Calling a Spade a Spade with Andraya Carter

Welcome to Good Game with Sarah Spain, where we're reviving Sabrini an Escu with a champagne drip and chess compressions. On today's show, the WIBA Finals celebration continues. We'll chat with the ESPNS Andrea Carter about the sensational series between the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Links, and we'll reflect on the legacies of the matchup stars. Plus an NWSL scoring sweep and Orlando streak of a different kind and biased dresses. That's right, it's all coming up right

Take a listen.

I know all the headlines will be Reeve christ foul.

Bring it on, right, Bring it on, because this shit was stolen from us.

Bring it on.

Reeve also took a jab at New York for the team's five one hundred thousand dollars fine for illicit use of charter flights in twenty twenty one, and a little side jab at the Las Vegas ass for that franchise is rule violation regarding player benefits.

Here's some more.

You know what, we gave hope to those teams that aren't willing to circumvent the cap or you know, fly illegally or all this stuff that's happened over the last five years, right, and so I mean, do it the right way. It gives hope for those other teams that you can build a team just like ours.

You don't have to have a super team, right, you don't have to have that. There's a different way to do it. So I'm incredibly proud of them.

Meantime, Liberty coach Sandy Broundella was asked about Reef's comments on officiating during her own postgame press conference.

Here's what Brondelo had to say.

I thought that, yeah, pretty fair. I mean, last game, you know, I mean, that's what you're gonna give and take. Like again, number one, we should have won that game, you know, close it out. But look, I have so much respect for Cheryl and I have so much respect for that Minnesota League because, ma'am, I mean, that was ugly, but we found a way to win.

At the end of the day.

Both Brondelo and Reeve had called out bad officiating earlier in the series, with a lack of consistency at the center of their concerns. Always tough to have a major championship a great series like that leave you with so many questions about officiating, but certainly something for the league to look into after complaints about officiating pretty much throughout

Try to take pictures with the trophy.

More WNBA news, the WNBA Players Association announced that they're opting out of their collective bargaining agreement. According to Cheneogumkay, who broke the news on ESPN, the union's Executive Committee and the Board of Player Representatives voted on Monday to get out of their current CBA two years early. The current agreement, which was initially set to expire in twenty twenty seven, will still be in effect through next season.

End quote.

Elsewhere in the w We've got yet another new coaching vacancy, as the Dallas Wings fired head coach Letricia Trammel on Friday after just two seasons. Trammell's been a fan favorite because of her charisma and her raw, unfiltered emotion, and just last season, she helped the Wings to the franchise's best record since eight, but this season injuries through a

Finger and missing time.

And to be honest, the rest of the league just got better while the Wings didn't. They wrapped twenty twenty four next to last in the league with a nine to thirty one record. Trammell is the fourth head coach to be fired since the twenty twenty four regular season ended, joining Kurt Miller, Teresa Witherspoon, entity Schwreight to the NWSL. Just days after breaking the NWSL single season goal record, Kansas City's Tenwchiwenga became the first player in NWSL history

It's the first time.

Orlando has conceded three goals in one game this season. A lot of tears and hugs this weekend as several NWSL players were celebrated. Gotham and former national team star Kelly O'Hara got a big retirement sendoff in New York. NWSL legend and current Angel City player Merret Matthias was honored in LA as she ends her career, and at that same Angel City game, Kristin Press was recognized for her one hundred caps in the NWSL. More NWSL news,

Andrea Carter.

Joining us now. She's a host, analyst and reporter for ESPN. Covering the WNBA, the MNBA, and Women's and men's college hoops. She graduated from Universe See of Tennessee with her bachelor's degree in communications and her master's degree in kinesiology. Was part of the last hoops class to sign under the Late Pat Summit, and before injury sidelined her, she made

It's Andrea Carter. What's up? Andrea?

What's up? You said that nothing? He's just in his little tank over here, just keeping me company.

I was going to request that he be a part of the interview, but I do want you to focus on important things. Maybe at the end we'll we'll put nothing in your arms, because we got to start with the snake, actually, because I didn't believe that that was yours when I first saw your photos a couple years ago. I remember I slid into your DMS and I'm like, what is happening? So can we get the brief story on nothing? And just snakes in general.

Yeah, so I had snakes growing up, Like as a child, my biological dad had a snake.

That's where it all started.

And then my mom, when it was just her and I, she got me a pet snake. Take me to the zoo, and I would always want to see the snakes. I have art like from elementary school where I drew snakes, and when I.

Grow up, I will have a pet snake. Like it was just always a thing.

And my stepdad, who raised me most of my whole life, came in when I was pretty young and he's like, no snakes. And so as I got older, I was like,

And that was twenty thirteen.

