An Everything Shower is a shower where you pull out all the stops to pamper yourself from head to toe. And an Everything Shower isn't complete without Osea's new Andaria Algae Body Wash. Osea will turn your shower routine into a tropical paradise with its iconic, all-natural, and uplifting citrusy scent. Andaria Algae Body Wash infuses your shower with the healing power of the sea.
formulated with nourishing nutrient-rich and Darya seaweed, glycerin and an oil blend. It's pH balanced hydrating formula doesn't strip skin,
leaving it feeling soft and renewed. Osea has been a major upgrade to my everything shower, from its gel-like texture to its luxuriously rich lather. And of course, its super fresh scent. The Andaria Algae Body Wash has totally upped my skincare game. Its natural, plant-based ingredients creates a gentler cleansing experience than traditional body washes. It's the same...
iconic and uplifting citrusy scent as the best-selling Undaria Algae Body Oil with uplifting notes of grapefruit, lime, and cypress blended with sweet notes of mango mandarin. If you want to experience the scent of summer all year around, you'll want to make it a staple in your everything shower too. With Osea, you never have to choose between your values and your best skin.
Their skincare is clean, vegan, cruelty-free, and climate-neutral certified. Osea is mother-daughter and women-founded and has been making clean, clinically tested, seaweed-infused skincare for over 28 years.
Upgrade your shower with clean vegan face and body care from Osea. Get 10% off your first order site-wide with code Queens at OseaMalibu.com. You'll get free samples with every order and free shipping on orders over $60. Head to OseaMalibu.com and use code Queens for 10% off.
For
$45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three-month plan only. Taxes and fees extra. Speeds lower above 40 gigabytes. See details. I think that they have the Lion King moment. Remember who you are. This is Queens of the Court.
Welcome to Queens of the Court, an Odyssey original podcast produced in partnership with the WNBA. I'm Jordan Robinson, and this week, I don't know if court is in session. I don't know. Maybe we're in recess. I'll just do a gavel drop for my girl Cheryl. She's out today.
But we have the one, the only ESPN basketball analyst, Monica McNett, in the court with us. Monica, thank you for doing this. You know, Jordan, when you messaged me, I was like, oh, bet. Absolutely. I have totally, and I told Swoops this when I saw her delivery game on Friday, I have totally enjoyed the pod this year. I think you and Cheryl do a great job of covering the league. Honestly, obviously you were a hooper, but I think
you all's rapport, because like, I don't know about you, but the first time Spooks and Spoon and like these legends were calling my name, I was like, huh, me? Like, you talking to me? Right? But the rapport seems so genuine. It's a great listen. It's fun. It's honest. We need more from our legends that are willing to talk honestly and candidly about the game.
Well, thank you so much. You can't start off with making me cry. We got to get through a whole episode. That is so nice. Every time Cheryl texts me, I pinch myself because I'm like, how the heck is Cheryl Swoops texting my phone right now? Every single time. Speaking of, she was texting me during that New York and Washington Mystics game because I don't want to waste any time. We are recording this.
at 8 p.m. Pacific after both of these elimination playoff games. And the second round is set. Las Vegas defeated Chicago. They went 2-0. New York defeated Washington. Dallas defeated Atlanta. All sweeps, but this New York game,
Washington game I think I grew like 30 gray hairs me and you were texting back and forth what's kind of your gut reaction with the final score going into overtime New York winning 90 to 85 gut reaction what is it
I still wasn't sure what was going to happen. I know on the call that Rebecca pointed out she felt like the momentum was in New York's hands. And maybe in Barclays it felt like that. But watching from this epic suite here in Minnesota, I don't know how I got upgraded to this Prince performance suite. But anyway...
Watching from this suite, I didn't feel like anybody had an advantage in terms of momentum. I thought Natasha Clout was locked in on a level that we have not seen from her before. And that was bearing tremendous fruit for the Mystics. I also thought that the...
