WNBA Chicago Sky vs Washington Mystics Full Game || May 15, 2021

moves most efficiently and with things such as landing balancing even posturally just standing and how she sits and walks so coach tebow did not give us a timetable on exactly when we might see her back but he did say we're not counting on having her for a while tiffany [Music] thanks so much kim but we know they are eagerly awaiting her return as we are just about set to tip here from d.c it's the mystics and sky in action sky controlling the ball first portland vander sloot running the show for chicago one of the best assisters in the game [Music] salute always looking to get her teammates involved turns it over here as candace parker hands it over as leilani mitchell back the other way natasha cloud finds ariel atkins on the wing wide open and knocks it down first three points of the game and that was one of the biggest concerns defensively for james wade is the transition of the washington mystics in particular with natasha cloud back in the lineup this is a chicago sky team who can put up a lot of points high powered with the addition of candace parker very interesting but good defense there from the mystics deflected that shot from stephanie dolson [Applause] one of the things that we'll see is a lot of transition up and down the court here's one example well it is very hard to stop natasha cloud when she has a full head of steam and there's two point guards on the floor with cloud and leilani mitchell so the ball movement should be good for mike tebow's team and that is a staple of their offense tina charles who is looking to have a grand season here cloud finds her on the wing she's one who could step out and shoot everybody can stretch the floor for mike tebow place on off the mark there [Music] chicago sky getting used to kind of this new team as that last preseason game against the fever in which they won that was the first time that kansas parker touched the floor for the sky they dump it off to her copper to sky and there's candace parker's first two points of this one good two-man game between parker and copper notice that tina charles is guarding candace parker that is the match-up to watch early [Applause] mitchell coming off bowling finds teresa placeholm's play songs who is a really good three-point shooter and a good example right there theresa pleasant is healthy she has had some back issues and surgeries over the last few years but mike tebow was encouraged by how she came in physically and you're right she can stretch the floor she's exactly what their offense calls for parker stepping out for three and knocking it down candace parker the last couple of seasons has had some excellent shooting seasons and then a quick turn over underneath the bask in the sky get it right back [Music] [Applause] good ball movement by chicago spreading the floor you see parker always pointing always dictating defense sagging and she gets it to go and diamond deceils there with the bucket glad to see her back and healthy as she left the bubble late in august with a quad injury but she is looking to have a nice comeback season here as a charge called on atkins [Music] good job by chicago there packing the paint anticipating the drive and acting just a little bit out of control think about diamonds the shields going back to her third overall pick by the sky back in 2018 turn pro as a junior and one of the important pieces to this offense but also defensively as well looking to see her step things up on that end of the floor we know what she could do offensively copper who's coming off a breakout season is able to knock down the three i'm just in awe of khalia copper and how she continues to add dimensions to her game we see her hit the three but that's what she does best she's a slasher incredibly explosive she doesn't get enough credit for the player she's been in this league and you see good defense they're just riding atkins all the way personal foul called against the sky khalia copper is a rutgers product but nigelini had 30 last night well coppers joining the party hits the outside shot good ball movement and sharing the ball there candace parker and good heads up play by the shields you mentioned her defense this year being more important gets the steal and copper gets the finish [Music] charles fall back no good running in for that rebound and skying was copper [Applause] [Music] stephanie dolson leaves it short [Applause] natasha cloud back in a mystics uniform after opting out of last season wanting to focus on social justice [Applause] and you'll really see chicago pack the paint defensively james wade has three areas of focus for his defense one of them is taking away points in the paint so we saw a charge earlier we saw them collapsing there they'll spend a lot of time and force washington to get hot from the long range blaz once again putting it up and she's got five points just two or four from the floor now for theresa please honestly [Applause] [Music] the chicago sky team turns it over here come the mystics leilani mitchell you mentioned one of the point guards he could run a really important piece for this crew along with natasha cloud who has a clear path to the basket and then [Applause] into shield spending too much time preparing for that screen leaves the lane wide open and if you are going to prepare to ice you have got to make sure you got some help back there again another turnover for the sky in transition cloud finds mitchell playing a little two-man ball the trifecta is short in the wnba's leading rebounder season ago comes up with it vander sloot over to copper and that's exactly what courtney vander sloot does she can help assist whatever dish you like it she's got and this is what we're expecting to see from chicago again with the focus on the defensive end with de shields and copper that transition game two of the best facilitators in this league with vander sloot and candace parker leilani mitchell leaves that short although a really good three point shooter but vander sloot coming off the season where she had an nba record ten assists per game that was the first time a player average double digits but again trying to get in sync offensively here on really both sides of the floor with china 4 48 remaining in this first quarter it's chicago up by four on the road the wnba let's keep doing that okay let's share the ball let's enjoy it enjoy the process okay there's only so many times you get to start the season okay come on let's go [Applause] that's the veteran leadership that you just absolutely love and hearing that legitima i want to play with candice parker if i could well that's why james wade was excited about her coming to chicago because she is a player that knows how to get over the hump having led a team to a championship carry the load on her shoulders she knows how to do that and be that and that's what she brings to a chicago team they needed her experience he said that she was the missing piece for that group with chyna and so we'll see how she bolsters this lineup and what she's able to do throughout the scene of the season charles putting up two points her first of the game well coming out of that timeout you can tell mike tebow said we have to get tina charles the ball he made it clear to us we are running plays through her he wants her to get touches she is screaming for it on the back side they have got to get the ball in their hands more often allie quigley checking in for the sky 14 in black leading scorer from a season ago but khalia copper is pacing the way so far for the sky off the mark there clouds getting out half court set and shavante and zealous in the ball [Music] game and right now when you are assessing just what you're seeing from chicago on the offensive and what stands out to you well i mean this team is just starting to play together right allie quigley and courtney vander flute arrived late you know they've got players that are still coming in in quarantine protocol so not all the pieces are here good transition basket by kara