So how long do snakes live?

He could live like twenty to thirty years just here in the wild. I think it decreases a little bit. Yeah, but he's fed regularly and kept.

Saying do you need a snake watcher? Or can he be alone while you're gone on your trips and be alone?

I'll have someone to come. I have a few good friends. One of my college teammates, Bashara, actually, so he was raised with hers in Atlanta, So she'll come by and just like change his water, take him out, kind of play with him a little bit.

But I've left him for a week at a time. Yeah, someone comes to changes water.

It's a little different from a dog sitter to be like, will you come hang out with my snake?

I love less work he eats does a month?

Does nothing have? Does nothing have?

I did not intend on asking this many snake questions, but now I'm in. Does nothing have the kind of scales that are super like buttery feeling like super soft?

Yeah, yes, like he is.

I've handled several snakes and some of them are like, truly, I hate to say it feels like a beautiful bag, because you know that's insulting to the snake population. But some of them are a little scalier and gross. But then the buttery ones, like I'm in I'm in.

And he's iridescent. When he sheds like he gets super irridesent. Take him outside and he's the best.

He's okay, Well nothing, I'm sorry for even invoking the idea of pursus.

I am anti snakes purse. Okay, important stuff.

WNBA Finals and the game five overtime win for the Liberty on Sunday or was it a loss? Drea give it to a straight Did the Liberty win or did many lose?

Ugh?

I Ah, that's so tough because obviously two things are true. But for me, I'm just like Minnesota lost it, or like or it was like was it taken from Minnesota? And this is the hard part, right because obviously there's so much nuance, and it's never black and white.

There's always a gray area.

So there are going to be people that said that was not a foul on Atlanta Smith. There are also which I was so mad at myself when watching the replay, I was so focused on the foul and where Alanta Smith was sliding and watching that I didn't notice the travel that could have been called on Briennasto caught the ball. So there are so many things where people could be like if if that call went the other way, or if that call wasn't called at all, what would have happened, Like,

About the game and the frustrating thing about the game is there's all this gray area.

Obviously, hats off to the New York Liberty for winning, because they went like, at the end of the day, they can't what was what was.

New York supposed to do?

It be like, oh, actually she didn't foul me and I traveled, so we're not gonna like you play the game that the refs call and so you can't be like, oh, New York shouldn't have to do done, and they dominated overtimes, so I'd say New York won it in Minnesota lost.

And there we go. Yeah, we get you muted on around the horn.

I want you to know that, but in this show will allow you to have the nuance of both being true. Thank you, Thank you, ronwall Jones. What does this mean for her? The finals MVP? Adding that to her legacy.

It's huge. And you know, John Quall is the player. She's so kind like, she is such a kind like.

She's someone that you just actively root for, and she's someone that's also experienced heartache.

At Connecticut, she had.

Opportunities to win a championship with really good teams and the makeup of those teams was obviously something that she felt like she had to step away from and couldn't find success there, and then has this opportunity with New York and there's so much attention on them last year, and last year seemed difficult from the outside looking in like and figuring out where she now fits with the Liberty, and then this year for her to almost come into her own again and know her role and just be

It's wonderful. You know, this is a.

Player for me with John Cuell, I don't think she's celebrated enough and that we could do a better job of that in the media.

She wasn't celebrated when she won the MVP Award. She wasn't celebrated.

If there's a beautiful article written about it after the fact, but that was almost written about how she wasn't celebrated enough. Yeah, and so you know, she is a player that deserves it. She's a center that can score.

From all three levels.

She shot fifty percent from the field, forty from three to ninety percent from the free throw line. That Minnesota really had no answer for John Quell and she was the key to their victory. So I think just as far as being a matchup nightmare and being a consistent presence to win a championship, that is now added to her resume, and I think it's great.

She deserves it.

Yeah, you mentioned that she's sort of the intersection of so many things that we talk about in this league that are off underappreciated, woman of color, queer woman, masculine presenting big right. We love our guards, we love our you know, flashy, and she just gets the job done.

From six Women of the Year to season MVP, now.

Finals, MVP Champion, plenty of All Defense, plenty of All Star appearances.

Where does her career fit into the best all time?

For you?

Oh?

Wow?

Yeah, I mean I would definitely say John CLO's up there. I mean, how many players in the league have an MVP and a championship like that alone? Puts her in a group or in a tier that is above a lot of players, and she could she still hopefully has a lot of time left and her game actually still has room to grow.

And depending on whether she.

Stays with New York or where she goes next, you know, she's absolutely a player who could win another MVP if she wanted to win another championship if she wanted to. So I think that there are obviously the players that won multiple championships multiple they're in the tier of their own. But John Quell's almost in that middle space, you know, where she's like above the majority of the players, and

She's well above the majority, well.

