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WNBA FINALS: SPARKS VS LYNXSeptember 24, 2017Nneka OgwumikeChelsea GrayMinneapolis, Minnesota Los Angeles Sparks - 85 Minnesota Lynx - 84 Q. Chelsea, you hit a few big shots in the fourth, but how much do you look forward to being in those moments and having that ball in your hands, and what did you feel when the last one went through? CHELSEA GRAY: Yeah, I think all athletes dream of that moment, you know, especially at this magnitude and at this stage, I think you dream of hitting that shot. Last year it was Alana and then it was Nneka. I'm glad it went in. I think we drew up a good play, and my teammates had confidence in me once I got the ball and I knocked it down. Q. Nneka, could you talk about what the discussion was within the team about the decision not to come out for the anthem, and my assumption was that was not attempted as a sign of disrespect to the country or to the flag or anything, but could you elaborate on that? NNEKA OGWUMIKE: You're absolutely right. It was honestly a very spur-of-the-moment type of thing. We were obviously on our phones on the way to the game -- on the way to the gym, sorry. And when we got to the locker room, Candace [Parker] had shown everyone the remarks of the head coach of the Steelers. I don't know if anyone has seen what he said. But we completely resonated with everything that he said. You know, it's not about showing any type of disrespect. With athletes, you know, we want to be able to be on this main stage and lead our communities and set an example. I think what we agreed with, with what the head coach of the Steelers said, some people may want to kneel; some people may not want to. But we want to... we want to show everyone that a team does as the team does. So we want to stand in solidarity together and stand by, you know, our mission, and that's in unity and togetherness. And we felt that we wanted to also show our respect for other people who understand how important it is for us to be together at this time. And honestly, there's also been word... there wasn't any disrespect at all to the Minnesota fans or anything. It was a very spur-of-the-moment type of situation, and I think that a lot of people were confused when they didn't see us out there, but that's what it was about. Q. Chelsea, was that final play, did that go down how Coach drew it up there during the time out -- CHELSEA GRAY: Yeah, he kind of drew it up -- NNEKA OGWUMIKE: Had a little spin on it -- Q. When the shot went in, what did you feel? CHELSEA GRAY: I was like, "They still have time on the clock." The shot didn't count when Lindsay hit the halfcourt shot before, but I mean, they are capable of doing that. We were just like, "Get a stop, get a stop." Adrenaline was just running through me. I'm just happy we got the win and they didn't make a halfcourt shot. Q. How to you stay calm in that final minute, and what do you do when -- four lead changes, all of them in the last minute of the game to kind of calm yourself and concentrate on the job. CHELSEA GRAY: Yeah, I think it starts with preparation. Coach always preaches poise, no matter if they are very aggressive on the ball; if the crowd is loud, just staying together. That's kind of what went through my mind. I'm just like, stay composed and I did basically a normal shot, you know. That was basically my mentality. Q. It's 9-0, 12-0, 28-2. What's going through your head as everything seems to be going your way early, and then how did you hold it together when it looked like it was going against you late in the game? NNEKA OGWUMIKE: You know, in the beginning, we always have the same -- don't let the highs be too high and don't let the lows be too low. I think we did a fairly good job of that today. When they pushed back, we could have responded a bit better with some more poise, and in the beginning of the game, we were really -- we were just determined. I think that was more so a mentality rather than a game plan. You know, this is the Finals. This is the Minnesota Lynx. They are going to punch back, and we have to be table to respond to that better. I think it all started with Jia Perkins. She came in and she was making plays on both ends. But we maintained our composure. I look forward to watching video tomorrow because it was almost like anything that could have happened in the game happened. So you can kind of learn from a lot of what we saw tonight. Q. The rebounding differential in the first quarter was the mirror image of what ended up turning out by the end of the game. How important was it when you and Candace both picked up relatively early third fouls to keep yourself on the floor and to keep the rebounding up? NNEKA OGWUMIKE: Very important. And rebounding isn't -- we always talk about rebounding, that it isn't just down to the post players. You know, you have to get rebounds. I mean, it's going to be physical. It was physical with us against Phoenix. It's going to be physical with us here in Minnesota. So we just can't get caught up with anything that's happening on the outside, and we need to be able to be smart and stay in place but maintain our composure. Q. What did the two of you think about the environment that the Williams Arena brought today? Different than the bigger type arenas, than maybe the Target Center would have brought? CHELSEA GRAY: I thought it was great. That's an atmosphere you look forward to play in and get a win. I think it makes me focus even more, and those moments -- and we were staying together, communicating well for the most part. I think only a couple times we were like, what was the call or something like that. But it's a great arena, great environment. NNEKA OGWUMIKE: We've played in three different places here, and each time, it has not felt like we were ever in a different place. I think that's really remarkable. It's great for the women's game to see all the fans out here. I mean, we could play in Chicago and the Minnesota fans would come, you know, and I think that that's pretty amazing. But we love playing in these type of environments. This is center stage. This is what people look forward to. Q. Jia's name came up in one of Nneka's last answers. Chelsea, for you, she played a lot of minutes for the Lynx as they made their push. Some of the shots early in the second half were also some tough ones. Did that help build some momentum for you in seeing her matched up across from you? CHELSEA GRAY: I think it's always important when you see the ball go in the basket. I think it creates a natural rhythm. She was aggressive on the ball, forcing me different ways, forcing me to take tough shots. Credit to her for her defensive effort. I mean, she made me work. So just have to be smart in that and the way -- our attack. Q. I want to go back to the National Anthem for just a second. NNEKA OGWUMIKE: Sure. Q. You didn't come out in Game 1 here in Minnesota. Are you planning on coming out in Game 2 in Minnesota or Game 3 or four in L.A.? NNEKA OGWUMIKE: We haven't discussed it yet. It was literally just what we were doing today. So we have yet to see. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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