leslie but they're still working through the kinks but you see them trying to move the ball quickly and trying to get as many hands touching it and getting the defense to react as they can well vander slooten quickly had a special connection on the court as they had it off the court as well they found each other quite a bit and a student do fall called for the traveling violation one thing i think people don't understand about the wnba is that these players are coming from playing in other countries in other systems using different terminology with different players so it's not like it's just been an off season with the same team we had last year because many of the pieces are returning you're on a completely different team to that point lacrina when you look at this washington mystics group i mean we've seen three different iterations of it over the last three season and they've got to get a mix of players like tina charles who opted out last season because of medical reasons and then those who came over from overseas after playing every day that's a nice balance that you have to find as quigley knocking it down on the other end she has the most points in team history and she is one of the best three-point shooters in the game last possession for washington tina charles got that touch on the low block she was patient enough to let the defense work in this time showing that she can knock it down from the outside and that's going to be important aspect of her game playing in this washington mystic system is can she knock down the long ball consistently again mike tebow likes to have those pose who can pick and pop shooting it from deep just checking in is brittany boyd jones and jones who was signed on an emergency hardship with azeray stevens out and again we keep mentioning the first part of this season especially the first week or two very different look for a lot of teams because they're still adding pieces and waiting for players to fill out the roster [Applause] allie quigley can't get free of kyra leslie but right here on the stretch brittany boyd jones not known for knocking down the three consistently but does it there and that's the way you want to start out the season you know get an opportunity to hit a roster other coaches other teams are watching and tina charles is going to get a break here [Music] [Applause] inbound violation for washington so they hand the ball over [Music] well as a part of the historic 25th season the wnba launched the inaugural commissioner's cup in season competition make sure you download the wnba app to check out the schedule leaderboard and to connect with fans live during the commissioner's cup games there'll be 60 in total 10 13. [Music] and that is something that we are all looking forward to something new and it just breeds another level of competition within the season yeah i mean i just love the new cba i think there are so many things included in this year's cba or the new cba that make the wnba better all the way around yes the commissioner's cup but we saw the effects of a player movement because there's more money to go around for top players and gm's having to make tough decisions by the way we need more teams we have to have expansion players like lexi brown should be on a roster indeed and that's one of the you know difficult parts you have a total of 144 players in total across 12 teams and you know kathy engelbert you know said that these 60 games and going throughout the first part of the season is just going to again make it all the more entertaining and more importantly some prize money up for grabs as well can we just hit on that 500 000 okay bottom line can we get to the point [Music] money please and we saw that more with the cba as you mentioned as diamonds and shields in transition and what athleticism and length that she adds to the perimeter lacina she's just fun to watch i mean look at her in the passing lane pressuring the basketball and she was as disappointed as anyone that she was not healthy last year only played in 13 games [Applause] [Music] 22-19 [Music] in favor of chicago [Music] this presentation of the wnba presented by google will continue after this message and a word from our abc stations [Applause] the wnba on abc i'm joined by kalia copper khalia coach wade has been preaching defense with this group how do you think you guys have executed on that end so far i think he's definitely challenged us me and diamond especially on just leading this team to be more defensive minded i think we're out there right now picking up early making catches much tougher fighting over screens so we're just trying to set the tone early and this is your first time sharing the floor with candace parker in live game action how do you like how the offense is flowing with her on the floor so far it just flows better we're such a great inflow team and she's just that point forward for us great passer i love to play with her on the wing and i think she's been a great vocal leader also thank you so much for the time kalia you're welcome thank you to kim's point about the defense for chicago i mean that's where they weren't very good last year you know their offense was fantastic their defense needed help and james wade actually sat copper and diamond de shields down and showed them video of elena beard he wants him to be that type of lockdown defender and beard as you know tiffany as good as it gets on that into the floor and when you think about just the style that he wants to implement he said yeah i started in thinking about you know doing my offensive set first and trying to install that when i first came but now i want to move to an aggressive disruptive style and you think about the time they've had to do that this is more of a traditional sense of having time in camp and getting to know your personnel with some additions and again it starts with the athletic wings through the shields and copper copper was also really important in that ten nothing run back in the first quarter that helped them stretch their lead out but now washington closing that gap to just one devonte zvelis knocked down a couple of free throws there mike tebow's excited about having some more experience on this roster a player like zelis who has played on several different teams and again can bring that experience into you do fall and she makes it in second stint with the chicago sky straight up to dallas and then release after the 20 season and side with chicago a lot of off-season movement as you mentioned [Music] china i think i'm curious to know what move stood out to you moses that was a nice find underneath the basket from the shields and do fall definitely candace parker for sure i mean i think it was rather surprising at least to me i knew that you know things in la were a little disappointing in how they ended in last couple seasons but that was definitely what stood out defense just everyone's heads turned ball watching and that's something that we've heard players talk about when candace parker is on the floor she's the one that turns hit but there's a great admiration just on this sky team for the talents of what everybody can do charles getting the touch finding the double team and do fall she's trying to figure out she says well my hands were straight up that's at least what she's arguing to the referee but charles draws the file shows you to come i mean tina's asking for the basketball and when she gets it in there boyd jones really didn't make her presence felt i don't know about that one might have been so body but it looked clean up top [Music] well let's take a look at the upcoming national tv schedule today on abc this is the first of a double header here at three eastern you've got the las vegas aces taking on the defending champ seattle storm then sunday on cbs sports network it's the liberty and fever followed by the mercury and phonetics connecticut sun well i'll talk about those games yesterday and opening day you've got sabrina unesco dropping the game winner how about dinah terrazzi as well with her late