Tag: Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark Returns, Pacers and Thunder in the NBA Finals and Asheville Recommendations

On this week’s episode, Caitlin Clark Return to Indiana Fever, it’s two games each for the Pacers and the Thunder in the NBA Finals and Anne gives quick recommendations for Switzerland and I do Asheville on the Torg Stories Podcast.

Click above for audio / Click below for video version of the podcast

Happy Father’s Day!

  1. Memory of playing golf on many Father’s Days with Dad at Moss Creek in Winamac, Indiana.
  2. Walk with Megan and Charlotte (don’t think Izzy was born yet) over the Brooklyn Bridge and back.
  3. My Father’s Day requests for today: lift weights and family tree clean up. Fried chicken sandwiches with sliced fried potatoes for dinner.

Caitlin Clark returns to Indiana Fever and they beat the previously undefeated Liberty.

  1. Clark had been out 19 days with a thigh contusion.
  2. Fever go to 5-5 and are in 7th place out of 13. Liberty fall to second place at 9-1 behind the first place Minnesota Lynx. Click here for WNBA standings.
  3. Clark went out with with 5:44 to go in the first and they were down 15-6.
  4. Clark set out for at least twice as many short stretches. Wonder if that’s something to stay with?
  5. Fever were down 21-15. Then these three in 33 seconds: 33 foot running pull up three pointer AND 27 foot three pointers and 31 foot three pointer. Tied up 24-24. Finished the half with 25.

Key Stats:

  1. Sabrina 38 mins and 34 points. Stewart shot 14 free throws
  2. Fever 17-35 from three. Liberty 6-29.

Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals:

Feeling Frustrated about the Calls SGA Getting:

  1. That he can push off hard with his forearm all the time.
  2. That he swings his arms to try and draw the foul and that a defender can do everything possible to get out of the way and then they barely touch him and that’s a foul too.

It hurt that Nesmith ended up on SGA a lot late in the game. I’m really enjoying watching Nembhard play. Some Nembhard things I’m enjoying…

  1. Playing with his chest and staying down on SGA.
  2. Chippy with SGA
  3. Lots of ball handling as Dort takes away from what Haliburton is able to do.

Reasons for loss:

  1. Turner went 0-6 from 3. Overall 30% from three not great.
  2. No big scoring game from anyone.
  3. Worried OKC went 3-16 from 3 and won. Got beat 24 on the three point line and won.
  4. Guess I’d say winning at the line by 9 was a major difference. OKC shot 89.5% to Pacers 75.8.
  5. Pacers up 4 with 3:20 to go when SGA hit a three to cut to 1. The Pacers didn’t make a basket after that. They fouled before the ball was inbounded twice. They missed free throws. SGA made shots and free throws. Ball game!

How are you feeling about the Pacers for Monday ?

Some Pacers vs. Thunder statistical trivia…

  1. Who leads Thunder and Pacers in minutes? SGA 158 and Haliburton at 146
  2. Both teams rebounding? Holmgren 37 and Siakam 31, Haliburton 23
  3. Steals? SGA and Caruso with 10. McConnell with 8
  4. Three pointers made: Dort 11 and Caruso 8. Haliburton and Nesmith 10.

Eight Pacers are averaging 9.5 points or more. Can you put them in order?

  1. Siakam 18.8
  2. Haliburton 17.8
  3. Mathurin 13.5
  4. Turner 13.0
  5. Toppin 11.3
  6. Nembhard 10.8
  7. Nesmith 9.8
  8. McConnell 9.5

Anne recommends @C2_Cooper on Pacers Basketball.

Asheville and Switzerland Recommendations:

Anne gives her Switzerland recommendations while I give mine for Asheville.

