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We breakdown Golden State’s first round series win against the Dallas Wings, discuss how the Valkyries can beat the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, and wax poetic about the joy and hypeness of Ballhalla.
Show notes:
Creators and Guests
Host
Host
Michelle Hatfield
I’m a miserable childless cat lady from Central California by way of Virginia with some MidWest influence. I’m a women’s sports fanatic. I’m an activist, YIMBY, Golden State Valkyries Founding Guard member and season ticket holder and occasional runner who works for social justice, equal pay, and intersectional liberation. I’m a former journalist now focusing on advocacy communications and storytelling. Read more: https://wegotnextpod.org/hosts
What is We Got Next?
We’re fans of the women’s game – the athletes, styles, moves, sneaks, and memes. We approach this podcast as fans and social justice advocates. We will uplift and center those who identify as women, and who are changing the game, on and off the court, the field, the pitch, the pool, and more. We will especially uplift those who identify as women of color, and/or gay, femme, queer, non-binary, and transgender. We uphold workers over corporate greed, inclusivity and accessibility over exclusion, and equality over supremacy.
This is a safe space where we will learn and grow together as a community rooted in joy.
Boom. That was a win last night.
Filiberto:Oh, man. Like, I didn't even hear you suggest that you were hopeful we were gonna win when you when you were hopeful. I didn't even get it.
Michelle:I had a weird...
Filiberto:You had like a premonition almost.
Michelle:I did. I was thinking about that this morning when I was watching the highlights. I was like, we were down, I thought 15. We were actually down 16 at the time. Even more.
Michelle:And usually, I'm I'm very negative Nancy when it comes to my sports teams.
Filiberto:Well, you're the kind of person that'll say, I knew they were... I always knew they're gonna lose. You're... But the thing you don't tell people is you're always thinking that anyway. So when they actually lose, it's just confirmation bias.
Michelle:Well... And this is the weird thing, but I did feel... Even though we were down that much, like, I was kinda like, no, I think we're gonna come back. Like... And I never feel that way about my team.
Michelle:So I'm always kinda like hedging my bets. I'm try... I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for like heartbreak. And so I'm starting to... I'm always trying to start processing it.
Michelle:But last night, there was like a weird calm and at one point I told you Yeah. They were only two years in. We've got some great stories, but we need some lore. We need some playoff lore. And I feel like that's gonna happen tonight.
Filiberto:And when you said that, in my head, I was like, oh, so you think we're gonna lose and
Michelle:no thats not what I meant
Filiberto:grit our way out of it and learn something about ourselves and have this like super important experience. Like, no, that's not what you meant at all.
Michelle:No. No. I mean, I think they're gonna pull it out.
Filiberto:Yeah. Yeah. And I think the... So, you know, the first thing that comes to mind is resilience. Right?
Filiberto:16... It's not just that they had... They were down 16, but they, at that point, were on a 20... Dallas was on a 20-0 run. Yeah.
Filiberto:So, again, not just that they were down 16, but that they were getting dominated for about a quarter and a half or something. Like, it was just really awful to sit there and watch. And it must have been awful for we weren't at the game, but for those that were at the game. Anyway.
Michelle:Yeah. So that's kind of like how we're we're entering. That's the... Our grounding in. That's how we're entering this this podcast episode this time.
Michelle:Yeah. Yeah. But let's start with what we're drinking.
Filiberto:Mhmm. Mhmm. What are we drinking, Michelle? I completely forgot what you said. So
Michelle:this is this is a wine... We're we're drinking a red wine from one of our
Filiberto:Very good friends.
Michelle:Favorite wineries in Sonoma and Napa, Ceja Vineyards. And we'll put a link to it because this is a really good bottle.
Filiberto:And those of you exciting bilingual folks, yes, you heard that right. Yeah. An eyebrow is what they got.
Michelle:Yes. This one is a 2021 Metzli, if I'm pronouncing that correctly.
Filiberto:Possibly not, but that's okay.Thats a hard one to say.
Michelle:Metzli is... Metzli represents the Aztec goddess of the moon. This rich, extroverted wine of Cab Sav and Syrah brims with bright red fruit
Filiberto:It does brim.
Michelle:Black currant, plum, and toasted vanilla aromas. I just love it. I... That's my aspiration to like... When I grow up, I wanna write these descriptions of wine.
Michelle:I wanna have... Test them and taste them over and over again
Filiberto:Yes.
Michelle:Until I get it the
Filiberto:nuance of the experience.
Michelle:But it is... This is definitely like an ecosystem of writing, like descriptions for wine, descriptions for
Filiberto:It's very floral.
Michelle:Beer and stuff like that. But we'll we'll put a link to the show notes. But this is a very nice glass of wine to kind of like cheers Saturday morning after the game three win.
Filiberto:Yes, indeed. And I'm watching Thunder Kitty here just... He's... We allow him now to get out of the room, he's running around the hallway. And I just saw him jump up your shoulder.
Filiberto:And I'm like, damn. He can do that. He's been... You know, like, he's a little guy. So every week, every month, there's just so much development with him that it's just kinda wild.
Michelle:Yeah. Yeah. So that's what we're drinking this week.
Filiberto:What we're enjoying I this week
Michelle:I think today what we wanna do is cover the Valkyries first round playoff victory. We'll kinda go through it game by game. But I think what we wanna do before that is kinda talk a little bit about, Ballhalla.
Filiberto:Y'all have been hearing about Ballhalla a lot if you've been following. And now that Ballhalla is going national, we've been part of it. And I think it's fair to... For us to describe what it's been, you know, what it's been for us personally and what we've noticed about what it means for other people.
Michelle:Yeah. And so just a quick reminder, the Chase Center in Francisco is where the Golden State Warriors play. It's also where the Golden State Valkyries play. And because of the Valkyries, some people came up with Ballhalla, which is similar to Valhalla.
Filiberto:Yeah. I think it's a play off... It's like it's a playoff the Norse notion of Valhalla. Right? So because of the Valkyries in the Norse, which I...
Filiberto:Again, that's why I wasn't so much a fan of it because it kinda leans, like, white European. But but I... It's become us. Yeah. And so I'll accept it.
Michelle:Yeah. I was also not a fan of this, but I do prefer Ballhalla over Valkyries.
Filiberto:Let's not go Valkyries. Tiffany Hayes.
Filiberto:Tiffany Hayes, we love you. But
Michelle:Like, veto.
Filiberto:History is way too sordid. We gotta address some things. Yeah.
Michelle:Yeah. So, Ballhalla. But, yeah, what what does what does Ballhalla mean to you?
Filiberto:You know, I think that I was really struck by the way Gabby talked about it at the end of the game and then at the press conference. Like, that was really beautiful, I think. Like, when Gabby talked about it, she said that for them and for her, Ballhalla is her safe space, and it's where she gets to be her authentic self. Oh, that's so beautiful. And I don't
Michelle:Especially in this day of age when we're talking about inclusivity, exclusivity, and where certain people, especially those who are part of like marginalized under resourced communities, were they feel they can... They are safe, they can be their authentic selves. It's really important.
Filiberto:And I think it's why our players are so compelling to the fan base is all these players were overlooked in one way or another. Right. At least the expansion era folks. Even though... But Gabby as well in the way that she's been treated by the W, she talked about that as well.
Filiberto:So I think that's where the identification comes from because we all feel overlooked because we're all getting just jacked by billionaires every day. So, yeah.
Michelle:People can relate to that
Filiberto:We are getting really overlooked. And these players, like, are really compelling and it's beautiful. But I think, you know... But that's the important thing for me is that, like, as a dude, as a straight dude, cis hetero Mexican male guy, it's not, you know, from... It's not really supposed to be a safe space for me, and I don't really think of it that way, but...