game heroics [Applause] what a fun opening night sabrina nescu with the double double with points assists had some rebounds as well you mentioned benigelani with the 30 points last night her teammate but dirty diana hitting the game winner struggled a little bit from the floor early but when it counts dt is going to show up and she did that last night she had a full stat line 14 points eight rebounds five assists three blocks i also like the way the young dallas wing squads look candace parker knocking that one down from the outside but wings got a win over the la sparks in their opener a big one a 94-71 decision as alicia gray was able to lead all scorers with 23 points of course she got that new contract multi-year deal [Applause] dish left short by the shields [Applause] [Music] mystics trying to cut this seven point deficit down with just over seven and a half remaining in the second quarter charles trying to get position good matchup here that you'll want to see as charles and parker going head to head atkins on the rebound and off the miss vander sloot all the way in and bounces off hard bounce pass to charles charles gets it right back to pup back and ron washington doing a much better job of involving the charles in the offense and really starting their offense with her it's a different look for the mystics and some possessions going right to her in the post but this time in transition she sticks with it one thing mike tebow told us is tina charles came in in incredible shape she said her and her trainer in brooklyn were working they had a gym that they found that was open obviously with covet everyone doesn't have access to facility but tina did and she is a professional and very methodical in how she prepares for the season and she's ready to go yeah she just talked about aligning herself physically mentally spiritually trying to restore the joy that she found and playing all those years we mentioned a former mvp won it back in 2012 and she's got 11 points to lead all scorers here this afternoon dolson sees adrian just out when she'll go to the charity stripe and shoot a couple theresa plays songs whistled for her first personal foul stephanie dolson took that one in on her for herself that was you know she kept it but she is also a very good facilitator i mean when you look at the passing ability of dolson parker and flute on the floor the ball's going to move and as this offense and these players get used to playing together it's going to be a lot of fun to watch originally drafted by washington back in 2014. and dalston is the one who shot the ball exactly well in the rubble especially twofers last season charles working on parker and throws it too strong too tall and over the head of mitchell for more let's check in with kim adams yeah tiffany lachina you guys were just talking about how good that chicago ball movement can look at times and we talked to diamond de shields yesterday and she told us that sometimes watching practice i mean she just becomes a fan girl of her own teammates she can't believe some of the plays her team can make she said she watched a two-man game with candice parker and courtney vanderslew and it nearly brought tears to her eyes it was so beautiful so diamonds of shield certainly sees the capabilities that this group can have tiffany well yeah diamond de shields also just you know mentioned how much it means for her to play with a player like candice parker what it means for her to be there a player that she idolized and wanted to be like growing up used to dawn tennessee gear all the time got a chance to play at her dream school the fact that these two are on the same team candace parker has a lot of admiration and respect for diamond the shield she's talking about hey look she's like me you know personality-wise when i was that age and she just loves what she brings to support candace excited about helping diamond to see her defensive potential she said it was sandy brondello and olaf in russia that first convinced candace parker that she needed to focus more on the defensive end how special she could be on that end well she was defensive player of the year last year and now she's trying to help diamond the shields find that aspect of her game the left hand with the shot clock winding down from mitchell won't go and then some contact underneath the basket golson is fouled and speaking of which that was a great defensive possession there by the chicago sky timeout taken on the court candice parker cp3 she could do a little bit of everything step back eyeing down the three knocking it down okay girl we see three players in nba and wnba history to win mvp finals mvp and defensive player of the year and rookie of the year quite an impressive list elite company lacina yeah candice parker tamika catchings and michael jordan congratulations to tamika catchings going into the naismith hall of fame she is the best two-way player to ever played in the wnba in my opinion and there are a lot of great ones but her defensive prow is consistently in this league second to none and the accolades will tell the story but there's been a lot of great ones though cheryl cruz is another one that did it on both ends we're excited for tamika and kim mulkey and barbara stevens some of the folks on the women's side uh going into the hall of fame yeah shout out to tamika catchings just an olympian a wnba champion and the general manager of the indiana speedway proud moment as she joined kevin garnett to duncan and and hey you have to also remark that candice parker and tamika catching both went to tennessee so oh yeah that credit has to be back to pac summit you know the late great pass summit and how important defense was to her and what those two players have accomplished goes back to her as well i think in talking with candace parker last season and just what it meant for her to win the defensive player of the year it was a hallmark of pat summitt teams to rebound and so the fact that she was able to lead the league in rebounding and that was really the cornerstone of what made her so good on the defensive end it's something that she felt like that summit would be proud and is looking down smiling right now he's playing at a very high level to have been in this league 13 years in her 14th season and they've had a lot of injuries eight knee surgeries to be exact [Music] [Applause] natasha cloud rejected there by parker back the other way up in transition and copper finishes it off if you run in the chicago sky transition offense the ball will find you [Music] aerial atkins stepping back 4-3 charles trying to battle for that rebound underneath able to do so dumps it off to atkins and again finds cp3 swatting it away shields keeping her balance copper all the way in too strong tina charles the leading scorer for the mystics has to get going she's the only player in double figures for washington and right now just out of sorts well mike tebow did share that their offense is a work in progress but what's not a work in progress is candace parker using that length at the rim and then the passing ability so dynamic and that's been her imprint on this game of women's basketball so many players we've talked to speak about how they looked up to candace parker it's all the different things she can do on the court on both ends the transcendent player is what her head coach james wade mentioned of her and he said all she had to do was be herself that was the pitch to get her to chicago and you see the impact she's making already and i say that from the bottom of my heart i left naperville at 18 years old and now i'm returning at 35 and the lessons i've learned being gone have brought me back home candace parker trying to make shy town title town and funny enough on the other side during the timeout we saw elena della don getting her team together that's exactly what she helped to bring to washington back in 2019 the franchise's first ever championship as parker knocks that one down and so even though she's not able to play right now and they're awaiting her