Indiana Fever GET HUGE TEAM WIN As Temi Fagbenle & Lexi Hull PUT ON DEFENSIVE CLINIC. Start Them Now

welcome to the Ben Daniel podcast where we're calling a spade a spade Caitlyn Clark Lexi Hull Kelsey Mitchell Aaliyah Boston tamy benley folks can you tell that not all wins are created equally can you tell the difference between us winning this game and winning the Atlanta Dream game how the feeling coming off this game is a little bit more positive a little bit more Jo joyous not as much Doom and Gloom folks the Atlanta Dream game not too many positives to take away tonight's a bit of a different story tonight against the Connecticut Sun I said it earlier today it wasn't a must-win game but man it was a game we needed to win not only for the playoff implications potential first round matchup but this is a team that has beat us 11 straight times dating back a few years 11 straight times the Indiana fever went up against the Connecticut sun and got slapped around until tonight until tonight and the players that needed to play well played well the players that needed to step up stepped up first things first kayin Clark most three-pointers in a WNBA season by a rookie passing Ryan Howard kayin Clark continues to set records every time she is on the floor was it her best game tonight wasn't her best game tonight do I think she played poorly absolutely not absolutely not not I think the team came out a little slow Nelissa Smith two quick turnovers in two minutes the fever had four turnovers in the first three minutes started off eight and two down and it was just looking downhill from there but Nelissa Smith comes out the game in comes Tami and whoop just like that the Indiana Fever go on a 10 run and it seems like offensively we didn't lose I stagnation too much key word too much Lexi Hull 17 points eight boards five for nine Lexi Hull lock down defense lock down Lexi that's what we're calling her lock down Lexi whether she was guarding danana Bonner whether she was guarding d Carrington Marina ma Lexi Hull takes every single challenge folks personally and she gets physical out there she's not a pushover She's Not Afraid of some contact no I've seen her her and danana Baner a couple times tonight got tangled up and Lexi said it is what it is I'm playing defense out here danana Bonner of course got knocked down acted fake tough danan boner go act tough with Kennedy Carter and see how fast you get pieced up but Lexi Hull completely inserted her in the starting lineup for ktie L Samson right away you can tell that this was needed as far as defense goes and more importantly as far as offensive rebounding goes Lexi Hull absolutely dominated this game six offensive rebounds six of her eight rebounds came on the offensive end and a majority of them are her flying out of nowhere from the three-point Arc grabbing the rebound giving it to kayin grabbing the rebound giving it to Kelsey Lexi hle is a hustle monster she hustles on the offensive end she husters on the defensive end she made four for six from three Lexi Hull shout out to you tonight also aiyah Boston bow bow bow you finally got it out of me Aaliyah only because only because you scored your a thousandth career point today shout out to you Aaliyah shot five for 13 from the field 10 points eight assists six rebounds four steals did leyah Boston Miss some bunnies around the rims yes does she need to work on that midi after kayin Clark gives her a beautiful slip pass does she need to work on just catching it boom right up with the midi yes but Aaliyah Boston's playmaking is part of the reason why that first quarter was as electric as it was Aaliyah Boston fighting a cut a cutting Kelsey Mitchell a few times hitting Lexi Hull Aaliyah Boston played a good game today she needs to work on finishing around the rim but Aaliyah Boston shout out to you and your Milestone today but most importantly most importantly folks tamy benley tamy benley the defense tamy benley played tonight might have been some of the best defense I've seen this entire year in Indiana Fever basketball she was absolutely everywhere and folks when I mean everywhere everywhere helping out on kayin Clark's man help helping out on Kelsey Mitchell's man denying a pass to Erica Wheeler's player backside help to Ayah Boston showing for Alexi hle so she could she was everywhere and if you join me in the venue you guys might have gotten sick of me saying tamy Tammy tmy her defense her defense her defense folks she might not be making these easy putback layups but man defensively tamy benley showed up in a special way tonight in 17 minutes she was plus 18 on the floor and we needed every single minute tamy was on the floor every single minute tamy was on the floor she made a monstrous impact on the defensive end she was quarterbacking that defense beautifully tonight beautifully with her anchoring communicating Lexi Hull can't forget about Kelsey Mitchell Kelsey Mitchell 23 points for rebounds Kelsey Mitchell 23 points for boards but can I say something I don't think you get enough credit for how much effort and how hard you go on the defensive end you fight tooth and nail on that defensive end and it doesn't go unnoticed over here trust me Kelsey it does not go a notice over here the defense you played on the perimeter Marina mabery the last what possession yeah Lexi hle was deer up in majority of the game yeah we had Erica not a majority of the game let me rephrase that cuz Marina Ma's first buckets came on Eric wheeler back to back to back Eric wheeler lack lacks a deal defense but it is what it is Kelsey Mitchell you are a dog on that defensive end and between you and between Lexi Hull on the defensive