Minnesota Lynx off to strong start in the season, 1st in the WNBA
Olivia Miles (5) and Natasha Howard #1 of the Minnesota Lynx celebrate during the third quarter against the Seattle Storm at Target Center on Saturday in Minneapolis.
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Audio transcript
NINA MOINI: Time to turn to our weekly sports segment tonight. The New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs will play game 3 of the NBA Finals. The Knicks have quite a few celebrity fans, so part of the spectacle of tonight's game in Madison Square Garden will be courtside fashion. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Timberwolves are offering some fashion news of their own.
Sports and fashion, I guess, contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson are on the line now to tell us all about it. Thanks for being here, guys.
ERIC NELSON: Fashionistas. Oh boy. I don't know if fashion is in my wheelhouse, but go ahead.
NINA MOINI: Well, I think some of these logos and jerseys and things like that are so important to fans as well and just like the vibes of everything that's going on. So Wally, the Wolves unveiled some updated designs. What do you think?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, I think that there are some hungry fans out there. Over 7,000 people showed up yesterday at Target Center. They paid $1 each for their tickets, and they filled, I don't know, about half of the lower bowl to see the unveiling of the new logo at center court, where it just now says "Wolves." I guess they're not the Timberwolves anymore. They're just the Wolves, because that's what's on all of their jerseys.
I think officially they're the Wolves. It's kind of like the Knicks. They're still the Knickerbockers, but everybody calls them the Knicks. And the Cavaliers, everybody calls them the Cavs.
NINA MOINI: Sure.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: But I guess the Timberwolves are going down that lane. But yeah they have a new logo. They've got the new jerseys. A lot of the jerseys and logos aren't that much different than the past.
NINA MOINI: That's what I was thinking.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, if you look at it, you can kind of see, OK, this kind of looks like last year's. They took the word Timberwolves off the main logo. And, I mean, it's fine. It's new-ish, I guess. The bottom line on this, though, Nina, you have to know it. It's all about selling more merchandise. And that's what they're trying to do here. They're refreshing it a little bit so that the fans can opt in. And those who had jerseys from, say, two years ago or eight years ago or whatever it is, they can now spend their money on the new look.
And there's a ton of new-look jerseys, too. I mean, there's four or five different jerseys that they now wear. And so that's all part of it. Kevin Garnett, the former Timberwolf who, of course, has been welcomed back into the organization by new owners Mark Lore and Alex Rodriguez, he was part of the video and part of the fashion show, if you will, showing off the new jersey. So if you're excited about that, good for you, I guess the Timberwolves are taking a page out of the NFL's playbook here in keeping themselves in the news all the time.
NINA MOINI: I love that, expert analysis on all levels there. Eric, what else do people need to about the game, game 3 of the finals? The Timberwolves are not in it-- or the Wolves.
ERIC NELSON: No, they are not, Nina. San Antonio Spurs-New York Knicks tonight. That'll be game 3 of the Finals. The Knicks are up two games to 0 so they won both matchups in Texas. And the Knicks are a playoff juggernaut right now. They've won 13 straight postseason games. New York trying to win an NBA title for the first time since 1973, and for just the second time in franchise history.
If you're a Timberwolves fan watching the Knicks play, it's got to be bittersweet. Because one of the key cogs for New York is Karl-Anthony Towns.
NINA MOINI: Yep, KAT.
ERIC NELSON: A couple seasons ago, KAT dealt to New York for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Clearly the trade has worked out better for New York, because the team is just two wins away from a confetti shower and what would be a legendary ticker tape parade through the concrete canyons of Manhattan.
And it stings even more because Minnesota sports fans are still trying to process and come to grips with the Vikings letting Sam Darnold go to Seattle where he led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title just a few months ago. So you can't make this stuff up. But for Minnesota sports fans, they have seen this over and over again. It'll be a circus, though, tonight in New York City, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, I bet.
ERIC NELSON: POTUS is going to the game, which has ramped up security in and around Madison Square Garden. The Knicks canceled a watch party outside the arena, which has upset some fans. But nonetheless, the energy in the city is off the chain. Meanwhile, the ticket prices are higher than the Empire State building.
NINA MOINI: Right.