return as kim mentioned she has still been a vocal leader and getting in the huddle and making herself known her presence spelled even though she's not on the court something you talked about earlier was the phases of this washington mystics team as you see elena deladon there on your screen and natasha cloud is coming back this year you bring in tina charles you bring in elena deladon but you have no emma miseman you have no maisha heinz allen right now this is where you see elena deladon really giving some instruction to this team so there's a lot of new pieces and players that didn't play last year a lot of players that weren't on that wnba championship team two years ago so you know we're going to see the best of this mystic squad as they get healthier and as they get kind of all of their players back in rotation and hopefully eventually emma meesa in back good defense there and then they turn it right back over one of the things that you know mike tebow talked about was having some realistic expectations they are not going to be the best version of themselves right now but in time they will get there and statistically if you know the washington mystics and their offense the three-point shot is very important to them and they are not knocking down the three well right now so knocking down some shots from long range would definitely help winningest coach in wnba history mike tebow and he sees that lead extend as copper hits the first of two free throws tebow a three-time wnba coach of the year and what he's really focused on especially over last season was trying to make sure developing young players in this system because he was focused on the long term and not necessarily playing the short game and that's how you've seen him approach this season as you mentioned lachina with the phases [Music] [Applause] [Music] and right now they've got to find some spark plug to get them going just nine of thirty four you mentioned [Applause] from three-point range right now three of 14 [Applause] from beyond the arc the fade away from cloud as the shot clock was winding down and turnovers were one of the things that mike tebow mentioned what is that for them in their preseason games 13 chicago points off of washington turnovers we've seen the sky get into transition and then make the most of that so turnovers and definitely hitting some outside shots to knock excuse me to open up the interior so tina charles can get some touches erica mccall on the floor capable of scoring inside the three-point line as well but floor's just not balanced right now for d.c get on the lane kiara you gotta love being able to listen in to the coaches and players they're kind enough to wire themselves up so we can get a little inside and hear some of the action taking you to the floor from why we are talking about mike tebow what a job he did last season in the bubble in bradenton i mean for washington to make the playoffs with everything they were missing maisha heinz allen being their leading scorer who saw that coming she averaged a career two points and was fantastic i can't wait to see when she gets back this could ultimately be the best front line in the wnba in the deepest if they get emma back as well yeah heinz allen currently playing in france so they are keeping eye on how she's doing overseas meanwhile we talk about all these pieces they added an important piece with alicia clark in the off season a defensive stopper [Music] who injured herself while playing in france she's recovering from a foot injury there she is and coming up at the half there will be plenty to talk about obviously our next game with the aces and the storm a rematch of last year's championship game coming up on wnba halftime report presented by state farm of course we'll also talk about candace parker's debut with the chicago sky as well as the 2021 predictions as well would you like to chime in on perhaps if you think the storm can repeat or will the mystics at full strength make a run at another title it all remains to be seen though i think seattle always has an opportunity when you've got sue bird and brianna stewart on the floor but my favorite is definitely the las vegas aces with the return of liz campage and i'm not someone that thinks that asia wilson won't repeat as mvp just because liz cambage is back his history will tell us there's been several instances where players one mvp has a teammate that has averaged 17 or more points per game we'll see wilson take the court a couple of great young players the new stars of the league asia wilson and brianna stewart will be in action coming up after our game [Music] [Applause] and i know you mentioned you know alicia clark and her injury in my pre-season predictions washington definitely took a couple of slides slightly to come to spots in my pre-season predictions when she got injured because i just thought she was going to be a key cog for this team and you see her post surgery liz prank i think is the name of the injury but don't quote me on that legitimate but you know the way that she can stretch the floor and how tough she is defensively this is a washington team that lost ariel powers you know some other changes as well with tiana hawkins no longer playing latoya sanders retiring i just thought clark was going to be a perfect fit here and that's one of the question marks is who's going to step up or what they would have gained in that at that position [Applause] in transition cloud and mccall just loses the grip and and right now the mystics again just not currently in sync there are a lot of things that could be figured out at halftime and we know mike tebow is a terrific coach and certainly they're missing the production of helena deledon who had a historic 2019 season he can't wait to get her back quickly with the spin move left short leslie up the right side [Music] and one of the promising young players dumps it off to charles and charles you could just see the frustration after that plow the only one back on defense and that frustration shove there gets it to go no one on the floor is faster than kalia popper up and down the floor her and diamond the shields are going to have to battle it out when they're both out there because they're so fast in the sprint to the other end and copper is one of the best finishers in this league i mean you can try to cut her off on her way to the bucket you can even get back in some instances and get in position to defend to defend it she can still get the finish around the cuff she's just very crafty just look at the last few years for kalia copper you think she was you know coming off the bench from 2017 to 2019 and then james wade says i'm gonna make you a priority i'm going to turn you into a playmaker and they both believe trusted and they felt like that outstanding season from a year ago of her averaging uh 15 points a game was just around the corner [Music] timeout taken on the court by the mystics [Music] well coming up at 3 eastern on abc just a reminder to our viewers brianna stewart and the defending champion seattle storm hosts asia wilson and the las vegas aces in a rematch of last year's finals can also catch it on the espn app chicago sky shooting 45 percent from the floor even better from three six of seven from beyond the arc and candace parker is perfect from long range this second quarter has been owned by chicago but it's nice to be back on site seeing fans although limited inside the entertainment and sports arena and this group got a chance to see the banner hung earlier this afternoon right before the game of that 2019 championship season it was a special one indeed for fans but it also means something too right to the players to be able to see that hanging in the rafters well and mike tebow said it feels kind of weird because it's so far removed obviously seattle storm won the championship last year but we really didn't get a chance to celebrate the washington mystics and their fans didn't i mean they didn't get a parade um you know there were some things that they missed out on um due to