Lauterbrunnen Valley from Anne’s balcony in Wengen

My friend Klop is going to Asheville with his wife. My wife Megan and I are meeting them for a day:

Two of my favorite areas don’t seem to be open for business. Riverside Drive southwest of downtown. Wedge Brewery, a place where you could pull your kayak up to the riverbank and walk over to relax. Also the Salvage Station further up on Riverside and then Ledges Whitewater Park. We once rafted the entire length of the French Broad River and made a film about it:

We rafted the length of the French Broad River (in sections) as a Family

First, a word on the Biltmore Estate: click here for information. Tickets start at $80. $299 for a pass. (looks like they have the flex pricing) Have to pick a time slot.

Downtown Asheville: 

Parking is tight. I used to park for free on N French Broad near Bee Thai Kitchen (which was really good!) and walk north into town. The Wall Street Garage by the Grove Arcade is a good pay to park spot. The Grove Arcade is a building with a bunch of shops in it and the Wall Street Garage is across from it. 

Interesting to think about how to tell Klop where to go. Do I order things by restaurants and breweries or by what part of town?

Some places downtown that if you walk to these you’ll see some good stuff on the way: 

  1. Battery Park Avenue / Grove Arcade. Malaprop’s bookstore on Walnut then walk down the hill on walnut. Lexington St. both ways lots of stuff. 
  2. College Street intersects with Lexington and lots of stuff. It does not go to UNC Asheville and UNCA is not worth seeing. Maybe more on that later. 
  3. I don’t recommend Tupelo Honey (crowded, expensive) but everyone tries to go there. It’s near Patton and College and they have regular drum circles there and there is often wild stuff going on there. That square is interesting. 
  4. Walking South on Biltmore (it would eventually go to Biltmore) is Wicked Weed which is a great place to sit outside and people watch and then further south Green Man Brewery. Between those two places is the “Orange Peel” which often has good music. 
  5. Asheville Brewing on Coxe (there are two and the other one has a movie theater by college) is close to downtown but not walkable. Lots of cool stuff around there. 
  6. There are the Asheville Tourists. I would not use my time in AVL to go to baseball but you might! LOL. Megan worked there, I think in her 20’s, and spilled a tray of beers on quarter beer night. She just walked out and never went back.  

My favorite hikes somewhat close to Asheville…

  1. Craggy Gardens is the best view we can think of. It is only 1 mile hike. A bit of a drive on Parkway. I have seen bears driving there. 
  2. Graveyard Fields. Off the Parkway. Waterfall down in the valley along the stream. 
  3. Dupont State Forest. The hike isn’t that great but you get to Bridal Veil Falls. The Last of the Mohicans was filmed there. You can walk behind the waterfall. If you go there, check out the small town of Brevard. 
  4. Other cool towns close: Black Mountain. Hendersonville.

Rafting:  Blue Heron Rafting is very good. It’s north of town. Do section 9. 

Grove Park Inn:  Click on the link and look at the view from the restaurant.Best view in Asheville. Presidents including Obama have stayed there. I can’t remember but you might have to pay to park. At least walk around, read the plaques, and have a drink at the bar. Less casual than other places I’ve mentioned. Polo shirt and khaki shorts probably right Klop attire. 

New Belgium Brewery: On the French Broad River. Not too far from downtown. High up on the bank of the river. I really like it and I really liked all the little breweries on the other side of the river that are no longer open. Click here.

West Asheville: Hipster area at Haywood Road and 240. The Admiral is there and that area around there. I made a documentary about Christopher’s Garden in West Asheville but it isn’t there anymore.  

South Asheville: Sierra Nevada Taproom. Click here. My family loves it. It’s huge. Kind of “polished” for me but a really nice outdoor space in back. Live music sometimes. The Baby Bull on the other side of the river looks cool. 

Two places I like to eat not sure where to put them: Rocky’s Hot Chicken. Several locations. White Duck Taco several locations.

Please consider putting in your email to subscribe to this website and following our podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Thanks for checking out this episode!

Pacers in NBA Finals, Worried about the Fever, and Reasons for Living in LA and Boone, NC

Welcome to the Torg Stories Podcast. On this episode we’re talking about the Pacers in the NBA Finals, deciding if we should worry about the Indiana Fever, and explaining why we live where we live: Boone and Los Angeles.