end these are some good perimeter guards folks these are some good perimeter guards when we got these two denying playing on ball tough defense fighting through screens folks did you notice all the moving screens called in our favor today that's what happens when you fight through screens when you fight through screens good things tend to arise and Kelsey Mitchell and Lexi Hull perimeter defense you guys rocked tonight absolutely rocked tonight and we already spoke about tamy F benley being a complete Communicator quarterbacking the defense anchoring the defense without tamy F benley folks we do not win this game without tamy F benley we do not win this game just is what it is the Indiana Fever were leading after being down 8 to2 seemed like the entire game seemed like they were leading the entire game until the fourth quarter rolled around of course and this is my critique of today's game folks can I come out here and can I scream at that fourth quarter can I talk about Nelissa Smith being left in five minutes in the fourth quarter I even put out a tweet are we gonna wait for the Connecticut son to come back until we put Tammy F benley in and sure enough we waited until we lost the lead for tamy f benley to come in Nelissa Smith too many turnovers today I don't want to see you ISO you had 10 points okay as far as I'm concerned every basket you make just reinforce his bad behavior I'm sorry 10 points minus 10 virtual noow but whatever folks you got to think with those 10 points and four turnovers and missed rebounds and dropped steals tamy F benley needs to start instead of Nelissa Smith I don't care about getting her going I don't care about easing her I don't care about any of that Nelissa Smith under no circumstance ances should be in our starting lineup or should be in our closing lineup and although I don't like Melissa Smith's game although I went hard on her last video folks Chrissy size is the one that puts her in the game Christy sides is the one that puts her in the game and leaves her in the game folks a win is a win and I told you I feel good about this win trust me look at all the positives I just ran through but coaching at the end of the day is going to do us in bad coaching at the end of the day is going to do us in bad Nelissa Smith shouldn't be part of the starting lineup sorry Nelissa Smith shouldn't be part of the closing lineup sorry defensively Melissa Smith's a liability offensively she's too inconsistent hence a liability I wouldn't be mad if I see dantis more to be honest now dantis didn't really get any playing time today but I want I would rather see dantis at least get 10 to 15 minutes and then Elissa Smith time at least the starting position could go to Tammy F benley Nelissa Smith only played 18 minutes today but that was because she was in foul trouble like I said earlier two turnovers in two minutes then she gets back in the game quick out on D Carrington then there's a jump ball she tips the ball to D Carrington it just seems to right there for us from being honest I don't see a positive in Nelissa Smith's game folks I don't and a win is a win is a win but again Chrissy Sid you got to coach better you got to step up and say man this isn't the lineup That should be closing this game why do we need to wait for the Connecticut sun to come back and take the lead before you finally put the best defender in at least the best paint def folks I don't want to overreact with Tam's defense today but the way she was all over the damn place she did things that Aaliyah Boston can't do Aaliyah Boston is a big body hands up block she gets the rebounds I get it but when it comes to being all over the damn place I'll be remissed if I don't sit here and say tamy f benley is the best post Defender we have the best communicator on the team that we have Kaylin Clark got beat a few times and who was there to yeah no no no no no back out you go Tammy screen who's there to show no no no no no back you go Tami folks multiple times you see tamy saying Aaliyah you go here Kelsey you got that person Lexi I got your back if you buy some chance rewatch this game you need to really take in what tamy fagbenle did it was nothing short of spectacular from a defensive standpoint folks shall we get to the notes shall we get to the notes for tonight appreciate everybody who came in the venue guys rocked out oh my goodness the chat was flying crushing it almost 500 people in the venue awesome stuff first quarter Smith turnover was the first play the first play of the game was an Alissa Smith turnover Nelissa Smith two turnovers in the first two minutes I was already done at that point she turns it over acts like she got poked in the eye didn't get poked in the eye sits on the bench comes back in game 1515 and to the credit she didn't hold us back too much we ended up building a lead in the first quarter we ended up outscoring the Connecticut sun in the first quarter 33 points 3326 in the first quarter but how come it always seems like we start off hot and and then we slowed down and then we slowed down why are we only scoring 18 points in the second quarter why did it seem like we started posting up a little bit too much in the second quarter Aaliyah Boston missed a couple bunnies folks there were way too many turnovers for my liking this game if I'm being honest kayin Clark got her pocket pick by D J Carrington at least a few lazy passes a lazy bounce pass to Kelsey Mitchell not the best game from a turnover standpoint from Kaylin Clark at least in the first half seemed to really tone it down in the second half only what two turnovers in the second half so shout out to you Kaylin cleaning that up folks