covet and you know everything that we've been through in our country so um these are some pictures of them celebrating and there's that beautiful banner [Music] right now they've got some work to do trailing 46-28 as they look to close out with the bang going into the locker room as cloud is fouled natasha cloud fouled by brittany boyd jones goes to the line and cloud who signed that multi-year deal back on march 10th and she's a player who can really ignite this team on both ends of the floor the engine that really drives this group so far a slow start this afternoon with just four points well i think you have to remember about natasha cloud as well as tina charles i mean tina charles hasn't played in a year and a half so you said something early about her frustration and it's gonna be you know getting back into form i mean this is your first real real game in the regular season in cloud as well um and cloud is playing with a different cast from the last time she played in 2019 so absolutely familiarity will come over time just before the buzzer no foul and that's how they'll go into the locker room a 16 point advantage for the chicago sky powered by candice parker an awesome first two quarters for the shy town native three or four from long range 13 points for the vet chicago upbeat her regular season debut candice parker was doing candace parker thing she was leading the charge as the chicago sky got off to a great start in this one alongside lagna robinson i'm tiffany green and there was so much to like if you're a sky fan and what you saw from candice parker and that offense and defense well james wade brought candace parker to chicago to set the tone and bring that championship expectation and that's exactly what she did from the point forward position first on the interior she's always going to make the next best pass even though she could have made his move there down low that's the forward side of her work here's the point side leading the break then courtney vanderslew is free to get down the floor and use her passing ability how about this one i mean right on the money in the hands of paleyah copper was candace parker she can also get in the paint and play the physical game she can stretch the floor 13 points in that first half six rebounds three assists three blocks that defense wait a minute is she gonna defeat that defensive player of the year title she might tiffany she says you know they were questioning my defense before she left no doubt last season and she is continuing to play well on both ends of the floor once more here this afternoon natasha cloud coming out and look the washington mystic they've got to find a way to get some juice on the offensive and we mentioned in that first half with chyna just how this team is still working to gel together a lot of new pieces and a lot of missing pieces but that's the welcome sign as teresa placon's knocking down the baseline jumper there was a lot of foul trouble in the first half for washington most notably ariel atkins who was one for four from the field she had two personal fouls and was somewhat limited she's a player that's going to have to step up no doubt i mean we mentioned the injury to alicia clark but atkins to me is a star in this league and she's going to show it in a game like this where they're not in rhythm and she's got to make an impact on the offensive end well she is coming off a career year she put up great numbers in just about every category remember she was one of those starting pieces on that 2019 championship team and third consecutive year that she had made second team all defense and that remains a focal point for her they need her to try to create some chaos [Music] copper off the missed the shields skying for the rebound back out to vander sloot on the miss and atkins bring it up the floor we talked about those numbers from last year about 15 points a game atkins average play songs for three and atkins right place right time for the rebound and doing some dirty work that's actually what i remember most about ariel atkins when she got into the wnba is her tenacity on the offensive boards i mean she's a dog i mean she will defend you she will get to the glass she is starting to add more dimensions to her offensive game but she's a special player and she's got to play like it parker knocked down three threes in the first half and missing there out of bounds and mystics will get the ball marielle atkins going back to just what she's done seventh overall pick of that 2018 draft and out of university of texas just great anticipation at 5 11 gets in there and crashing the perimeter she was at home during the draft only mike tebow knew what ariel atkins well there may have been two or three other people that knew who ariel atkins was going to be but not very many at her being picked seven well he's a coach who just has a great eye for talent overall and really has seen this season as a reclamation project theresa plays songs on the tough end of that one they have taken an elbow to the chin tangled up with copper something that james wade was concerned about coming into this game was leilani mitchell you know she lit chicago up in their last matchup she's also over four and you know when tebow said this is what our offense should look like he said cloud should be taking shots mitchell should be taking shots as clouds defense leads to offense but they need leilani mitchell and she did a nice job of getting acclimated to the washington mystics last year this is a different team but she's a capable scorer two-time most vulnerable player excuse me and that ignites the crowd inside the arena as the mystics trying to close the gap trailing by 10 and the energy just permeating off of natasha cloud right now her team wrecking their way back in it [Music] some college hoops royalty in the house this afternoon paige becker's nearly consensus national player of the year as just a freshman at uconn taking in the game you see the crutches there paige recently had surgery on that right ankle but she has taken in some of her former huskies stephanie dolson out there of course tina charles and paige beckers i mean between her and caitlyn clark out of iowa ladies really started making conversations should the wnba draft age requirement be lower because of the seasons that these two ladies have but paige becker's in the house certainly wishing her a speedy recovery from that right ankle injury yeah paige backers was outstanding this season and as you mentioned kim watching those two freshmen and how high of a level of basketball they played just speaks volumes for how women's basketball is developing the fact that we're even having the conversation about them being able to go right from freshman season to the wnba is there's so much talent i'm surprised daisy fudd isn't here i don't know where she is but she'll be joining page she's the dmv side of that duo that will be causing all kinds of issues for college teams when they're when they're playing together on the floor but we also saw in that frame marissa coleman crystal langhorne curry i saw in the crowd there's a lot of love for for girls and women's basketball in this area and to answer kim's question no not yet and here's why because selfishly i want to see them play a couple more seasons as they have to you can turn pro as a junior i want to see them play a little bit more and and see what legacy they create on the college level before they get here and two it goes back to that conversation of expansion yeah because only are in 144 league but kathy englebert the wnba commissioner if they do have a successful 2021 season that that conversation can be on the table the interest is definitely there and the talent is there i mean no doubt to expand and have more teams but i just love seeing college players actually engaged in the wnba there has to be a stronger connection between college players and college fans in the wnba you know we're not taking some resolve college is over we're right in the wnba get into it what a terrific 25th season this