The Focus

Mystics Outlook: Game 36 - MIN@WSH

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Ray, Cardell and Wilson break down Washington's loss to Minnesota.

SPEAKER_01

And welcome everyone to Mystic's Outlook. We got Raymond Lyons here, Cardo W Jr. Wilson Tarve Jr., the Washington Mystics having two-game winner streaks snapped. The Lynx beat the Mystics 94-84, which also gives the Lynx a win in their season series that came into tonight's game as we shared with you earlier on Outlook time, one game apiece. Right here in the building, so we'll start with you. Your take on tonight's game and where things kind of went wrong for Washington.

SPEAKER_02

They just were a little shocker more consistently than the Mystics. The first quarter, the Lynx came out firing on all cylinders. Lynx immediately responded with a 10-0 run. The basket was super wide for them in the first quarter. But you know, credit to the Mystics, they um they weathered the early storm and immediately responded. They ended the first quarter with a 26-25 lead. Um, but uh, you know, the Lynx, the number one team will lead for a reason. You know, they they kind of took up the pressure, started um wasn't turnovers. The Mystics looked a little frazzled in the second quarter, and the Lynx started to um to pretty much take control of the game. Um they they won that quarter 24-16. Um, and then it was just kind of a back and forth. But uh, you know, like I said, the Lynx, they they just took advantage of um of the opportunities more. Uh their defense was they were they were harassing the Mystics, man. And um, you know, at points the Mystics handled the pressure pretty well. Um, but at other points they were they were just kind of throwing the ball away uh when they were getting to the paint. They um, you know, they they weren't protecting the ball, and the the links would get their hands in there and cause turnovers. You know, against other teams, those are layups for the Mystics. Um the Lynx were they were super aggressive, and um they were able to uh to make the Mystics kind of do things they they weren't really prepared to do uh offensively. Um Natasha Howard, man, she she was just pinning people under the rim, catching the ball and doing the work. And uh Olivia Miles, just the way she controlled the game, picking her spots, um toggling between setting up her teammates or just getting the job done herself. You know, when she makes it up in her mind to get to the rim, she does an excellent job of getting it to the defender's body and finishing. And um, and yeah, man, she's he's just a handful to deal with. Um they're the Link's three-point shooter. You know, they they started out in the first quarter, um, pulled off a little bit, but you know, during the later stages of the game and pick back up, uh Caleb McGrath pretty much iced the game with two back breaking threes uh late in the fifth quarter, and that was pretty much all she wrote. Um but yeah, man, it is good test for the Mystics. You know, um, of course, uh Minnesota didn't have feet tonight, but uh, you know, there's there's still a formidable team without her. You know, she she wasn't there for a large part of the of the season already, and they were still they still weren't pole position um from the gate. So uh so yeah, man, it's it's just a really good basketball. And um, and you know, kudos to the Messies for sticking in there, but you know, they they still have a ways to go uh in order to get to their level, which is uh which is understandable, but um just playing a few things up, um knock down some free throws. Uh there they struggle shooting from distance tonight and um cleaning up those turnovers, you know, but um yeah, the links they they do improve while they're um their number one team.

