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WNBA FINALS: SPARKS VS LYNXSeptember 26, 2017Lindsay WhalenMaya MooreMinneapolis, Minnesota Lynx - 70, Sparks - 68 Q. They had the ball twice in the last 13 seconds with a chance to tie or take the lead. How do you guys buckle down defensively and come up with what you need to do to keep them from even getting a shot off? MAYA MOORE: We just had to continue to fight, continue to stay engaged and locked into each other and what was happening on the floor. All we can go is go out and try to anticipate what's going to happen and shut it down. The five-second call was really just a big momentum builder for us and also the last play of the game, I think it was Rebekkah [Brunson] getting in there and getting her hand on the ball and being able to finish the game out with another stop. Obviously the game wasn't perfect for us. There were some things that we want to do better and be more consistent, but when it came down to it, our defense won the game for us. Q. Lindsay, were you determined to get the team going in the first quarter there, and what were your emotions at the end when you kind of flipped the ball away? You didn't look thrilled. LINDSAY WHALEN: Well, the first part, I think Coach had been talking to me yesterday, we talked some last night, we talked this morning just about being aggressive and just coming out and -- I mean, really all of us setting the tone. But just me in my position having the ball a lot and just trying to push the pace more than anything, and I was able to get a couple jumpers to go, get in the lane a little bit, and she was just telling me all night, be aggressive, get in the lane, do your thing, and you know, it worked out. A couple times it didn't work out as great, but you kind of take those risks when you're aggressive, and it worked out for the most part. I mean, yeah, the last play, just inbounding it, it was -- as I let it go, I think 'Mone -- I don't know what was, if she tripped on somebody's feet or something, so yeah, you want to just like be able to grab the ball and bring it back, so I wouldn't put her in that position to try to have to catch it while she's tripping, but luckily our defense saved us there at the end, and it was good. Oh, the very end? I thought you were talking about the inbound. MAYA MOORE: [Laughing] Great insight, though. LINDSAY WHALEN: Yeah, well, that one I was just trying to run her -- so now you know my answer to the inbounds play to 'Mone. I wish I could have gone Matrix and grabbed the ball and brought it back. Oh, that one I was just trying to play keepaway, I guess, and trying to -- Alana Beard and Odyssey [Sims] were trying to catch me, obviously Maya found me, and if there was probably a couple more seconds, I probably would have tried to go to score, but it was like, oh, just try to run out the clock here and, yeah, get the win. Q. Lindsay, seemed like both teams upped the defensive intensity in the fourth quarter, seemed especially like LA was doubling down on Syl [Sylvia Fowles] and you were having a hard time getting shots off. Talk about what was happening with their defense and how your offense kind of slowed down there in the end. LINDSAY WHALEN: Two great teams, just kind of going at each other. I mean, you know, they have great players on their team, and we have a lot of great players, too. You know, I think at that point, there were a couple possessions here or there where we probably would like to have back and just execute a little better and probably put each other in better situations. But our defense saved us, and we had -- we were one more play better, and with these two teams, sometimes that's the difference. We'll take it for Game 2, and we'll learn from those times when it felt like we got a little bogged down and see what we can do for making adjustments for Game 3, and we have great coaches, so we know that we'll be in a really good mindset and be ready to go on Friday night. Q. There's no doubt that defensive play was what really kind of carried you all per quarter, but what was the mindset to consistently carry it per quarter? LINDSAY WHALEN: I think just for us, watching how things kind of unfolded on Sunday afternoon, we just wanted to have a more concerted effort on helping each other and being there and just being more active and playing on a little bit more of an edge, I guess. I thought everybody really took that to heart and everybody came out with that mindset right from the beginning tonight, and we were able to get some stops and play in flow. Q. Could either of you discuss the performance of your teammate Sylvia Fowles tonight? She had 17 rebounds and was pretty dominating in the paint. MAYA MOORE: Oh, I can. I'll take this one. Syl, she does so many things for us. She has our back in so many ways, whether it's protecting the paint, just being so reliable on the inside for us, cleaning up defensive rebounds. That's such a huge part to winning a championship is being able to get those defensive rebounds. So I'm just glad she's able to just show out on the biggest stage and just do what she does for us and get recognized for it because it's so important. She's grown so much, and I'm just excited to continue to see what she's going to do in the next game that we have because I think she's just really owning everything that the coaches are giving her to do this year. Q. Could you give us your thoughts on Rebekkah Brunson's more aggressive play tonight? MAYA MOORE: I'll take this one, too. My post players -- you know, she was so big for us in so many ways. She's kind of like the glue, the energizer bunny glue of her team with her defensive effort and the confidence she played with on offense, and just being -- she's someone who's willing to do whatever it takes, whatever the coaches tell her, whatever we as captains and starters come together and agree on, she's going to do it with all of her heart. She made some big plays for us. She had an O-board and I think saved it and got fouled or something amazing where it's just those little things that really make the difference in the game. I tell her every day how much I appreciate her because she's just such a pro and does the dirty work for us without really getting the glory that she deserved. I'm just grateful that she was able to be so successful in the things that she's great at tonight. Q. The other day in talking to Coach Reeve, she said she didn't like to use the word culture. She thinks it's a cliché in sports, something everyone chases, but it's almost invisible kind of in a way. After playing a game like this in this environment, how do you describe what's taking place here and what you're a part of here? LINDSAY WHALEN: You know, I think it's been a fun run that we've been on a lot of years. Six Finals in seven years, you know, it's just two teams that are bringing it every night, and I think our fans have enjoyed it. There's been some tense moments and whatnot, but that's what the Finals are all about. That's what it is. The best women's basketball is being played right now here. We're happy to be a part of it, and we're happy to keep working and keep playing together and keep accepting every challenge that comes our way and continuing to just try to be as successful as we can. Q. Lindsay, is this just going to be, do you think, what the series is like, no lead is safe, these two teams so evenly matched that if it's 20, 26, it doesn't matter, it's probably going to come down to it at the end? LINDSAY WHALEN: Well, I'll probably be able to tell you more after Game 3, but after these first two, I mean, it's pretty -- I mean, I don't know what our biggest lead got to tonight. I know what their's was in Game 1 on us, and it came down to the last possession. Like I said, everybody on the court is such a threat on both teams, and you've got two great coaches, a lot of great players just countering each other and adjustments are being made that -- I mean, this is what it's all about, really. This is what it's all about. This is why we're all still here playing is to play in these moments and these games. I know I've said that a lot, but it's where you want to be. It's what you want to be a part of, our series and games like this. Yeah, there's a lot of ups and downs, and on Sunday night we left here feeling pretty bad, and tonight we were able to bounce back, and now we head on the road, and it's just what it's all about. It's some great basketball. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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