And so consistent across this series, which was what the Liberty needed because you look at Stewie and Sabrina big missus, big makes, but big misses, lots of misses. It felt like roller coaster esque for both of them throughout this five games.

Where does Stewie fit into the goat conversation now?

Because it's odd that she ends up winning this title and is a part of this team and adds that to a resume that is almost unmatched. But also throughout this series, I saw a lot of conversation about how Nafisa Collier was the one who would now slid into right behind Asia Wilson as opposed to Brianna Stewart. Yeah, I mean what a season that fee had, right, Like, Nefisa was absolutely amazing.

What have for sure?

One MVP if the Minnesota Links would have won like the Pole playoffs and her final series was just phenomenal. The defense that she played against Brianna Stewart. When you talk about this season, Nafisa is one hundred percent like right behind Asia Wilson.

It was.

It was clear as day.

When you get into the larger conversation of where people stand in this league, Stewie has created separation.

With the MVPs and with the championships, But.

When you get into who's catching up as just as far as individual presence an individual, as far as being effective goes as an individual, Fees up there.

Fee's right there.

When you watch those two go one on one, it was phenomenal and Fee often won those matchups, but they the way that they battled and for me, fees on her way, Like, I absolutely think Nafisa will win an MVP. Nefisa Callier will win a championship. It might be multiple her games. She's so tough to guard and like she is a player that has perfected.

The fate the faded way. Like think about how many players in the league, in the w and in the NBA.

That have almost perfected that shot to the point where it's unguardable. She already has that in her bag. She's not even having to add that. Now she's going to add everything else. So for me, v is catching up. You know, she had a couple of tough seasons just with Minnesota in general, but Fee as a player individually is coming into her own and I think she'll move into again. Like we're witnessing players that will be marked as some of the greatest we've ever seen, which is so cool.

Do you think Minnesota could have the firepower to make another run next season if the roster doesn't get changed too much?

Yeah, I think.

I actually think Minnesota could be a team that makes a move similar to the New York Liberty because coming into this season right New York added Leoni Foebish and then they trusted that Niaresabeli would kind of come into your own, which she did to perfection.

Shout out to her, because what a performance. I could see Minnesota.

They could definitely go and try to get a big name, which would also totally work, but I could also see them doing something where I'm as an analyst at the beginning of the season being like, wait, that's.

It said, and you were like and she shut me up.

Yeah, and she did, And I love that.

Like, the one thing I will do is coll as beta Spade when it happens, and then collas beta.

Spade in reflection whether I'm right or wrong.

And uh, you know, I think Minnesota for me, they were such a tight knit group. Like when I was watching them play, there were times where I was like, Minnesota has the better team, like in terms of the team and the way they mesh and the way they celebrate each other and the way it looks like they just play with so much joy. But the Liberty at times had better pieces, right, talented and more daces yep, yeah,

That's where I wonder what they'll do.

Will they keep her as the point guard or will they kind of move her into her more natural spot if she thinks her natural spot is the two what's that conversation with Courtney and where does she feel her best, Like, is that there big three and they try to add support or do they try to bring someone else big in. There's so many things that could happen, But I think this team with a tweak, like it doesn't have to be a big change. The Minnesota Links with a tweak could win a championship.

Yeah.

I mean this offseason there's gonna be a ton of disc gushion around the super teams and the teams that got it done because of coaching and balance and vibes like the Links. But also there's gonna be a big shake up in the form of the Valkyries, the expansion draft, and what it means for the league to build another team next year, two more teams the year after.

It's gonna look a lot different.

Do you have any idea who you think the Liberty are going to core in the off season or Minnesota.

Yeah, that's tough, obviously, I think, and I don't.

I would if you're in Minnesota, you core a fee of course, like you you have to keep her, You have to keep Nafisa Callier. She is, you know, one of one in her own right, And I know we use that term loosely, but there really isn't necessarily a player like the FISA caller when it comes to footwork, when it comes to the fade away, when it comes to her defensive presence, and when it comes to her poise like NAFISA callier is so she almost just looks

I think it's interesting. I think it would.

To me, I would just course Stewie, like Stewie does so much for you, uh, because she could play all five positions, So that to me is.

Something that you you don't want to let go of.

It's just gonna be fun to watch the Valkyries create a brand new team and see who hangs on to whom.

All right, last two quickies.

Kathy Engelbert's dress featuring the New York skyline? Is this are we feeding into Minnesota conspiracy theories?

Should Kathy have taken a hard look at the mirror and said, I don't know if this is the right choice.

Probably.