Liberty did not have the continuity that allowed them to be as dominant as they were during the course of the season. Yes. So it was still very much a toss up for me going into overtime. I will say, though, as someone who has covered John Cole Jones from her high school days at Riverdale Baptist, Clemson to GW and all the way through the league, I was thrilled for her to knock down those free throws, considering some of the yips that have plagued her in postseason's past.
Yes. Oh my gosh. Well, that's spot on. Let's talk about Natasha Cloud because career high night, 33 points. I was nervous for my girl Tash. She was talking some mess. She was saying that she was going to lock Sabrina for 40 minutes.
And she only had Tosh only had four points in game one, but she came out and not only on the offensive end, not only having one of the best nights, you know, knocking down shots, being aggressive, driving, but she took it personally. She took the defensive challenge personally. And I feel like the rest of the mystics kind of rose up.
to the energy that she brought on the defensive end. And there were some spurts there, especially that third quarter where we were talking. The Mystics defense was the reason why New York was missing so many shots, not getting good looks. And I just have to give her her flowers because she balled out.
She absolutely balled out. And it's funny because around the Ram, around the W world, whatever you want to say, everybody saw the tweet from Kareem Copeland. Shout out to my boy, Mrs. Beat, reporter for The Washington Post. Right. And I remember thinking that like Tasha is not one who doesn't who gives you empty words.
And so I was texting Ari Ivory, who we all love, big supporter, cover of the W cover of her. Is that a word? But anyway, and I said to Ari, I actually said to our crew last night on our Twitter space, Lowe, Dreyer, Mark Schindler, Ari Ivory, myself, there's a world in which Toss does completely back up what she says and it still doesn't pan out for them.
which is kind of what we saw tonight. But you look at 11 points for Sabrina, I think she was like four of 11 from the field or something. Like she did exactly what she was supposed to do, but this is partly why it is such a team game. I will say this though. And I think folks that listen to you guys, this podcast are familiar with the W so they know.
There was nothing malicious about nothing malicious or nasty about what I said. Right. Not it was just spicy. Like she's a competitor. You saw her not only hug Sabrina postgame, but had quite a few Liberty player players with a deep embrace. She is well respected, well liked a bundle of joy, a great hooper, a terrific defender. And this is just the competitiveness that both teams would sign up to endure and play with in any type of series. So I thought it was a great series.
I kind of thought it was going to go three at some points and then like it pans out the way it pans out. But I know.
Ugh, what a series. What a game. What a game. And yeah, to your point, Alexa Philippou, she tweeted in the post-game interview that Natasha Cloud said that this was... She respects Sabrina. That this was... She talks shit, but she wanted to defend her for 40 minutes and iron sharpens iron. So it was nothing but respect for that matchup. But
Tasha Cloud came out on top, but it was heartbreaking for the Mystics. Did EDD look like EDD? I was waiting for the Elena Deledon two-time MVP to kind of show up and turn up. And I think it was very obvious that that was not going to happen this game. So that, I think there's a lot to unpack there, Jordan, because I don't know if...
we've gotten championship EDD since championship EDD. Yeah, that's a great point. Maybe I just miss her. I just miss her. Yeah, like she had flashes, like her first game back when she came back from the injury later in the season, like earlier in the season prior to the injury, she's had flashes. But I think what people have to keep in mind when you talk about Elena Deledon, her game was never predicated on athleticism and speed, right? It was flow. It was flow. And so I think
navigating the foot, the back. I think she's a little bit more reticent in terms of contact, but we also could attribute that to age. She's a true veteran in the league. There are a few times she comes off the...
She's coming off a cut from the high post. I guess you want to if you want to call it a banana cut a split, whatever she's coming down. And I actually thought if that ball goes because her back is to the basket and if that ball goes to her right hand quickly, she's got a chance to spin off and her defenders on her hip. But instead, she would catch and kind of take that step. And then she's into this, like maybe back you down from the mid post from that short corner area. Right. And they get into her move.
Once upon a time, she's moving on that cut, right? And she's looking for that contact. So I think you watch her and there are just these little angles that once upon a time she leaned into. I also think tonight Tosh had it going though. And so there's that. And then Tosh, I think you got to give Edie credit because she does a good job on Stewie.