Filiberto:You know, or to be my full self. But, like, I think what I get to be in Ballhalla is an enthusiast for women's sports in a way that women feel safe. I have my little lane. I enjoy my seat. I participate, And it makes me a safe person for folks that are around me.
Filiberto:And that's a nice feeling that, you know, as being a larger man on the street, like, I am perceived as dangerous. I am treated with suspicion over and over again by people close to me, people far from me. And so I think that's where my joy comes from is not feeling... Feeling welcomed in just sort of the maleness of it without being threatening. I'm just...
Filiberto:I enjoy... I was... I spent a lot time in Switzerland. That was my first experience not feeling threatening to people. Yeah.
Filiberto:And it was pretty wild for me. And I didn't... It took me a while to process what I was even experiencing. But... Yeah.
Filiberto:So that feeling is actually really nice.
Michelle:I think a lot of people probably appreciate seeing guys there who historically have kind of... A large portion of cis hetero males have mocked women athletes in women's sports. And I think seeing the amount of guys that are walking around Chase Center in their founders jackets. Yeah. Their in their founding guards.
Filiberto:And I have my founding jacket too and I wear it. Proudly.
Michelle:And so like, I think that's kind of like you're presenting... You're you're indicating your enthusiasm, your support for what the players are doing, what the team stands for, and that you are kind of like a safe a safe place for a lot of the fans who... You know, particularly women or people who identify as women fans. And I think that's that's important for them to see that not all guys are assholes.
Filiberto:And I think the other part of it that we've really enjoyed and I really enjoyed is just seeing a lot of men of color when we do see men. Mhmm. When we do, seeing in general a lot of black folks in the crowd Yeah. And around us. We chitchat with, workers, guests, everybody.
Filiberto:So Yeah. I think that's part of the environment that at least makes me feel safe because it's not a heteronormative, like, white woman crowd. Like, that would have... Even if it was queer, it's still gonna be not a 100%, like, there for me. So I think that's just really nice too that, like, people of color feel pretty good there.
Filiberto:And that's definitely speaks to, like, the attachment to Oakland and the hyphy dynamic and, like, all the things that they do and just Ari's presence. So I think it's also fair to, you know, really attribute the feeling of Ballhalla to Ari, the MC that's always there at every And I think it also echoes the... This is where the legacy of the Sacramento Monarchs come in is some of the personnel that we do see at Valkyries games come from the Monarchs and their short lived period of success Mhmm. In Sacramento. So we're also honoring that legacy too of women's basketball.
Michelle:Yeah. There's a fair amount of people coming from outside of San Francisco to go to those games. And it's it's great. Even from, where we're at Sacramento and Central Valley. There's a lot of people who make that trip over there who have that investment and that dedication.
Michelle:So, yeah, it's it's a great community.
Filiberto:Yeah. So Ballhalla is also a Sacramento Monarchs too Yeah. In some ways.
Michelle:Absolutely.
Filiberto:So I think people need to appreciate that.
Filiberto:What is it for you, Michelle?
Filiberto:What's it been like for you?
Michelle:I think it's great. And I mean, one of reasons we're touching on this is that we attended game one for the Valkyries against Dallas at, Ballhalla. So... And last year, again, the Valkyries had a... They did host a home game.
Michelle:Unfortunately, it was not at Chase Center at Ballhalla. It was down at SAP Center down in, San Jose. So this was the first time we could experience Ballhalla in a playoff atmosphere. And so...
Filiberto:In the same seats that we used all season too, which is nice because they moved us around in San Jose too, that was a little annoying.
Michelle:So it's just like a whole another level. And I think, you know, I spent ten years in San Jose. My friend... My college friend, Malia...
Michelle:My my friend today, but we met in college, shout out to Malia, introduced me to the Sharks and like really got me in in my twenties. So I was, you know, was a huge San Jose Sharks fan. So I went to a lot of there games. I worked downtown San Jose so I could walk over to this... To the arena.
Michelle:I've been to several playoff games. I was actually gifted some playoff seats that were like right on the glass in the lower bowl.
Filiberto:Oh daaaang
Michelle:like, you know, playoff is just another level. And so what... Like, what I... What reminded me when I go to Valkyries games, every regular season Valkyries game to me is like a Shark's playoff game. Like, that level of intensity, that level of cheering and loudness, and it's the energy.
Michelle:That's like a regular game in in San Francisco.
Filiberto:Like a Wednesday night.
Michelle:And it's like, you know, it's like crowds cheering at the top of their lungs for like the whole forty minutes, but it's pretty consistent. Yeah. And it's different. I've been to Warriors games both, you know, in Oakland and as... At Chase Center.
Michelle:And you know, there's a you know, there's a vibe there. There's a lot of people who are are there just to socialize, aren't really paying attention to the game or, you know, getting their Instagram photos in.
Filiberto:Which is common in most sports venues in The United States.
Michelle:And it's not that that's not happening at Valkyries games, but but
Filiberto:It's it's not like that you shouldn't be doing that. Do your thing. Have a good time. Like, whatever.
Michelle:But this is the first time I see people doing that while also super engaged in the game and the players and, like, what's happening on the courts. So I think it's it's just like a great mixture and blending. But yeah, mean, I think I love...
Michelle:Again, I think Ari, our in arena host is amazing. And is as...
Michelle:You know, she's as important as Violet, the mascot is, as the players are. She's a huge integral part of like that...
Filiberto:She is Ballhalla. Ballhalla.
Michelle:We'll be really clear about that. Absolutely.
Filiberto:She is Ballhalla.
Michelle:And I just love how they've combined a lot of elements that you'll see, you know, other games too. But, you know, between third and fourth quarters, commercial break, they'll do getting hyphy. And she'll she'll do the roll call where she shouts out different areas of Northern California. People kinda cheer. They they lower the lights so people have their phones out.
Michelle:Again, this happens at like other sporting events. But the fact that they're like leaning into the hyphy , which kinda got started or at least was popularized in Oakland, the East Bay, and you know, remembering that part of this organization. And it's just like this really positive vibe. And like, I never have a bad experience when I'm at Ballhalla.
Filiberto:Yeah. Never.
Michelle:I have had bad experiences at SAP Center with the Shark's. I've had bad experiences at Warriors games. But I never have had a bad experience there. I love the hyphy. The...
Michelle:You know, comes from hype. It comes from hyper. And like, you know, we've talked about this before. Like, I'm I'm now... I have like this really strong association between the lavender color that is the Valkyries and joy.
Michelle:Yeah. I'm always happy to be there. I'm always smiling. It's just such a great environment. And I can't think of that many places, you know, sporting, entertainment venues, whatever, where I've really felt that for like a solid three hours.
Filiberto:Well, and I think the thing that makes it... Like, it's the closest thing I remember for me personally is seeing Rage Against the Machine at the LA Coliseum in the early two thousands with like eighty, ninety thousand people. Like, the level of intensity... And that was way more intense than Ballhalla. Like, that's just a different thing, the politics of it.
Filiberto:But Ballhalla isn't just, like, an entertainment, like, venue. It isn't just, an escapism because the players that we love are real. Like, Gabby talks about her mental health, talks about her struggles. Like, we have very queer players, very open players, very black players. Like, our folks are legit, and that's what we get drawn to.
Filiberto:Like, we get drawn to what they're doing and the entertainment of it, but we also get drawn to how real they fucking are and how much they draw us in. So, like, I think the thing that come away from in trying to understand or explain or just kind of reflect on Ballhalla is it is like a it is like a very, like, rhythmic relationship with the players. Like the thing that's so distinctive to me about Ballhalla is the crowd can go from zero to fucking losing their minds because of how attentive everyone is, how focused people are. Right. And it's kind of creepy when it happens sometimes because it suddenly gets really fucking loud to the point where like, sometimes it kinda hurts because it's so goddamn loud.
