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00:00How about those Golden State Valkyries in their second year of existence?
00:04They win the WNBA Championship, beating the Atlanta Dream in seven games.
00:09As Gabby Williams scores 28 over 30 points in the second half.
00:13She was named Finals MVP.
00:14Joe Lake was fired up.
00:16Ball Hollow was going crazy.
00:17And here's what Steve Kerr had to say about the Valks' thrilling victory.
00:22We're so excited for the Valkyries, for Natalie, for everybody involved.
00:30It's just an incredible turnaround, you know, from just having an expansion team without a name two years ago
00:39and to within two years building this brand and winning a title.
00:44It's just remarkable.
00:48And Gabby Williams will be sitting courtside tonight, the rest of the squad, in a luxury suite.
00:53And, Fezzi, you were in the building last night.
00:54I don't think you left until 3 in the morning.
00:56I'm joking.
00:57I'm joking.
00:58But you felt that energy.
00:59And what was it like to experience that performance?
01:02If Valk's down six at the half and Gabby Williams said, you know what?
01:04I got two points at the half.
01:06I need to step up and take over the game, which he did.
01:08Yo, Bonte, the building was about to come down.
01:11The roof was shaken.
01:12The Valhalla was really intense.
01:16Everybody was on the edge of their seats.
01:18But Gabby Williams said, don't worry, I got this in the second half.
01:20Broke the record for most points in the second half in WNBA finals history.
01:25I think playoff history.
01:26But the story behind this team, everybody, not superstars on the team, the first championship won without anybody on the
01:34all-WNBA team.
01:36Wow.
01:36It's really incredible what Coach Nathalie Nicosi did.
01:39It's always unbelievable when you watch history being made, you know, in live time.
01:44You know, this expansion team just two years ago, the quickest team to win a championship as an expansion team
01:49just two seasons in.
01:50And you mentioned Gabby Williams, the MVP.
01:53At halftime, two points.
01:55The most points ever in the second half of a playoff game.
01:58So, just an incredible performance, top to bottom.
02:01I mean, when you do something that quick, that's everybody all in as a one-unit amazing performance.
02:08I felt like it was yesterday.
02:09Go ahead, Fessy.
02:10Bonte, what wins championships again?
02:13Number one defensive team.
02:14Defense wins championships.
02:16There we go.
02:16They needed to get some buckets from Gabby.
02:18Hey, listen.
02:19Listen.
02:19Defense wins championships, okay?
02:21Tell Gabby Williams that.
02:23Our four-story lineup, no Stephen Curry, no Draymond Green in the lineup tonight.
02:27But you'll see Dan Denny Melton getting a start next to Brendan Pudzinski, George Deang, Jackson Lindeberg, and Charles Bassey
02:33at the five.
02:34But more on Brendan Pudzinski, who quietly is already averaging 16-5-5 on the season.
02:39And Mully, he had a monster second half against the L.A. Lakers, 21-6-5 overall.
02:44Potts carried over where he left off last season over the final six weeks when he averaged over 17 points
02:49a game.
02:49And Bonte and Fessy, the biggest thing I see is consistency, great decision-making, understanding when to space out, when
02:57to attack off the dribble, catch-and-shoot plays, just playing wonderful basketball, Fessy.
03:02As a young player coming into a game where Steph's not playing, your job is not to replace Steph and
03:08Steph's shooting.
03:09Your job as Brendan Pudzinski is to find ways to get the teams into their offense, get the ball, and
03:14you run, and you push it, kick it up if you need to, because you know the Clippers are going
03:17to try to pressure the basketball.
03:18Also, be the guy who's the steady hand when they make a run.
03:22All those things are going to show the maturity of Brendan Pudzinski.
03:24He's a versatile player.
03:25He's a scorer.
03:26He takes charges defensively, does a lot of things on the floor.
03:29He's showing you that he's more than just a scorer.
03:31He's also a guy that can facilitate and create for his team.
03:34And George Nyang said pregame, the bench is by committee.
03:38And I think the fact that they're all veterans, they understand their games and what their limitations are, what their
03:44strengths and weaknesses are.
03:45Now, it's important when, you know, they have that experience.
03:47About a week ago, they played without Steph and Drayvon in Phoenix.
03:50Take that experience and execute a little bit better and get this W tonight.