SPEAKER_00

Cardinal Yeah, like you know, like we said in uh you know the pregame, to beat Minnesota, you can't beat yourselves. And the the turnovers, uh the the the points they allowed off those turnovers, missing the free throws, um that second quarter, uh when Natasha Kahava went crazy and 11 points and four rebounds on five or five shooting, and they outscored the misses 24-16. That kind of ended up, in a sense, being the gap, the margin of victory that ain't there before the Lynx, man. Um you just can't eat without fees, like Ray said. They know how to play without fees, they play most of the season without her, so adding her is just another nuke that they could just throw at you. But they know how to get down without her, you know what I mean? They they're very comfortable doing that. So it wasn't like it was gonna be uh you know, a less than team and stuff like that. You you can't hurt yourself, you can't beat yourself, and that's what the Mystics did, man. Um you know, even in that, you know, going back to that second quarter, outside of Natasha's production, Minnesota actually flipped the script on Washington. Uh Ray Tusher on their defense, suffocating the Mystics. And they had the Mystics to 37% shooting from the field. Um you know, and out rebounding them 10-8 and get this, had 10 assists to the Mystics four. Only turned the ball over twice with the Mystics and five turnovers in that in that quarter. They had more turnovers than assists. You see what I'm saying? Like that's when that gap you know happened. And when you do that, um Minnesota's gonna make you pay. And that's why you can't help them beat like beat you, man. You you gotta be on point at time. Majority of the game, the Mississippi's were, but it was just little spurts where Minnesota was clicking on all cellators and and the Mystics made mistakes, and Minnesota capitalized off of them. Uh you just can't allow that to happen, man. And even in that quarter, Minnesota had 24, but nine of their points came off the five Mississippi's turnovers for the game. 21 points off of 14 Mississippi's turnovers and 14 turnovers you can live with. Just not against this team. You know what I mean? Like you just now when they only have six for the game, and it it's just tough to overcome that, then they shoot 90% from the free throw line, then they shoot 52% from the field and 40% from the three-point line. So you really didn't take nothing away. You gave them more opportunities to score with the turnovers. Um, and and then, you know, you know, but the the assist game, it was pretty close, 25 uh 21. But they still won that. And obviously the Mystics beat everybody on the ball, so that's hardly ever a concern. But even points to pain was damn near even 40, 36. So yeah, the Mystics really didn't really come out of this with nothing they could really say they won towards trying to show that they can beat this team tonight. And that's what it was, man. And you know, fortunately, uh, you know, 10 of their 10 of their turnovers came from two of their top players, their top two players. Which is tough to overcome, man. And that's why Minnesota has 31 wins and the favorite to win this thing. Uh tough loss for the Mystics, because that means they dropped the seventh currently. Um they gotta figure it out against these top teams because if it keeps going like this, they will be facing uh one of these top teams in the playoffs. And you know, you what you say was in the records 2-1 Minnesota, head to head.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, yeah, they got the they got the tiebreaker tonight within the win.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, so now you got the edge, and if you do see this team in the playoffs, you will be seeing fees unless something happened that we hope don't happen, like an injury or something like that. And you will be in their building. Wrong pains is tough, but they gotta take that next step. On the bright side, I like what I saw out of Georgia because against the last two games against Minnesota, it's been very bad. But look, if you could deal with that defense, you deal with Olivia, still be productive, 10, 5, and 5. She didn't she wasn't the most efficient from the field overall. She was 3-6 from the deep. But if you could deal with that, and she didn't turn the ball over, she's she's tracking. She's tracking in the right way.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, uh, I think that was great. You brought up Jordan. I thought she was solid tonight, but uh, you know, Cardell during pregame, like the Chasta Howard is hit the 20-point mark in every game. These teams have played. I know that was just my little two cents after when during pregame earlier, but it was something I was worried about because for the most part, like, you know, we see Washington have the edge inside um with you know their three-headed monster, whatever. Thomas Howard's been flying this season. Um, she's caused problems uh for them. This, you know, the times when you know Washington's basically have a propensity to kind of step over and help you leave the touch and hower. The first thing she does when when everybody leaves, she finds somebody small and put put them in the dirt, especially. And she's gonna offense a rebound or Minnesota moves the ball so well, like you pointed on a pregame. They move the hell with the ball, then the ball is gonna find the sound. Um, and then even in some of those little gaps, like again, no for her defense. Uh, I don't want to go screen up earlier. She's called the one elbow, little right to left, hit the mid-range jumper. She got the map of a couple awkward uh possessions. Doing what she does, uh, she brings a lot to disabled often overlooked for teams that she's been a part of. Um, you know, I think sometimes people back, you know, what Sia out there earlier with a Stewie, Sue, Jewel. Samsung How was right there, man. That was a big piece of that. Um, and she's been used for them this season. You talked about the use of playing without fee. Um, and Samsung Howard is a big reason why they're they're comfortable playing without fee. Um, because everything is, as you said, it's not a knock on physical here at all. It's just more of a uh, you know, it's covering the gaps of uh to the lakes that they built around to where you have the perfect running mate. Like the piece is a running mate that Asian hasn't been able to have yet. Where you can go nuclear, or if you're not there, it's kind of like, oh, good, okay, I wouldn't have this. Like Howard's right there, she's fully capable um of doing what needs to be done. So in that first game this season, she had 20 and six and then five steals. The game the Mystics won, she had 21 points, 15 rebounds. Um, and then tonight, 21 points on 7-12 shooting, uh, seven rebounds, five assists, and three blocks. Right. You know, we talk about things that you know, witches killers, missing killer, what have you. The Thompson Howard has been that this season for Washington. And like you said, if you know, because of this game and implications on it, if if you end up seeing Minnesota later, like that's still a problem that has to be solved, whether fees is there or fees is not there. Washington has to solve along with the turnovers. You have to solve it in the Thompson Howard problem. Um, you have yet to solve it. Your own three with that issue that you know that that she presents. Um, she has presented this season. You guys had anything else you wanted to add before you know I put player game up? All right, what was up on the screen? What do you guys got for tonight?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, Natasha was ball about it. Yeah, man. One of the most dominant rookies we've ever seen.

