did Lynn Dunn put poison on Apple? - I already don't like Apple Sauce. So like, Team Caitlin, I'm with you. - I am, I'm anti-Apple Sauce already. That feels like a weird, I'm sure there's like, probably like health benefits or like, there's quite like-- - I didn't even know. - Like Apple Sauce is such a, like, 1920-- - Yeah, like a thing to be having when you're feeling sick. - Oh, here's your remedy. - Oh, that is maybe, that's the midwestern hurt. - It must be, because the idea of like, the texture of Apple Sauce, then like going and playing a WMBA basketball second half does not make sense to me. Again, I majored in words, not science or medicine or anything. Like, there had to be some degree of reason. But like, just like, for my simple brain, that just, yeah, of course you throw up. Like, what? - Yeah. - What do you mean? - Yeah. - Like, again, same. Again, Hocker, IBS issues, but not a gastroenterology. You know what? I don't even know how to say it. I will also, and maybe also just Hocker, IBS issues for Caitlin Clark, many such cases. She's a young woman in this world that seems like we all have a stomach ache all the time. So, that could be what's going on. I will say though, I did feel like, if I do have one major takeaway from this game, from the fever perspective, I do feel like they leaned into their defensive identity. - Yeah. - Yeah. - There has been this sort of question of who they are going to be. And they had a meeting. It's famous, famous meeting, where they kind of got everything out on the table. I think it was like, almost two hours long. She had a Sophie Cunningham for just, you know, divulging and divulging that information to us. All-time yapper, and I think, you know, just like listening to things that they said before the game, a lot of talk about defensive schemes, about improving the schemes themselves, but also improving personnel play as well. And that's kind of what I saw in this game. Now, it didn't play the Portland fire. So it's not really one to one, right? Atlanta, kind of a bad offense to start the season. A lot easier to game plan against them, but. - Which is crazy, it's crazy to say. Like some of that, like only like parts of that are jokes, you know? Like, it's pretty 50/50 on what you just said, being serious first, not being serious. And that's pretty damning right now. - Oh, I'm not, it's not a joke. I know we've done a lot of this. - Yeah, this is the one that I've noticed. - Like this is the real one. - Oh no, yeah, I mean that offense has IBS for sure. - Oh, 100%. - Yeah, no, it was bad. - They did lean in though. I mean, like they switched up their screen cover Jews, whether it was like trying to hedge as opposed to switching and things like that, it felt like they were just, it felt like they had a defensive identity tonight, which is a great start, frankly. Like that is an legitimate major improvement. The fact that they went out there and it looked like they had a strategy on defense besides kind of just running around. Like that, that's kind of what it largely felt like for a lot of us, I think the big thing, obviously you have like the way that they handled the picker role and things like that, that came across over this game, but also the big thing for me is the rebounding. I mean, that's what Atlanta has like, that has been the saving grace for Atlanta at any time that the shots aren't falling. And could God, did they not fall today? And so like when you lose out on those offensive rebounds in the way that Atlanta did, I mean, that's what they've been killing teams is that. And so when you take that away on top of just again, not that you're gonna, you're not expecting, you're not expecting Caitlin Clark or Kelsey Mitchell to go be locked down defenders. But what they did tonight was largely plenty, frankly, in terms of like what you can expect and hope for that's realistic expectations. I feel like from the defensively. So the strategy that they deployed, it looked different. It was like obviously changes were made, which is a good thing. Like you don't want to like, I think it's okay, just a hard pivot in terms of your strategy with this and they did and it was blatant and it was obvious in the best way. - I agree. And also shout out to Julia Boston. Really, really good defense. Really coming up high on the pickup points. Her and Manisha Heinz Allen and also the wings, making the post-entry catches just impossible for Atlanta. Lexi Hall, a lot of help to help her. I think they talked about that a lot. Like just in the practice leading up to this game as well. So look, to me, this is a start. - Yeah. - A good start, I'd say. A legitimately, will teams find new ways to attack this? Probably. You know, teams will adjust to the adjustments and then you'll have to adjust again and that's how this life is going to work with when you have these two guards. That's how life is going to be, especially as you get way far ahead like in the playoff stuff and whatnot. But this was a legitimate great step for as much as we've talked about the individuality of defense and things like that with this team for team. It looked like a team that was locked in defensively tonight and that is legitimately an impressive turnaround from what we saw the last time they were on the court. - Yeah, absolutely. The other thing I noticed too. And so we do this segment on the show called Heat Checkers where we basically like check the temperature on hot takes that are floating around the basketball universe. I feel like they don't no longer need to do that for the Indiana fever because they are just doing it themselves at this point. It's very interesting. Now we've had like three or four press conferences in a row where like either a coach or a player, usually Steph or Caitlin has kind of come out and decided that they are going to just like speak directly to the noise. And this is interesting. It's a change because it used to be that they pretended they didn't hear the noise. [BLANK_AUDIO] like the big bottle next year and now last year and now it feels like now they are almost like actively galvanizing against it. You know like Caitlin's called out crazy narratives after this game. I'll just I'll just play the clip. "For morale in a way was it to have a complete game like this especially after the two games last week then?" "I'm gonna say this in the nicest way possible but hopefully it makes a lot of people just be quiet and I know there's always going to be conversation and I totally respect that and I always understand that. But the world is like, the sky is not falling, and that's a special part about being in the position that obviously I'm in and this organization is in, there's always going to be people that analyze every single thing that we did when we would never change that. But I think people always make up stories about where our locker room is or what my teammates think or what I think or what our coaches think. This group is connected and we add them in playing our best basketball, and even though we played it for one game tonight, that doesn't mean we are where we want to be. But it also shows what we're capable of and what we can do, and I think it spoke a lot to the character of the people that we