ERIC NELSON: According to Vivid Seats, the cheapest ticket on the secondary market is $4,324. The most expensive is $93k. That's on the floor where you would be sitting.
NINA MOINI: Right.
ERIC NELSON: And the Knicks have put up a couple courtside seats for auction recently. Those went for a million bucks.
NINA MOINI: Wow.
ERIC NELSON: You talked about the celebs. We are almost sure Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan and your favorite rapper Fat Joe will be in the house.
NINA MOINI: I do love Fat Joe. Yeah, and I'll be-- that's where I'll be, next to Timothée Chalamet. That was fun to hear you talking about him. So let's talk about the Twins who were at home this weekend. How'd it go, Wally, their series here against Kansas City? I hear you taking a big breath.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, that's-- yeah.
NINA MOINI: A big sigh.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Not so good. Dropped three out of four to last-place Kansas City over the weekend. Next up, the other last-place team in the AL Central as the Twins travel to Detroit beginning tomorrow. I guess part of the news is that Royce Lewis is back and playing for the Twins after a couple of weeks with the St. Paul Saints, correcting his swing. And where he cracked a bunch of home runs, he hit eight home runs in that short span with the Saints.
NINA MOINI: Wow.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: However, he is 1 for 7. In other words, one hit-- just one hit in seven at bats over the weekend for the Twins, where he's been playing a bunch of new positions. He played first base yesterday. He played second base on Saturday where he made an error. The Twins did make it interesting yesterday. They were trailing 6-1. They scored four times in the bottom of the ninth to make it 6-5. They had a couple of guys on, but Brooks Lee ended up flying out to end the threat with two runners on base.
So it's hard. Byron Buxton was out over the weekend. He crashed into the wall on Friday night and they said it's just a contusion. So it looked like he was just going to be out for the weekend. Hopefully with the day off today, travel to Detroit tomorrow, they'll get Byron back in the mix. Looking like Byron will be their lone All-Star. All-Star voting has begun in Major League Baseball and he should be an All-Star this year. He had a great season. He's hit 18 home runs, so he's on a great pace right now.
So that's the good news. The bad news is they're not going anywhere fast. I guess the other good news is they're not in last place. They're still ahead of Detroit and Kansas City.
NINA MOINI: We'll take it, right?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Exactly. You take the grain of salt and move with it and say, OK, there's a silver lining to all this. But hopefully they can get back on track against Detroit who, by the way, they swept earlier this year in Detroit. They took four from them.
NINA MOINI: Wow.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: So that would be a good thing if they can knock off Detroit here.
NINA MOINI: OK. Let's talk about the Lynx hosting the Dallas Wings tomorrow, including, of course, Hopkins High's finest UConn Star, Paige Bueckers. What are you going to be watching for, Eric?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, I mean, Minnesota's 9 and 2, Nina, top record in the WNBA. And Dallas is trending up at 7 and 3. Obviously, Paige Bueckers is already a star in the WNBA. She's averaging over 18 points per game and 6.2 assists per game. Meanwhile, Minnesota's been really a fabulous story, winning minus superstar Napheesa Collier. She's still injured. Hasn't played a game this season. And there are others stepping up in her absence.
You've got the rookie Olivia Miles, who right now would be a slam dunk Rookie of the Year winner. Natasha Howard has been very good. They both had solid games Saturday. Minnesota was able to knock off Seattle 88 to 68 at Target Center. In that game, Howard and Nia Coffey-- who's also from Hopkins High-- so it's going to be a royal reunion.
NINA MOINI: Nice.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, Hopkins Royals. And Coffey and Howard-- they were pickpockets on Saturday. And Nina, they each had three of Minnesota's 13 steals. That tied a season high for the Lynx who have won seven straight, the last six by double figures. So they have been rolling through opponents.
And I should duck into the World Cup will start this week. It runs June 11 through July 19. There are 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, 11 in the US. Closest venue to the Twin Cities is Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, home of the NFL Chiefs. Three players from Minnesota United playing in the Cup-- Michael Boxall for New England-- check that, New Zealand-- Carlos Harvey, Panama, and James Rodriguez, Colombia. So there you go.