SPEAKER_01

Nothing to have, no arguments, nothing. Amen.

SPEAKER_00

Natasha, man, you might have to just roll her, man. She uh look, every player is just you you have that one player in the league or wherever level you're playing at that you just struggle with. Shakira struggles with Natasha Howell. I don't know what it is, man. Like it is it's consistent. It's like he she loves seeing Shakira. And I get it ain't all on Shakira because you know they're switching and all that, man. But the head to head, it's just crazy. It's crazy, man. But she got the size and the athleticism, and and she got years on Shakira. So um it's not that she hasn't seen. We remember young Natasha when she was when she was with Stewie, you know what I mean? Like with Sue and all that and winning all those rings, so on a position with all those rings. And uh so I uh you know, she's been around the block a while, man. But she still can get it done as we all can see. So she's she's the X Factor for real. Um, they gotta do something about her. Matter of fact, she's the X Factor for them, period. Uh but we just got that way done.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah. Um, all right. Well, we will get to some of these comments we got here. Let me see. Jumped out here with three straight comments, and we will get them on the screen. Ain't put out uh pulled this out in a while, but they got that old trusty belt tonight.

SPEAKER_00

I ain't gonna quite go that far. It was competitive.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, it was it was a winnable game. Uh, you know, just in Spurs, the Lynx just like when it when it was bad for the Mystics, it it got it a little bad. But you know, to that point, like just the Groupers team early in the season. This is this is this is a blowout because they they wouldn't have been able to maintain their composure and regroup fast enough before that snowball uh just got downhill. So um, so yeah, that that just shows how they matured, but but yeah, Minnesota different.

SPEAKER_01

I mean, Cardello said it several times this year. You know, we talk about uh going back to those aces games, championship level teams. There's a reason that they won. There's a gap. You have to close that gap. Like those games with the aces, we just saw the aces execute in different spurts, and that that was the separator. Um, tonight, like Ray talked about, yeah, earlier in the season, they start that Minnesota council. Washington doesn't, you know, they they don't hold their ground um and return fire and then end up leading at that middle first. Um, but again, those little things, those, those, those small areas that decide winning games, yeah, man. This is why Minnesota's right there. This is why the aces were able to separate when they had to like Washington has to continue to approve, as you guys mentioned, to try to close the gaps on those teams. And Cardo keeps saying it. You can't, you're already going against the damn good team. You can't help them put you away. And unfortunately, Washington is they continue to play a role in their own demise against top-level teams.

SPEAKER_00

And that's a sign of their youth. That's what young teams do. They're inexperienced. Older teams don't do that. You know, you might have a couple plays, but it's not like five minutes of it. It's literally just one or two plays, and they they they they can correct things. And we also cannot, you know, Cheryl, man. Um I know Becky White there too, but she the best coach in the game, man. She knows what to do. She's been in every situation. It's not nothing new. Uh, she done seen it all, man. So uh let's be real. When Fees got injured, we know they drafted Olivia. We wasn't expecting them to be at the top of the league. Nobody was. You know what I mean? And they came out the gate just killing. And then they lost um they lost Letisha Hyman, you know what I mean? And I think they let her go because she got the bag, but they knew Zay was going to try to get Olivia on one of the guards anyway. But you you got the coaching aspect, not saying that the missing coach Sydney, like he did something bad, and like that's not what it was. That's not what I'm saying. It's just that experience of understanding how to get your team right to win games, game in and game out, because of all the championships they won. Um she rarely gets talked about like she should. Even you know, it's a reason why she's been USA coach the last couple of years of times. Uh resume speaks for herself. Like we we we started covering the W when she was leading the charge when they was dynasty mode with Maya, Sylvia, Rebecca Brunson, like all the all those um Simone, um the point guard. I don't know why her name slips my mind right now. And uh point guard from Minnesota. Whalen. Lindsey Whalen, yeah. Lindsey Whalen. She she knows how to coach talent and she knows how to get the best out of players. It's it's been consistent, man. So yeah, they're a problem now that they got man, they got that that rookie, man. It done changed everything. So keeping fees healthy, it's gonna be tough. It's gonna be tough.