Filiberto:And it's so loud that Nakase has mentioned this to the press conferences that they have to use hand signals. And then Gabby mentions that because it's so loud, they have to, like, scream at the top of their lungs to talk over Ballhalla and it makes... It just jacks them up and it gets them going.
Michelle:Yeah. That that hyper... That hype.
Filiberto:Right? So how... There's so many different ways that, like, like, we've been shaped by the players and how they respond to Ballhalla, but then also the way that they respond to us. And it's just a a mutual relationship. And it's...
Filiberto:I don't know, man. The connection to the players is strong. Yeah. It's nice.
Michelle:Yeah. Almost like... Because I kind of view, you know, one of my identities, I feel like just kind of family I grew up in, like, my mentality is very, like, working class. And I've... And, you know, I I think a lot of the players because they were overlooked, right, or they're not they're not thought of as superstars or playmakers necessarily, you know, the media and others try to, you know, hype and label other people.
Michelle:They're all kind of like there to like work and work with each other and just like get the job done. And that's kind of like a lot of like the way I approach kind of like my work or like other things I do in my life. So like, I definitely... Like that kind of overlaps for me with them is that like one of my identities is that that working class and just kinda like get shit done. And like I feel that with them too is that they're not...
Michelle:They don't think of themselves as like, you know, a special category or whatnot or that, like, certain things don't apply to them. They work their butts off.
Filiberto:No. They're humble as shit. Yeah. And that... You see that in the defense.
Filiberto:You see that in the commitment and the dedication. And the crowd at a Valkyries game is so, like, intelligent and knowledgeable about basketball that they appreciate it and they respond to it. Like, they... It is incredible to to experience a crowd responding to defense. Yeah.
Filiberto:Defensive plaus.
Michelle:Which is very, like, worker centric. Right? Like, the working class, like, that's just...
Filiberto:Its the grit and the grind.
Michelle:It's not the most... It's not the most glamorous part. Right? The glamorous part is the the three point shot. Right?
Michelle:The half court shot. That's that's what everyone loves. People love the offense, the scoring. But like we talked about in our last episode, like, defense wins games. Right?
Michelle:And people really... And it's... It is a dedication. It is exhausting to play solid hardcore defense for forty minutes.
Filiberto:We appreciate it.
Michelle:This team does that.
Filiberto:And we appreciate it.
Michelle:Most of time.
Filiberto:Yeah. Yeah. And we'll talk about that later. But I think the last thing I'll say is the one thing that you won't notice if you haven't been to Ballhalla, so for all the... For all of you all that listen to this podcast that haven't had a chance to experience it, is there's also like an unanswered points meter that they put up on the big screen.
Michelle:Mhmm.
Filiberto:And I think that also helps the crowd get jacked up. Because once it gets to, like, six or, like, eight, you know they're rolling. I mean, you're seeing it in front of you, but then they're rolling. And then the crowd is really energized, and they're energized by us. And then Yeah.
Filiberto:That's when it gets really nice.
Michelle:Yeah. So if you're just watching on TV, sometimes the commentators or they'll put up a graphic if someone goes on a run, but they usually put that up for the Valkyries. Yeah, so, like, there's times when, like, the crowd... If you're watching on TV, notice the crowd's a little bit louder for a certain bucket, it's because they're going on a run. And sometimes, takes a little bit for the actual TV to
Michelle:To catch up to what's happening.
Filiberto:Yeah. It's it's one of the funnest moments of being part of Ballhalla. Yeah.
Michelle:Alright. So let's, like, touch on the games. Man.
Filiberto:So this is definitely, like, the most epic series of the playoffs thus far. It's like, we can say that. Yeah. Absolutely.
Michelle:I would say it was the most competitive.
Filiberto:Most competitive and possibly just one of those one of those classics. Yeah. They haven't... Classic series.
Michelle:They haven't, like, released their ratings or anything for round one yet as as of the recording of this. But I wouldn't be surprised if, like, numbers for a lot of the series, right, have, like, you know, elevated or grown, over last year's first round numbers.
Filiberto:Yeah. And they have the... There was nobody else playing that night too. So Yeah. Yeah.
Filiberto:We have the entire audience.
Michelle:Yeah. So game one was in San Francisco. This was of the three. And again, these... This series next year, I'm really hoping that the W, like most people, expands to get to five games in the first round.
Michelle:I think it changes a lot of the tone and the strategy and and it'll change some of outcomes, I think. But game one for us in San Francisco, this was the only shellacking. The only, like, really not close game was the Valkyries won 104 to 80.
Filiberto:And there were a lot of lopsided totals throughout the playoffs at that point too. So it was just part of a general trend, it seemed.
Michelle:I think game one for all four series, none of them were close.
Filiberto:Yeah. It was it was pretty...
Michelle:And it's funny because a lot of the in studio, like, the the analyst people were kind of annoyed.
Filiberto:Wasn't a whole lot to talk about.
Michelle:No. And and I'll... What I will say is of these four series that happened, people just didn't even wanna talk about this game with the Valkyries in Dallas. Because most people pick the Valkyries to win this series in in two games.
Filiberto:Yeah.
Michelle:And then so it was gonna be like a court... A lot of people anticipated being the least interesting
Filiberto:Competitive.
Michelle:Of the four series. And then, yeah, after game one that again, it just kinda like that validated what they had been saying. So a lot of people, a lot of podcasts didn't spend much time on game one. Little did they know, little did anyone know that it was gonna be a a really good series the next couple of games. But game one, we were there.
Michelle:It was a Sunday. So very entertaining. If you're a Valkyries fan, it was a great game to be at and watch.
Filiberto:Mhmm. Nice vibes. We hung up with my brother again beforehand. So we're just having a good time all around. Yeah.
Michelle:Yeah. They... And it was probably the the poorest effort from Dallas' offense. Like, they're... The Valkyries didn't feel like they need to really guard Paige too much.
Michelle:So there's a lot of one zero one. She wasn't doing a lot of screens.
Filiberto:I I think the thing that was really weird about this game is they didn't try much on defense because they didn't have to. Yeah. Like, Paige Bueckers was nine for 11. That's great. But the rest of the team was just not there.
Michelle:Yeah. Paige definitely was great. She was very efficient. She had a lot of points, but she was kinda the only one who did... At least offensively.
Filiberto:Nobody else was bringing it. And on on defense, the Valkyries were able to get whatever shot they wanted. They they scored franchise record for points in that game.
Michelle:It Yes.
Filiberto:Was obvious. Yeah. So, you know, by the third quarter, we were up by 30. And so every... Again, the the crowd...
Filiberto:We just went on this whole rant about Ballhalla. The crowd is very engaged, but ended up being kind of a boring game. Ended up feeling kind of like an exhibition game. Yep.
Michelle:So Paige had 21 points. She was nine of 10, super efficient. She was two of two from three. Jessica Shepherd was just kinda surprising. She played twenty four minutes, but she was...
Michelle:She had zero points.
Filiberto:Yeah. Just played herself out of this game. It was very strange to watch.
Michelle:She had three rebounds, three assists, but she also turned the ball over three times. So she had more turnovers than she did points. That's not that's not great.
Filiberto:Yeah. And you have to wonder how much just Dallas, like, fighting hard to get into the postseason and needing to finish their games just really factored into what this game looked like for them.
Michelle:Yeah. And then... And the Valkyries, great... I mean, you saw kinda... Ceci led with points.
Michelle:Ceci's Zandalasini, 22 points. Tiffany Hayes off the bench, amazing. 21 points in nineteen minutes.