NINA MOINI: All right, guys. Appreciate you, as always. Hope you have a great rest of your week.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Thanks.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Those are our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.
Sports and fashion, I guess, contributors Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson are on the line now to tell us all about it. Thanks for being here, guys.
ERIC NELSON: Fashionistas. Oh boy. I don't know if fashion is in my wheelhouse, but go ahead.
NINA MOINI: Well, I think some of these logos and jerseys and things like that are so important to fans as well and just like the vibes of everything that's going on. So Wally, the Wolves unveiled some updated designs. What do you think?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, I think that there are some hungry fans out there. Over 7,000 people showed up yesterday at Target Center. They paid $1 each for their tickets, and they filled, I don't know, about half of the lower bowl to see the unveiling of the new logo at center court, where it just now says "Wolves." I guess they're not the Timberwolves anymore. They're just the Wolves, because that's what's on all of their jerseys.
I think officially they're the Wolves. It's kind of like the Knicks. They're still the Knickerbockers, but everybody calls them the Knicks. And the Cavaliers, everybody calls them the Cavs.
NINA MOINI: Sure.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: But I guess the Timberwolves are going down that lane. But yeah they have a new logo. They've got the new jerseys. A lot of the jerseys and logos aren't that much different than the past.
NINA MOINI: That's what I was thinking.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Yeah, if you look at it, you can kind of see, OK, this kind of looks like last year's. They took the word Timberwolves off the main logo. And, I mean, it's fine. It's new-ish, I guess. The bottom line on this, though, Nina, you have to know it. It's all about selling more merchandise. And that's what they're trying to do here. They're refreshing it a little bit so that the fans can opt in. And those who had jerseys from, say, two years ago or eight years ago or whatever it is, they can now spend their money on the new look.
And there's a ton of new-look jerseys, too. I mean, there's four or five different jerseys that they now wear. And so that's all part of it. Kevin Garnett, the former Timberwolf who, of course, has been welcomed back into the organization by new owners Mark Lore and Alex Rodriguez, he was part of the video and part of the fashion show, if you will, showing off the new jersey. So if you're excited about that, good for you, I guess the Timberwolves are taking a page out of the NFL's playbook here in keeping themselves in the news all the time.
NINA MOINI: I love that, expert analysis on all levels there. Eric, what else do people need to about the game, game 3 of the finals? The Timberwolves are not in it-- or the Wolves.
ERIC NELSON: No, they are not, Nina. San Antonio Spurs-New York Knicks tonight. That'll be game 3 of the Finals. The Knicks are up two games to 0 so they won both matchups in Texas. And the Knicks are a playoff juggernaut right now. They've won 13 straight postseason games. New York trying to win an NBA title for the first time since 1973, and for just the second time in franchise history.
If you're a Timberwolves fan watching the Knicks play, it's got to be bittersweet. Because one of the key cogs for New York is Karl-Anthony Towns.
NINA MOINI: Yep, KAT.
ERIC NELSON: A couple seasons ago, KAT dealt to New York for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Clearly the trade has worked out better for New York, because the team is just two wins away from a confetti shower and what would be a legendary ticker tape parade through the concrete canyons of Manhattan.
And it stings even more because Minnesota sports fans are still trying to process and come to grips with the Vikings letting Sam Darnold go to Seattle where he led the Seahawks to a Super Bowl title just a few months ago. So you can't make this stuff up. But for Minnesota sports fans, they have seen this over and over again. It'll be a circus, though, tonight in New York City, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Yeah, I bet.
ERIC NELSON: POTUS is going to the game, which has ramped up security in and around Madison Square Garden. The Knicks canceled a watch party outside the arena, which has upset some fans. But nonetheless, the energy in the city is off the chain. Meanwhile, the ticket prices are higher than the Empire State building.
NINA MOINI: Right.
ERIC NELSON: According to Vivid Seats, the cheapest ticket on the secondary market is $4,324. The most expensive is $93k. That's on the floor where you would be sitting.
NINA MOINI: Right.
ERIC NELSON: And the Knicks have put up a couple courtside seats for auction recently. Those went for a million bucks.
NINA MOINI: Wow.