have on our team and the people we have in the locker room, and it could be one of those where everybody comes out and is just still mad from the way we played or thinking about themselves, but that wasn't the case at all. You saw how selfless everybody is on this team and you wanted to give for each other, so I'm just proud of the group. Pretty interesting, I think that she answered a question that was really about her playing better to then kind of like say, like hopefully this makes people on the internet. Just at the pace that are making up self. I felt caught out. No, it's an absolutely different strategy now, where I think this is also like, they kind of being exhausted, especially Caitlin, obviously given just everything that goes around. The Caitlin Clark sphere, whether it's primarily unethical discourse surrounding her, whether it's on or off the court stuff with that. But even like the ethical discourse that takes place, that alone could be exhausting given the magnitude of the volume that it happens at. When you're talking about Caitlin Clark in specific, the magnifying glass is massive on her and the heat has to just get tiring, and I think that you are now seeing what this new kind of strategy, which I think it is a strategy because it seems like the entire organization is kind of shifted to, yeah, you had to do this for clicks. Like, we've heard that like in the past, like we were like, yeah, we know media does stuff for clicks and like, you'll make big things out of whatever. Like the Stephanie White had like the worst pivot to me with like, you wouldn't you want to do this in men sports, which that's just not true. A star player arguing with the coach, and then that player getting bench. Look, I mean, I'm an equals fan that's watched 12 AJ Brown arguing with Nick Cereon eclipse in the past weeks since he's like the trade is heated up. Like this happens, and it's okay that like you're annoyed by it, but I don't pull out that one for this in particular, because there's a lot I say we live for this. Like, come on now. Come on. I do this for real. Like, you know what I mean? Like this is it just this, you know. And like, and realistically, I don't want to like use up the, this wouldn't happen in men's sports, like swipes of the card on things that simply do happen. You don't want to pull a cat. Exactly. It never pull a cat. You know, but overall, like I think you're seeing the tone shift where it's like, no, the fever are kind of battling back. Like in terms of what these trends look like or whatever the talk is, not that I think it's been anything extreme so far in terms of like what has just been said, like in media scrums and whatnot. But it's absolutely a more combative tone, if you will, compared to a pretty passive tone that they've had in the past two years regarding Caitlin and everything surrounding her. I welcome the shift. I think it's completely fair. They've got to be exhausted. Like as I might not agree with everything in the way that they handle it, if they go this route and like this is the long term route, but I completely understand how we got here and why we're here now. So like I, I, I welcome it again. I might not agree with everything in the strategy of it entirely, but ultimately I, it's not hard to map out how we ended up at this point. If the fever are just simply exhausted of all of this, that's going on around them. No, no, not at all, not at all. If you talk about Kelsey Mitchell, 5,000 career points, 25 points, two steals, 11 for 15. When Kelsey and Mitchell are on, like, there's no show like it. There's no show like it. The first step is ridiculous. The shot is ridiculous. Like it's, she's so much fun to watch. And as much as like, it might not be like the perfect fit, like next to Caitlin in terms of like what you would like imagine would be next to Caitlin in a two guard. And like where you're like, oh, if you're having Caitlin, you might think it's like more of the defensive wing, the three indeed type. And like you're in terms of more stereotypical team building surrounding a star guard like Caitlin in the way that she is on the defensive. Yeah, yeah, that's it. I don't care. This is this is incredible basket. I don't care. I don't care. It's like, well, we'll see is Kelsey Mitchell's a long term partner that wins the championship in Indiana with Caitlin. I don't know. I don't care though. Like this is this is beautiful basketball from a player that has stuck through it and has like no one no one has earned this moment in Indiana quite like Kelsey Mitchell. I mean, through the absolute garbage years of Indiana fever basketball. Kelsey Mitchell played in a barn. Oh, born like like a born and that's not even an exaggeration. So like from not only like the player progression of Kelsey Mitchell, which is its own story. And it's all the way just from like a pure talent perspective, even though Kelsey Mitchell's been one of these ones like for a minute now, you know. But it's just been on the worst teams in the league with the worst some of the worst organizational decisions in the league, you know, that had just buried these performances under. And so I'm so happy that we're now at a point with Kelsey Mitchell where we get to talk about this on a team that has championship aspirations because I mean, even even thinking back to last season, like the playoffs where she literally like her body shuts down on her because she's going that hard. Like that's a type of player that like I'm going to root for every time, like not always entertaining, but like there's nothing to make me dislike Kelsey Mitchell at all, whether between her game, her personality, the rider die with the organization. I love everything about Kelsey Mitchell. Yeah, it's interesting like when you mentioned the fit to because one thing I like a lot about that back core is that Kelsey Mitchell runs a ton of pick and roll. She got a lot of her points today just from like spamming pick and roll, and I'm sure they're in the end of fever fans who are like, would be cool to spam. However, I think a lot of the actions that Kelsey Mitchell and Alia Boston are able to run so cleanly come out of the fact that like Caitlin will be the initiator. That's the focus on the defense all the sudden, then if you're defending that you have to you have to flip your hips and then you're just not in a situation where you can like guard a Kelsey Mitchell Alia Boston pick and roll that well. And then once you get Kelsey going downhill at this point, her confidence as a finisher right now, some of those floaters, some of that those finishes tonight, the creativity on them is just at an all time level right now. And if you let her get a little bit a little bit hot, I feel like this game like they started with Ryan on her. There's one where Ryan just let herself get get get completely like like crossed into a different city. And she's already hot and they put Jordan Canada on her and Kelsey's like, I'll just see you over you like I'm good like it's just like she just this is also like when you guys she's 30 years old now. You get to this place where like a lot of players have a deep big she knows when to deploy which like part of her weaponry as well, which is just an