Filiberto:Again, everyone was just getting what they wanted. Five... I think five people scored in double digits.
Michelle:Yeah. Yeah. The the plus minus for the Valkyries, everyone's in plus. You had you had Gabby Williams as a plus 27. Like, it's just insane.
Filiberto:It's kind of outlandish.
Michelle:Yeah. So this was kind of like a typical Golden State game, a typical Dallas game as far as both sides on of the ball. A lot of people noted, we played Dallas three times in the regular season, and we won all three of those games. The second quarter is when Dallas just didn't do well.
Michelle:And they did that again in game one. So it was the fourth game against us where they didn't do well in the second. So of this game, game one, Golden State scored 37 points in the second and Dallas had 11. Yep. And that was that was the game.
Filiberto:That was the game.
Filiberto:Alright. So moving on to game two. So game two was just... Okay.
Filiberto:So one... I'm just in general sort of mad at the Valkyries lately. Like, they put my heart rate through so much in game two and game three. I'm a little pissed off at y'all. What the hell?
Filiberto:You gave us a 30 lead and a 20 win, and then this this Yo. Like a nightmare. Arike... If y'all haven't met Arike, I kinda haven't met her that well. Got to know her that game.
Filiberto:Yep. Like, holy shit. Yeah. I did not know the sister that well. I've seen her before in other games.
Filiberto:Remember in the playoffs last year? Like, yeah, she's notable. She... You pay attention to her, but she was on a different level.
Michelle:Yeah. Arike Ogunbowale has played with Dallas, I think most of her career
Filiberto:Her entire career.
Michelle:Of her career.
Filiberto:I think it's entire. Yeah. I'll double check.
Michelle:I remembered her from college, as many of you listening will. They will put this in the show notes. But I can't remember which year of it was for her. But when she was at Notre Dame, they were... Notre Dame was in the NCAA tournament, March Madness.
Michelle:And there were two games where Arike hit last minute three point buzzer beaters to either win the game, send it to overtime, something like that. And so like, I'm I'm very well aware of of how she'd be. And I know a lot of people will say that she, you know, hasn't been as great the last couple of seasons. But she showed up in this game. She scored 45 of Dallas' 108 points.
Michelle:She set a record.
Filiberto:She took over overtime. Like, she beat she beat us. Like, Arike She
Michelle:absolutely beat us.
Filiberto:Beat us.
Michelle:And that's what she could do. And I I will say... I don't know if that many people are talking about this, but I will say toward the end, when it was regular time, Dallas was down by three, they had a couple seconds left. Coming out of time out, I was like, I wonder if the Valkyries will foul.
Filiberto:Mhmm.
Michelle:That way, you don't have to worry about the three. You're up by three, foul, they'll shoot two free throws, you get the ball back. And and, you know, as long as you can inbound it, you can keep it, you win the game. And I know it's... A lot of people don't like it because it's, like, kinda game management y.
Filiberto:but I was like, yeah, she's not gonna do that. Natalie's gonna play it hard. She's gonna trust her defense. Yes.
Michelle:But what I will say is if I... You know, if we had a parallel universe, you do that, you win by one.
Filiberto:It's over.
Michelle:You have... You you sweep. You have a couple days to rest before you face either Las Vegas or the fire... Or not the fire. Sorry, Indiana.
Michelle:But now, you allowed Arike to Arike. She ended up getting a three point shot well guarded by Gabby at... You know, in the corner, three point shot up. Gabby was in her face. It goes in.
Michelle:She ties it to go to overtime. I think this might come back to hunt Natalie because that rest would have been important against Vegas. And so we'll see how that plays out. In her postgame press conference after this game, she said, you know, she was asked, you know, did you consider fouling? And she said, yeah, this point, I just trusted our defense, which I find interesting because also during the post game interviews, Gabby mentioned and Natalie mentioned this game, the Valkyries didn't play their game.
Michelle:They didn't recognize it at all because their offense did great, but their defense didn't, which is like very opposite of how they normally play. So it's interesting to me that like you didn't play great defense in that game, but you trusted your defense to close out the game and not allow the three. So...
Filiberto:You still gotta trust your team even if they're
Michelle:not I playing would've... You
Filiberto:still throw up shots. You still play your defense.
Michelle:I would've failed. Interestingly enough
Filiberto:We now.
Michelle:In game three, she did call the foul. They did foul at the end to try to preserve their lead. So it is interesting. And... But, you know, hindsight is twenty twenty right.
Filiberto:So... There's no way to believe that. It was also like, Arike could have just not made that shot as well. Like, there's so many ways this could have cut.
Michelle:Yeah. But the game was great. I mean, Gabby Williams had her highest. She set a record for herself highest. She had 36 points in thirty seven minutes.
Michelle:She was 12 of 23, five threes. She hit all her free throws, six rebounds, seven assists, three steals. Just a really great game for her. It was just that Dallas was not going away. They fed into their, you know, home energy.
Michelle:And once overtime, you know, we felt like overtime favored us. But in the... Usually what I've seen in the W is in overtime, a certain team does really well and a certain team doesn't. And that's kinda what happens.
Filiberto:It gets pretty lopsided in overtime. Yeah. If... Obviously, the game is close because that's how you got the overtime. But, yeah, we just didn't...
Filiberto:I don't know what happened. I don't know if that last that three just really demoralized the team, but, like, they were just really listless in overtime. Yeah. So that was... That made us nervous for game three, certainly.
Michelle:Yeah. And I mean, we... You know, the the way game two was being called by the refs, we just had a lot of fouls. And we put Dallas in the bonus way too early. And that allowed them to kind of keep it a tight game.
Filiberto:Yeah. And, like, the rotations weren't as clean as they normally are on defense. And... But the other thing too at the end of the game, it was like, okay. Page was nine for 10 in the first game.
Filiberto:That's not gonna happen again, and it didn't. Right. And it's not gonna be for the third game. And Arike, for god's sakes, is not gonna score 42 points again.
Michelle:45.
Filiberto:45 points again. Yeah. Like, that's just not gonna go down. Yeah. So you just kinda, you know, as a fan base, you kinda trust the defense too and that they'll figure it out and come out stronger.
Filiberto:Yeah. Because if we lose because we didn't play good defense, we lose a series because we put... Didn't play good defense. What the hell is that? Yeah.
Filiberto:That would be really disappointing. At least play the best defense you can and lose that way.
Michelle:Yeah. It's your identity.
Filiberto:So game two is just kind of a... They just... They didn't look... They didn't resemble the team that we've seen all season, and that's kind of the conclusion everyone's made thus far.
Michelle:Yeah. Then we go to game three, which was last night. It was Friday. We were thinking of recording this podcast after the game, but we were just, like, so burned out from the back and forth.
Filiberto:You still wanted to. I was like, uh-uh. I'm done. I'm over this. My nervous system is fried.
Filiberto:It's like, fuck this. I think in my... Didn't I say this out loud, but in my head, I was like, well, if they win by 20, we can record tonight. But, like, if it's just... If it's too close, if it goes overtime, uh-uh.
Michelle:Well, I was just thinking, like, the last time you were so, like, amped, like, you couldn't go to sleep. So it's like, hey, let's just record it then. Like, let's capture that energy. But you're like, no.
Filiberto:No. And I I think it was fine to record it, but, like, you know, it's it's a little different now just because that episode, we weren't really reflecting on the year because we knew we're gonna go to the playoffs. And this... We're kinda talking about three games at once and the playoffs and things like that. Like, it's just a different kind of attention too.
Filiberto:You know? And Yeah. Needed... I really did need to watch the press conference again this morning. And, like, I...