03:54And Brendan Pudzinski's played a lot with that second unit in a non-step and Drayvon minutes.
03:58Should be a fun one tonight between the Warriors and Clippers.
04:00But before we tip off, we go back inside the Chase Center to the Gentleman Call of the Action.
04:04As always here at NBC Sports Bay Area, it's Bob Fitzgerald.
04:08It's Khalid Azubuki.
04:08And let's just carry on that conversation, Fitz.
04:11The way Brendan Pudzinski's playing to start the season, along with that second unit,
04:15the non-step and Drayvon minutes have been crucial for the Warriors during this three-game winning streak.
04:19Yeah, you look at it.
04:20I mean, Pudzinski is 3-1.
04:22Two of the losses are when Brandon didn't play.
04:25And he had that little back thing going early.
04:27But I think he's one of their very best players and one of their key players.
04:31Because if you have Steph and Drayvon out tonight, who handles the ball?
04:35Who does things defensively?
04:37The depth of this team.
04:38But Pudzinski, he's got to score along with the axle because you're missing all of Steph's points.
04:43He's been impressive.
04:43One thing I love about him, Mully, is the quick decisions he makes.
04:46Like, you can tell, Mully, when it's slowing down for a player, when they seem to be moving quickly.
04:52And everything for them is kind of moving slower.
04:54And he's still making those quick decisions.
04:56He's still driving through the catch, all those things.
04:58And, Mully, I want to ask you about this, too.
05:00We asked him about this.
05:01The fact that he's able to draw more fouls, more tricks to the trade, coming up under arms, kind of
05:06stopping before the defender thinks you're going to run into his back.
05:09What have you seen when it comes to that part of his game?
05:12Because it's been impressive.
05:12He's grown there, Mully.
05:14I think his awareness and his decision-making has grown tremendously.
05:19Look, if you get a turnover or a defensive rebound, you want to push and go attack.
05:23I think it's in the half court where the Warriors play the five-out type style.
05:27That's where the decision-making is key.
05:29When to put the ball on the floor and attack the paint.
05:32When to be a spacer.
05:33And it seems like all those things have slowed down for pause.
05:36He's seen the play before it happens.
05:38So, in turn, he's not dribbling into trouble.
05:41You see so many times his catching through threes are wide open because he's got the proper spacing off of
05:46it.
05:46And I think tonight, a guy like Brandon Williams is key.
05:49He comes off that bench and he can attack the paint.
05:53With the Clippers starting small, there's not going to be much rim protection there.
05:58Festus, when I look at turnovers we talk about all the time, but defensive rebounding,
06:04particularly with a guy like Derrick Jones as a high flyer offensively,
06:07Brooke Lopez with that size, Charles Bassey Festus, his activity, his energy,
06:13his block against Kessler might have been the play of the night.
06:15What about Bassey getting a start and knowing, hey, defensive glass without Draymond,
06:21I've got to pull these rebounds if we force the team to miss?
06:25Tonight is going to be key.
06:26Taking care of the basketball is key.
06:28But when you say take care of the basketball, that also includes securing the defensive rebound.
06:32And Charles Bassey, all the frontcourt players, Yaxo is one of those guys,
06:36you've got to hit guys, go get the rebound.
06:39Offensively as well, you've got to attack the glass
06:41because the Clippers do not do a good job of grabbing their own defensive rebounds.
06:45And that's going to be key to making sure you limit their possessions
06:48and take that advantage and go score in open court.
06:52And Festus, you just mentioned it.
06:53I was going to say offensive rebounds.
06:54The Warriors are the best offensive rebounding team in the league right now, guys.
06:57And so you think about the Clippers.
06:59You said it.
06:59They struggle with their defensive rebounding.
07:01Coach Kerr mentioned Yaxo.
07:02If he's not finding the flow, he's not in rhythm, go grab an offensive rebound, right?
07:07Put it back.
07:08Grab a defensive rebound.
07:09Ray can take.
07:10So what about that, Festus, trying to figure out, okay, especially without Steph in this game,
07:14I'm not saying they're going to brick a bunch of shots,
07:16but maybe it's a little tougher to score, maybe less open shots.
07:19Go crash the board and see if you can jump in front of this Clippers team early.
07:23Yeah, Boogie, when you get offensive rebounds, you do a couple things.