absolute joy to watch. I also thought she played pretty good defense on Alicia Gray as well. Just great night great night for her and like. The contrast with the back of the Atlanta dream like there's just a look when my when my dog sees Kelsey Mitchell on the screen he barks. And is there is there anything else to that I don't know like. So, okay, those are you guys listening. So before the part I was I was talking about how there should be something between like the corgi that predicts the NBA finals and like a drug sniffing. Yeah, Tyler is the okay see if man is wearing a black okay see thunder hoodie right now it's a remembrance. But it should be something between like the corgi and the dog like the drug sniffing dog where like dogs just you just you just play you just put an image of a player in front of a dog. And he's for any gender if they start barking it's because they see another dog. I'm just saying like I just don't see my dog barking right now right now no the inconsistency. Like it frustrates me so much because like you'll get games like we we literally just saw last game against the Connecticut son when the magnet is on. And like she just can't miss you know and like it is. It's it's it's the shot is so pure and it's beautiful and it looks so good in this Atlanta system where the threes are such an emphasis and it's like all as well. This oh this makes so much sense and then you get games like tonight. You get games like tonight and like the aggressiveness is gone. You don't see her like she's absolutely a capable driver to get to the rim. You don't see her getting to the rim and and you've seen her miss sometimes when you get to the rim like it's it. I don't know man it's when I think about Atlanta as a contender right like in the overarching landscape of the W. Ryan being consistent is probably it's probably the thing that worries me the most in terms of like my trust in what Atlanta is in its current iteration. I think there's overall offensive like questions that I have and I've had literally since game 1 and people told me I was overreacting But look at us now. Let me talk about those. Yeah, look at us now But I think that the thing I mean this isn't a new thing It's just Ryan Howard is now the responsibility grows with the expectation and the expectation for Atlanta now is that you can go Want to be a championship this year like like this this is a roster that in theory is capable of doing that But it needs Ryan Howard to be more like the one we saw against Connecticut than the one that we saw against Indiana tonight And I don't know How confident I can be in trusting that that Ryan Howard like which one is going to show up on a given night Especially as we get deeper into the season Yeah, it's it's tough because I think Ryan is One of the most gifted players that I've ever seen Has an incredible first step can finish at the rim is obviously a great shooter 6-1 athletic Has so many tools well, honestly loved singer and team USA playing that four position more And then maybe this is something that like I would love to see that in The W like angel at the five and Ryan at the four There were moments today where You've Katelyn Clark four fouls Katelyn Clark three fouls you're on her She's close to being in foul trouble like Indiana kind of skated that whole game with like Katelyn flirting with foul trouble Not quite ever getting into it and you're ISOed on her And you're not just drive and it's just it's this is a perpetual frustration with her It's like when the shot is on it's it's amazing because she's hitting it But she falls in love with it too much So while we were texting today, I decided to go go into synergy and see what like the rim production was like There are 78 players in the WNBA who had more points off of layups than Ryan Howard has And I'm just gonna go through some of them right now um Sinaya rivers in the midst of an epic sophomore slump Steph Doulson a 34-year-old pick-and-pop pig I'll have them who started playing basketball in the WNBA five minutes ago That would go shy and park her ties Like coming off the bench coming off a pregnancy um Do I want to bother Do we for the ages of charge? Do we for the ages of charge? What are we doing? No, like it is so frustrating because to your point in terms of like If you're like bag talk I don't know how many players can save it they got like a deeper bag to get into the Ryan Howard There's so much skill and talent and the consistency is just not there to match And there's just simply no reason that this statute exists like there is there is no I don't care what system. I don't care what shots are getting on the premium. I don't care For Ryan Howard the talent that she is to for that stat to exist is is a legitimate major championship defining problem to me Like that that is what that is and I I It's it's it's it's too common like this this is what Ryan Howard has has been again It's just about the stage that she is on now with the team that she is on and so I It has to change like like just point blank like I don't I don't think that this can be trusted when you get into playoff time And and frankly like we're at a point like I know it's like the too early to talk but like we're kind of like a quarter of the Way through the season now so like we like we can start making some pretty legitimate conclusions. I feel like it obviously new information can always be presented. Yeah, but like Don't It's not what can we make can we make suggestions is it like is it at minimum is it too early to make suggestions? I would Someone's got to listen Because what are we doing this is it's it's so frustrating. It's it's so incredibly frustrating to watch Yeah Atlanta there are only three teams that have a worse half-core offense than them. Do you want to get guess what those three teams are good god um Seattle Yeah Connecticut Yep Oh my missing Phoenix No actually the third one is the third one's a hard one. Uh Chicago. Oh well, I could have got there but Honestly Chicago's guys weird jar. We haven't we haven't used the Chicago's guys weird jar in a very long time I I I probably owe a fortune into that jar for the no cast grace listeners you you'd I probably owe a fortune um No, I should have get honestly the Chicago's guy would have been the better guest to begin with but uh Terrible company like just like every everything that you Like the on paper especially offensively like it just doesn't match like the talent that there is does not match Like what should be to me at least Some relative ease at times score in the ball just given the pure talent at minimal that is on this Atlanta dream team And you're not even getting that it's I I'm I'm so As much as I I think there's a defense to very much believe in like potentially like with this Atlanta team The defense is wrong like there is absolutely a championship defense to believe in here. Mm-hmm. There's so many things offensive. Oh further This is a championship defense. Yeah, this is absolutely in the offense just which doesn't make sense given the talent that they have But the offense is just not matching at all yeah um I have notes sure I've I've I have one idea that I think could Potentially change everything I love to hear it um