Click above to listen to audio only

We are also a video podcast. See window below:

Indiana Pacers Notes and Discussion Prompts:

From Game 1:

  1. I’ve been harping on how bad team’s sideline out of bounds plays have been. There was no timeout on Haliburton’s game winner. (same with Cleveland game winner)
  2. I texted you 19 turnovers in the first half but I was still hopeful because the game was still somewhat close. Ended with 24 to Thunder 6. Thunder ended with 16 more shots.
  3. With this team, you just keep watching if they are within 20.
  4. Pacers hit 18 threes to Thunder’s 11.
  5. Think these two teams are more even than thought before. Pacers probably won’t shoot that well but they also might not turn the ball over that much. Great chance Dort from OKC won’t hit 5 threes.

We read Ramona Shelburne’s ESPN article titled “Why Tyrese Haliburton’s superstar ascension actually began three years ago.” Click here for article.

  1. We have listeners who will say, I don’t watch the NBA. What would you tell them about Haliburton?
  2. There’s this quote from the article: “This season he has hit an astounding 13-for-15 game-tying or game-winning shots in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter or overtime — the best field goal percentage in a single season since play-by-play was first tracked in 1996-97, per ESPN Research.”
  3. It’s understood that if you take these shots, you’re going to miss plenty of them. The thing is to have the courage to keep taking them when you’ve missed. That’s not what is going on here.
  4. When do you first remember noticing Haliburton as an NBA player? For me, it was his appearance on JJ Reddick’s podcast, “Old Man and the Three.”
  5. From trainer Drew Hanlon: “The big quote that we always say is, ‘Sometimes being too unselfish is actually being selfish,'” Hanlen told ESPN Thursday night, as he waited for Haliburton by the Pacers family room in Oklahoma City. “When he’s unselfish, it actually negatively impacts his teammates’ success and negatively impacts his team’s success.The more aggressive he is, the more his team wins.”
  6. I’ve never given a player a goal of shots to take but it makes me think of a couple of high percentage – low volume shooters that maybe I could have done this for.
  7. Haliburton certainly doesn’t sound entitled. It sounds like he is self critical and needs to be pumped up occasionally.
  8. Think this is a good sign that Haliburton would say this after hitting the game winner: I know I was terrible. I made the shot and everything, but there’s a lot of room for improvement. I can be better.”

Haliburton is 13-15 from the field with a chance to tie or take the lead with 2 mins or less to go. From @pitlessball on X. Click here for video.

  1. Reminds me of this quote about LeBron from Rotella’s book How Champions Think:

“I did tell him that I thought he could benefit from one of the standard methods of sports psychology, visualization. I wanted him to see himself making three-point shots. I suggested that he ask the Cavaliers’ staff to make a highlight video for him, about eight to twelve minutes long. This video would be a LeBron James long-range shooting montage. It would have LeBron making threes off the dribble. It would show LeBron catching the ball and making threes spotting up. It could have some of LeBron’s favorite music in the background, helping him to attach the good feelings associated with that music to the act of shooting threes. He would watch it every night. As he fell asleep, he could conjure up images of himself making three-point shots against tall, quick, tenacious defenders. He could let them fill his dreams.”

Are we worried about the Indiana Fever?

  1. Can Clark get and stay healthy? The team was constructed really well around Clark but she hasn’t been able to play. She’s like Curry and Jokic to the Fever. Just not very good without her.