07:26One of them is you can get extra possessions by tipping it in.
07:29But also, if you're so good at getting offensive rebounds,
07:33they might send two guys in to go block you out,
07:36and there's an open shooter on the wing.
07:38So things like that, you stop guys from going out on the fast break.
07:41There's a lot that you can do by going and crashing the offensive rebounds.
07:43And I'm looking at Yaxo.
07:44I'm looking at Charles Bassey.
07:46I'm looking at any frontcourt players attacking that basket to give the Warriors an advantage.
07:49Be fun to see the young guys sit out against the L.A. Clippers who have been struggling.
07:53Fitzabuki, you guys have a great call as we send it back to the Lazy Boy, Brock Hasbub.
07:57Yeah, Bonte, think about nearly a week ago,
07:59we're sitting here.
08:00The Warriors have blown a 12-point lead in the last three minutes to Memphis.
08:03They start 0-3.
08:05The world is ending.
08:06And then, oh, three in a row.
08:08And what a different week the second week of the NBA season has been.
08:12But, K, that's exactly what you want.
08:15Okay, ugly start early in the year.
08:17Great turnaround so far.
08:19They're finding it.
08:20Feels like a different team.
08:21The Warriors are trending in the right direction.
08:23The team confidence level has grown so much.
08:26And you can tell they're just much more decisive on both sides of the ball.
08:29Offensively, quick decisions.
08:31Everybody's picking their spot.
08:32Stay aggressive.
08:32When it's your time, you go.
08:34Defensively, they're connected.
08:36Everybody's helping each other.
08:36You love that.
08:37Well, the numbers bear that out.
08:38Because 0-3, you weren't guarding anybody.
08:41You weren't scoring.
08:42Our Xfinity, powerful performance.
08:44You go at Denver, at Minnesota, beat the Lakers.
08:48The numbers bear that out.
08:49I'm looking at the defensive numbers, too.
08:50Because the opponent field goal percentage, three-point shooting percentage, that is like effort.
08:55That is connectivity.
08:56That is flying around.
08:57And one thing I've noticed, the Warriors on the ball, they're so much better.
09:01They're so much more aggressive.
09:03The point of attack, they're making sure they get in there.
09:05They seem more confident defensively on the ball.
09:07And that allows the Warriors off the ball to be there on time.
09:10Your help, you give them time to get over there.
09:12So the connectivity is there.
09:14The Warriors haven't added more size, right?
09:16I mean, yeah, Charles Bassey's been playing, but they've just gotten quicker, more decisive, more aggressive all-around defensively.
09:23I think maybe the most encouraging thing is that out of the three wins, it wasn't Steph save us.
09:27It was something different or someone different each of the three games.
09:31And all part of our BMW Ultimate Performer, brought to you by your Bay Area BMW Centers,
09:36it was Yaxl that got things going in Denver.
09:38Well, Yaxl is tenacious.
09:39This man, especially when he's assertive and aggressive, which his teammates and the coaching staff are encouraging him to be,
09:46he is a problem, and the rest of the league is finding that out.
09:48And the Warriors are encouraging him to be aggressive by running creative plays.
09:51But you know Steph Curry.
09:52He's going to set the tone from the jump.
09:54He is still elite, elite, elite.
09:57He is still Steph Curry.
09:58And Steph Curry still happens.
10:00The bench was magnificent the other night.
10:01Hard to look at this twice.
10:0250-7, the bench advantage against L.A.
10:05That is wild.
10:06You'd love to see the bench blow up like this.
10:07You'd love to see George Niang make all his threes.
10:10They're so connected off the bench.
10:11They have this identity off the bench.
10:13They know.
10:13Listen, when we come in the game, we're looking to change things.
10:16We're looking to get busy when we come in there.
10:18They're infusing energy.
10:19Will Richard on the ball.
10:21You don't want to dribble against the guy.
10:22Like, these are guys that have this reputation now, developing that.
10:25So, you'd love to see the fact that they're coming in.
10:27Okay, we're connected.
10:28We have this identity.
10:29Let's continue to do this the rest of the season.
10:31It's going to be tested because to win four in a row, no Steph Curry, no Draymond Green.
10:35And a Clipper team that's lost four in a row that has read your mail the last couple years.