SPEAKER_01

And just to add on to your point about the coaching, um, yeah, Whalen's on their staff with Brunson, too. Um, you want to talk about something that's great for a young guard? You got sure you and Lindsay Whalen.

SPEAKER_00

He won he won with his pops as an assistant. And I'm pretty sure he he's he didn't like how he had it, you know, got the exit out of DC. So every chance he gets, he wants to get. I I know he do. You know, we used to call him little T. So you know what I'm saying. I mean, so yeah, they got an accomplished staff full of winners. They just seen everything. That's hard to game plan for.

SPEAKER_01

Uh I think the worst part about the free throw is she's got our two best shooters, our best two shooters barely get to the line.

SPEAKER_00

You know what? The bigs don't always get to the line because of their style of play. They play, they play inside out. So, but regardless, I I'm not worried about them. I'm worried about when they get there, make them that that's that's been the issue all season. And again, again, they missed what six free throws. It's a different ball game. Minnesota only missed one, nine to ten. They didn't get to the line a lot either. And Olivia and they damn sure was driving. So this was just one of them games the refs was like, nah, y'all go ahead, do get out. So it is what it is. But if you're gonna get there, make them like Shakira. Uh she was three for four, Kiki was five for seven. You know, it's just players that miss one or two, but they add up and in these types of games against the top teams. You gotta hit them, man. Because think about it, at home you lose by 10 with these mistakes, and it was closer than what the 10-point margin is, it was a lot closer. But imagine if they was in Minnesota, it's probably 15 to 20 in that range now because you gotta account for the crowd and certain players not playing well because they on the road, and this is why you just can't beat yourself and make those minor mistakes.

SPEAKER_01

Uh sad part is this was one of Georgia's best games, as long as you were playing for the other team in that first half of the turn goes.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, she ain't had the best game. Um I hate to say it, and you know, they teammates and all that, but Olivia knows her game though. So that's that's just tough. Like, you gotta get somebody else to kind of guard her. Because you can see when you see her gardener, it's just she like, oh, this this practice right now. You know how it used to go. That's it. You can tell that's how I look. So now everybody about to see how it used to go behind closed doors. So you can just tell.

SPEAKER_01

Uh if they make the playoffs versus these top uh versus these two top teams, oh man.

SPEAKER_00

Um obviously the links. So you're talking about the Valkyries or that and the Aces, or you I mean honestly, out of those three, you gotta throw the Aces in there because Asia, you know.

SPEAKER_01

So they did, dog.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, you gotta kill it off.

SPEAKER_01

You gotta kill it off. So you lay her down, and I need to see the body. They in the next like that's where I'm at with it. I'm sorry.

SPEAKER_00

Since since we on doom, since we on doomsday watch, we're gonna talk tomorrow. This is when Thor hit him put the axe in his chest. He said, You should have gone for the head. That's the aces. You gotta take them out, you gotta go for the head. Yeah, so until that happens, they still right there. But yeah, I I think out of those three for the mystics, the best matchup is the Valkyries because they're not the most potent offensively, they they it's a defensive battle, and they got the size and versatility up front to try to take advantage of them. So right now they would be playing the Valkyries because I believe they're seventh now with the loss. So they'll be playing with a playing the Valkyries. Uh stay out that eighth spot. You don't want that problem. You don't want those problems. And you don't want to see it, and and I and to be real, I mean as a competitor, you you don't care, but let's just we being realistic about what we've seen throughout the season. That's our job. Uh, you don't want to see playoff Asia either, Jackie Young. Um, we saw what Jackie did. You don't want to see the playoff version of them, they they're a different album, right? Look, we saw them last year. We thought they was dead the last year. Look what happened.

SPEAKER_01

The nation wrote their obituary last year until they said they wasn't dead.

SPEAKER_00

So yeah, what Wilson said, well, you know, what Bane was from Dark Knight, bring me the body. Is aware of the body?

SPEAKER_01

I need proof, and I need like proof of light twice before I'm like, okay, they out of here. Like, I need it twice, though. Like I need sign death certificate, man. I need it. Uh with the selfie next to it, like I need it. He imagined, I need that. Just text the photo.