Filiberto:It was important to also watch parts of the game because, like, we were so amped up. There's so much shit I missed. Yeah. Like, I couldn't even hear Ryan. I was like, shut the fuck up, Ryan.
Michelle:Were, I think, the last
Filiberto:losing our minds on that.
Michelle:The last three minutes in the fourth quarter, think we're both pacing.
Filiberto:We're more than pacing. I was just, like, power smoking and drinking our wine and stuff because at the, you know, the game was still tied with twenty seconds left or, like, one point. It wasn't even... So it wasn't determinant until, like, thirteen seconds left. So, like, you know, as we're sitting there, it's like the entire...
Filiberto:An entire season of activity of all this expectation, the roster moves is coming down to these last twenty seconds.
Michelle:Yeah. Like, what? Fuck. Yeah. So game three.
Michelle:I just wanna shout out George Lucas.
Filiberto:As everyone did.
Michelle:He was he was on the second row, and people were like, what? So it was kinda cool. And, of course, insert, you know, power of the force jokes or whatever in here. May May the fourth, whatever. And for those of you youngins, he's the creator
Filiberto:To the children's.
Michelle:Director, writer of the original Star Wars.
Filiberto:Which one of your uncles or something may be really into. Yeah.
Michelle:You may have heard
Filiberto:from one of your...
Michelle:When you're watching when you're watching Baby Yoda and Pedro Pascal.
Filiberto:That's not Baby Yoda. Keep telling you.
Michelle:I know. It's baby... In my heart, Baby Yoda.
Filiberto:Fair enough.
Michelle:But when you're watching that, it all started with George Lucas.
Filiberto:Yeah. Way back in the seventies, y'all. In the seventies. The kids don't know the seventies.
Michelle:California. California too. He's... Oh, he's from Modesto.
Filiberto:Yeah. He has his... And he has a shop in Marin. So I think proximity was there. Yeah.
Filiberto:And that's definitely one of the things that was more notable the second time I watched it because his giant coif of gorgeous white hair.
Michelle:I was like He's had that forever.
Filiberto:I just... I couldn't see it originally, but then watching it again, I'm like, wow. There it is. Just a beam of light just focusing my attention.
Filiberto:Yes. It was it was really nice.
Michelle:Yeah. Game three, again, you know, we're kind of expecting there are, you know, Valkyries at home. Let's get this.
Michelle:But Dallas definitely brought it. They played like it was an elimination game. Yeah. They really wanted it. They stayed with Valkyries.
Michelle:They... Again, they had a lead. They went on 20 nothing run. We were down by 16 at some point in the third, but then the Valkyries went on their own run.
Filiberto:About halfway through the third, we were down by 16.
Michelle:Went on a run between the third and the fourth, made a game in
Filiberto:the at the third and then pushed in the fourth. I mean, Breanna... It... Rewatching it too, like, it all starts with Veronica Burton. Yeah.
Filiberto:She starts with a three, a steal, and then Gabby makes the three, and then it just... Things start happening really quickly, really nicely.
Michelle:And Jessica Shepherd had probably her best game of the series. She finally showed up and was able to score some buckets. I I think we both appreciated that Veronica is finally their... The refs were finally calling fouls on her. She drives to the bucket so much.
Michelle:She gets so much contact in every game, even back to the regular season. But finally, they were calling when she was getting fouls. So she got a fair amount of free throws, which was nice to see.
Filiberto:Yeah. And and it's... Like, it's something we've been observing in the other games that the officiating around Veronica both in the way that she defends and the way she drives the basket is just really off. Like, just something's really off about it. So I think this is one of the first games we've seen lately, at least in these playoffs where it seemed like she was...
Filiberto:Things were called fairly around her activity.
Michelle:Right.
Filiberto:And it was a very different Veronica Burton. Not that she's not great before, but, like, when you actually allow herself to play the game that she wants, like, her energy drove the team. Like, her passion, her desire, her just force of will is what drove that team.
Michelle:Yeah. Gabby admitted in her postgame interview that was on TV that she had a bad game. She sat a lot in the second and the third.
Filiberto:The box score definitely admits that too. Yeah. In the first half, she was really, really off.
Michelle:Yeah. So she sat for a fair amount. I think Kaila Charles got a fair amount of her minutes.
Filiberto:And Thortons. She got a lot of Thortons minutes.
Michelle:And... But then, you know, get your rest, sit on the bench, and let's put you in in the fourth. And she took over. I think I think 17 of her 19 points came Absolutely. In the second half.
Filiberto:She started off with making two threes or three threes. Mhmm. For herself. And I think that was a... Just a beautiful moment where the team...
Filiberto:Like, Veronica huddles the team together and they just take a breath together.
Michelle:Yeah. They took like a grounding in kind of
Filiberto:Right in the middle of the course.
Michelle:Mindfulness, breath in, breath out. Yeah. And it it seemed to help.
Filiberto:Yeah. And it's something that, you know, my only athletic background really is doing CrossFit. And it's something that we talk about a lot when we're in the middle of a WOD or a hard workout is the only thing you really have to focus on to controlling your heart rate. Yeah. And that starts with your breathing and being intentional about that.
Filiberto:Yeah. So there's lot of mindfulness there too. Was just nice to see.
Michelle:Yeah. And I think Tiffany Hayes again, she... Like, each game of the series, she brought a lot of energy. She kinda helped turn the tide with her minutes. Veronica had a great game.
Michelle:I think one thing I noticed for Dallas, I know Paige gets a lot of attention as she will, you know, being white for a lot of people and also coming from UConn. But, you know, she's in her second year. She's got a lot of a lot of growth and and it looks like, you know, she's into that. Her off season, she spends a lot of time on her craft and gaining some muscle because that is a steep jump. It's a steep jump from college to the W.
Michelle:But what I noticed in the the series was Alysha Clark, one of the veterans, she... When she came in the game, she changed the momentum for Dallas, and she was a huge force. And I believe they would not have won game two without her. I don't think it would have been as close game three without her. No.
Michelle:So kudos to like her presence, her playmaking, and just like her her veteran, you know, ability to like, hey, this is playoffs. Like, this is what we need to do. And I don't think she she will get... Or I've seen her get credit for that.
Filiberto:Yeah. And it's really weird to watch too, not that we watch every Dallas game, but Dallas tends to do better when Page Bueckers isn't the top of the tab stat sheet. Yeah. Like, Arike... When you're looking at the box line, Arike's activity is what determines whether they win or not, and it certainly was true in this series.
Filiberto:So Yeah. Again, the disproportionate amount of attention on a white woman when a black woman's doing most of the work and really carrying the team and carrying the offense.
Michelle:Yeah. Or even, like, during the regular season, I would argue that Jessica Shephard carried a lot of that load, not Paige.
Filiberto:At different points. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Because Enrique isn't always as consistent as you'd want either.
Michelle:I mean, like you said, we were we were down 16, but by six twenty in the fourth, we were tied. And it was just Yeah.
Filiberto:It was like, oh, shit. Oh, man. This is gonna be rough.
Michelle:Yeah. And then it's best that I listen. How did... Why did that stand out for you? Oh, yeah.
Michelle:That's a quote. Someone said that.
Filiberto:Nakase mentioned that in the pregame press conference. So when they were... When she was reflecting over what happened in game two in preparation for game three, she was like, look, I don't think I coach them very well. So she took a lot of responsibility. But I...
Filiberto:When she was describing, like, what she did, she was like, I just... I know that I need to just listen. I need to listen, take in information, take in feedback, and then kind of go from there. Yeah. So, again, for the kids watching at home and all of us, like, there's a couple...