10:40When you've got Van Gundy and Ty Lue, Darius Garland is their offensive engine.
10:45Clippers looking to get a W.
10:47Warriors looking to extend that winning streak.
10:49Bonte and the guys are back at the gatehouse.
10:51Coming up next.
10:51Hit the ballant.
10:53It's a gentleman who's in a row.
10:59I'm here.
11:14He's not here.
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26:29но он довbit до этого
26:32Of the brothers are coming to chase center on Saturday november twenty-first the burning up all over again tour
26:39Chacecenter.com ты и гарlin come over for james hard
26:43Он на второе
26:45comunque 15-0 game
26:48Alors than him
26:50Иисус
26:51Това
26:51Спасибо
26:51Как бы я быть в Аграциях, как я немного να успею, как его отрабатывали...
26:54Ваши машины вот с помощью его поднемся к ним и они так смотрят на него теперь, он уже работал по
27:00сб carve-teams.
27:01Он стремился для этого, пока что он решил, что он хочет подниматься к полюблес매у.
27:05Единственное, он обращается ему можно скорее поднимать его в т.а.
27:07Но вы любите его гейкеры!
27:09Он был 26-ти годы, Винстон Garland, Винстон, он был вменем, а не грибку.
27:16Вместое, когда он был ящик, что Винстон Гарлин играет.
27:20Затем
27:20Пре-ган
27:22УжигайзуOG
27:24-каник Ужигайзу
27:27Ужигайзу
27:48Ужигайзу
27:50think about it, Kawhi goes for Brandon Ingram.
27:52Ingram is out.
27:53Harden goes for Darius Garland.
27:55They're starting kind of a rebuild in that level.
27:58As Yaxo drops in at three.
28:00Yaxo's using the drop coverage of Brooke Lopez there.
28:04Al Horford sets that screen on the defensive side
28:06to play before that.
28:07Yaxo has to make sure he's aware from the weak side.
28:09Get in there.
28:10Al Horford goes and helps in the drive.
28:12You helped the helper.
28:14Luis Santos, good defense made.
28:16Hachi Mure give it up.
28:17Track clock at seven.
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38:30Курри loves it.
38:32Last night it was the block on Walker Kessler with a Yaxlip dunk.
38:37Tonight the energy changes.
38:40Youth is not served.
38:43The cage event gets it.
38:45Brandon with the three and the Clippers take time.
38:49Two NBA champions in year number two, the Golden State Valkyries.
38:53Yeah, Valhalla was going crazy.
38:55And one of the heartbeat players, Veronica Burton.
38:59Offense, defense, getting it done.
39:02And then just throw it to Gabby Williams in the second half.
39:04They take care of everything.
39:05Exactly.
39:05That's what I said.
39:06Gabby the ball.
39:07Yeah.
39:08Unbelievable.
39:08How the celebration's been?
39:10I mean, what's been going on?
39:11It's been incredible.
39:12It's been a dream come true.
39:13You know, a little bit of a late night.
39:14I said daylight savings, you know, helped us more than I expected.
39:17There you go.
39:18But it's been great.
39:19Just to spend more time together.
39:20I love it.
39:21Thanks, sir.
39:21When did you know there was a chance that you get in this way when you guys win it all
39:26when you first came in?
39:28Obviously, you played the last two years every single game.
39:31But this season, when did you know if you guys could do something special?
39:34Brandon Williams goes all the way.
39:36Yeah, I felt great from the jump, honestly.
39:38Even last year, obviously, we exceeded some expectations.
39:41And so to be able to come in in year two and just level up a little bit, I think
39:45the expectations from the jump, that's what we set our mind to.
39:48And that's what we talked about.
39:49The goal was a championship.
39:50And honestly, early on, I think once you see us getting those wins and our seeding continues to increase, that's
39:56when I was like, oh, this is legit.
39:58This is real.
39:58Well, you're a typify of this team because Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year three times, two-time All
40:05-WNBA defense, 12 points, six assists, four rebounds.
40:10You're a heartbeat player.
40:12But the defense is where the Dodgers hung their hat all season long.
40:15Yeah, and that was the perfect thing for me.
40:17You know, I'm a player that typically likes to get things done on the defensive end.
40:21And when our identity kind of fit with that, it was perfect for me.