is set out to be but it also is an opportunity to celebrate those who helped to build this league when it began in form back in 1996 the inaugural season was played in 1997. so washington started to find their rhythm here in this third quarter [Music] mike tebow who is a terrific coach seeing them shoot the ball better and what i thought worked for washington as palia copper just gets a steal on athens what worked for them is they focused on rebounding they focused on defense atkins went to the o boards cloud shot the gap you're not always going to shoot the ball well but there are other ways that you can create offensive opportunities and they're a good example again of defense plays on right there right in the face of dolson and now the mystics have the opportunity to cut this lead to single digits [Music] [Applause] sky getting the ball right back 15 points for copper [Applause] the foul whistled against stephanie golson [Music] julia copper has just balled out so far here today five of nine and 15 points wnba coverage continues tuesday first at eight eastern we're back here in washington as the miss the mystics take on diana taurasi and the phoenix mercury then at 10 it's the 2020 finals rematch as [Music] the aces in storm go at it once more both games available on the espn app [Music] and guess what you'll get treated to that game right after this one we'll just double dip right there i thought andrea carter made an excellent point in half about seattle and what they lost you know we talked about how much every other team that the wnba got in the off season on in the acquisitions but there's some teams that had major losses and i do think clark and natasha howard are big ones for the reigning champions the addition of candace parker to the chicago sky is been a big piece sammy whitcomb finding her place in new york all right a lot of young talent sammy wickham was a spark for the storm [Music] into fall and she's fouled stella johnson whistled for her first personal foul another young player in this mystic system who bounced around in a rookie season a year ago found her footing she had a [Music] great game last year put up career-high points [Applause] well be sure to tune in to around the rim that's the podcast that you want to listen out for espn's only women's basketball podcast hosted by our very own the illustrious lagina robinson new episodes our release a drop weekly folks and you can subscribe on apple spotify or wherever you get your podcast sent a special shout out to around the rim podcast producer tarika foster crafty who was a part of a group that raised the money for people to get a free wnba pass i mean there were so many folks that donated so that there's no excuse for not watching wnba because someone donated money for you to get a league pass but tarika was part of orchestrating that effort and just appreciate her and so many that do so much to to grow the wnba shout out to tarika and not only that did you get a chance to utilize the split screen in i should have last night yeah last night it was necessary i was just old school like you know oh this game go back to this point oh this has two minutes left oh no no that's the antiquated way now you got to utilize the split screen because there was so much good action we had two going right down to the wire but i used to watch it i don't know what happened to that split screen or where the option is because it's a new app yeah i don't know if you know this but the wnba redesigned the app this guy i mean it pops up liz camp beige is in your screen looking fly i mean you know they're doing big things they're doing big things and that just speaks to again the growth of this league and where it's gone in the interest level they continue to garner more and more fans game by game season by season and i think the hand is the league is in great hands with the talent we have here in this 25th season going to be a foul call here but i mean this is what you look forward to if you're a chicago sky fan is that courtney vander sloot yeah candace parker definitely took her out but she was trying to get some handoff action with vander sloot but candace parker can take the ball down now you know she can take some of the pressure off of courtney vander sloot having to have the ball in her hands so much because parker can initiate and she can do so many things you just see what her addition means in opening up the offense and allowing everyone to play their game and freely inside tina charles popping it over to johnson johnson driving baseline trying to find mccall the turnover in the paint real crowded there and parker just missing the i don't know if that was a turnover was that the kansas parker block i think that was block number four for cp3 uh oh let me give her just due and her credit she she's just been disrupted mike tebow warned us that even though mccall was late to camp he said she's going to play because she was watching our practices and watching tape she said dummies don't go to stanford i mean she has a high basketball iq and came in already knowing the plays and is playing good good minutes today fifth season out of stanford quickly open look won't fall charles tracking down the rebound so charles still the only player for the mystics in double figures on the cut there mccall and she's whistled for the offensive foul candace parker on rotation i don't even know what to call that that celebration there's a shoulder shimmy and then there's whatever parker just did right here but sees the offensive player coming puts her body in space and right here okay what's that that looks like it's the crazy legs okay that's the crazy place you knew i was gonna say look a little bit like a tantrum but like a dance as well we'll see that on tick-tock real soon everybody get down and do the cp3 uh tantrum or crazy legs the shields posting up another iteration that they're looking to see traveling violation called against one in black we hadn't heard from our girl kim adams in a while ken what you got going on well ladies you were just talking about how much fun it appears that candace parker is having and we were talking to her about mentally does this new situation this new city feel different and she said yes everything is different but in a good way and she said she almost feels like she's in a bubble right now her daughter layla is still back in la finishing school happy belated birthday to layla by the way but candace said for the first time in a while i can really just focus on basketball and she says there's challenge there's change but she loves change and i just think she is playing so freely today and having so much fun tiffany she can focus on basketball because she's an apartment by herself right she said it feels like a bubble her mom's doing her laundry her dad's about to have a barbecue next week so they're cooking for parker's getting taken care of and trina's gonna have to take care of her right here she's limping back to the bench yeah and that's one of the things you talked about looking at her and just giving a look over her body that's something that she's done is taking care of her body and do a better job of listening to it we heard that in kim's report earlier with elena deladon and just being more in tune these days and that's how you preserve your body when you have a lot of miles over the years having played basketball [Music] and we're so fortunate that candace parker is wired up tonight let's listen in keep her left keep it right hey hey way to be on the nail step up step up that was really great with our hands with our length way to pick up good job way to keep zealous to her left and shooting jump shots good job [Applause] as a voice on this team kansas parker is keeping the main thing the main thing she knows that defense is what this team needs you get the defensive player of the year the script could not be written better for chicago and she's leading with her voice and with her words and giving this team confidence that they have championship pedigree [Music] that's something