She does. She has the length. Yeah. She has that matchup down. I think even though Stewie finished with 27 and played probably her best game in the season against the Mystics in a closeout game. So I was happy to see that. But on the opposite end, JJ,
they miss Shakira Austin for the mystics. For sure. Mahesh Irons Allen, I love her effort. She is going to give you a thousand percent every time she steps on the floor, but just undersized. And I think that they, the Liberty did a really good job of just feeding JJ. And when JJ got it inside and not forcing it from the three or from the outside and mid range, it's,
She just took full advantage on the glass. And so if you are the Miss Six, you're heartbroken, but you have to kind of be a little excited to say next year, if we're at full strength, if Tosh comes back in free agency, then we will be able to match up better, fully healthy. Shakira Austin, I saw the stat on the screen. She missed 21 games. And I was like, God,
She was half the season. Like, that's why they're at the seed that they're at. And even though she's only a sophomore, she's going to come into her third year next year. She makes a big difference, especially on the defensive end. She makes a huge difference, right? Like, easily...
I don't remember the margin on the rookie of the year award last year, but like I don't personally for me, that wasn't as as clean cut a decision as I think it was for a lot of folks. Now, Ryan obviously killed it like Ryan deserves it. She's already doing it. She's continuing to do historic things. But I don't think that the absence of Shakira also can be understated on that note, though. I think and I would be curious. I don't know. The boxers are going to break it down. But I feel like Stewie didn't start to get loose until the fourth and overtime.
Yeah, I think she came out strong, but then she had a cold front. Yeah, a big time cold front. Got a little chilly in Barclays. And she was like seven for 17. I remember when they said that stat because it was, I think that's when I text you. Are they just bricking or what's going on? Because Stewie just, it wasn't great.
Great shots. They weren't taking the best shots that they could have. But was that the Mystics' defense or what happened there? But yeah, it wasn't until the fourth that she really turned up. Yeah. So, but I'm with you. There's a lot for the Mystics to be excited about. I don't, I think the verb choice of limped into that spot might be a little strong, but they definitely had to make a push to
to solidify right yeah um i can only imagine if they were healthy like i can only imagine i have said all season that la was my biggest what-if team but this mystics got to be right there with them like that to me again it's actually all right we were kind of talking about it um
And it was that we were kind of joking that to a degree, sometimes when the Mystics went into the Liberty, it's like, oh, yeah, I want to be us. But we happened to the draft. Right. You know what I mean? Yeah. So at the tables have turned, the Liberty are on. I'm a Washington, D.C. girl. The Mystics are my home team. They've been my home team since I was little.
But even when somebody asked me this and of course, taking my ESPN role out of this, it was like the music's on my home team, but I don't know if they have enough to get it done. I think the Liberty are a team that can get it done. Yeah. So here we are and we move on and continue to love playoffs 2023. And we move on. So the Liberty don't know who they play yet in the next round, Connecticut and Minnesota play on Wednesday. We're recording this Tuesday night.
Who do you think is a better fit to play against the Liberty? And second question, what can the Liberty learn from this series? Okay, let's go second question first.
I think the Liberty cannot settle for good shots when they can get great shots. Give the Missing's defense their credit. I think they had them frustrated between the physicality, the officiating. They were swarming defensively. They do a good job of shading to Stewie's side. They were playing that pick and roll pretty well in terms of rotating. But when they were kind of, them shots were sailing far right and far left. And to me, they weren't bad shots. I mean, I've seen Stewie,
I think B might have been on the bench at that point in the ball game. But Sabrina, like, I've seen them all hit those shots. But there was a stretch in that third and into the first part of the fourth, to me, where they were settling for those good shots. We can hit them because we're athletes and we're gamers. But if there was more deliberate movement or more ball movement, they get one of those great shots that has been signature to a team that led the league in assists. So I think that they have to Lion King moment. Remember who you are. Yeah.