40:24And so Coach Natalie always talked, we're going to win games based off our defense.
40:27We're going to win championships based off our defense, and that's what we did.
40:30Yeah, big-time two-way player.
40:32Your offense, too, is amazing.
40:34But, like, I want to talk about the fact that you're such a floor general.
40:38Did you develop that voice over time, or was it just kind of a natural thing for you to just
40:44be into that leadership role?
40:45Obviously, from last year, really your whole career you've been pretty vocal, but what was it like for you developing
40:50that voice and that leadership role?
40:52Yeah, I've been challenged a lot in that leadership role, for sure.
40:55Coach Natalie was a point guard, so I think she understands that that's the role that is given.
41:00But for me, my dad was a quarterback at Northwestern University, and so for him, leadership was big and calling
41:05the shots was big.
41:06And so he instilled that in me at a young age.
41:08And being a point guard, I kind of had to carry that through and being able to get everyone on
41:11the same page.
41:12And, you know, if we weren't organized, I knew it was going to fall on me.
41:15So, again, I kind of always had it from a young age, but Coach Nat has definitely challenged me and
41:20raised the bar for that.
41:20All right, I'll say this so you don't have to.
41:22You guys beat Dallas 2-1.
41:24You were drafted by Dallas, and they let you go, and that made it a little sweeter, I would imagine.
41:30Yeah, you know, ironically, we've clinched the playoffs two years in a row against Dallas, and then that was our
41:35first-round matchup.
41:37So, yeah, I don't talk too much about it.
41:40Your smile says everything.
41:42It's okay.
41:43I appreciate it, yeah.
41:44I'll let you do the talking for that.
41:45But, of course, it always feels good.
41:46I still have great relationships with everyone in the Dallas organization, and I always say they gave me a chance
41:50in the WNBA, so that's all I could ask for.
41:52I already mentioned it, but you've played every single game for the last two years, 44 games of regular season,
41:56all the playoff games.
41:58Just being available, how much do you pride yourself on that part of it?
42:01And also, you guys are going to play 50 games next season, right?
42:05So how excited are you about that?
42:06I am excited.
42:08You know, it's definitely going to continue to take a little bit of a toll.
42:11You've got to be really smart, and, again, this year especially, I think I was challenged in just my recovery,
42:15and I'm someone that likes to work, work, work, and get in the gym, but I had to, you know,
42:19take my rest days and take my off days seriously and know that, you know, just overworking isn't always the
42:25answer.
42:25But by the grace of God, I've been healthy.
42:27I love this game, so as much as I can be on the floor, I said it towards the end,
42:31you're going to have to drag me off the floor in order to get me to not play.
42:34You have one more appointment on Wednesdays.
42:36Yaxel scores each side.
42:38The parade on Wednesday.
42:39Are you ready for that?
42:40Oh, I'm ready.
42:41I'm ready.
42:42I went to one parade in my life, and that was the Patriots when I was growing up, so I'm
42:45ready for it to be a part of my own.
42:47I love it.
42:47What can you say about these fans?
42:48We were just talking about it.
42:50Only 8% fan crossovers, right?
42:52There's so many fans that have just come to Valkyries games to see you ladies fall out.
42:57How much does that mean to you in just seeing how much the Bay has gotten behind you?
43:01It's Yaxel's igniting here.
43:04Your plus-minus is through the roof, by the way.
43:06You're starting to play defense, Veronica.
43:07It's you.
43:08You put a headset on.
43:09It's you.
43:09I say, you've got to bring me on more.
43:11Yeah.
43:11But what does it mean to you that you've seen the fans' support all across the Bay Area?
43:16They're all for you.
43:16It means so much.
43:18We say it all the time, and I knew when we had that home court advantage, it was definitely going
43:21to be big for us.
43:22We genuinely have the best fans in the league, and they show up for us, win, loss, anything in between,
43:27large margin of victory or not, we feel their energy.
43:30So it's been incredible.
43:31So this is odd.
43:32When Joe Laca bought the Warriors, he said they're going to win a title within five years, and they did.
43:38So then when he bought the Valkyries, he said, we're going to win a title within five years.
43:42You guys only waited until year two.
43:44But does that ever, do the players say, hey, our owners, he's talking a lot of stuff.
43:48It was actually, you know, like, it was incredible to hear that.