Filiberto:Like, I think what makes the Valkyries also compelling and watching it, especially because we've been watching it so closely with Susan Tickets, all these different things, is the role of, like, emotional intelligence in all of this. Like, when Nakase talks about her relationship with these players and her relationship to the other coaches and the way the coaches and players relate to her, like, there's a lot of really commitment to one another. Nakase has also talked about having really deep, difficult conversations with people and that... Like, if you're coaching a team and your athlete is having a hard time, you can either push them to move more physically or you can reach them emotionally and try to understand what's holding them back. If you're an old school asshole coach, you're gonna push them physically and break them down and hurt them and do some fucked up shit.
Filiberto:If you're Natalie Nakase, 2025 coach of the year, you're paying attention to their emotional experience and how that's driving their behavior on the court. And that's what we're getting hints of throughout these different press conferences and things.
Michelle:Well, I think it's it's definitely a different approach than some other coaches that are in the playoffs or were in the playoffs. A lot of people notice a game with another coach who was just yelling at her players and her players kinda got a little exasperated.
Filiberto:It didn't look good.
Michelle:Yeah. And so, again, there's more to the story than that, what's happening in locker room and stuff like that. But seeing that on the sideline in elimination game just, you know, it's not the greatest vibe. So it's it's it's great to see Natalie have, like you said, that emotional intelligence to, like, actually sit there and ask your players, like, what do you need from me? Like, how can I help you?
Filiberto:In this game for you. And I think that speaks to when they talk about trust. That's how it starts. They can't they can't trust one another if they can't trust the coach to guide them and Yeah. Give them support and set them up for success.
Michelle:Yeah. And, again, I think that's why, you know, the Valkyries are having success with some of these players who weren't necessarily drafted high. Just wanna shout out Kaila Charles. She contributed 10 points, a lot of rebounds. And I think without those 10 points, I think the Valkyries lose that game.
Filiberto:Yeah. And Gabby said that in the post game interview. She said she does things that let us breathe.
Michelle:Yeah. I mean, that's...
Filiberto:Motherfucker's a poet.
Michelle:That's just... That's a great compliment.
Filiberto:That's beautiful.
Michelle:Yeah. Yeah. There's there's a a lot of kind of... If you watch... Like, this is why I love watching the pregame postgame press conferences because, like, stuff starts kinda sliding out.
Michelle:Like, you notice something in in Gabby's postgame press conference after game three.
Filiberto:Yeah. I think us being former journalist, a lot of the good information's in the margins. And the margins here are the press conferences and the interviews and things. But the thing that was really compelling to me about the postgame press conference, there's a lot of things about Gabby that are compelling about what she said. But one of the things that she said about why she loves Ballhalla and why she loves the Valkyries is it's the first time where she feels that she...
Filiberto:It can be... What did she say? Oh, she wanted to be somewhere where people believe in her. This is the first time she's felt that.
Michelle:Like, besides the French national team.
Filiberto:Yeah. Besides... She specifically said the French and her Turkish team too. She'd actually named her team too. Yeah.
Filiberto:So she said in the W, she just hasn't been accepted. At least the teams that have, you know, acquired her skills. So I think it was just a really cool thing because that came out of a conversation.
Filiberto:There's been a sort of line of conversation around the fact that Gabby only made one three in college and she played all four years at UConn. She was an active...
Filiberto:She started her fourth year . So the it wasn't like she was a bench burner. And then she looked... Tiffany looked over at her and she was like, what? And then Gabby was like, I never was allowed to shoot a three. And then that's when she talked about her experience not feeling...
Filiberto:Not feeling... I'm kind of, you know, sort of interpreting here, but not feeling seen and heard in these other situations. Yeah. So, again, this is part of the reason why people are so attached to this team. It's not like we knew that ahead of time, but we can feel it.
Michelle:Right.
Filiberto:We can feel like how committed these folks are to what's happening both to each other and to us and what's happening on the court. When Gabby is up there and says, "this is for the gays", she's not just like, it's not just like a... I'm just being positive. It's a political statement and it's an it's an indictment and a condemnation on something that's wrong. So I think that's I think that's a beautiful part of just the expression and the experience overall and, you know, the tenderness that Gabby displays in being honest about what she's experienced too.
Michelle:Yeah. No. We we got a a good feel for maybe, you know, some of the reasons she was looking in free agency to leave Seattle. They were having... You know, they're gonna have a coach change and so
Filiberto:like happening over there.
Michelle:So and it was a it was a wild free agency this this past off season, especially with the new collective bargaining agreement for the players union. But, yeah, I'm I'm just really glad that she saw in the Valkyries what fans have seen
Filiberto:What they were building
Michelle:And took that, you know, leap of faith.
Filiberto:Oh, so it also speaks to the ways in which... It's not just... It speaks to her choosing the Valkyries among the other teams that wanted her too. Like, she clearly didn't see that. The other big rumored team is Minnesota.
Filiberto:Minnesota wanted her. We don't... I can't verify that. I'm not that close. And I can't remember the third team that mentioned that they wanted her, but she made a choice.
Filiberto:She made a very explicit choice Yeah. For a lot of different reasons. She seems like a very intentional person, and, clearly, she made the right choice because holy shit. Like, her and the Valkyries, Valkyries and her, Ballhalla is her, her and Ballhalla. Like, it's all really working out really well.
Michelle:So I think at this point, let's let's look forward. I mean, we're recording this Saturday morning and round two of the playoffs, the semifinals.
Filiberto:The semifinals.
Michelle:Begin tomorrow.
Filiberto:Oh my god.
Michelle:So we will be at Chase Center at Ballhalla tomorrow afternoon.
Filiberto:We'll be driving down to San Francisco enjoying the traffic on the bridge.
Michelle:It'll be great on the Bay Bridge.
Michelle:What are things you're looking for to watch in this series? What, you know, what do the Valkyries need to do against an amazing and Tested. Current championship
Filiberto:Yeah. Defending champions.
Michelle:Defending championship team in Las Vegas Aces.
Filiberto:Was it three of the last four championships they won? Or... Yeah.
Filiberto:I think, obviously, we haven't beat them this year.
Michelle:This year.
Filiberto:We beat them once last year.
Michelle:Was it shellac?
Filiberto:It was ridiculous. We were there. I'm pretty sure I double checked it. It was, like, early June. Yeah.
Filiberto:But, you know, so, like, the immediate response from a lot of people has been just kind of feel a little despair because it's like, holy shit. How can we beat the aces? And it's like, on... This thing that's really beautiful about the league is on any given day, any team can beat any team. And that's still true in the playoffs too.
Filiberto:So let's just not... Let's not fall into any despair quite yet. I think, like, a couple of keys that make sense to me that we have to be attentive to and, you know, I sort of, invite people to pay attention and let us know what you think. But the one thing that is really hurting Vegas right now is their depth. They have almost no depth.
Filiberto:Talbot's out.
Michelle:So Talbot might... They're they're hoping Talbot can play.
Filiberto:Oh, she might be back.
Michelle:She would... Yes. She was injured in that game three or... She wasn't injured in the game, but she did not play game three due to a foot injury. She's wearing a boot.
Michelle:They think she... At least that's the narrative they're trying to put out there. But they're... They think she might be able to play in this next series. But the the big the big issue for Vegas is that NaLyssa Smith injured herself in the regular season and is out the season.
Michelle:And and she's a starter. She's one of your bigs with A'ja, does a lot of rebounding, but she was super efficient with scoring and she scored a lot. She was good for double digits in most games. So it's... So the people that Vegas has to platoon basically to take Smith's minutes, They, you know, they can do...
Michelle:They can hold the line on defense, but they're not initially known for scoring. No. Maybe that changes. Maybe they have a great game, but... So you have to replace those points somehow.