And I mean it's mostly pertaining around angel Reese um who has been incredible for them on the defensive end, but they are um six points worse when She's on the floor on offense, which is the worst figure among the starters So that's kind of one of the clear problems that you have there um They're not using her right. Why is she on the perimeter? Oh, it's not just why is she on the perimeter. I must say it's go ahead go to me to me. It's There is a world of difference between angel Reese stationary waiting to spot up for a three pointer that she is That is very much hypothetical that hey, I love that she's working on it I don't care how many times she like go ahead let it fly. I am all for that development However, that is a very different thing than her being a initiating durable handoff threat Like you can use her on the perimeter. You can have your five out offense Why isn't the ball in her hands in a decision-making capacity More in a way that would also allow her to organically play off of Right Howard and Alicia Gray and get more to Hina pao-pao minutes as well Especially Alicia Gray who's just one of the best handoff players in the league um It could all be so funny like to me they just aren't running enough actions that involve All three of those players at the same time and put them all in in in situations to succeed even just a sit like simple post-ups for her um Like they can't get the ball down to her against indiana like that and that's it. Lila. Lila boss. Yeah, and like And it happened man, you know, like Lila boss and happens sometimes Lila boss and happens sometimes Lila Boston will happen to you Like that's there's like there's but again, like that's still that's still I feel like you just like as a lad And like you should just be winning that front court battle like Indiana has like kind of a front court crisis going on right now outside of Lila Boston So you should be winning that battle, but I digress Yeah, it's you It's not good like you can find ways to Still play five out and have her like use her playmaking ability use her face sub driving ability use her decision-making ability Because part of the reason she's racking up these turnovers too is like this. These are situations that she's like unfamiliar with and aren't really taking advantage of her best offensive skills Yeah, it's so it's a thing I called this out. I was at the Dallas home opener and I said exactly this why Why is she stationary specifically stationary in like triple threat waiting What is what is like angelry's on the perimeter doing this? What does this do? Like yeah, what exactly exactly she's make make gust of sea. What does this do? Yes does not scare me. Could it one day is it could the development happen? Sure But right now in this moment given where the state of the Atlanta dream half court offenses. What does this do? Yeah, compared to exactly what you're saying whether it's D.H.O.s or just move just general movement cutting through whatever It looks like where you can still operate with this freedom and fluidity that you're able to find in the five out offense and I think Atlanta is You know, understandably set on operating it And just this is not the way to do it. I I want angelry's not that she has to be posting up But I want her moving towards the rim more often than not in some degree or manner I want her movie. Yeah stationary does absolutely nothing for nobody. It it she's still obviously been ridiculous on the board Even with this, but I think she could be doing more on the boards Just based on her positioning. Oh, here's I mean, there's rebound. She misses out on now that she just never You know, so like think about it and I understand I think people can look at the stats and be like well, she's still getting all the boards. No No, not not to the degree and I understand how crazy that could be to think that she could go get more rebounds given how great She's been at it, but there's still some like meat left on the bone with that just based on her being stationary and for what? I don't get it. I truly truly don't Yeah, I also just feel like I know she's not having the best start in this sort of this season right now But I don't know what's weird like Smasco not playing Tahina pal pal more Feels like a reputation even of like his own basketball philosophy in a way. Um, I don't I don't get that Yeah, Jordan can has been like good to start the season overall She's really really good actually and like cuz that was honestly my biggest worry going like on paper preseason previewing this team I'm like, I don't know how Jordan Canada like how this is exactly going to work directly and she's She's absolutely prune me wrong with any worry that I had with that and I don't know if that's chopped into it But you're absolutely right where it's like in theory, do you know how I should would be on the court making life a lot easier for For players on this team, especially in the half court, so I don't I don't fully I don't fully understand it either honestly Well, yeah, I think I think that Jordan Canada's actually played played herself into a place where like it puts Smasco in a bit of a bind She's actually genuinely been playing so well like defensively doing everything very aggressive Table-setting well, but it's sort of like I how do you say her? Yeah, yeah But it probably also like Prevents Atlanta from getting to the next step in their journey It's a really weird spot to be in because I fully frankly thought like if I'm being transparent I thought going into the seasons like if Atlanta doesn't win it will be because they could get better at point guard whether it's like the depth or starting like that's where I thought the next move would be That's not the problem is right now and that that is not good for the Atlanta dream Yeah, anyway, Bree Jones will be back at some point and She will definitely get some more action going inside and they can play some inside out basketball and probably get some more open Three use at some point, but like there are there are still there are solutions that are available to you right now that I hope they use You want it you want to switch over to the Lynx boundaries? Let's do it. All right, let's do it. Okay Just just giggle in your mouth. You'll just only be a mouth Wow just wow the magnet the magnet was ridiculous Everyone ever want to cross the board like not even like the they didn't take the ride as basketball online to be like hey You should go under the screens on Olivia Miles and see what happens and Olivia Miles said, okay? Bet and went eight four eleven from three also racking up Seven assists with only one turnover. I might add like on a night where generally speaking It wasn't like the the best shooting night from like Natasha Howard or Caleb McBride It did not matter because of what Olivia Miles was able to accomplish Offensively for this team and now I'm not expecting Olivia Miles to go eight for eleven by any means in every game But to show I mean this was this was the way to do that while shooting 11% before incredible incredible to do which I always like Olivia Miles wasn't like the greatest three point shooter by any means in college She had like her her higher years as like towards the end of