that they're hopeful for along with tina charles and this mystics group who really hung their hat on defense that's a big part of their identity one of the strongest defensive teams in the league as the mystics they held opponents just 76 points per game last season that was best in the wnba sanders slew courtney vander sloot yeah she can assist but she can drop points but what a different look for chicago the whole play develops away from courtney vanderswood you can start to see just a freedom within the chicago offense looking down low charles trying to work on the post turn around and off the mark well you mentioned just the ability to have multiple ball handlers just dumping it right over to the shields for the trifecta [Music] diamond to shields who talked about just the great synergy that she's had with candace parker since she joined the team [Music] the challenge for washington is being able to produce the half court offense i mean they've done a better job defensively in this third quarter but they're still not consistently hitting shots and you got to credit chicago again it's their activity is their length and the number of looks they've given tina charles tonight has been just phenomenal because they have the forwards and the bodies to put length on her to put birth on her to challenge her in different ways johnson gets it up before the shot clock expires second chance opportunity and can hold for the final shot of the third quarter trailing by 17. it's up in the air no good atkins following her own shot and that's the end of the third quarter final quarter coming your way from the nation's capital mystics got some work to do a on abc i'm joined by tina charles and tita you guys are still chipping away at that lead but what did you like about how your team came out of the locker room to start the third [Music] uh made quarter little run there forced him to call a timeout but you know we're taking a lot of jump shots we need to get more points in the paint we take a lot of jump shots and we're missing and they long rebounds and they're able to just get it out and go and transition so that's what's really really killing us right now just all these jump shots when you start getting stuff in the paint and make them call foul and this is a balanced sky offense what can you guys do to limit them here a little bit more to try and cut into this lead in the fourth quarter just one perception at a time get a stop just focus on defense you know i need to finish better i mean shots i miss i can make it with my eyes closed so that's a little bit frustrating but just got to stay within the game all right thank you so much tina and when you listen in the tuna charles you know one of the things that helped them inch closer to chicago was the fact when they started out that third quarter they had eight paint points compared to none for chicago but they've got to do a more consistent job of that as charles on the bench taking a breather with 14 points in her 29 minutes played so far now with a smaller lineup on the floor for mike tebow and there's pleisance with a good look just wouldn't go down [Music] boy jones back the point guard [Music] [Music] i think we should also mention that azeray stevens is still working her way back she's out james wade said we rushed her back last year we're going to take our time working her backhand nice move and finished by stephanie dawson there shyla heal is in kovic protocol she is their first round draft pick point guard out of australia who will join the team when she's out of pros and protocol but it's interesting in watching chicago everyone said well they need a backup point guard right because flew to you know has played a lot of minutes she's had to carry the load and candice parker has handled a lot of responsibilities and in the way they run gleea copper can could initiate and diamond the shields a lot of capable ball handlers and you have to try to find a way to slow down these guards for the sky [Music] looking for ruby [Applause] on the university of oregon off the screen britain boy jones missing there [Music] basket's just not falling right now 61-42 chicago with the advantage and mike tebow allows his team to take a quick open three when they're hitting them but they're three for 25 so the ball may need to move a little bit more and i'm sure leilani mitchell is anxious to get on the board over five today paul working on hebert the left hand no but the right hand is true and she doesn't give up on a play i mean the reason why erica mccall continues to show up on rosters in the wnba as we mentioned her iq but she also just plays so hard she's never going to give up on a possession that's something mike tebow saw in the bubble as he got a chance to watch her last season and he feels like he can bring out the best in her and that's why she's got a spot on the roster mitchell trying to cut through the turnover skye getting out in transition and copper you just see the speed the 94 feet is just nothing for her it looks like a trap copper continuing to shine 17 points leading all scorers here this afternoon [Applause] [Music] they get it down to mccall mccall once again what a feel and what a great delivery i mean this group has got some chemistry they're able to finish on the interior ebert [Applause] in the game for chicago again they can chip away at this lead let's go back to just what erica mccall has done the last couple of trips down the floor yeah theresa plays once with a perfect pass puts that right in the hands of mccall who's begging for it's got her defender on the backside chicago defensively with boyd out in transition and copper boy just faster than everyone else it's a track meet full out i would love the timer from one under the four to next mitchell corner three no good [Music] the chicago sky who trying to build on that one conference championship that they have made it all the way to the wnba finals in that year and then you think about last season they are trying to bounce back after a first round exit to the connecticut sun and this is a group who has already shown early on this is just the first regular season game blue china got 31 more to go but [Music] of just their potential [Music] dave wade talked to us a lot about analytics and how when the ball touches the paint they are better when the ball when they make an extra pass they're a better team and they've got 19 assists and i do believe it's because they've done those things copper who took a hard fall to the floor and she's being helped up by her teammates we'll take a break hope you'll come right back with us [Applause] he really made her mark an imprint when she was in minnesota four-time wnba champion the finals mvp in 2011. eight-time all-star and that big announcement is certainly watching one of the best to touch the court step aside and take on a different role and connect it to the game a hall of fame career for simone augustus who i mean what a story of her going to minnesota the team was not good she had to fight through injuries but it was her resilience that really allowed that organization to reach that next level and to get to those four championships yes they added maya yes they eventually added sylvia fowles who came because of simone augustus but she was the foundation of the success they had there and even her as a player her ability to make one-on-one shot she's like an and one right the crossovers she's got arguably the best mid-range game on the pull-up extended her range over the course of her career but the impact that she will have now will be tremendous i mean she's exploring things with her own fashion brand but as a coach she's got to be one of the highest basketball iq players i have ever talked to she doesn't do a lot of talking but when she does she's always saying something that's going to impact the game in a major way so congrats to simone and we're excited about what's ahead in your future yeah 15-year veteran will spend our final season with the los angeles sparks candice parker had the opportunity to