Fever vs. Chicago Skye Notes:

  • (1st ever prime time national network game)
  • Anne, you said no stars. Angel Reese isn’t a star? Reese leading rebounder in W.
  • Lexie, what is she from 3 in league?
  • Vandersloot injured.
  • Fever are a team without a point guard.
  • Up 21-13 at the quarter. Chicago doesn’t have basket makers including Reese and Cardoso.
  • Lexie Hull so much better than she used to be. Playmaking. Creating opportunities beyond stand and shoot.
  • Game in United Center.
  • Jordan Kent (play-by-play), Isis Young (analyst), and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline reporter).
  • So much traveling!
  • 41-28 at half. Ball popping better for the Fever. Seeing some of those extra passes that we’re used to with the Pacers.
  • Ball goes from being in someone’s hands most of the time to moving from player to player more quickly.
  • Team chemistry looks good.
  • McDonald, Clark’s replacement, will be gone.
  • Skye playing with two offensively unskilled bigs. Reese is Rodman, Gordan

Living on Purpose

I like to say I live in Boone, NC on purpose. You wanted to live in LA so much that you moved there without a job. Here are five reasons I live in Boone:

  1. Green Mountains Water: Something inside me that is moved the most when I see green, water, and mountains. It doesn’t something to me that wide open landscape of corn fields, the Rocky Mountains, or the Grand Canyon doesn’t do. I think sitting next to the ocean is a close second. Mountain River Water: I think Stackhouse Access and The Ledges on the French Broad River are the two places that first evoked that feeling. Now I regularly am regularly standing in the shallow water of the Watauga River at the Valle Crucis Park.
  2. College Town of Appalachian State
  3. Place other people come on vacation.
  4. The way 50 minutes in the woods can unwind tension.
  5. People are friendly, chill, and helpful. That was not my experience driving the Grand Central Parkway in Queens, NY.

Other notes:

  1. Anne went to see Phoenician Scheme.
  2. I bought Landman from Amazon.
  3. Anne was moved by the TikTok of the elephant rescuing the antelope. Click here to see video.
  4. Anne thought one of these pens looked a lot better than the other and the one she liked the best didn’t work.

Thanks for checking out this episode of the Torg Stories Podcast!

Knicks Pacers, Indiana Fever, Mission Impossible, and Ted Lasso Season Three, Episode 11

We talk Knicks-Pacers series, give report on the Indiana Fever, Mission Impossible Final Reckoning, and talk second chances from Ted Lasso Season 3, Episode 11 on this edition of the Torg Stories Podcast.

You can click on the audio player above to listen to the episode, or you can watch it on YouTube at the link below:

The Pacers have a 2-0 lead at the time of the recording. Anne, what has been the keys?

  1. Balanced attack, more scorers than the Knicks that can lead to Nesmith going 8-9 from 3 and Siakam scoring 39 in game 2.
  2. Haliburton has some Harden in him in that he’s a hub that can spray the ball around everywhere and put pressure on the defense with his pace and vision.
  3. Timely shooting: Brunson and Kat were great but big misses late while Haliburton and Nesmith hit huge shots.

Report on the Fever:

  1. Off to a 2-2 start. Hammered the Sky and Clark and Reese got into it. Lost by 1 and had a chance to win it on the final play vs. Atlanta. Came back and beat the Dream in Atlanta. Lost by 2 after blowing a 12 point lead in the second half to the Liberty. Clark had the ball with a chance to tie or win at the buzzer.
  2. Noticeably harder for Clark to get a good three point look. She’s Curry from a standpoint of how defenses are playing her. No three vs. Atlanta in win. She missed 12 threes in a row before hitting one and getting fouled in the 3rd quarter vs. Liberty. Then hit one at the buzzer to end the third.
  3. Clark draws so much attention. People are open. Elite vision and ability to deliver, especially in setting pace. Kelsey Mitchell really benefitting. Still getting a lot done finishing and in mid range.
  4. Fever are more active on defense. Vision and hands on balls.
  5. Outscored Liberty 30-13 in third quarter.
  6. Looks like a group that roots for each other.
  7. The rotation of Howard, Boston, and Bonner among the post looks really good. Cunningham coming through the two and three spots good as well.
  8. The offense ends of games. Need actions, 1v1 can be tough vs players like Jones.