her career And like so there was like a degree of development that absolutely happened, but like The idea would be go under the screens and I don't think that that changes because of this game But to do it against golden state who is like priding themselves on the perimeter defense is Great comedy like that is hilarious to go and do It's it's absolute trickster got you. Mm-hmm It is also funny that how casual She is about this. I'd be so mad. I'd be so mad guarding Olivia Miles. She flings that thing up there Not sometimes. It's like it She just kind of like she looks so nonchalant. She just like she it's like it's like when I have to shoot it through three But my crush is looking at it I guess like I guess yeah You can't be like yeah, I can't act like I got it like this just like low arching throw it. I can't act like I don't It's very yokeish coded like I like it is it is pretty yoga. This is cool And this is like she but I will say she is having one of the Well like I mean we're coming off of two historic back-to-back rookie guard Performances like this is a kind of a renaissance golden generation moment four point guards in the WNBA in general And Olivia Miles is very much in that tradition having one of the all-time rookie campaigns like her stat line tonight 25 plus points Five plus this three blocks in a game. Um, she joins say the line Caitlyn Clark Brianna Stewart Elena Deladon and Candice Parker as the only rookies like those are those are Hall of Fame and future Hall of Fame Players that she that she's uh being you know in in the same sentence as no, it's and it's just all look clinical and smooth and I cannot look there's just been no adjustment exact that's the part that that really like She was better actually. Yes. First off with you. I mean what we're what was going out of Notre Dame to not be able to make This hand in doggo. It's only a central work, but like I The I just oh my gosh. Yes. Oh even like the the Maddie piece of it. I guess like there's like a legitimate We're gonna look back at that roster. It's just like an all-time point. Not even a final four Not even an only eight. You're absolutely right. Yeah, that didn't happen to this year. Yeah, not great But yes, no, I look as I was I thought going like into the draft. I thought My my worry for Olivia Miles was exactly that where it's like she plays With with such like confidence in operating in windows and angles and I was like I don't know I don't know what the the Learning curve is going to be for the speed of those windows and angles closing in the WMBA and the answer was Zero-time to to to adjust to this not only does she like adjust to the speed of a WMBA the physicality or you like all all like just the natural Gross that you have to deal with whenever you go from college to the W But she like immediately started like orchestrating the offense manipulating defenses at such a high degree where if we're being honest Point guard in the WMBA has not been a strong position generally speaking There's been very limited depth to the point guard position So like when you think about like What the the capabilities and like just like the brain that is in Olivia Miles's head to go and operate in offense It's legitimately some of the best that I've seen in the WMBA like it is it is in a ridiculous caliber And you you mentioned like the the idea this renaissance that we're going through like This this was supposed to be the draft class where it's like okay, you know what like we'll see what the drop-off is And yet here we are and we're having oh, yeah, these are who you're in list with conversations And it's some of the greatest to ever do it in the most record breaking players we've ever seen Well, we're gonna look back at this draft and feel very like differently about it because not only is there Olivia Miles There's a lot of them coming off of like her first art 17 point game looking so smooth Honestly, the jumper it's just like some of these shots aren't falling but the the speed at which she is moving the actions the um Honestly, just like the way the ball comes off and just look she looks like a pro She just looks like a player that's gonna like just just be good like you know like it not to oversimplify the eye test of this But like that's a good basketball player like it just simply is like Who are who are the all-time college fumbles like you have sonia citron? I think kiki irufin has got to be okay as well Olivia Miles honestly with two coaches because both of them just kind of like Niel didn't let her do enough mart Campbell let her do too much and now she found her Found her full time college fumbles wow Like angel and Marilyn was the fairy first one that came to mind, but I don't know if that's a fumble really like Fumble feels kind of harsh with that. It's just like the height that she reached out LSU was just so ridiculous, you know um. Yeah I feel bad because I don't know why I did my brain with the full like LSU but I thought about haley van lif being the fumble ur by trade spring to LSU and I was like well that feels That I don't think that's the but it's also a Kim murky fumble. Yeah consider how well she played. Yeah, at T3 So like I guess like that was the first one that came to mind, but that's not really like the exact like The exact way to think about it. Yeah, I don't I don't know. I didn't rickie a Jackson was mumbled multiple times true before she got so cool Yeah, Notre Dame is just like The the hindsight of that team is gonna beat nuts to think about when we when we look at the This year amount of talent that you could say the same largely for that USC team that had kiki on it um just cuz I mean you're talking about two players in in Sony and kiki that just touched the wba core and just elevated to a degree that We had just not seen in in college for different reasons and different situations, but just It's it's amazing that we're cuz again like this didn't this doesn't really happen outside like your top like one or two players in the history of the wba when you look at Draft classes and like immediate impact This is so unique this era that we're in where college players, you know, even when you're looking at like to picks like four five six I mean angel was like the back half of the first round like there's legit Production just stepping on the court day one that is gonna make college coaches look silly at times Well, I did. I wrote a list. I wrote a list. Everybody liked it. Oh, I'm sure nobody did. They threw me a party. They invited Bella Hadid, um, I don't know about the case taught 25 players under 25 and it was incredibly difficult. Yeah. There were so many talented players that I had to leave off of the list, um, let alone the actual attempt to like rank these players at the same time. Like, you, you just, and also the amount of an international players on the list too. This is before like, I like, find my Minnesota, like Emma, Emma Kachova would have been on this list if she wasn't, if she wasn't hurt, AWFM was not on it because like, she just hadn't played enough games. Um, for me to really feel like I could fairly evaluate her and like, most the article was written before, um, she had her 17 point game, um, but even without an end, and