43:52I was like, okay, this is what we're going to do, and the buy-in was there.
43:55I actually was just talking to him about it, and, you know, he was just saying, we even exceeded expectations.
44:01You know, that's what women do.
44:02You've got to be one step ahead, and getting it done in two years was obviously even better than we
44:07could have hoped for.
44:07Back to what you guys did last night, just winning a game seven.
44:10Can you just describe what it feels like for the people at home that have never been in that situation,
44:15experienced a game seven with that much high stakes, doing what you guys did under pressure,
44:21coming through like that?
44:22Gabby Williams, a big game.
44:23You're the big game.
44:24Just describe what that felt like in this environment.
44:27It was a dream come true.
44:28Again, I grew up, obviously, for the WNBA.
44:30It was the first game seven in history.
44:33So I grew up watching, especially the Celtics, I'm from Boston,
44:35so I grew up watching a lot of game sevens, and you can only dream about it.
44:39And to be in that moment, the pressure of it, the excitement of it, it was surreal.
44:43I was nervous.
44:44I could hardly eat that day.
44:45I woke up at like 5 a.m., but it was just a dream come true.
44:49And then, obviously, to get the win, feel the deal.
44:51I've got to ask you a silly question.
44:52When Gabby's scoring or you're driving, do you guys ever see Kaitlyn Chen's celebrations on the bench?
44:59Are you kidding me?
45:00I can feel Kaitlyn's presence, I feel like always.
45:03In everything that I do, Kaitlyn Chen is a joy to be around.
45:07And you feel it, everything we do, whether it's a small play, whether it's a block,
45:10she is celebrating, and it's a blessing to be around.
45:13I'm waiting for an endorsement for an energy drink for Kaitlyn Chen.
45:18She is, I mean, there is energy.
45:20I love to watch her play alongside when you guys go two guards.
45:23But her celebrations and her energy, I'm thinking, you guys will score.
45:28You look at her, she's half the show sometimes.
45:31She is.
45:31I feel like sometimes you just got to see her, like her excitement, her joy,
45:35and I think it gets us going.
45:36Hitting the three for not letting Veronica Burton go.
45:39The worst thing to play is too well.
45:41They've taken the lead.
45:42Yeah.
45:43No, I love watching Chen and her speed when she comes in off the bench.
45:46You guys go pick and roll.
45:47You guys torch teams with that, your speed as well.
45:50But what Hayes said last night about investing in women's sports,
45:54this is what happens.
45:55What can you say about how the league has grown so much,
45:58really the last few years, but definitely this year as well.
46:01I mean, it's just been blowing up.
46:03Now, I do have to say, this is how a day can go for you
46:07if you're going to be a champion.
46:09You win the championship, and then you put the hot dog outfit on all the way.
46:14I was just talking.
46:15Look at her with the gun.
46:16She wanted the T-shirt gun right away.
46:18They gave her the T-shirt bazooka.
46:20That's how she came to the game, though, right?
46:22That's the hot dog, right?
46:23Yeah.
46:23Yeah, and she said, she was like, you know,
46:25I guess I didn't really think about if we had lost,
46:27what that would have looked like, you know?
46:29But there is, there's some genius in how O'Hemmo put the team together.
46:34Where it's like, oh, it's an expansion team.
46:36Guess what?
46:36None of these other teams wanted you guys, okay?
46:39None of you are all-stars necessarily.
46:41But the camaraderie and the chemistry, you make the playoffs as an expansion team,
46:45never been done.
46:46With the title year two, never been done.
46:48Is it the chip on the shoulder, or just is this a special group of women
46:51that all came together at the right time?
46:53It's a combination of both.
46:54I definitely believe that they, you know, selected people
46:57that have that kind of underdog mentality
46:59and people that want to win.
47:01And that's their sole focus.
47:02You don't get focused on roles.
47:03You don't get focused on, you know, status, anything like that.
47:05You just want to win.
47:06And then we genuinely, like, I know people say it's a cliche, we love each other.
47:10Like, we hang out all the time off the court,
47:12which is kind of rare in the professional sports world.
47:15The whole team came to my house in Boston, which, again,
47:18like, you don't get that very often.
47:19So I think tennis is a huge role, and it translated onto the court,
47:23but also just that chip on the shoulder mentality.
