GOOD FOLLOW - Phoenix Force a Game 3! Should Stewie Have Played? We Have Co-DPOYs & More! with Khristina Williams

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Hey, what's up, everyone? Welcome to Good Follow, presented by DraftKings. I'm Ros Gold on Woody, and today we have a very special guest co-host.

She is the very well-known WNBA reporter and the host of, in case you missed it, it's my girl, Christina Williams. What's going on, Chris? What's up, girls? Good to be here.

Finally, I know you're always usually on my show. So

I know, I know. So we're going, now we're going this way.
You're joining mine.

But it's just, it's just movement of the group chat into show format because we both love hoops and talk about it and live it and breathe it all the time.

As do apps, as do our audience. So good follow family.

Please make sure you welcome christina williams give her a follow and all the things but hey guys we are in the thick of the first round of wnba playoffs y'all we got three decisive game threes coming up and here's what we're talking about in today's show here's the menu

liberty and mercury's game two in new york was

kind of a flop for the liberty should stewie have played and then the mercury they said barclay center was quiet We are diving in.

The Valkyries, their historic season comes to an end at the hands of the Lynx. Lynx are the only team to wrap up their series in two games.

Dominique Malunga, her welcome to the W moment as a rookie came, but then she gave it right back in game two to Asia Wilson as the storm beat the aces.

And the Dream and Fever series also heads to a decisive game three. And the latest news out of the WNBA,

they're our co-defensive players of the year. They are Asia Wilson and Alana Smith just announced.
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engaging. All right.

The co-defensive player of the year or players of the year are Asia Wilson and Alana Smith. And actually of note here is that both Asia and Alana Smith got 29 votes each.

After that, it was Gabby Williams with nine, Alyssa Thomas with three, Nafisa Collier with two.

What do you make of this? What do you think about this award?

Well, it's definitely a historic day, right? Because this is the first time that it's happened in WNBA history, but I think that both women are deserving of the award.

When you look at the impact that Atlanta has had on Minnesota's defense, they ranked the top in the entire league.

And she was the reason why in terms of finishing top two in most of the defensive statistical categories. And then Asia Wilson,

that 17-game win streak was powered by Asia Wilson and her impact on both sides of the floor. But we know that Asia Wilson, you know, her defense creates her offense.

And so I think that these are two women who are very deserving.

I know that the fans was criticizing some of us boaters about which way we went, but I'm happy that both women were able to get the recognition. Yeah, absolutely.

And I think that it actually worked out nicely, you know, in the sense that

Alana Smith is someone who has helped anchor the number one defense in the league in the links. And especially when Nafisa Collier was out, you know, her defense was really helpful.

And she's one of those defenders where you kind of have to watch to understand that like she's coming over from help side. She's changing shots.
She is a shot blocker.

It's not quite as emphatic, perhaps, as maybe Asia Wilson, you know, just stuffing someone down, although Atlantis does come over with some great blocks as well.

But Asia Wilson, I think statistically too, when you're, when you're trying to come up for this award, you know, being second in rebounds, leading the league in blocks.

Exactly to your point, how much her defense fueled the win streak of the Aces and her offense. I mean, just everything Asia Wilson was at the core and center of the Aces turning their season around.

And it's kind of cool, too, because Asia's now in a situation where she could win MVP as well. So she could be defensive player of the year.

We haven't, we haven't heard, we haven't gotten the announcement around MVP, but Asia's done that before in 2022, where she was defensive player of the year and the MVP of the league.

I think that speaks to Asia Wilson's greatness.

And we talk about the best player in the world is hands down right now, Asia Wilson, and what she's been able to do, especially in the second half of the WNBA season, being able to turn the aces from an eight seed to a two two seed.

And now we're in the thick of the playoffs where it's a winner take all tonight. So I think that, you know, she's very deserving of the award for sure.

So we'll see you on Sunday when the announcements come out. Yeah, yeah.

And I think another side of this too, because I said in 2022, like just to check out these two years that are together, in 2022, Asia Wilson was the MVP and the defensive player of the year.

In 2022, Alana Smith was out of the league. She was waived by the Indiana fever and she was overseas playing ball.
Like her career in the W was uncertain. And if anything, a lot of people had closed

that book on her, you know, just closed the book and said, okay, she's done here.

So to think about where these two players were then and that now they're sharing one of the biggest awards for the league is incredible.

And also really speaks to Alana Smith and her resilience and her fight and tenacity. And also, I think, can be inspirational.

Like, you might be the baddest player in the whole world, like Asia Wilson, and out here every single season in the conversation for some MVP awards and defensive player awards, but you also might be Alana Smith in this life, where

you have fallen out of the rotation or out of the league. Or, you know, look, she was a top pick out of Stanford University.
Go card.