Like, always. You know what I'm saying? Like, I think that's a legit thing because if you want Stewie and JJ in the pick and roll, lethal. Like, if you want Stewie and JJ in the high-low, lethal. If you want Sabrina coming off mad curls, like, lethal. Like, they have so many options when they decide that they're going to dictate and not allow the defense to dictate to them. So that would be the big thing that I think that they need to be aware of. And then also,
Also, I do want to call out in this ballgame, I think in the playoffs we're starting to see how important Benadjelani is to the squad offensively. Yes. Right? He used 19 points for her. Yeah. Absolutely. And most of that was in the first half, right? Yeah.
She got my vote for first-team all-defense, and I think we talk a lot about her defense, but the way that she's grown as a scorer this year, particularly in the back half of the season, in my mind, it's not just that corner three. She puts a lot of pressure on defenses as a slasher. Yeah. And she can finish through contact. And so I think you started to see...
Her absence when she went to the bench early with foul trouble, you could kind of feel that in this matchup. So I just think as a collective, they got to remember who they are. They're great in transition when they commit defensively beyond just being KT and JJ. They're a stout defensive team, but they can't lose sight of that. Best matchup though, Jordan? Girl, you got two teams with two-headed monsters. I know. I know. It's going to be good either way, but...
I mean, do you want DB and AT or you want Kayla and Fee? The absence of Jeff Shepard changes Minnesota in my mind. I think Jeff Shepard is one of those unsung heroes in the league. Comes off the bench for that squad. Second in rebounding, I believe. And then Lindsey Allen may be getting healthy, which helps them from the pure point guard spot. She will be available in the next round if they get there.
uh i think so i was in barclays of minnesota put it on the move i was there i think they were playing like experience girl they were playing like the third game in four days that game had been added back to the schedule after the smoke stuff in new york like it was a really funky schedule for them uh-huh but like i watched abby miller get in her bag like bagging in transition um
But on the other side, like we've had some really wild games between Connecticut and New York. Like wild games. Very wild. We will never forget that comeback. But then it's like, you know, how much does regular season matter? This is the playoffs. Who do you want to see just play more basketball? I think I want to see Connecticut just play more basketball. I want to see how far they can go. I think I agree with you on that. Okay. Now, Connecticut is like,
will they actually get over the hump under Stephanie White? Right. And it's funny because prior to game two, I had a chance to ask Stephanie White, what's your thoughts on getting over the hump? And she actually, I thought her answer was really interesting because she said to us, the hump isn't necessarily an achievement. It's kind of changing the way we do things. And
And you guys had Alyssa on this podcast and she talked to Cheryl candidly about how the offense has changed and how much more free flowing it is. And Stephanie said to us, we are allowing the players to make plays as opposed to running plays, which is clearly a very distinct difference and something that Alyssa really enjoys. So I'm with you and I want to see, is this the group that does it? Yeah. Yeah.
And shout out to Minnesota, though. Like, plenty of us was like, hey, looks like a little bit of a reload. That was me. 0-6 start. I wrote them off so fast. I was like, oh, well, we'll see you next year, Minnesota. Or really missing Maya Moore. But how are they in potentially about to go to the second round after starting 0-6? Nafisa Collier is playing out of her mind. Insane. Caleb
is also playing out of their minds. So, well, yeah, you pulled my leg. I also want to see them play more too. I think it is tough. It's tough. It's tough. I know. I know. Who? Okay, well, let's flip it. Who do the Liberty want to play? Like, who are they hoping makes it to the next round because they like their chances? I think the Liberty are good either way, but I do think that they, the Liberty, they
I just like talking when you talk about seating, you get confused. Match up better. I'm saying better. I think the Liberty will be able to guard the links better than they would the sun. Now, look, she is out of her mind, but she is also six foot, right? Yep. You might give her a six one on a good day, but she's a little bit undersized in her position.
J.J., Stewie flying around, Benaja, Kayla Thornton off the bench. Like, I think that they have unique skill sets in terms of potentially guarding her. K-Mac, a strong 5'10", 5'9". I do think that her performance in game two kind of reminded us of who she is as a scorer because quietly that kind of goes up and down a little bit. But again, like in terms of matchups, I think the Liberty have players that can guard her. And then it's crazy. I was preparing for the game tomorrow and I'm like going through their playoff averages.