you stay and free to free to be an area like players that could be on this, uh, on a, on a list like this later in the season, still like over a quarter of my list was, was international players. It's a crazy thing that we're seeing here because like, you, you say the youth aspect of it, like obviously there's like the, you got like your 30 year old rookies that are coming in like your international players like in that, the trend that that's happening there. So like, there's that aspect of the international. There's a no get jerky. Yeah, you know, it's like, don't piss me off, you know, but like, like, no, but this is the real thing where it's like, you're just seeing, it's just a different type of preparation. And like, you're, you're now seeing it where I, it's the same quality as largely as to why these teams are going and trying to find like the 29 year old European players, you know, or, you know, wherever that looks like where they've played professional. They've done this before. And so like, I think you're even to the point that I was making about like college players that are ready to come into making the media an impact. I so the preparation you're getting overseas is still the, the better preparation. You're still playing professional basketball over there against grown adults that like, there's just not, I don't think there's anything I can prepare you for that besides just doing that. Yeah, if you start playing pro from like age 13, you know, so like up until 19 when you're at it. And so like, as you're seeing these like, like obviously, like France has been like the main one, obviously, but like you're seeing these other countries that are also starting to kind of like be a bit of a machine with with this. And I think this is only a trend that's going to be more popular, frankly, and whether it be drafting the staff situations or whatever that looks like, like this is only going to be something that happens more and more. Obviously, we've seen expansion franchises, you know, deployed this, you know, with their draft strategy and whatnot. But I am again, like, I think your top players are like, are going to be college players largely. Can I, can I, can I, can I throw you a bit of a fever hot take? Yeah, sure. Look, I just, I think, I think team USA might want to send its big guns. Oh, yeah. To the 20, in 20, 20, 20, 26 even. Oh, bro, 'cause France, France is coming. France is coming. France is coming. France is coming. France is here. I mean, this list. I mean, this list, I had a starting line about a France. I had another one who we'll talk about very soon. Gabby Williams, Carla Lait, who actually like hasn't been on these teams, has been invited to camps and stuff before. I was, didn't go to InSep, which is sort of like the Yukon of France, as far as like the pipeline to Team USA goes. I've been told to like, we'll see what happens with that. But you have LeCan, you have Malonga. Honestly, that is your defensive core is pretty terrifying. That's nice. The fact that like, you get the sort of advantage of knowing the terrain better than the US players do. Elements of surprise, get you in foul trouble. Dude, it's frustrated you a little bit. It's one game. It's one game. I'm just saying, like the US, like what happened to the women? Like they had, but it was, I mean, we're talking about a KD shoe size up from, from we're already having completely different conversations about where France is in comparison to Team USA. And France is only getting better. I think about the young players that you have with France. Obviously, you have like some older players that are accomplished as well, but like, when you get like prime Carla Lait and Dominic Malonga and all these players, like, when they're like 28, 29, and when they have the 29 year old Europeans, that's going to be terrifying. It's tough. And like, you know, like, there's some angst on the domestically. It's like kind of like the NBA conversation has kind of come into the WNBA. And I get it now. So I'm making this list. I'm like, ooh, I love them. Like, you get like, there's some top tenors in there, you know? And that like, American basketball exceptionalism starts to get in. Like, there's also, I mean, the WNBA side. There's almost like this fear of like, W Gentrification sort of going on. And in the day, though, like, it sports. I get it. I get that there's like a history of the W sort of like having an image issue. I don't think we're in that world anymore. And sports are about as meritocratic as it gets. So like, it's a game of the college will have to wait up. Like, it really is the case with that where it's like, like, like, when you're thinking about like, the WNBA, the pro players are there. Oh, yeah. I don't know how to hold. Yeah. Yeah. Everybody. No, it's because it's scary, especially France. It's, it's scary. Like, yeah. I have a speaking of a friend. I have a complaint about the Valkyrie's game. Oh, I'm about to hear it. Um, I'm not like a big Natalie Nicassey complainer. I've like kind of been like a big fan of her. Um, she's too sketchy-filled. Yeah. She's like, I get it. She hit four reasons. So this, so the game comes down to the wire. Uh, Golden State has an opportunity to win, um, with like, or they have no, sorry, they have an opportunity to send it to overtime at the end of the game. Uh, she also lawns hit a bunch of threes. She can also get a shock off whenever she wants. She also, because Golden State doesn't really have like that one A player, sort of the player that you should be priming to be that one because she is like, sort of your best isolation scorer and just wants it. Um, is your screener on the play that gets Chechi open. She air balls a shot and it reminds me of, of when they got knocked out in the playoffs, too. And it's like, oh, go out with Chechi. Maybe don't. We don't have to. Maybe don't. But you don't. Like, yeah, there are options like this. I'm just looking around for Monica Burns race. Yeah. Gabby Williams is even shooting 38 from three. Yeah. Again, it's like, it's not even anti-Chachee. Like, I even, I get it from an analytic standpoint. You hit four or three. She's a good shooter off the dribble is also just like, it's not the problem that it is Chechi. It's the problem that it's always Chechi. That's, that's the, and then it's not salon. Yeah. That, that's where I'm going to with Golden State where it's like in this game, like, I understand like what Golden State is going to be and then they don't have the one A score that like, I, like, I was disappointed coming out of this, this offseason where it's like, you didn't go and get that player. Even though Gabby Williams fits this team about as perfectly as like a star caliber player could, but you don't have that one A. Are we sure it's not just on the bench. Yeah. Question for you. Yeah. Was this game actually just the, if he's a call your audacious? Yes. Was this like, yes, she's watching on, she's just watching both on the sidelines. Like, like, Zendaya. It's challengers. It's like, it's challengers. She laid back, like, she laid back. It's challengers. She just wanted to see some good F and basketball. Like, she just wanted to see this. Dude, you, you picked the wrong person to talk