47:25Has that been why you guys have been so tenacious defensive?
47:28You guys are number one in the league defensively this year.
47:30You've already mentioned the defense.
47:31But that love you guys have for Jack, because it takes trust to be that good defensive.
47:35You guys are so connected on that side.
47:37You can tell you guys really like each other by the way you play defense.
47:40Sometimes people say, okay, if they're playing well together offensively,
47:43you can tell they like each other.
47:43You guys are going at it defensively.
47:46What's that been like?
47:47It's been incredible.
47:48And we said, you know, especially as we got into the playoffs
47:50and playing in Valhalla, like, we can't hear each other.
47:53So we always say to talk on defense, but if we're talking, we can't hear each other.
47:58Like, that's where the trust and the instinct comes into play
48:00and just the chemistry.
48:01It was like, I know when my person needs help.
48:03I know when to help the next person and just to scramble out.
48:06And that's what you saw.
48:07Like, that was just pure chemistry, pure instinct.
48:10Because seriously, when it came to playoffs,
48:11you couldn't hear a word anyone was saying on the court.
48:14So.
48:14They're going to write the story, and people will all know about game seven.
48:17But that Dallas best of three was an elimination game two.
48:21And that, after the way game two went and everything,
48:24I mean, that was a huge, huge game to put away Dallas in round one.
48:28Huge.
48:28And we were down 16, like, in the fourth or in the third quarter.
48:32Like, that was a big momentum shift for us,
48:34and I think it just showed what we were made of.
48:36And it, you know, trickled on for the rest of the playoffs for us,
48:38getting that win.
48:39That dragon team is down into the defense
48:41where you guys have to say like 60 points, 70 points.
48:45I saw 60.
48:45You guys win all those games.
48:46I'm like, this is our kind of game.
48:47It's over with.
48:48It's over with.
48:48I know the Valkyries will win.
48:49This is the kind of game they win.
48:50That's what I said.
48:51It was like 22 to 25, and I was like, guys,
48:53we got them right where we want them.
48:55And then Gabby was unbelievable.
48:57Let's talk about the 30 points, obviously,
48:59but the way she came alive in that second half,
49:02some of the shots she was making, it's just, what is that gene?
49:06Because in the playoffs, her numbers tend to go up just in general.
49:10But what is that gene that people can have,
49:12and she obviously has, where she can elevate her game
49:15in the high-stakes moments like this?
49:18It's just, yeah, the will to win.
49:20And that is Gabby Williams.
49:22Like, her will to win just overpowered everything else.
49:25And she was doing 28, had 28 in the second half
49:27and also was playing incredible defense.
49:28You know, she was getting it done on both sides.
49:30And at halftime, she was like, it's all right, guys.
49:33Like, I just got to get going.
49:34I just got to get going.
49:35And I was like, okay, that's great news.
49:37Whatever we got to do, let's do it and just feed Gabby the ball.
49:40And it was incredible.
49:42Veronica, thanks for stopping by.
49:44Congratulations again.
49:45Congratulations.
49:45Get ready for that parade on Wednesday.
49:47I'm ready.
49:47Thank you, guys.
49:48Veronica Burton in the Valks.
49:49G-S-V.
49:51G-S-V.
49:52They're the world champs.
49:56On NBC Sports, Bay Area is brought to you by Service Champions,
50:01your trusted Bay Area home services provider.
50:04Ah, the champions sponsored by the champions.
50:07There you go.
50:07Let's see how that goes.
50:08Champs are in the building.
50:10I'll tell you, look at Phil Policino and Tommy Adzo just doing that TV thing
50:14where basically, promo for champions, show the champions.
50:18Veronica's plus-minus was great.
50:20Now the Warriors have this thing stabilized.
50:21They're in control here by two.
50:23The parade is Wednesday, by the way.
50:25This is a public service announcement.
50:27Yes.
50:28A lot of the Bay Area is going to be there.
50:32So missing that trade, Anthony, not with the offensive rebound.
50:36The Warriors defensively have picked it up in the second quarter
50:39and better offensive execution to take the lead.
50:42Brandon Williams with the quickness.
50:43E.K. tipping it home.
50:46But just Brandon Williams' double cross, monster double cross, got in there,
50:51drew in E.K.'s man.
50:52He's trying to keep it from making a layup.