K-Mac is averaging 22 in the playoffs, these two games, right? Nefesa's averaging 20. And then it literally jumps to like six and a half, five, five, five. Yeah. And so in terms of slowing them for a team that was pretty good this season, top five in terms of defensive efficiency when they wanted to turn it on, I think Liberty would be a little more excited to see the Lynx coming. On the flip side, Alyssa Thomas has been a nightmare for everybody in the league. Yeah.
I'm running the other way. And don't let the one upon her be on. Like, you know what I'm saying?
Now, again, those two carry a lot of that load for Connecticut as well. And then it sort of trails off. But if Ty Harris is shooting the ball, well, she's going to space the floor. Right. And we've seen her do that. And Tisha Heideman is streaky, but also can space the floor. I know Dejanay Carrington is working on a bum foot, but a high energy player. There are shades of her game that remind me of Benadryl who had that jump at the MIP. And obviously now it's who she is with the Liberty. Yeah.
And then I think just the nature of their offense, it's a little bit more free flowing. You see Alyssa at so many different places where to me, the links are most dangerous when it's pick and roll with Kayla and Fi, which I'm not saying that that's easy to guard, but like, you know, that is the primary thing we got to figure out. Yeah, man, whoever goes on to play the Liberty. I feel like Sandy Brandello is like, man, I got to coach against,
Cheryl Reeve, one of the legends, or someone who just won coach of the year and Stephanie White filling herself. So it's going to be a good matchup, whoever it is. We're going to take a quick break and we're going to come back, talk about the aces who are chilling right now as they see who, well, we know who they play next. They're going to play Dallas. So we're going to talk about that.
And now a word from our sponsors at Betterment. Do you want your money to be motivated? Do you want your money to rise and grind? Do you think your money should get up and work? Don't worry. Betterment is here to help. Betterment is the automated investing and savings app that makes your money hustle. Their automated technology is built to help maximize returns, meaning when you invest with Betterment, your money can automatically
auto-adjust as you get closer to your goal, rebalance if your portfolio gets too far out of line, and your dividends are automatically reinvested. That can increase the potential for compound returns. In other words, your money is working like a dog while you can be sleeping like one and snoring like one too. You'll never picture your money the same way again. Betterment,
the automated investing and savings app that makes your money hustle. Visit Betterment.com to get started. Investing involves risk. Performance is not guaranteed.
This episode is brought to you by Honda. When you test drive the all-new Prologue EV, there's a lot that can impress you about it. There's the class-leading passenger space, the clean, thoughtful design, and the intuitive technology. But out of everything, what you'll really love most is that it's a Honda. Visit Honda.com slash EV to see offers.
Think you know the Brooks Ghost? Think again. Introducing the all-new, better-than-ever Ghost 16. Now with nitrogen-infused cushioning for lightweight, supreme softness that feels good every step, every street, every single day. So go ahead, take your daily joyride in the all-new nitrogen-infused Ghost 16. It'll turn your everyday miles into everyday endorphins. Let's run there. Head to brookserunning.com to learn more.
At BlueNile.com, you can find endless ways to make your moments sparkle. From classic and timeless jewelry gifts to creating the custom engagement ring of her dreams. All at prices you won't find at a traditional jeweler. And right now, you can save up to 40% on fine jewelry and 25% on engagement ring settings during the Blue Nile Anniversary Sale. Going on now. Go to BlueNile.com to shop the Blue Nile Anniversary Sale and save up to 40%.