You know, there were big expectations for her and things didn't pan out right away in the WNBA. But then she found her way back to the Chicago sky.
And even then it was like mixed results.

But she found the right fit and the right timing with the Minnesota Lynx and perhaps the right coach to put her in situations where she could thrive in Cheryl Reeve.

And that really matters in this league. If you look at this Lynx team, it's a whole bunch of players where, you know, Cheryl Reeve has really created a renaissance in their careers.

So I would say, like, I really find that relatable that maybe it's your second or third time around where you find your role and you can star in it. So congrats to Alana Smith and to Asia Wilson.

Real quick, I wanted to ask you, I noticed a lot of people had votes. I had votes for end of season awards.
You had votes. A lot of people were very

transparent putting their votes out. Do you think that ended up being a good thing or a bad thing? Is that hard to put your votes out there?

Do you end up just getting a whole lot of like, you know, hater-ish feedback? Or do people, are people respectful and mature about it

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Well, Roz, I feel like I'm one of the people who started the trend of showing your ballots. I've been doing it every year since I've become a part of the voting panel for the WNBA for season awards.

And so for me, it's all about transparency. And of course, I think fandom has grown over the last few years.

This is the first year where I've gotten like negative comments, but I just posted mute so I don't even see the comments.

But uh, but then they find me on my other platform because you didn't vote for their favorite player, and

then and then it's like

then they're in your comment section on your Instagram page, it's a picture of you, your mother, and like your grandmother.

And they in the bottom talking about you didn't vote so-and-so for second-team all WNBA. This is a picture of my family, y'all.
Like, what? Right,

that's exactly what the week has been like for me as a voter because I didn't put one of their favorite players on my all W team.

And I'm getting comments on the most random photos on Instagram now because I mute and block on X. So, you know.
I'm all for transparency.

I feel like if you're going to vote for someone, you should be able to stand behind it and explain why. And so that's just been me from day one.

And I love that more voters are starting to show that transparency. I think it counts because in the NBA, I think that the voters are released by the league.

And I think that the W is entering a space where fans want to see that sort of transparency. Absolutely.

You know, it's funny, as someone who has had a vote in the WNBA and a vote for N-Season Awards in the NBA, I feel a little bit of a difference where like voters for the WNBA are almost like explaining themselves to the fans while voters, you know, for the NBA are thinking so much about to the players, like, you know, how,

or even to the teams and organizations, how their vote ends up turning out. Like you think about,

you know, you're not supposed to, but of course you might think like, who will still talk to you? Which organizations, you know, feel you should be going this way.

You know, certain players in the NBA, if the difference between first and second team could be $40 million.

Like it's just so much at stake. And same thing for the women in a different way, but

I just think

we have a great honor. that we're one of what, 72 people that got to do the end of season award voting.

And like you want to try your your best to keep your thought process as funneled and uninfluenced by outsiders as possible. Okay, girl, let's talk about it.
Game two at Barclay Center.

The Liberty got blasted by the Mercury and they are heading back to Phoenix for a decisive game three. After losing to the Mercury by 26 points at home, they trailed by as much as 31.

And after spraining her MCL in overtime during game one, Brianna Stewart returned to the court.

It was very, you know, honorable and heroic in the way that she wanted to step up for her teammates. In fact, Natasha Cloud said that is one tough MF.

But the details of like all that Stewie had to do just to get on that court, here is Holly Rowe breaking down what Stewie had to do. She is wearing a big brace on her knee.

I've never seen Stewie wear such a big brace. It looks pretty good, actually.
She's over on the bench right now. And the important thing tonight is for that to stay warm.

There's a bike in the tunnel that she can get on and ride to keep it moving. She's also got an electronic device, like a Venom device that sends electrical currents into her knee to also keep it warm.

But it's incredible that she's playing in this game with a sprained MCL. So Stewie played honorably, but she didn't look good.
You know, like forget about the stats.

She played 20 minutes in the game, had six points, but it's more just like eye test. She's clearly limping at points in the game.

She wasn't great on offense or defense, but she's so strong on both sides.

It's one of the best players in the world and not only wasn't she the liberty starters weren't that great only scored 32 points as a group so christina you were at the game um are the are the liberty cooked like should stewie first of all should stewie have played in your opinion

i don't think that stewie should have played because we knew that this game was going to come down to the wire and

Phoenix coming into that game, I was able to attend their prax the day before. They were coming and they were coming to play aggressively and bring that physicality.

And so I think that given how New York Liberty played, it wouldn't have made a difference whether Stew played in game two or not because it was going to go and get pushed to Phoenix.

But coming into game two, I feel like the Liberty they struggled to have consistency from the second quarter to the fourth quarter. You mentioned the 32 points between the starters.