50:54Gave E.K. the chance to get the offensive rebound.
50:56You set it perfectly, E.K.
50:57Sometimes when you drive, even if they go in, good things happen.
51:01Eric Jones Jr., nice feed from Isaiah Jackson.
51:04He was in a nice first half.
51:05Start ball watching.
51:06Forget about that baseline.
51:08Eric Jones Jr. is one of the best at working that.
51:11Ah!
51:13Melton and E.K. Yaxle with GP2.
51:16Brandon Williams, high school teenage from Crespi, playing together.
51:22Lock at seven.
51:26Melton will rock into the three.
51:28Out for Yaxle, delivering.
51:30Melton's been shooting it so well.
51:32He just kind of flared a little bit to the left.
51:35Make it a little tougher for your defender to get back there.
51:37A little indecision figuring out who's going to close out to it.
51:40There he is, Garland, you see that quickness.
51:42Oh, what the hell?
51:43A little hesitation and crossover.
51:45There's a lot of F1 speed in the game right now, actually.
51:48Brandon Williams, Williams.
51:50Williams out of the corner.
51:51So the Warriors started slowly from deep, but in the second quarter are bottoming threes.
51:56And Brandon Williams has 12 off the bench to lead the dubs.
52:00The pace is kind of picking up.
52:01I'm going to have a lot of early offense shots.
52:03I think it favors Williams.
52:07I'll tell you, he has improved his three-point shooting almost every single year,
52:11but a degree of difficulty won't have Luka and Alton Reeves delivering those to you this year.
52:18Pass back to EK, a little hot.
52:21Williams down the lane.
52:23Swords it up to Montana.
52:24EK fighting for it.
52:25Jackson wins the battle.
52:27Garland headed into the frontcourt.
52:29We're running Rui Hachiburra.
52:31You've got to keep running.
52:33I want to make sure you get past the ball handler there.
52:37I understand they've got athletes everywhere.
52:40Hachiburra is going to look for as many easy opportunities as he can get.
52:46Jackson's got a switch.
52:47He's got Garland.
52:48He walks into the rim.
52:49He's going to get an offensive foul.
52:53I think that was off the ball.
52:55EK trying to get into the rebounding position.
52:58He's trying to wall off that next man.
53:01He had a small defender on.
53:04I don't see anything there.
53:06That's interesting.
53:08You're trying to let Yaxl expose Garland.
53:12Good switch there.
53:14Oh, you got, yeah, Hachiburra fouling.
53:21It looked like Hachiburra was holding on to him, too.
53:25Yeah, they gave the foul to Graham Eke.
53:28But it was not, it was not, it was not on the ruby drive against him.
53:33It was Dante Milton.
53:36That was an odd one.
53:41Knocked off the leg of Derrick Jones.
53:44And your eyes are better, Kay, because they just reassigned that foul to D'Anthony Melton.
53:48There you go.
53:49Take it away from Graham Eke.
53:50How about the Andre Godala precision strip there from Graham Eke?
53:54Getting in from the weak side.
53:57The Warriors close this half.
53:59That's the key.
54:02One three in a row.
54:03The Clippers have lost four in a row.
54:05Doing it without Steph and Draymond tonight.
54:08Axel driving.
54:10Fading, firing, and wrapping it in.
54:11He's very under control tonight.
54:13He's got 11 in a highly efficient game on five of six shooting.
54:18Your footwork is basically your counter moves there.
54:21He's kind of looking to someone to pass it to you and just turn and shout over to him.
54:25Realizing, hey, I'm really big.
54:28Well, it wants Hachiburra on Majemski instead of one to three.
54:32And Bassey, that's a good contest.
54:34Sometimes good offense beats good defense, particularly in this league.
54:40Inside the final minute.
54:44A triple Axel as he drops in a three.
54:48He's got 14.
54:50Off the dribble.
54:53That is not easy against the smaller, quicker, really good defender.
54:57And it made one three missing there.
54:59Darius Garland, two of five and one of four from deep.
55:04Lendeborg down the lane.
55:06Lendeborg to the rim and go to the line.
55:09The Warriors went and drafted a demolition.
55:13It's Cyborg.
55:15I mean, it's in his name.
55:18Axel Lendeborg.
55:19So.
55:19It works.
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