ERIC NELSON: You talked about the celebs. We are almost sure Timothée Chalamet, Ben Stiller, Spike Lee, Tracy Morgan and your favorite rapper Fat Joe will be in the house.
NINA MOINI: I do love Fat Joe. Yeah, and I'll be-- that's where I'll be, next to Timothée Chalamet. That was fun to hear you talking about him. So let's talk about the Twins who were at home this weekend. How'd it go, Wally, their series here against Kansas City? I hear you taking a big breath.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Well, that's-- yeah.
NINA MOINI: A big sigh.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Not so good. Dropped three out of four to last-place Kansas City over the weekend. Next up, the other last-place team in the AL Central as the Twins travel to Detroit beginning tomorrow. I guess part of the news is that Royce Lewis is back and playing for the Twins after a couple of weeks with the St. Paul Saints, correcting his swing. And where he cracked a bunch of home runs, he hit eight home runs in that short span with the Saints.
NINA MOINI: Wow.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: However, he is 1 for 7. In other words, one hit-- just one hit in seven at bats over the weekend for the Twins, where he's been playing a bunch of new positions. He played first base yesterday. He played second base on Saturday where he made an error. The Twins did make it interesting yesterday. They were trailing 6-1. They scored four times in the bottom of the ninth to make it 6-5. They had a couple of guys on, but Brooks Lee ended up flying out to end the threat with two runners on base.
So it's hard. Byron Buxton was out over the weekend. He crashed into the wall on Friday night and they said it's just a contusion. So it looked like he was just going to be out for the weekend. Hopefully with the day off today, travel to Detroit tomorrow, they'll get Byron back in the mix. Looking like Byron will be their lone All-Star. All-Star voting has begun in Major League Baseball and he should be an All-Star this year. He had a great season. He's hit 18 home runs, so he's on a great pace right now.
So that's the good news. The bad news is they're not going anywhere fast. I guess the other good news is they're not in last place. They're still ahead of Detroit and Kansas City.
NINA MOINI: We'll take it, right?
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Exactly. You take the grain of salt and move with it and say, OK, there's a silver lining to all this. But hopefully they can get back on track against Detroit who, by the way, they swept earlier this year in Detroit. They took four from them.
NINA MOINI: Wow.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: So that would be a good thing if they can knock off Detroit here.
NINA MOINI: OK. Let's talk about the Lynx hosting the Dallas Wings tomorrow, including, of course, Hopkins High's finest UConn Star, Paige Bueckers. What are you going to be watching for, Eric?
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, I mean, Minnesota's 9 and 2, Nina, top record in the WNBA. And Dallas is trending up at 7 and 3. Obviously, Paige Bueckers is already a star in the WNBA. She's averaging over 18 points per game and 6.2 assists per game. Meanwhile, Minnesota's been really a fabulous story, winning minus superstar Napheesa Collier. She's still injured. Hasn't played a game this season. And there are others stepping up in her absence.
You've got the rookie Olivia Miles, who right now would be a slam dunk Rookie of the Year winner. Natasha Howard has been very good. They both had solid games Saturday. Minnesota was able to knock off Seattle 88 to 68 at Target Center. In that game, Howard and Nia Coffey-- who's also from Hopkins High-- so it's going to be a royal reunion.
NINA MOINI: Nice.
ERIC NELSON: Yeah, Hopkins Royals. And Coffey and Howard-- they were pickpockets on Saturday. And Nina, they each had three of Minnesota's 13 steals. That tied a season high for the Lynx who have won seven straight, the last six by double figures. So they have been rolling through opponents.
And I should duck into the World Cup will start this week. It runs June 11 through July 19. There are 16 host cities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, 11 in the US. Closest venue to the Twin Cities is Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, home of the NFL Chiefs. Three players from Minnesota United playing in the Cup-- Michael Boxall for New England-- check that, New Zealand-- Carlos Harvey, Panama, and James Rodriguez, Colombia. So there you go.
NINA MOINI: All right, guys. Appreciate you, as always. Hope you have a great rest of your week.
WALLY LANGFELLOW: Thanks.
ERIC NELSON: Thanks, Nina.
NINA MOINI: Those are our sports contributors, Wally Langfellow and Eric Nelson.
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