“I feel like people started caring less about the game and more about just the individual points,” Plum said. “You can play really well and score 15, 20 points and have a great game and people will be like, ‘Aw, it was only a 20-point game.’ It was tough for me because I felt like I lost a little bit of my identity and it ultimately led to a tough transition into the (WNBA) because the expectations were so high. So, if anything, I’d try to send her as much compassion and love as I can and I hope the people around her are checking in with her … because it’s going to be tough to feel like you’re just playing basketball.”
The Lakers' loose ball phantom timeout might be the worst call by NBA officials this season
This is For The Win's daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here's Mike Sykes.
The NBA In-Season Tournament has been so fun. So, of course, the NBA's officials had to ruin an instant classic between the Suns and the Lakers.
If you don't know what happened, the Lakers were gifted a timeout that they shouldn't have been able to call. My colleague, Charles Curtis, has more here.
A quick synopsis: Austin Reaves loses possession of the ball on the inbound pass. Grayson Allen picks the ball up and you think the Suns have a chance to tie the game.
Nope. Instead, LeBron James is given a timeout.
This shouldn't have happened, folks. The Lakers didn't possess the ball. And, as Curtis writes, if you don't possess the ball then you can't call a timeout. It's that simple.
Instead, LeBron James gets the timeout. The Lakers get the ball and LA puts the game away. Instead of going to overtime, it's a loss for the Suns and quite the blemish on the In-Season Tournament.
I'm not particularly eager about criticizing officials. They have a hard job to do — officiating the best athletes in the world is not easy. But, man. This is embarrassing. That was an easy one. And missing that in the middle of arguably the best game of the In-Season Tournament so far? This is supposed to be a moment for the league to showcase its product. The officials are part of that. And, boy, that doesn't look good.
Ultimately, it is what it is. The game went on and the Suns lost. The league is probably happy the Lakers made it through to the finals as one of its premier franchises with its biggest face being LeBron James.
But, man. Just know the last two-minute report today is going to be hilarious. We might even get another one of those apologies! That'll make it all better, Suns fans.
Shohei Ohtani's secret free agency is actually very cool
There's been a lot of complaining about how secretive Shohei Ohtani's free agency so far. Especially after Dave Roberts' likely blunder of revealing the Dodgers' meeting with the two-way star.
Folks are now asking why Ohtani has to be so secretive. The argument against his secrecy is that fans are missing out on the intrigue surrounding the free agency process.
I must say, though, I'm not an MLB nut, but it sure seems like we're still talking about everything just fine.
Ohtani hasn't said a single word and we're still grabbing on to every single morsel of information we can. I mean, look at all the rumors we've gathered up here! There's still a lot of intrigue there.
Silence doesn't take away the suspense. It only adds more. That's what makes this so great.
Remember when LeBron James took a few weeks before telling us he was signing with the Lakers? Wasn't that fun? Or what about the time Kevin Durant broke the news that he was going to the Warriors with a column? That was also still very fun.
The process doesn't always have to be out in the open for us to talk about it. Sometimes, the background suspense can be just as good.
Some friendly advice from Kelsey Plum
It looks like Caitlin Clark is going to break Kelsey Plum's scoring record at some point this season. She's on pace to do it now.
There's a lot that comes with that, though, according to Kelsey Plum. Our Meghan Hall has the details on the sage advice the WNBA pro is giving to the future No. 1 pick.
"While Plum is a two-time WNBA champion, she says transitioning from college to the pros was difficult. With her all-time NCAA scoring record (3,527) on pace to be broken by Clark this season, she’s warning her of what comes next.
Per Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press, Plum expressed concern about who Caitlin Clark is as a person getting lost in the shuffle of earning the scoring title."
Here's what Plum had to say:
That's spot on. It took a while for Plum to find her footing in the WNBA. Clark might see the same path ahead of her, too, as the physicality and defense kick up a notch at the next level.
Luckily for her, it seems, she'll have folks like Plum supporting her along the way. At least when she's not playing against her, anyway.
Quick hits: Is it time for Bill Belichick to go? ... Taylor Swift in TIME! ... and more
— Christian D'Andrea listed out the NFL's most fireable coaches and, yes, Bill Belichick is on the list.
— Taylor Swift is TIME Magazine's person of the year. Looking for every photo in the feature? Caroline Darney's got you covered.
— We finally know who is going to Vegas. Bryan Kalbrosky has the final bracket for the NBA's In-Season tournament.
— Giannis finding out that the winner of the NBA Cup gets more money is HILARIOUS. Here's Bryan with more, again.
— David Carr thinks the Eagles should bench Jalen Hurts for Marcus Mariota. Yes, that's a real sentence. Cory Woodruff has more.
—Here's the full MLB Draft Order from Mary Clarke.
That's all, folks! Thanks so much for reading today. We'll catch you tomorrow. Until then, peace!
-Sykes ✌️