I like, yeah, like you wear one and we get we get it all the time now and it's kind of like phased.

Out now that I'm more in studio.

But when I used to call games, it was like a big thing, like you don't wear the team's color. You never wear the team's color, supecially not the home team color, but don't wear any team's color at all.

Is studio, it's a little bit different. Like I'm in the studio.

I'm just grabbing as many you know, suits as I can to be here for twelve days, and sometimes I'm just not thinking. But I do think the skyline of the city was a little crazy, like I maybe come in in a certain fit, yeah, and then change into it, but then have a Minnesota dress also to believe that you weren't picking sides.

I don't know how many brands are making Minnesota skyline dresses unfortunately.

But also East Coast bias.

But also I feel like in her mind, she was like, oh, it's Game five, We're in New York. It's just about yes, you know, and I'm from New York. But I would have said just stay away from that just in case. All right, Finally, unrivaled. How excited are you for this league?

Oh, I think it's gonna be. Oh, I think it's gonna be so much fun. Like, I think it's gonna be amazing to watch. I'm so excited. I will be down in Miami as a like, hanging out watching games.

I can't wait. And it's just new, Like anytime there's a new format. The three at three on three in itself is a completely different game. It's so much fun to watch.

Like you can watch a player, you know, like a Rique Goomba Walle just cook, like just b one on one matched up and she'll have so many opportunities to cook and create and and we'll see, you know, obviously, bring a student a Fisa Collier, those two as business.

Partners, like a better for I know than the finals. I'm I'm excited.

I called it h I called it Tampa City, USA.

Everyone said it's Tampa Bay because it's down in Florida, Andrea, we love you so much. Thank you for making time after an incredibly busy run here with the playoffs.

Thanks so much for coming on.

We got to take another break when we come back. Conspiracy Coup Tour, Welcome Back Slices. The WNBA season is technically over, but we can't stop thinking about this final series. So in honor of all the shots, blocks, steals and sellies that are still taking up space in our brains, it's time for the moment we can't stop talking about, presented by DraftKings, and for me, It'snfisa Collier changing her future with a season and a postseason that left no

Just listen to these numbers.

This playoffs, Nafisa Collier set the WNBA record for points in a single postseason. In the finals, she averaged nineteen points, eight rebounds, two point six assists, three point four steals, and one point eight blocks while shooting forty nine point four percent from the field. Her seventeen steals in the finals marked the most ever by a player in a WFA Final series, besting Tamika Ketching's previous record of sixteen in the two thousand and nine WNBA Finals.

She led her team in four major.

Statistical categories during these finals, points, rebounds, steals, and blocks. Last night, she also surpassed to Meka Catchings for most stocks, steals and blocks in a single postseason with her forty eighth and also tied Nakisha Sales for second most steals in a postseason with her twenty fifth. Nafisa Collier, you deserve some flowers for the effort that you put up for the links, despite it being a losing effort in the finals, So shouts to Fee. We can't wait to

Thank you, thank you.

We want to make this show as great as possible for you and we need your feedback to do that. So click the link in the show notes take two minutes to fill it out, or you can find it on my Twitter at Sarah Spain and if you fill it out, you'll be entered to win a prize pack.

Thanks slices.

We always love hearing from you, and if you got something you think we should know about, send it our way. Good game at wondermediaetwork dot com or leave us a voicemail at eight seven two two o four fifty seventy like Tim Lowell, who's been keeping us updated on the Women's T twenty Cricket World Cup, and he let us know that Team New Zealand, losers of ten straight T twenty international matches, coming in surprise, they won the whole

To the Kiwis. Don't forget to subscribe, Rate and review slices. It's it's easy.

Watch WNBA commissioner Kathy Engelbert wearing a dress featuring the New York skyline to Game five of the WNBA Finals.

Rating weirdness, review, fashion aside.

It's not a great look for the commissioner of the league to show up to any game, let alone a decisive Game five in a dress that clearly picks a side. Now, there are some Minnesota fans out there who felt like the fix was in, and you might have convinced him it was just standard fan paranoia until they saw that Empire State building planted right between Kathy's collarbone and hips. Heads up for Nwslchemish Jessica Berman, be very careful when

Thanks for listening. See you tomorrow.

Good game, Andrea, good game, New York Liberty. Yes again if you win your franchise's first title of twenty eight years. You deserve a couple back to back good games and use sponsorship deals with companies that cause harm to humans and the environment.

Good game with Sarah Spain.

It's an iHeart women's sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Production by Wonder Media Network, our producers are Alex Azzie and Misha Jones. Our executive producers are Christina Everett, Jesse Katz, Jenny Kaplan, and Emily Rudder. Our editors are Emily Rudder,