SPEAKER_00

I mean, he got sure. Just text the photo. Oh, yeah, cool. Otherwise, you gotta get that bane treatment. He went down the sewage range. Go find him. You go find him. That's what I got called because you're playing games, bro. You gotta take that sister out.

SPEAKER_02

But I mean the Uh Mystics making the playoffs is that's a good step for where they are. Like regardless who they play in, man. Like that's that's the progression you would want to see. Get the playoff this year, get a taste of it. Then you come back. This young team is one season more experience with some postseason action, and next year it can get interesting. So um, so yeah, I like the trajectory they on for sure.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, and then go ahead, Burdo. And the other thing to add to that, what Ray said, I think this can kind of be the first offseason where a lot of these ladies don't have to go overseas. They could just stay home, remunerate, and work out and get prepared for next season. And you know, they can just let their bodies rest instead of just grinding, grinding, grinding, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, which is gonna be huge for what's it called? This this is the second straight year. You brought in like three, four rookies. This rookie class definitely they're gonna they definitely need to make the most of that offseason. Like you said, folks don't gotta go overseas, like get their get this together. So uh, you know, now they know what it takes. So you mentioned earlier this year, um, to compete in the W. Um, yeah, he was just agreeing what you guys were just talking, forgot all about Golden State, what's about them too? Like, yeah, it's true for nasty up top.

SPEAKER_00

If they got that choice, holler at Golden State dog. Because the link's gonna be a mother, and again, play off Asia. See, ain't gonna be letting Jackie do her thing. No, feed me, and then y'all play off me, and that's when the 40 and 15, 5 AJ gonna show up. And that that's that's a totally different problem, man.

SPEAKER_02

I nail her full throttle for 38 minutes.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, no, she and she got y'all got her full attention, like I don't gotta worry about the next game flying here. Like, we I'm locked in on the miss. That's that's we've seen it too much. That's a totally different animal.

SPEAKER_01

Definitely get off that. Um how do y'all think they can improve the rate the guards get to the free throw line?

SPEAKER_02

I mean, I think Cardell, yeah, he but Cardell touched on it earlier, just that style of play, the bigs is going, it's gonna go through the bigs more often, so they're gonna get a bulk of the free throws. That's that's just how it is, and it's been successful. Like, I don't I don't think we want to switch everything up to try to hope that the guards get more free throws. I mean uh they how they play fits their personnel.

SPEAKER_00

The wild thing is the team in free throw attempts. She's 5.7, she leads the team in free throw attempts. And I think she got the yeah, she got the best percentage on the team. You know, it the problem is the bigs don't shoot it well. Uh I mean Shakira shoots 73%, but that's pretty close to the drop in the 60s. And and Kiki shoots 64%, and all of them get the most free throws. And then you got Cody, but Cody gets downhill. That's what I mean. You got to drive with purpose. You can't drive and shoot runners and floaters and look for a foul call. Uh the W's filled you. So you gotta go on there and throw, you gotta take the hit. You got to take the hit. And um, they don't always take the hit. They be trying to throw wild hooks and stuff, and the ref's not gonna reward that.

SPEAKER_01

Like you said earlier, um, when they get there, they gotta make them. They get to the line more than enough. Even even a game like tonight, you got two good defensive teams. Carter, I think you mentioned a pregame, the links were a second beyond like the Aces in terms of how much they don't foul um you know per game. And you still got to the line more than the Lynx did. So if you're getting if you're getting to the line more than a team who rarely fouls, get there and make them. Like get there and make them, make the most out of it. The way you play, because there's not consistent, you don't have the consistent cover of perimeter shooting. That means when you go to the line, as a team, y'all need to be shooting closer to 80 somewhere. You can't afford to leave free throws on the table. Um, between the free throws and then the turnovers is against good teams, you end up losing possessions between those two things. Um, and you just can't afford it. Uh, they also uh Air 11 team wanted to say, but I don't know, because any team that can shoot threes well will put them at a disadvantage. So what about the Mystics playoff uh chances and potential matchups?