That's BlueNile.com. Okay, Monica. Aces and Dallas. This is what I, this is what dreams are made of. First of all. I see what you did there. The wings just beat. Wait, that wasn't even on purpose. That was good. I can't even lie. That was not on purpose. Dallas Aces. Aces are like a week break game.
waiting for Dallas to come to town. But Dallas, one of the few teams that got the aces in the regular season. How are you feeling about this? I guess we can mention Dallas blew out the dream to sweep them. One-on-one, 74. Everybody was in their bag. Arike, Satu, blocks galore. They handled their business, and they go on –
to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2009 as a franchise. Wow. I think I have that right. They were the Detroit shock when the last time they went to the second round of the playoffs. That was Swing Cash Katie Smith in them, I think. Yeah. Yeah, it was. So they're like, hey, welcome to the second round. You get the aces. Ba-da-ba-ba-ba. Yeah.
But I also very much see that entire locker room being like, all right, we'll do that. We'll take that. You know what I'm saying? I know. And that's what gets me so hyped. Like they have some confidence going into this matchup, which I feel like a lot of teams would maybe be shaking in their boots, but I think Dallas feels good. Well, they feel pretty good. So I'm going to go back to something. I think you said earlier in the season in terms of the pods. Um,
I can't remember who the Aces played, but it was some, one of those like schedule quirks where they saw the same scene twice and they may have dropped the second game. It might've been Dallas. Yes, it was. Yeah, it was. And you talked about how this, see, this is how I'm showing you that I'm a fan. I think you make great points. Thank you. But you talked about this mimicking a series. So here we are in a real series with this shortened bench for the Aces. Mm-hmm.
And the, you could go twin towers, but I'm going to go four towers. Satu, Natasha, Kalani, Tiara. To me, it's very much speed versus size. Right? And even though I mentioned those four players, it's not as if Veronica Bort, Aaron Crystal, Dangerfield, or Iga Gumawale are not willing to play physical. I think back to the Liberty Aces series.
what that series, the regular season game, the commissioner's cup game. Yeah. And I actually remember lobbing this up to Becky. Cause I had one of their regular season games shortly, shortly thereafter. If like, how do you compartmentalize fatigue and usage? Is it, I got this five that's used to playing these monster minutes. And so in the longterm over a series, they're okay. But game to game, maybe they look like they've taken a hit or do you have, I got this bench that's stronger. Yeah.
That's deeper. That's used to the physical nature of it. And that is sort of how you fight fire with fire. So I'm curious just about the physical toll of this series. Asia obviously is in rare form coming off her 38 piece, like beast mode, strong MVP candidate, all the things, but Fordham coming at her in the paint. It's too much. It's too much. Something has to give.
Because of... Like, that's... The ace is Achilles' heel, I feel like. When Asia wants to spin middle and your help is Kalani Brown? Or your help... Like, it's too much height. I call them the Dallas wingspan. Hey! Yes! Thank you. It's too much length. And it's... And then you just have Odyssey Sims just, like, napping at your ankles. Like, it's...
Latresa Trammell, like even though she did not win coach of the year, she did get some votes. And I think the crown that she should wear is that she got Arike Agumbuale to want to play defense and this whole team to just be completely defensive minded. And I think if they're like, you know, our shots are going to fall.
We're going to live and die by our Rike's step back and saw to drive in the lane, but we are going to clamp down on defense. We're just going to make it hard on the aces. And there have been so many games that have maybe not easy for the aces, but they do not want to play Dallas. I think to go back to what we were talking about before with, with who they want to play in the next round, um,
It's going to be physical. Like you said, it's going to be tough and it's going to be a lot on the others for the aces and they don't have too many others. So I think it's going to be incumbent on the other four starters, less about their offense and more about their defense. To me, Jackie and Satu, I'm not going to say cancel one another out, but we've seen Satu give Jackie fits.