Michelle:So that's when you're asking, especially when Talbot was out in their game three against Indiana, you're asking your big three to play forty minutes.
Filiberto:Yeah. And that's not gonna work in a longer series.
Michelle:Exactly.
Filiberto:Not having Talbot around pushes Jewel Lloyd up to be a starter, which reduces your events to Cheyenne Parker-Tyus, and Yamamoto who isn't
Michelle:Yeah.
Filiberto:Who shouldn't be playing that many minutes.
Michelle:Yamamoto's kind of a rookie.
Filiberto:Yeah. She's great, but it's Yeah. Not... She's not the level you need. So this allows...
Filiberto:This will allow the Valkyries on defense to disproportionately focus on the big three and create, like, a nice scheme and opportunity there. Right? I think the other big thing that we saw that's really important is you have to attack the basket not just because it's good for your offense, but because it puts the defense on their heels. And the only way you're gonna beat A'ja Wilson is getting her off the court. And the only way you're gonna do that is attacking the basket and getting her to foul.
Michelle:And that was what was dangerous for Vegas in their game three against Indiana was A'ja was in foul trouble. She had four fouls. Yeah. And for some reason, Indiana...
Filiberto:They just didn't exploit that.
Michelle:Didn't exploit that. And so she did have to sit for a bit. But, yeah, I I would have gone after her and got her to get five or got her to foul out. But... So, yeah, that's something that the Valkyries need to...
Michelle:And they need to, you know, look to exploit. But Natalie Nakase was an assistant coach for Becky Hammon. You know, so she knows those those players really well. she. Kiah Stokes won a championship one, two, three I
Filiberto:think two at least.
Michelle:Vegas. Yeah. So she knows them really well. I think Tif Hayes played a season for them.
Filiberto:Yeah. She came out of retirement and played for them, remember?
Michelle:Yeah. And then stayed out of retirement for us. So I think like this is a this is a series where these two teams know each other better than like some of the other series.
Filiberto:We know the You can know them Yeah. Basically at this point
Michelle:Yeah. What I will say is like I do... No offense to Atlanta or New York,
Michelle:but I do feel like this is the championship series. Yeah.
Michelle:Like, whoever wins this series, I do believe is gonna
Filiberto:favorite to win everything. Yes. Absolutely.
Michelle:And so that's one thing like...
Filiberto:Well, whoever wins this series too is also home court in the finals. Yes.
Michelle:Yeah. Because Liberty's an eight seed, playing Atlanta a four seed.
Filiberto:Yeah. And Yeah. We're we're two now and Vegas is three. Three. Yeah.
Michelle:I think... Yeah. I think also... And not that, you know, especially the Valkyries, but usually any team, any coaches can be like, we're just focused on the next game. We're not looking past anything.
Michelle:But that's one thing I... You know, if I was Natalie or the assistant coaches, that's one thing I would tell the players like, look, like
Filiberto:This is it.
Michelle:If we make this... If we make it past Vegas, we can win.
Filiberto:This is the prize fight.
Michelle:Win it all. So like, you all can do this. You're very capable of doing this. Like, let's get it done. You have home court advantage.
Michelle:So I think, like, that narrative could be really helpful. So players, like, help believe in themselves and and get them get them going, get them hyphy.
Filiberto:Absolutely. Yeah. But... Yeah. And just going back to the basket thing, I think in game two, you saw Natalie have rotations that were more, like, slashers, runners to the basket rotations with some rebounders.
Filiberto:So I think you might see more of those lineups late. And we're definitely gonna see a lot more of Amihere because we're gonna see... We're gonna need a lot of fouls to deal with A'ja Wilson. Yeah. And I, you know, I think also we're gonna see them on defense trying to front A'ja Wilson and support in the back with some help defense, possibly.
Filiberto:Yeah. I think it's gonna happen. Yeah. That's the only that's the only way we win. Yeah.
Filiberto:And we slow down either Chelsea Gray or Jackie Young. And for God's sakes, we... You have to have a plan for fourth quarter fourth quarter Chelsea Gray. You have to have a plan because, man, she goes off. Yeah.
Filiberto:She can do that. And if you don't have a plan for that, she's gonna beat you, like, straight up. Yeah. That's kinda what happened to the end of the Indiana too. Yeah.
Michelle:And I do wanna... This kinda helps us transition into like our next section. We just wanna kinda touch on the other other three series that were played in the first round. But just wanna... You know, before the series starts tomorrow where I will become a hater of A'ja Wilson, and Chelsea, Jackie, and all of Las Vegas, I do wanna shout them out.
Michelle:Thank you for vanquishing the Indiana Fever and their fan base.
Michelle:Yeah. We don't do need them anymore.
Michelle:That was a tough series. It'll be interesting because like, you know, A'ja's like the first person to admit that like she kind of feeds off of petty. Like she can be a petty person.
Filiberto:They got petty.
Michelle:So like, yeah, that series got a little heated, especially when they were in Indiana. And I think that helped drive A'ja, especially in game three
Filiberto:Oh, yeah.
Michelle:When they were back at home. So it'll be interesting to see what happens with A'ja when, you know, she's playing in Ballhalla and it's it's an adversarial fan base, but not like that.
Filiberto:We're... It's a really respectful fan base,
Michelle:y'all. Exactly.
Filiberto:We we... You know, it's again an intelligent crowd that knows the game, very respectful, but it's gonna be hostile.
Michelle:Like, we will boo you.
Filiberto:We will boo hard.
Michelle:We will not be racist towards you, hopefully.
Filiberto:Hopefully. Respectfully. I don't think so.
Michelle:So it's gonna be it's gonna be a different, you know...
Filiberto:Different Ballhalla.
Michelle:Visitor court for them. Yeah. So let me just see like how she's able to kinda hype herself up without that raging racism and misogyny that she faced in the prior rounds with that opponent. But just thank you Vegas for making it a better playoffs for the rest of us moving forward. I think the New York Liberty versus Minnesota, I think...
Michelle:I I feel for Minnesota because...
Filiberto:That was a big ol shit show.
Michelle:They had rookie of year, the coach of the year. Yeah. But something that was always lingering was, hey, we're always best record. We're always first seed on paper going to the playoffs, but something happens and that manifests itself again this time.
Filiberto:And Well, it was the historical record and then the record at the end of the season, they were just shitting it. It was bad.
Michelle:They lost, like, four of six or something.
Filiberto:Olivia Miles was starting to break down. And I think you have to keep in mind, it's it's easy to trash on people, whatever. But, you know, compassionately for Olivia, like, she's been playing for a year. Like, she did not have a break basically from college into the pros. So, you know, let's keep in mind that she's had a very long season, and the people haven't been talking about it as much when we analyze what happened.
Filiberto:But Yeah. That has to be a factor. Yeah. And her calves breaking down, that's that's you're you're tired, you're done.
Michelle:Yeah.
Filiberto:Like, your body just can't give it anymore.
Michelle:When again, it's... It is a huge step up from college to the pros and a lot of rookies got that rude awakening.
Filiberto:Well, and regular season in the playoffs. Yeah. Absolutely. What we saw was as the intensity of the end of the season was picking up towards the playoffs intensity, Minnesota was breaking down. And they got destroyed by New York, and it was just really gut punching to watch.
Michelle:And let's be real, New York probably deserved a higher seed. But But
Filiberto:but they didn't earn it
Michelle:the games, you know, between one and and the eight seed in the playoffs this year, they were separated by six, seven games. It was very tight for the for the top eight. That doesn't usually happen. So it was very tight and a huge drop off to
Filiberto:From eight to nine
Michelle:was number nine.
Filiberto:It was ridiculous.
Michelle:So they could have easily been a five, six, seven seed. That was just, you know...