about challengers with. I love that movie. No, this is, this was absolutely the feed challengers game because good God. Could you imagine like, Golden State? It's, it's funny because you can say this about either team. Like, obviously, it's like, oh my god, Minnesota. This Minnesota team is getting a feast of call your back. Like, what do you, like, they're, they're this level of competent without her. And then you're just adding her in. And I'm not like, no feast of callers, a player that is like, going to ruin anything that's happening here, you know? But then I, as someone who is also like, kind of feed to Golden State Pilled, like, you're seeing this will go in a state. And it's like, good. I mean, the defense is as the Olivia Miles bagged it. Like, sometimes like basketball happens to you, man. I don't have to tell you, we imagine having a scout for that. Oh, I'd be so pissed. I'd be, I'd be so pissed. Like, I'd be so bad. But like, yeah, this is, this is the feed challengers game because Golden State needed their one A, which obviously the feast of call your more than qualified to go and be that. But I just, I can't, I'm starting to get a little antsy in the idea of like, are we just, are we sure it's not genus long? Like, are we sure? Like in, at least with this roster iteration where you are right now, are we sure she's like, your one A isn't just on the bench right now? Because she continues to produce, she continues to score. She could do so in terms of relative ease in terms of just like getting to her shot and like, what she wants to get to. Like, especially in the game like this, like, I understand Xenolousine is also hitting from three, but like, it's four of 11. Like, some of them are going to fall, you know, presumably. So that's five of eight. And like, and like, just in terms of the ease again, the shot off, it just, it's really as, as, as incredible as Golden State star has been, it's, it's starting to bug me. It's starting to frustrate me with, with her, just, again, I'm not sure one A just isn't there on the bench right now. Yeah. I mean, they might, they, they should at least be trying. Yeah. It's not a hurt because it's also like, if you're just looking ahead to this season, this is like, really, the only, the only thing you're missing. Like, you have the Veronica Burton, we, she is becoming all story. You've got Gabby Williams. Kayla Thornton. is making her way back too, as well. She's starting to look like herself. You have all the sort of role players that you want. And as a team, you're kind of surviving these games by playing Smart Basketball, by being highly competent. They're in the third quarter. They're hunting switches. They're kind of given Olivia Miles a cake and Clark tree mail. And if we're being real, which is one of those-- that just shows you what Olivia Miles is. That's how people want to get her off the court, right? They're trying to do that. They play actually like a lineup that I really liked with like Caitlyn Chen and Salon. And you stay as like the front core. I was really fun. And when Salon's willing to get down and dirty like that, they can play small. And I think they had Thornton on the floor of that too. But just ultimately, not the biggest lineup. And they're going five out and they're attacking mismatches. And they're always sort of getting their points doing stuff like that. But then like finally, for Minnesota, when you got like Courtney Williams is your close. You got K-Mac over there. You got Natasha Howard over there. It's just sort of like when the other team starts to figure out your schemes on the defensive end, you're going to be outgunned. Like, this is a team that they play at the edge or they're sealing. And the thing that would make their sealing higher is like a leap from Salon. So I would just want to lean into it in these moments. I would want to give her the high pressure moment. Even if she misses, just to kind of get reps in those spots. It's because the moment's going to come. I think it's bound to come in some degree where in the biggest moment of the game, you're turning to her to make you a shot. I just think that she is at this moment, there's been several games where it's just like, it is obviously her. There's been games where Veronica Burton's able to get to the rim and things like that. But again, I'm starting just to get frustrated. And this inability to kind of scratch the itch of what does it look like, just at a curiosity with her as the one A. It's starting to kind of bug me. It really, really is because especially in the game like this, that last play, it just seems obvious to go to her, frankly. And to have her as a screener, that might be my tipping point, honestly, when it comes to the idea. It's like the coach is overthinking every once in a while, too. It's like, oh, I mean, it's like the player that we focused on is a D-Core. I guess sometimes, it's not ours. Yeah, you don't have to. Just give it a pull. Just play her at first. Just see what happens. All right, then you know, there's a full five seconds. Question before you before we close it out with our positive affirmations. There are-- OK, the two players that have had the most layups and the WNBA, so far, play for the same team. And number one and two, who do you think they are? Same team. Most layups. Hmm, I'm going to guess it's not that Chicago's guy. After or any of our half-court teams. I can tell you it's not the late-to-dream. Stop the at-line-to-dream. I don't know. I don't-- I feel like there's an obvious answer here. And it's so late that I can't think of it. No, OK, you know what? Yes, it's just too late to be able to see it. No, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It is Olivia Miles and Natasha Howard. That actually makes total sense. That just credible picker roll, the statue, like a liberty, like just from Olivia Miles, like it's incredible stuff. And it gets to the rim with remarkable ease, frankly, the little like just sticking them all out there. It works. It works. I can't-- the resurgence of Natasha Howard has just been ridiculous. So I am-- I should have got that one. I'm annoyed now. I should have got that one, because-- OK, it's OK, it's really late. It's really late. That picker roll has been diabolical in a way that Natasha Howard-- she's coming for MVP. She says she wanted-- that's what's happening. She's coming for it. Yeah, she's just a year late. Come on now. She's just a year late on that pick. Yeah. She's coming. She's going for it. She's coming for it. I love it. I love that pick. OK, let's close things out with-- I don't touch a bit of a solid note. Kiki Rice got hers yesterday against the Liberty. She actually walked out and crutches. And it turns out she has a grade-to-angle sprain, which-- I mean, when somebody walks out and crutches, and they end up having a grade-to-angle sprain, I think nobody loves a grade-to-angle sprain. But it could have been-- But it could have been-- It could have been like the range of possibilities. It could have been more-- I'm not going to lie. I did exhale it a little bit. And it made me realize that maybe Kiki Rice should be the source of my positive affirmation for the week. So if you haven't listened to it show