but Jackie also can return that. She's a little bit of a height disadvantage. But if you give me Jackie frustrating Arike,
In terms of defense. Or you give me Chelsea on MVP, finals MVP Chelsea from last year on defense. You know what I mean? Like that to me is where it gets interesting. And so, and Becky will say she's, she's very rarely concerned with the offense of her team. Right. Like, especially when you talk about like KP, like girl, they flame. Yeah. They're fine. You know what I'm saying? So I think,
it's gonna be a they are gonna have to lock in defensively i think that my x factors as i look at this series potentially are natasha howard and chelsea gray yes um obviously tasha is so incredibly versatile as a defender former defensive player of the year all defensive team like all that great stuff but if i don't i'm not 100 sure that kia would be her matchup
maybe not but like if you know I'm saying that you got that high low you know what I mean like you got something that high low action if she's giving you that short corner jumper that mid-range in the paint like if she's on the glass for that matter giving you putbacks I think she can pose some problems and then on the other side like
When Chelsea's on, like, Chelsea's a beast. And Chelsea being on doesn't mean that she's scoring. It means she's playmaking. Just everything. She floats up and down the court when she's on. Girl, I don't know. I think everybody will point to the size, and I think that's very smart, and I think that's true of this theory. I like what you added about their defensive commitment this year. I just...
And the other thing, though, Jordan, too, that I think we can't sneeze at is the experience. Don't take the word right out my mouth. Because I'm saying, that's why Natasha Howard is my X Factor, because she brings that experience to this Dallas team. Like, I feel like she's like, hey...
I've been in this situation before. I know what it takes to make it past this round and everybody else is just so young. But then you have the aces that are like, okay, second round, schmecking round. We're going to the finals. We are the reigning champs. Like this is just a little lint off of our shirt that we got to wipe off. So
So you can't underestimate the experience and just the fact that the aces are the reigning champs. And I say all of that, that it's going to be tough and it's going to be physical, but the aces have the trophy to lose. They are holding it right now and they have to come with that mindset. I know Cheryl just talked about that in the last episode. So that's a huge factor of experience. Yeah. Yeah.
Yeah, girl. I don't know. That's going to be fun. I think it's going to be good. I'm glad we played five games of the best of five. I'm hoping that we get some thrills in there. I want to ask you, though, about the rest.
Is that a factor? You know, Dallas just dropped 100 points. They have this momentum. Is rest, you know, are they going to be a little rusty? What do you think about that? We're recording the pod Tuesday evening after Dallas wins. Aces have been chilling. When do they close out? Sunday? I think so. Yeah, right? Sunday or Saturday?
One of them days. We'll double check. Yeah. And so then they're going to start the series on Sunday. Dallas has to go into Michelob Ultra Arena, which rocks. Yeah. Which rocks. I like the five format better than the three format. Obviously, it's more games, but you got two, too. You know, I think the rest is pretty neutral. I think you got two teams that are very competitive.
The Aces experience, I think in their favor, they know how to rest. They know what will work for their body so that they are prepared at home. On the flip side, and you'll hear coaches say you can't duplicate playoff basketball. But I think the fact that the Wings took care of business the way they did, particularly the comeback in game one, speaks to their heightened level and Natasha Howard being in their ear. Yeah. So to me, the rest is a neutral thing in my mind.
And I actually, in that same conversation, I like that these games in the next round are going to be every other day. Because I think you turn around, let's play ball. Let's hoop.
Yeah, I agree. Thank you, Alex, our producer. She's saying full week in between games. And you heard Asia Wilson. She was on WNBA countdown. She said, you know, Becky is going to make sure that we are practicing hard and we are simulating games the best that we can so that it's it is no rust.
But I always wonder that, especially in the playoff format of yesteryear when the top teams were able to take a game off. You just saw the momentum from the lower seeds give them a little bit of fight from just sitting at home and watching. So that's always something curious for me. But yeah, the Wings have a pretty big break too since it starts on Sunday. So that's a good point. Right. Right.
Right, right, right. I'm excited for that one. Me too. I'm excited for everything going forward. Game three, for the sign-in, the links, and then moving forward, I just...
I don't know. I, Michelob Ultra rocks. They sold out. Where did they play the other day? T-Mobile Arena, 17,000 to end the regular season. Those fans get up. It's a great environment. But I also really like the arena in College Park. Like, I think it's the perfect size. I was there to open the season. It was ironically Dallas and Atlanta. I think they have great energy in there. And I just think these are two really prideful squads.