we had a lead going into the second half we built up that seven-point lead after the first quarter held on to it going into the second half up nine and then christe sides does a chrisy sides special and the Connecticut sun go on an 80 run to start the third bam onepoint game an 80 run in two minutes by the way from that moment on we were saying can we get Nelissa Smith off the court chrisy please can we put Tammy F benl in the lineup seems like Chrissy Sid makes zero adjustments every time at halftime meanwhile the Connecticut son like all right we're going to get physical all right we're going to push the pace a little bit and boom quick eight points just like that now in that third quarter as well kayin Clark got a mean screen for Melissa Thomas did she lower her shoulder yes am I going to say dirty no I'll say physical extremely physical I don't want to say dirty I don't want to throw that word out every time someone set a hard screen on Caitlin Clark but I will say when I saw that I said man I want a Leo Boston to set screens like that I want dantis to set screens like that I want F benley to set screens like that I want Smith to set screens like that too often we're just setting a remedial screen not really using our body and sometimes you got to send a message too and whether Alysa Thomas was sending a message or just wanted CeCe to feel something or whatever whether it was just a familiar play Alyssa Thomas it's not like that's out of the out of the normal for her so let's not say that oh my God you see what she she does something like that nearly every game I kind of want our centers to be like all right it's getting a little physical out here feel it and in the fourth quarter alah balson gives a shovel pass to Kelsey Mitchell if you blink Boom D Carrington lying on the floor now I'm not encouraging that type of Play Dirty plays it wasn't dirty it wasn't a moving screen it was a hard screen though and the fact Carrington decided to block the shot at the same time as well well yeah you're you're going to get taken off your feet and you're going to land up on your ass a few times it seemed like d Carrington landed up on her ass today her and Nelissa Smith coincidentally in LOF on the floor a lot today Nelissa Smith on the floor for all the wrong reasons fumbling over her feet running into Kelsey Mitchell as she makes a steal spin move all over lunging for a pass instead of shuffling her feet to get into the position Aaliyah Boston salute to you I don't have the exact play remembered but that was this but that she said another pretty physical screen that I was like there we go now we're setting some screens now we're letting people know we're not soft we're not flimsy we can play physical if we need to and we did go to start the fourth quarter and guess who's in the game you guessed it Nelissa Smith starts the fourth quarter at this point what is it three-point game 68 three-point game Nelissa Smith's in the game and everybody in the venue is saying why why the offense just doesn't look right with her in the game the offense just does not look right with her in the game Connecticut son come back tie it up push him away tie it up onepoint game two point game tie it up onepoint game two-point game folks we're watching this team lose in the fourth quarter and the thought is why isn't tamy in right now why are we six and a half minutes into the fourth quarter and tamy fagbenle is still on the bench we wait for the Connecticut sun to get a lead we wait for Nelissa Smith to foul out if she fouled out for tamy f benley to finally come in steer the defensive ship steady the waters and what happens we close the game out we look better on the defensive end we don't have a liability on the defensive end folks it was night and day today with Tami in the lineup compared to Tami with not in the lineup and if Christy sides can't see that then Christie you need to step it up if you can't see see the difference when we have Boston benl Mitchell Hull Clark If you don't realize by now that five is the best shot we have at winning the playoffs winning a playoff game winning a playoff series if you don't realize that by now you need to be evaluated you need to be seen by a psychiatrist and Lind D if you don't see that you you need to relay that message if you do folks this was a pretty big win this was a pretty big win this wasn't the Atlanta Dream game where I'm going to go off this was a win where there are a lot of positives to take a lot of positives to take whether it's Kelsey Mitchell Lexi Hull kayin Clark Tammy F benley kayin Clark played better defense today not the best but better stepped up in the second half when it comes to turnovers missed a couple low goal threes that she usually makes but I wasn't mad at her taking those shots from an offensive standpoint other than the few early turnovers in the first quarter not too many criticisms coming from me in regards to kayin Clark game tonight folks the fever win 8480 huge win don't get it mistaken this was a win against one of the best defenses in the league one of the best teams in the league Alysa Thomas one of the best Swiss Army knives in the league Marina ma one of the best threo Shooters in the league danana boner I don't know how danana boner was so quiet today but shout out to Lexi Hull again for doing what she needs to do it's the B Daniel podcast we're calling SP Spade I appreciate all of the support thank you so much guys seriously can't begin to express my appreciation enough I will see you all in the venue on Friday bring your drinks bring your food we are rocking in Chicago take it easy guys let me know what you think in the comments see you later