They only had 10 field goals in the first quarter and then nine throughout the rest of the game.

So Phoenix, they brought that defense intensity that really slowed down the liberty and i just feel like they didn't play with any sense of urgency like it just wasn't there uh and it just hasn't been there that's been the through line for this team for the whole season it just hasn't been there yeah and look i am wear my liberty hat i'm a team analyst um also born and raised new yorker so i always have a lot of hope for the team but um one thing about the liberty is they have had some of these head-scratching really rough losses like whether they've you know lost against teams they should beat or they've had some, you know, beat downs at home or

a game had significance on the line and they did not step up or rise to the occasion. Like you could have closed the series here.
Instead, you know, now you're going back game three.

And my feeling was, because they were tied at 25 after the first quarter. And I was like, okay.
But then when things went so south so fast, I almost was like, okay,

let's put a fork in it and get ready for game three and take take Stewie out. Allow her to just rest at this point.
In fact, Stewie shouldn't have played if this was going to be the effort.

The reason you put Stewie in was to close it out, not to have to go and play a game three.

And so, especially with, you know, the starters and everybody just seeming so out of it,

it's a valid question to wonder, like, hey, all season they've been injured.

So maybe all those players who got experience off the bench and who have, you know, made contributions, maybe you go to them just for some fresh energy or some fresh blood and so you know that's something that people you know have considered and things like that but you know on the other side you have satu sabali who had such a great bounce back game for them after shooting two for 17 from the field she comes back with 15 points alyssa thomas 15 points uh kalia copper 15 points dawana bonner has been huge off the bench.

And actually,

you know, the whole thing with Stewie almost consumed the game.

Like I found myself throughout the day consuming reports about Stewie's updates, hearing that it wasn't as bad as we thought, then hearing her discuss the injury and her saying like she's going to play through it and like that it's not really good though.

And many of us are like, no, this sounds horrible. And it just felt like the injury report.
started to consume the ethos around the Liberty.

And sometimes that can be like a negative, as opposed to just saying, Stewie, we're going to to have you sit.

And maybe game three, if needed, you know, or the next series, we're going to have you, but we're going to hold this down because the Liberty have more than enough talent, I believe, to win without Stewie.

And not just against the Mercury, but they just have so much talent. And so in a way, if you watch the game, she got isolated a lot.
It was Satu Sabley with her at the top.

They would set a screen with Sabrina's girl. So if the switch happened, she's attacking Sabrina.
And if it doesn't, she's going up against Stewie.

And they're isolating Satu and saying, either Satu, attack the rim or take a shot. And that's what Satu did.

She either got to the cup and the free throw line or shot threes when the defense couldn't stay in front of her face.

And it was good coaching because Stewie's injury was something they tried to take advantage of.

Yeah, and they absolutely did. And the New York Liberty, they only had two points, two fast break points.
And we know how much this team likes to push out in transition, especially on offense.

And like I said, they just wasn't able to establish themselves on offensive end.

And I was able to speak to John Quill the day before the game, and she talked about how she hasn't really been playing like herself since she returned from her injury in the second half of the season and how she needs to work on establishing herself on offense as well.

Because in my opinion, when John Quail Jones plays well, really well, and they play through JJ.

It's a winning team.

And so I think that for game three, the New York Liberty needs to play through JJ, but also she needs to remind herself that she's the finals MVP from last year, former MVP, and need to play to that advantage.

Yeah, John Quill Jones actually said this after the game. I think it's deeper than the Stewie injury.
All of us have to step our game up.

We're such a powerful team offensively, and tonight, they were able to congest things. And I personally appreciate that candidness from John Quill Jones.

Like, hey, I know Stewie's injury took the headline, but this was on us. And it was.
You know, I don't know what, you know, they have to play better in game three, but check this out. Post-game,

the Mercury had some comments about the liberty faithful the liberty fans and barclays center christina you were at this press conference let's listen and then i'd love your response honestly i was shocked i don't think it was like

loud to start it was it's quiet so what's it going to be like to play a series deciding game at home loud louder than here it will be lit i love playing in phoenix they will stay till the end of the games Like today, you looked in the stance.

They were already leaving a little bit. Our fans would never leave.
Okay, Roz.

I was not only at that press conference, I was sitting front and center at that press conference. And when they made those comments, I let out a little laugh.
Let me take you to pregame.

I was able to speak to a few fans because, as you know, over the last several weeks, there's been comments about the rise in ticket prices.

And some of those seasoned ticket holders, they've been able to find me on Media Row and air their grievances out to me.

And so before the game, a few came up to me and said, hey, we weren't able to afford to renew our seas, our playoff tickets because it was just too expensive.