lately, what we've been hearing is, I basically-- I say a positive affirmation. And then you repeat it back to me. And then we see how we feel at the end of it. You ready? OK. All right. Well, let's do it. So I'll close your eyes. Unclench your jaw. Oh, wow. Yeah, those pants. Yeah. Was it? It's-- you just never know until you become aware of it, which is the beauty of meditation. Drop your shoulders. This is one that people don't ever really realize. Relax your tongue from the roof of your mouth. Yo, what? That was-- Yeah. Deep cut. Deep meditation cut. Take a deep breath. Inhale, hope. Exhale, fear. Now repeat after me. Injuries are temporary. Plus minus numbers are forever. The Canadian health care system is perfect and requires no fixes. Kiki Rice is so good, she can organize the offense from the bench. Kiki Rice can organize an offense from the CN Tower. Kiki Rice can organize the offense from the CN Tower. The worst Toronto is without Kiki Rice. The better it will be for her Rookie of the Year campaign. The better it is for her Rookie of the Year campaign. The Moto Eggs at Han Moto will heal Kiki Rice. When Kiki Rice is on the screen, my dog barks. It's not too late to tank for Madison Booker. Kiki, she does most of my eyes closed. I mean you can hate. Dude I might have my eyes closed. I thought my eyes were closed this whole time. It's up to you. It's up to you. You feel more in a light. If it makes you feel more in a light. You were telling me to open my eyes after we meditated. Have I just been hearing my eyes closed this whole time? You can't. I mean I think technically you're supposed to have your eyes closed during your meditation. But my belief is that you should just do whatever feels more most organic to you. Like sometimes I meditate with my eyes open. Oh. Well. Yeah. Now I feel like okay I'm going back in. Hold on. All right. Okay. I'm ready. The tongue's up. My tongue's not on the roof of my mouth. I'm ready to go. All right. Let's do it. Okay. Kiki. She does love me. Mm. Kiki. She does love me. She's riding. She's riding. She'll never ever leave from beside me. All right. Now raise one hand. Will you go your fingers? Put your thumb down. Say fours. Fours up. All right. Dude. What a choice. How are you feeling Tyler? Wow. It's like a weight has been lifted off of me. You know as someone who is a Kiki rice believer through and through. You know I always sad to see what went down and you know what? I feel better now. That's good. She does leave, I think the whole she leaves in the tempo. If you're like watching them on a regular basis, it's, it's, it's like it's panic mode. But it's like panic adjacent like, but that's what she has the best on and off numbers on the team. It's going to get bad. But you know what? It might get bad. But you know what? Five and five is 10th in the standing. So it's not hard. No, I said. I mean, look. Now you're back to really truly being the two face tempo. You got to flip a coin. I figured out what Marina, Maverick and Brittany sites are getting that night. We're playing, we're playing, we're playing chaotic ball again. And like Kiki rice, I think stabilize that a little bit. She stabilize that a lot. A lot of it. I'm trying to, I'm trying to like to, to be calm still. But no, it's a lot of it. No, no, the Toronto tempo are in trouble with how Kiki rice they're in trouble. They're in trouble. Why did you put her in the starting lineup and now they're once again in trouble? It could be a blessing in this guy's Yeah, exactly trust the path that the universe puts you on Yeah, do you have a positive affirmation? Um, yeah, yeah, I got a positive affirmation for another rookie Flosie Johnson Keep shooting that thing That's that's my positive affirmation. Look this offense is a mess right now in Seattle And that's okay you guys you guys might have lost in that that game against a mercury, but that's a win That's a win for the Seattle storm. That's a good win. You just just keep shooting that ball Just keep keep the confidence up. Keep shooting it. It's this the the win lost record is exactly where it needs to be The tank is on and take him in there. Flosie. I just want it to be known Keep shooting that ball That's my positive affirmation Four is up in a different way Four is up in a different way. Um, I one thing. I really love about the Flosie Johnson experience in Seattle aside from the fact that she's like just turned into a lockdown Premeter defender like she's always been a good defender, but like there's always a question of would the athleticism not he translate to the mute it has and more so even and She is maybe the only player that I will trust to reliably and consistently dump the ball off to AWFM And that is going to make her so much money over the course of her WBA career in Seattle like just just the until they get a point card They will need a point. Yes, but like but like this already being a thing that's like you don't got to worry about when you have dominant Malangu and AWFM like you're trying to build around it like another young player involving that I think that the the order of operations the PEMDOS is looking good in Seattle is looking like it's it's where it needs to be overall Generally speaking with their younger players Flosie also tweeted something I like today. She said you're allowed to evolve beyond the beyond who people expect you to be how Which is like an actual watching you thank you for giving us like you wow. Yeah, look at the universe look at the universe just returning back our positivity Wow beautiful Beautiful I feel so good. I feel so light the basketball. I feel so like Tyler, this was so fun. Thank you so much for staying up. Oh, absolutely making the time It's always a pleasure to have you on you are also full-time now at no-caps Yes, my favorite independent basketball outlet Congratulations on that. Thank you. Thank you. How's it going so far? Oh, it's it's it's been a blast It's been different, you know, but like I I don't know it's like it's like the the Ricky Bobby I don't know what to do with my hands like that's how I feel sometimes I'm just like what do you mean like it on Microsoft teams, you know So like that is that is pretty sick. I'm not gonna lie But yes support independent journalism and don't revoke our credentials Yeah, shout out to Scott. I guess by the way, yeah, yeah, don't don't don't revoke our credentials, please, but yes Now it feels great. It's it's dope to support independent journalism. That is that is the message I agree. I agree. Okay. Well, that feels like a great place to End things. I appreciate you making the time. Go follow Tyler on all the socials and Wait, what are your socials at Tawdellica where you find me? Yeah, you make it you make it simple Read his work on no cap space follow no cap space on YouTube where I believe you will probably will be we can even continue the app session Oh, like yeah, okay, you hit that. That's your shop, so I don't You know, it's the home and home is always welcome All right, we'll keep it going. All right, if you guys aren't sick of us yet, then you can join YouTube in the meantime You guys have a wonderful weekend. Thank you to Ben Cruz for producing and we will talk to you really next week You