play with her a season ago and money moan yeah i love it we've seen from this washington mystics group la china just still figuring out things right and and mike tebow talked to us just about how it's a layered approach and how they are coming into this season don't have all the full pieces tina charles in her debut with the mystics natasha cloud coming back after opting out of last season as well elena she deladon 100 healthy she's already getting into the action still no live contact yet but they will be happy to see her when she returns and then of course the question mark around the 2019 finals mvp and mommy cement i think we calculated there were what two players available today that played on that championship team so you know not a lot of that residue in terms of that experience because of injury and other factors but you know mike tebow and he's a great coach and washington will be ready when the time is right if they can get healthy i think elena deladon is is key and obviously emma mises the emma mesa men's return but don't sleep on my high zone for more on the mystics let's send it over to kim yeah tiffany lachina i mean coach tebow telling us this is truly a team that's still in development it is basically a brand new team and he's asking the fans to be patient there truly is going to be phases to the season for this group obviously elena deladon coming back will be a huge huge piece but but just talking to him talking to tina charles on the great culture here the winning culture and that's a big part of why tina charles decided to come here she said the moment she signed the first text she received said this is day one of defending a championship of course that was after the 2019 season so you know it's gonna take some time with this group for sure and i think everyone knows that and everyone knows how much of a masterful roster and peace builder that mike tebow is yeah this is the first time kim to your point that tina charles has been a part of an organization that has that championship culture and she said she wakes up and she's excited every day to learn to grow i mean her level of maturity and her outlook but also how she gives us a glimpse at what washington has built here as an organization is really special i mean this was a mystics team that was dry for many years and not until mike tebow's arrival did this become a place where people want to come and play and free agents are excited and the fans in dc are great so looking forward to what tina will do here yeah and the relationship that she already had established with mike tebow after they were together in connecticut she won the 2012 mvp under his tutelage and then two she mentioned just how consistent of a person he is and how he just encourages character and community service and and we've seen the washington mystics just like other wnba franchises really stand at the forefront of social change and trying to provide a voice for the voiceless and i think tina charles is adding to that natasha cloud as the player that obviously jumps out to you and her work off the court as candace parker with the bucket yeah i mean there's a culture here that you you're allowed to use your voice you know and mike tebow as tina charles told us he's not just worried about me as a player he wants me to be active in the community and wants to know about hopi's heart foundation and you know encourages natasha cloud to use her voice and encourages these women as you remember their response to jacob lake shooting last year to use their platform big advantage for the chicago sky here at home for the mystics they're trailing [Music] the wnba on abc is presented by google chicago well candace parker wanting to come to chicago has a lot to do with james wade and his wife edveej lawson wade who we got the pronunciation of edviege from her hubby he wanted to make sure we got that right she's a former wnba player but candace has a special relationship with that veg and actually called her to tell her she was coming to chicago and had their son tell james but you know that's what you want as a head coach in place that not only understands the game and the x knows but has the kind of relationships that you can attract players they want to come play with you and he's enjoy play for you and he's enjoyed listening to candice learning from her they talk basketball they talk strategy he allows her to have input and candace said he's going to let me be myself he is going to let me be candace parker and he reiterated that and that's going to be an important dynamic as this season goes on well i think the impact or the connection that you have one because wade played overseas and then of course he had that championship experience as he was assisted on the links under cheryl reeve then he takes over in chicago his first season 2019 goes on to win the wnba coach of the year and so now this is a team that has been on the brink the last couple of seasons and they feel like they can for real for real as you said do it with this court just kept getting the feeling that chicago was missing something to get them over the hunt candace is that home she gets the she gives them over plus one with that championship experience i mean that's really what to me you know late game situation executing and defense buying in like the confidence that her voice will give this team is just immeasurable and she does it all too i mean we talked about the basketball player that she is kim mentioned you know mother of a 12 year old but also a broadcaster as well and juggling all of those things and doing so in a graceful manner she's garnered the respect of everyone i mean she man handles shaq every week come on shot get your basketball up [Music] the washington mystics will go back to the drawing board and try to figure things out before they host the phoenix mercury tuesday will be again on the call for that game at 7 30 eastern over on espn2 and you know one of the question marks for me is as they welcome in brittany griner is on the interior defensively you know elena deladon is underrated what she gives you in terms of her length at the rim and you don't have latoya sanders anymore so you know cantina charles handled those assignments as they get all of their length and size back and they get healthy you know that's that's a big question going into a game like tuesday i'm excited to see the second edition of the big three potentially for a full season with greiner taurasi and skylar dick and smith theresa pleasant will get some minutes i'm sure on that in that place but they'll spread they're going to try to spread bg out look you know that scouting report bring bg out of the paint that's right [Music] got a lot of defensive pre-season defensive player of the year nods including mine i think it's going to be a big season for brittany i really do after leaving the bubble early and she just seems like she's the best version of herself right now and just talking about that bubble experience if you had not the opportunity to check out 144 it aired just a couple days ago and you can see it on the espn app shout out to chennai auguste for doing a great job as the executive producer of that really chronicling and seeing what these players had to go through in the bubble last season [Music] time winding down here in this one [Applause] as the mystics have been held to 55 points so far in this one and one of the things to la china we talk about just continuing to add pieces for mike tebow in this group as they regroup sydney whis coming on they signed her earlier this week so that's another veteran presence in guard being able to handle the ball for the washington mystics as time winds down and a big season opening win for candace parker and the chicago sky 70-56 the final score what a terrific offensive performance but an all-around game from parker and the sky finished with 16 points eight rebounds and three blocks well our final 70-56 coming up next our wnba coverage continues with the aces and storm for kim adams lacina robinson i'm tiffany green we'll see