And competitive, like just competitive. You know what I mean? To me, and their games are not the same. They don't even play the same position, but just hear me out on their sort of ascent in the league.
You can actually go Jackie Young and Satu if you think Satu is going to ultimately be most improved, right? There's a similarity there. Or to me, there's a little bit more Satu and a Kelsey comparison because I think Satu has a little bit more of that edge and is a little more vocal where Jackie is just very machine-like. You know what I mean? But in terms of coming into the league, okay, cool. Like, I'm going to figure it out and I'm just going to continue to ascend. Like, there's just like an edge with both of these squads. I'm excited.
It's so late, but I'm like, let's just, let's just roll into the next round right now. Like just give me some more basketball. Okay. Before I let you go, this has been wonderful. Any last minute Hail Mary predictions, somebody who's going to drop a career high, anything you want to throw out that we can hold against you if it comes true or not. Yeah.
So I don't know about you, but in college when somebody got hit in the face, the level just got elevated. Uh-huh. I think we're in for a monster DB performance in game three of Sun and Lynx. Yes. Because my girl was rolling around a half court with blood dripping from some part of her face.
And it was a very dramatic scene to which her fiance was like, she's fine. In the interview, she's fine. We know what we got to do. And so now is the opportunity to show not only is she fine, but she's back and better than ever. And see if the son get it done. I think that's the only one that I have some confidence in predicting. Okay. That's good. Other than that girl, who knows? Like it's about, you know what I'm saying? Like,
Who knows? I don't know. I'll write the script, but it is drama. Like, I can't even say maybe playoff first because the Aces and the Wings, what you got? Three players that have scored 40 points at least in a game this season in that matchup? So what are we going for now? Like a record rebound? You want a rebound record? That is such a good point. Just 40 pieces walking around the court. Records? What do you mean? I don't know.
That's so good. Okay. I like that because either Dewana Bonner goes off or her fiance goes off on her behalf. Either way, they, I think Connecticut makes it out of this Minnesota series and yes, with monster games, but they got to do it in Minnesota. That's going to be a little bit tricky, going to be a little bit tricky in the target center, but I'll be watching. We will be watching. And as I think as long as they control transition opportunities,
Connecticut gets out of there with a dub. Yeah. The links get going in transition and that two-man game with Fiat came out. Ooh, we got to rewrite the script. Make some edits. Rewrite the script. Give them a Google Doc. Monica, you're the best. This felt like a FaceTime call. This was perfect.
Amazing. Now, you're lucky. Today, it should only be one knock when the gavel drop because y'all be off rhythm with y'all little... I'm like, they need to put a countdown on the screen because how's the gavel like...
I like somebody knocking on the door. But I hope soup smells better. The gavel is the extra character in our show. And I love how we're purposely off. It's hilarious to me every single time. Our Wi-Fi never matches up. It's just perfect. Well, now I'm in on a joke. Because when I'm listening, I'm like, why is it so bad? I know. It's perfect. And it's in session. Session, session, session. Session, session, session.
We're just going to start making beats at this point. Honestly, honestly. Jordan, thank you for having me, though. I hope you and Cheryl keep going on and on. Y'all doing this in the off season? How does that work? Or don't you have to tell me if y'all haven't thought that through yet. Are we doing women's college basketball? What are we doing? I mean, hey, I want to talk to Cheryl about everything all the time. So if you just put a mic in front of us, we're going to talk. And we've got something to say. And she's going to do some takes.
It's always fun. Thank you for being here. As a reminder, you can send us questions or feedback at our listener email address, queensofthecourtatodyssey.com. Please continue to follow, rate, and review the show. It's available on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Send us your playoff predictions. Send us all the things, how you're feeling, what happened at the end of the Mystics-Liberty game, and your opinion. Send it all to us.
Queens of the Court is an Odyssey original created in partnership with the WNBA. The show is produced by Alex Ozzie. The executive producer is Lena Moss Glazer. Social media assistance from Isabella Apple. Imaging from T-Storm Battle is adjourned. There you go. Just solo gavel. One gavel drop. Amazing.