Three of the new Fever players and what they bring:

  1. Sophie Cunningham: mix it up defensive mentality, shooting, enthusiasm talking leader
  2. Natasha Howard – upgraded inside scoring punch, wanting her own shot for a Fever player more than I’m used to. I’m hopeful.
  3. Dewanna Bonner – length on defensive, championship experience, I’m assuming a good relationship with the coach

We both went to see Mission Impossible Final Reckoning:

  1. Let’s talk about what the theaters were like. I went to the AMC in Johnson City, TN.
  2. $20 for a ticket. Tom Cruise hangs off two planes. Really can I ask for more than that?
  3. We hear from Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise before the movie starts.
  4. Too much talking. Too much tech talking.
  5. Best part from Cruise escaping the underwater sub to the end.
  6. Dislikes: exposition for us as viewers. The action along with more natural dialogue should show us. 25 minutes of previews plus 2hrs and 50 mins of movie is a long time to be in the theater.
  7. Likes: music, Tom in shape, familiar characters, guy in charge of Navy sub, listening station couple and their dogs, the underwater scene, the lady who sticks the pen in Benji’s chest, Cruise and the planes

Ted Lasso: There’s only 1 more episode! Season 3, Episode 11 Discussion Questions:

  1. Why does Nate’s girlfriend Jade act like she does, for example disappearing. Let’s assess what Nate did. Let’s talk about if we bring him back.
  2. What’s Ted’s deal with Ted and his mom? Ted doesn’t seem to want his mom around. Then let’s walk through our mom showing up. She tells him his son misses him. Ted is scared to get close to him because he knows he’s going to leave.
  3. What’s wrong with Jamie? Where are my wings, Roy? Return game. Roy and Keeley follow Jamie to his childhood home. Now that he doesn’t hate his dad, he is lacking for motivation.
  4. What’s with the Wizard of Oz? We get Ted playing a Wizard of Oz pinball machine. We get “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in a Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks movie. Is it, You’ve Got Mail?
  5. There is a town called Tooting. Some weird town names you can think of? French Lick, Chili which is right by Denver, Mexico, and Peru. Santa Claus. You like Seven Devils, North Carolina. We went to Duck. There’s a Bat Cave. Meat Camp is in the same Watauga County I live in.

Memorable Quotes from this Episode of Ted Lasso. We’ll see if Anne can tell us who said it about what:

  1. Shouting is Roy’s love language. -Trent Crimm when Roy calls Jaimie into the boot room
  2. Your mom and dad F you up. They don’t mean to, but they do. They fill you up with the faults they had and they add some extra just for you. -Mae to Ted in the pub about his mom coming for a visit.
  3. I’ve literally never thought about work after work. It’s weird how good of a waiter you are. -Jade to Nate about how he is always trying to be good at what he is doing.
  4. Hurt people hurt people. -Ted to Jamie talking about his dad and Freddy Krueger
  5. I hope that either all of us or none of us are judged by our weakest moments, but rather by the strength we show whether and if we are given a second chance.-Ted to Beard about judging Nate for ripping up the sign.
  6. Your son misses you. -Ted’s mom to him
  7. All we can do is keep playing. -Ted’s mom again, about being a parent
  8. No truth bomb this year. – Rebecca to Ted

Thanks for checking out this episode of the Torg Stories Podcast!

Hurricane Helene Disaster Relief, Colts, and WNBA Playoff Podcast

Welcome to the Torg Stories Podcast Sun Oct 6th edition. We’re just over a week since hurricane Helene came through Boone. We’re going to reflect on disaster preparation, talk about not having power or cell phone signal and then work in some Colts and WNBA playoffs.

Click player above to listen to the podcast.

What did I notice about having (sort of) no power this week?

