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July 25, 2015
UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT
Q. Hey, Maya, you were asked, the game's on the line with two minutes left and you go on an 8‑0 run that sort of wins it for the West. In your head, were you, okay, it's time now to start really playing against the line as opposed to the first 39 minutes which are more about fun and enjoying it? And it's time to let's win this game?
MAYA MOORE: Yeah, the last three minutes there was a timeout. But I think 2:51 to go, and both of us were probably saying the same thing, let's try to win this. It was a one‑point game at that point. It was a brilliant play call. I don't know who called it or it was Kayla, I think. Said let's run floppy. Get them moving a little bit.  Came off the screen. (Indiscernbile) set the great screen and hit an and one jumper to seal the win.
But every point counted. We needed to come out of a couple of holes there that we got ourselves in. It was just fun. The last few minutes we were definitely trying to win and turned it up a little bit, run a little bit faster, cut a little bit harder and make sure the ball goes in.
Q. Maya, obviously you've had a lot of great memories in this state and sort of a legend in this state. Does it mean anything special to even have a game like this? I know it's just the All‑Star Game, but this is back in the place where you became famous, really?
MAYA MOORE: Of course, you know, to have just a great performance for everybody. That is the first thing you want. You want it to be a good game, and it was up to that point. So pressure's off because it was already a blast of a game. So we were just playing.
Those are moments that are fun for us as players. Just game's on the line, it's a one‑point game, and let's see go out and see who wins. It's just fun to play in front of a crowd that's going to appreciate it.
It's going to be a toss between Minnesota fans and these fans, both near and dear to my heart. If I was going to do it in front of any other fans that weren't Minnesota, I would want it to be here in Connecticut. So had a blast doing it. They also got a great performance from one of their players with Alex, so I think they double dipped. Is that allowed? Look it up.
Q. To that end, Maya, can you talk about the game Bentley had?
MAYA MOORE: Yeah, she played great. She just played aggressive. She's such an All‑Star player. That's when she shines. She's one of those players that gets a rhythm, gets the crowd involved. It was a fun day for her knocking down threes, trying to get her teammates involved with some passes here and there with her and Shoni running at the top there.
So it was fun. It made it a fun game. When the ball is going in the hole in an All‑Star Game, everything seems to be feeling great. So when that happens, you just keep shooting, and that's something that both of us did. It was fun to see it go in.
Q. This year in women's sports it seems has been one with greater attention just across the board. Women's World Cup, or with what Serena did, I'm just wondering how it feels to be part of that moment and part of that exciting highlight and be part of that?
MAYA MOORE: Well, first humbled, super humbled and grateful. Those are two of the biggest stages and names that you can mention in women's sports, like you said. So it's an awesome place to be in. And it's just beautiful. It's beautiful because I think we're all connected. The greater sports world gets to celebrate more things because of the awesome year that we've had. It's only going to get better.
It's one of the highlight years, I think, for sure. We didn't have a World Championship or Olympics, but this WNBA season is going to be what people remember, and this is a big moment within the WNBA season, not including the playoffs which haven't even started yet.
Q. And Brittney, same question to you, and just that sequence that you had making that three‑point shot. How conscious are you at that moment that your national TV audience on ABC watching you do all the things you do when you're on the court?
BRITTNEY GRINER: When I'm on the court, I'm not really thinking about it like that, but I'm thinking about it now because everybody mentions it to me. I'm just trying to bring something exciting to the game, get more people involved, get more people watching and just have fun, honestly. I just love to do it. My teammates feed off of it, so if I can get my teammates going, I'll keep doing it.
Q. Can you talk about your ever expanding three‑point game?
BRITTNEY GRINER: You know, good eye (laughing). Thank you. No, I mean, I don't know a player that doesn't practice shooting threes, honestly. Every big wants to shoot threes. But I just play around with it, honestly.
If coach would let me, I would. But it's not something I'm really taking serious. I'm not really trying to hop every time and shoot a three. But it at least won the game, you know. If I make it, good, if I don't, it's all right.
Q. You've got the tongue‑wag part down.
BRITTNEY GRINER: Hey, I do. I do.
Q. Brittney, All‑Star Games are sort of notorious for being more offensive effort than defense. You've always said that defense is part of the game that you love most. Saw a little bit of that particularly late in the game. Can you talk about the defensive effort?
BRITTNEY GRINER: Is there a rule that says you're not supposed to play defense in an All‑Star Game?
MAYA MOORE: It's in the fine print in the manual.
BRITTNEY GRINER: Okay. I just need to put on some glasses and see that. Because in basketball, you play defense, so I'm going to play defense. I'm going to block shots.
MAYA MOORE: That's right. That's why we let everyone get into the lane so she can clean it up.
BRITTNEY GRINER: That's how we do it. I'm going to play defense. I'm going to block shots. We want to win, so blocking shots keeps them from scoring.
Q. Both of you are the go‑to players on your team. Lot of pressure, lot of physical pounding day‑in and day‑out. Talk for a second about how much fun it is‑‑ I know you want the defense, but since there wasn't that much out there today? How nice is it to just go out there, have a good time and enjoy the game for what it is, a game of basketball?
MAYA MOORE: Well, like you said, it's something that you're talking about in the pregame chat this morning all the pressures and some of the challenges we face as pros all year and having eyes on us being the All‑Star Weekend. All‑Stars have a lot more demands and a lot of attention, and definitely more pressure, and how you handle that is very important.
So throughout the season I just tried to do my best to stay grounded and remember I've got a great team behind me. I don't have to do it all myself. But more so at an All‑Star Game like this, it's easier to take the pressure off because it's an All‑Star Game.
Once you see your first shot go in, it becomes easier. Watching other great players do their thing too takes it to another level of fun. Really, you get to be a fan more so than any other time of the year while you're playing, so it's just a really special time.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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