So for one part of it, I think that maybe some of the faithful fans just was not in the building because they couldn't afford to come see the playoffs. That's one part of it.

When I was on the media row yesterday, also, I did also see fans leaving at halftime, leaving in the middle of the third quarter.

And I think that the energy went down because the Liberty wasn't really giving the fans anything to care for. And so people people were leaving out of that building second quarter, third quarter.

And it was really sad, sad to see because usually when you're at Barclays, it's packed. People were cheering on the team, good or bad.

But I think the fans are just as fed up with how the Liberty are playing as everyone else is these days. So that was the gist of it.

That is crazy, especially a crowd that included Spike Lee and Tracy Ellis Ross.

Well, hopefully, you know, we'll see if the Liberty have enough in them to bounce back in game three. It does head to Phoenix.
Um, credit to the Mercury who came out there and took game two.

Um, physicality, they just, you know, enforce enforced their will. Um, really want to shout out the bounce back game from Satu Saboli and just as a team getting it done.

Great coaching as well from Tibbets. We shall see who wins that in game three in Phoenix.
We'll be right back, y'all.

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hey what's up y'all welcome back to good follow i'm roz golden what a that's christina williams christina girl i thought the valkyries was about to have more magic up their sleeve in game two they fell just short of forcing a game three against the links in san jose and while they didn't play in Chase Center, the SAP Center was electric, sold out.

Nearly 19,000 fans were in there. And it just caps off a historic year for the Valkyries and expansion teams in the W.

On the other side, though, the Lynx, they looked like the number one team in the league. They walked them down from down 17 points in the third quarter.

B in the second half took over and there was no Cinderella fairy tale to follow. It ended.
They smashed it for the Valkyries. So what do you make of their season, Christina?

Yeah, the Valkyries definitely have a lot to be

proud of because not only did they push the number one team to the brink in that exciting game too, but also Veronica Burton finished most improved. Kayla Thornton finished as an all-star.

Natalie DiCase got coach of the year, sold out all of their home games, had over 19,000 fans attend their first ever playoff game. They've made history.

They've laid the blueprint out for expansion teams to come in the WNBA. And I think that they're going to be on track for that five-year plan of potentially wanting to win a championship, right?

This is a great thing for free agents to see in 2026. We know it's going to be the biggest free agency in WNBA history.

And what a way to lay it out there for potential free agents of what could be possible down in Golden State. I couldn't have said it better myself.

The inaugural season for the Valkyries, this is my stamp, deemed a success. Bravo, bravo, ladies, everybody, the entire organization, the fan base, the players from the top down, y'all did that.

All right, let's move on to the Aces Storm series, okay? Because it is also going to a decisive game three tonight.

In game one, Asia Wilson handed Dominique Malunga her welcome to the W moment, like emphatic block, stairs are down.

But then in game two, Dominique recorded 11 points, 10 rebounds off the bench, gave it right back to Asia with some tough defense, never backed down from one of the best players, if not the best player in the world.

Mind you, in both of these games, Dominique Malunga recorded a double-double.

And in this game, she secured the win for Seattle with an and one at the buzzers, showcasing her great hands and poise, timing, and just will to win down the stretch. She's 19 years old.

She is the youngest player in the league right now.

And on the biggest stage against the best player, she has stepped up and helped to lead lead the storm who a lot of us counted out to an opportunity to keep their season going what are you making of the rookie

I think that this is just indicative of how coach Noel Quinn is starting to trust her rookie, especially in a big moment like the playoffs.

Dominique is a player who's been a professional athlete for years. She's played in France, played overseas, and now bringing that game to the WNBA.

And this is the rawest that we will ever see Dominique play as a rookie because in years to come, she's just only going to get better against the greatest player in the world in Asia Wilson.

So I'm excited to see more from Dominique. And I think that game two was a great display of what she can do in the crunch time.

You know what's crazy? You think about who did win Rookie of the Year this year, Paige Beckers. She's 23 years old.
Like Dominique Melonga is 19.

Like in four years, she will just reach the age that Paige has gotten to. Like experience and time matters as she gets more comfortable with her body and playing in the W.

Mind you, she's been a pro for so long. You know, like many people are saying, this is the rawest we're going to see her.

And when you, I I think about her growth from the beginning of the season where she was super raw to now, where we're seeing her just, you know, looking comfortable and more dynamic on the court and fearless, the future is very bright.

All right, y'all, we have two decisive game threes happening tonight. The aces and the storm, the dream and the fever.
You know that we will be sat.

Because Christina and Roz, we love this game and we know all of you do as well. So we will be back next week discussing all of the happenings.
So, thank you so much for tuning in.

A good follow, and we'll catch you next time.