Filiberto:And they were for a lot of the season. They were top four, so it was like it wasn't there before.
Michelle:Yeah. They could have had it, but it actually worked out better for them because they ended up with a Minnesota team that just didn't have it.
Filiberto:They match up really well with Minnesota too. Yeah. We've had a lot of success against them... Success against them during the year. But Yeah.
Filiberto:They... They're a really good matchup for Minnesota and we saw that.
Michelle:Yeah. So New York will be playing... In the second round, they will be playing Atlanta. So the Atlanta Washington series, that was just a great series to watch. Like, the Atlanta, their top three, they added Angel Reese.
Michelle:Just a great
Filiberto:They're stacked.
Michelle:Great team.
Filiberto:They're just so stacked.
Michelle:Great coach. Yeah. Good.
Filiberto:A lot of good things are happening for them.
Michelle:Yeah. Love the fan base when they're at home. Washington is kind of an up and coming team, another great coach. Lots of younger players. They had a great season, exceeded expectations, but still young.
Michelle:And the potential is amazing for them. Super excited. I love watching Lauren Betts. I love watching Sonia and Kiki.
Filiberto:We love Cotie.
Michelle:And... Yeah. Cotie, McMahon. So...
Filiberto:And Citron. Yeah.
Michelle:Just... Those are great team. Can't wait to watch them next season.
Filiberto:Very entertaining.
Michelle:Surprised Atlanta kinda overwhelmed them and was able to win that series.
Filiberto:And I think for Washington, what's gonna be really important for them in the offseason is great. Your strategy was collect as much first round picks as you can. They have, like, six, like, rookies on their roster this year.
Michelle:Yeah.
Filiberto:It's great. Offseason, work on skills, work on teamwork, whatever, but you can't just, like, hoard draft picks and draft players. Like, you gotta make a move. You gotta make a move for a big gun, established player that can help just guide the team. Shakira Austin obviously played a significant role for Atlanta
Michelle:She's amazing.
Filiberto:Being that veteran. But also Bonners already... We're getting reports that she's playing an important role just guiding that team and, making them go. So you do need some veterans just to help Yeah. Just offer that guidance.
Filiberto:You can't depend on the head coach to do all that. It needs to be from the players, from the team, holding themselves accountable. And that's that's what we learned watching the Valkyries and what just we learned watching being in sports.
Michelle:Well, I think that goes back... Thank you for bringing up Bonner because that goes back to what was saying about Alysha Clark's role for Dallas. Like, having that veteran that comes in, has been here before, was able to kinda like level them out, you know, get them going. I think Ballhalla did that like... Was it game two?
Michelle:She came in in the third and just like settled shit down. She scored. Like that game was getting away from Atlanta and she was able to just come in and be that presence, that veteran presence that they needed. They they ended up winning the game. And I remember when, like, Bonner announced she was gonna retire and also, like
Filiberto:Gonna ring chase.
Michelle:Move. And I was kinda like, okay, who's gonna take her? Atlanta. Okay. Great.
Michelle:But I think that was great.
Filiberto:It's a bold move. It's a good move.
Michelle:Yeah. Good for good for Bonner. And I can't wait to see... Finally, Angel Reese gets past the first round. Can't wait to see kind of what that series against New York's gonna gonna be like, but it'll be really exciting.
Filiberto:Well, hilariously, Alyssa Thomas continues to haunt us because she's now on the sidelines watching Bonner.
Michelle:I know.
Filiberto:So that's cute. That's cute.
Michelle:Being a great supportive partner.
Filiberto:So I think, you know, for us from the beginning of the season, we've been real big fans of Atlanta. They're one of those teams that on any given day, they can beat anybody by a lot. Yeah. They're just so good top to bottom. They have so much depth.
Filiberto:They just don't always put it together in a coherent way. So you kind of feel for them. But I think they have a strong opportunity to beat the Liberty here. Yeah. They may not.
Filiberto:They... You know, Liberty's, you know, veteran acumen might get them. But if this series goes to five, Atlanta's athleticism and depth is gonna be the deciding factor.
Michelle:Yeah. And I mean, New York's got plenty of talent, but let's be real. Like, this season, they got in the playoffs because of Breanna Stewart. Yeah. Not because of their coach.
Michelle:Mm-mm. Because of Breanna Stewart and some other Sabrina struggled for the first, I would say, three quarters of the season.
Filiberto:Yeah. She wasn't looking like herself.
Michelle:She had a great series against Minnesota.
Filiberto:She stepped up.
Michelle:Jonquel Jones is always just amazing. But, you know, sometimes just she's getting double teamed or just isn't as consistent. But... Yeah. So if if Atlanta can find a way to kind of, you know, mitigate a lot of Breanna Stewart, like, the Liberties are...
Michelle:They're very vulnerable to being swept, I think, in the series.
Filiberto:I think so.
Michelle:Because Breanna Stewart can't play forty minutes every night. That... I...
Filiberto:It was shocking looking at the box score how many minutes they were playing her. Yeah. You just... You can't expect her
Michelle:Yeah.
Filiberto:To do that every night. Yeah. And, you know, it was a sweep. So, yeah, fine. Play her forty minutes, but Jesus Christ.
Filiberto:You can't have that be a strategy for a five game... Potential five game series. Yeah. And if you do, there's no way she can keep up in a seven game series against us or at... Or Vegas.
Filiberto:Yeah. Like, that's that's not gonna work.
Michelle:Yeah. And just one more thing to touch on. You noticed this. I think this is, like, really powerful and a great observation. You just touched on it with a little bit with Olivia Miles, but, like, talk a little about rookies and how long they've been playing.
Filiberto:So I think if we think about the calendar and when... When does the college season start?
Michelle:November.
Filiberto:Yeah. We're talking about November and then preparing for that and then doing your studies and all of that. So they've been... Like, her, Olivia Miles, Lauren Betts, all those Washington players, they've been going nonstop since probably October.
Michelle:Well, who went far. Right? Those who went far. NCAA tournament, UCLA won it all. So half half of the rookies for Washington are tired.
Filiberto:Like, Lauren Betts literally had a two week break, which was occupied by, like, being on television and enjoying the fact that they were national champions. And then suddenly, she's banging and, like, playing in the W
Michelle:the draft.
Filiberto:Going to the draft.
Filiberto:I mean, the draft was, like,
Filiberto:how many days after the national championship?
Filiberto:How long was it? Was it like a week?
Michelle:Not that... Yeah. Not that long. Yeah. Less than two weeks, absolutely.
Michelle:And so not only people who made it to the March Madness, but those like TCU made it far. Yeah. And then you had UCLA.
Filiberto:Obviously, they made it far.
Michelle:Made it far and even like some of your UConn players. So it's like, no, this is... They've been playing for a while. And even with the FIBA break, like, Olivia Miles, like, I think she kinda went to a beach somewhere and had some time off.
Filiberto:You can't heal from all the aches and pains of a full season and the collegiate season.
Michelle:Right.
Filiberto:And I think, you know, the big... The biggest difference that the players talk about in terms of the collegiate and the pro game too is just the physicality and the speed of it. So by this point, Olivia Miles is gonna be hurting all over the place without even knowing why. So, yeah, she's not gonna be at her best. Yeah.
Filiberto:And that's, I think, exciting for them, again, to have a full offseason, not only to, like, learn their craft a little better, but have some actual recovery.
Michelle:Yeah.
Filiberto:Like, I'm looking forward to Lauren Betts having a summer of, like, working on her inside moves or, like, whatever the fuck she wants. I don't know. Yeah. And just being able to recover and heal her body and do some maintenance work too.
Michelle:Yeah. That'd be great. Yeah.