  • loved the head lamps and lanterns
  • battery powered radio was really helpful
  • did a lot of things around the house: set up a new tv room, cutting up a tree and getting it by the road led to a more extensive yard, roof clean up
  • go to bed a lot earlier
  • inconvenient but also a liberation from a certain kind of obligation. When I was home without power, there was a whole bunch of stuff I couldn’t do: email, all the remaining business with dad’s passing, teaching prep, basketball prep
  • I still had that motor to do stuff…

There is a disaster relief station set up in the auxilliary gym at Watauga HS in Boone, NC. It’s open from 8am – 6pm.

  • In supply: incredible amount of water, diapers, c batteries, tooth brushes, tooth paste
  • Short on this stuff when I was there: laundry detergent, pillows and blankets, ALMOST NO LIGHTS,
  • Was a steady supply of this stuff that people were taking: canned goods, protein drinks, milk almond milk etc that doesn’t need to be refrigerated, fruit, various OTC meds, cleaning supplies trash bags with gloves etc, baby food, bars, pet food

Thanks for listening to this edition of the Torg Stories Podcast!

Hurricane Helene Comes to Boone, Colts vs. Steelers, and Fever Podcast

Heleen, as in bean

Welcome to the Torg Stories Podcast. Today we’re going to talk about a quick trip home to Winamac to bury dad’s ashes, my drive back to Boone in the midst of hurricane Helene, discuss the Colts and wrap of the Indiana Fever Season.

Topics for this episode:

  • A short trip to our hometown of Winamac for a private graveside service
  • Driving back to Boone through Hurricane Helene
  • Click here for our dad Martin Torgerson’s obituary.
  • Click here for Bill’s post about his dad.

The trip to Indiana…

  • The way places come back to you. Been over ten years since we’ve been in Northern Indiana, but we knew the way well and the trip up 421 brought back the memories.
  • You wanted Bruno’s Pizza…
  • You wanted Bolin’s doughnuts. Breakfast of a big soda and a doughnut.
  • Me as relayer of the info between you and Mom.
  • Sights we drove by: Hillcrest House, Columbia Elementary, the Happy Burger is no more, the big hill, Thornhope Rest Area, Pick up ball at Winamac outdoor courts, the house on highway 14

Notes on the drive from Indiana to Boone amidst Hurricane Helene.

  1. We drove from Boone, NC on a Thursday all the way to Winamac and then back to Logansport.
  2. Got back up and drove to cemetery.
  3. Dropped you off at the airport around 12:30. How was the flight?
  4. I chose a route to swing around the areas most impacted by Hurricane Helene. Anne, how much thought did you put into the coming of Helene?
  5. Got off I65 to swing east early. Crossed the Ohio River in Madison.
  6. Rain, wind, fallen trees starting in Madison.
  7. Huge rainbow in Kentucky. Def thought of dad.
  8. Plan was to go through Bristol. The big trouble surfaced on 421. Moving trucks, leader (mom, at least 15 holy cows!)
  9. Boone is my favorite place in the country because of the water and the mountains.
  10. We get to the Trade volunteer fire department. 16 miles to Boone.
  11. I try an alternate route suggested by the phone. Long back up.
  12. The first of two tries on 67.
  13. Decide to sleep by the fire station. (flashing lights, rumbling engines, jolly workers, flag pole banging (flash backs to Maui)
  14. Let’s go the long way back to Abington: Damascus to 58 (more backing up)
  15. Okay, let’s try going to Watauga Lake again. We’ll go on to Mountain City and maybe get a hotel there. (after midnight now)
  16. Decide to try 321 to Boone. (topped what I saw on 421 as far as destruction)
  17. We crossed the state line. Got within 10 miles of home.
  18. Then 20 miles to Newland. (intense destruction)
  19. 5 more miles and then two stories of trees, poles, and power lines. (I’m 14 miles from home)
  20. It felt like the apocalypse.
  21. If you think “preppers” are silly…Meg wondered what was wrong with me…
  22. Now I try all the way back to Johnson City, where I know I can get on 26, to 81 to 77 and then in on 421. That’s 300 miles. Would you have done that? Why I did it. Knowing what I know now, what should I have done? (mt. airy hotel)
  23. Going on around my house.
  24. To stay home or leave town… Charlotte.
  25. No school.
  26. Chain saw skills.
  27. Lots of people checking in. Lots of devasting videos.
  28. Am I forgetting anything, hurricane wise?