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, but um it's not all about three-point shooting. I mean, I get it, but they gotta go all that well. To me, the biggest issue is the main issue that's been there all season is the turnovers. Mystics are dead last, man. They're dead last. They average 15 turnovers a game, they are dead last. And right now, where they sit um playing the Golden State Valkyries, they're fifth in the WBA. They score 16.6 points per game off of turnovers. Team tonight, they lead the league. They score 19 points off of turnovers a game, man. You cannot turn the ball over again. Like, you can't turn the ball over against any team, but you can't do it against the better teams. You know, Atlanta Dream is second with 18. Uh Portland 5, 16.9. They got to because they can't really score that well in the Indiana Field the same way. Like, it's a reason for that. So you keep giving them extra possessions, especially live ball where your most of your team is behind and they just off to the races. Oh, they're gonna get easy passes, and they already can score efficiently. Like, you know what I mean? So, I mean, what what the hell did I say going into this game? Minnesota was oh, I'm gonna pull it up. Second and field goal percentage, 48.5, first and three-point percentage, 39.4, and fifth and free throw percentage 80.9 as a team, bro. Like they don't miss without you helping them. So now you're gonna give them a live alternative. Now it's three on one, three on two, two on one, and those types constantly in those situations, you're gonna lose. You're gonna lose, man. It's as simple as that.

SPEAKER_01

You get so like you say, with those numbers, you're giving the team that shoots from those three places extra possessions.

SPEAKER_00

And also, the Mystics is wild, they're they they're dead last in point in turnovers, but they're dead last in scoring off of those off of turnovers. 13.7. So they do not help themselves at all, man. So yeah, man. It's just it's it's too many leaks, man. You you can't cover up all those leaks, man.

SPEAKER_01

Uh I think the last one, uh, y'all think this play style, excuse me, is capable of winning in the playoffs when teams can focus on it more, not just this season.

SPEAKER_00

Yeah, because then the defender champs go play inside out. The difference is they're gonna turn the ball over. See your common thing. You can't do it in a regular season, you damn sure can't do it in the playoffs, man. Because the killer's gonna play most of the game and they're gonna get the ball even more. So you just can't. You can't afford to make these mistakes.

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, um, that's the thing. That's been the biggest thing we talk about. We have been talking about all season long. Um, is the most important thing, is one of the most damning things because we've seen when think about all the times this year when the team does take care of the ball. Like we've seen this, they have those weird quarters when they turn it off five times, seven times. Then they'll respond to come back in the game because what did they do? They didn't turn it over for like a long stretch, and all of a sudden, you watch a team that has a top five defense get stops, not turn it over, and score efficiently in half court. But you they rob themselves so much of it when you give the other team the ball, like it has been a gaming issue for them all year long, and we've seen it play out so many different ways. When they take care of it, they're hard as hell to they're hard as hell to stop because of the way they play. But when you can't get the ball inside, or the ball gets inside, and it's on its way back out, or it takes too long, or something goes wrong, and then again you play inside out. That means two of your bigs is below the free-throw line when you turn it over. And how many times we see when they turn it over, it turns in an A1 opportunity is far too much. Um, and then oh it feels like it's always a lot of ball turnovers. I swear it's I know they do have that ball turnovers, it just doesn't ever feel like it. It feels like every one of them is spot at all times. Um, and then you just can't get back, man. And they don't have the way because of the way they play, they just don't have enough firepower to overcome those things. And Cardellas, you you continue to mention play really good teams, it's a different type of game because now you're falling, you're falling behind by possessions because those teams are that efficient, and you can't make up that. You can't make that ground up against really good teams.

SPEAKER_00

The Mystic's a ninth in fouls, 19.9. So they put people on the foul line a lot, but they're second in defense, second in points allowed, second in defensive rating. So they could just start fouling and not turn the ball over, they gonna be tough to beat. And they don't even score the ball that efficiently. But they kill you on the second chance points, and they kill you inside points in the paint, they kill you, and that's their advantage. But and then you can play outside, you know, when they get double and stuff, you know, backdoor cuts and all that. That's when the missus are at their best. Um, but they they just gotta stop hurting themselves, man.

SPEAKER_01

Not for sure. Um, we will check it with you guys. This is the last game of a homestand they went to and went on this homestand. Cardell said they he said they dropped the seventh after this win today, right? Um, so we'll see how that goes. I know they're going on the road for a little bit, so we'll check it with you guys Sunday evening. Um, and hopefully watch it get back on the win side of things. But those things that we've been talking about all season, things Ray and Cardell were just talking about, that's that's gonna matter the rest of the way out. Um, so we'll see if they can bounce back from this because you need everyone you can while you're trying to jockey for playoff position, especially some of the places we would not like them to end up. Um, so we'll see how that goes. Appreciate you guys. Y'all have a great evening.