Colts versus Steelers notes:

  • My set up on the 4 box: Bears vs Rams, Bengals Panthers, Indy Pitt, and Denver Jets.
  • You played the 3-0 Steelers. What were your expectations going into the game?
  • Enjoyed logging in with YouTube TV at the house rental.
  • Colts start with a touchdown on a couple nice Richardson completions and Taylor runs. 7-0.
  • Fields is fast and shifty.
  • Flacco comes into the game. 7-0 Colts on Richardson injury fumble. First pass complete to Taylor! Anne, Flacco comes in and completes a pass. Richardson says, Coach Anne, I’m ready.
  • Flacco TD pass. 39 years of age. 7th team,
  • Colts 4th down stop in 2nd quarter.
  • Do you go back to Ricardson if he’s ready to go?
  • Fields runs for his second touchdown 24-17 with 11:23 to go.
  • Richardson leads league in ints. You want flacco?
  • Steeler Kicker Boswell, the most accurate in NFL history from 50 plus, hits one to close the half. 17-3. Totally confident?
  • Mike Tomlin a pro for halftime interview. We’re not that concerned.
  • Fields runs it in in with 2:53 to go in 3rd. 17-10.
  • Nice drive back by Flacco. (gets rid of it, a big difference from Richardson) TD pass by Flacco to Ogletree. Mom, “that should do it.” Who is this woman?
  • Tornado warnings late interrupted the football.
  • 1:37, a mishandled snap 2nd and 22

The Fever

What worked great?

  1. Clark delivered. I thought she would be good 12 pts, 5 assists, rookie of the year, BUT she was much better than that. I think she’s already the PG you want to start your team with. She ended up 19 pts, 5.7 rebs, 8.4 assists, 90% line, 34% from 3.
  2. Chemistry between Clark and Boston.
  3. Emergence of Lexie Hull could make a big difference.
  4. An all star season from Kelsey Mitchell

What needs work?

  1. Scoring / execution / better scheme vs. Clark being denied. For example, Clark really limited touches with less than 3 mins to go in the final CT game.
  2. Options: Mitchell re-sign or go bigger and top defender? Good with NaLissa or Fagbenle or Dantas? Maybe Fagbenle is healthy she’s it? Smith gone.
  3. Think bench production limited?
  4. If they pretty much stay as is, how can they compete with the teams who are left?

Liberty vs Aces Keys:

  1. Can the Liberty slow Asia Wilson? I feel like Jones and Stewart have a chance. I think Wilson really keep Jones in check. Less than 10 pts a game, 7 or less rebounds.
  2. The play of Gray and Plum huge.
  3. Three point shooting really important. Less three point shooting on the floor for Aces.
  4. I tend to think Liberty and that Sabrina and Stewart are able to hang in there with the 1 player Wilson. A great series from a “secondary” player could make a big difference.
  5. Really tough, champion kind of attitudes for both groups.
  6. Plum and Spike getting into it. Plum hits a 3 out of a timeout. 12 pts in 3rd straight…as of 3:40 in 3rd

Sun vs. Lynx:

  1. best player by far is Collier. Somebody probably wants to argue Alyssa Thomas.
  2. Players I think of: Ionescu playing very well and coming off a big game, Stewart tons of championship experience and does what’s needed, Wilson best player in the league by a fair amount, Gray delivers in big games, Plum great effort, Jones Liberty MVP, nice pieces for Liberty
  3. Big respect for CT defense. When they lose it’s because they can’t score enough. Mabry had some huge games vs. Fever. Bonner played really well. They may not do that again.
  4. Sun could win. Two really good series to watch!

Thanks for listening everyone!