WNBA FINALS: STORM VS. ACES

October 2, 2020

A'ja Wilson

Las Vegas Aces

Game 1: Postgame

Las Vegas Aces - 93, Seattle Storm - 80

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions, please.

Q. Coach said that you guys seemed frustrated because shots weren't going in and that affected the defense. So would you agree with that? And the second one is you've obviously been in this position last round, losing the first game, so do you take some comfort like, Hey, we rallied last time, we can do it again?

A'JA WILSON: I wouldn't say that we were necessarily frustrated because we knew the shots that we were getting were good looks. We knew that it was within our system. They just weren't falling. We knew that's how the game was going to go at some point throughout this season, so I don't think we were necessarily frustrated about that. I think we just weren't locked in mentally on the defensive end. And then on the offensive end, I can only speak for myself personally, but I was kind of locked in to Connecticut. I think I got to switch gears in my head and know that this is a different team, a different ball game. I think I put that on myself. You could just tell it, just on the court you could just feel it. I can't even say anything else. You could just feel it on the court and that's within us.

It's a series. We're going to go back to the drawing board. We're going to look at things, break things down and hopefully come out with a better showing. But at the end of the day, I think you saw spurts of the Aces and how we need to play. I think we were right there. It was just a matter of doing it throughout the course of 40 minutes and that's key against a good Seattle team like that.

And your second question?

Q. You lost Game 1 of the last series --

A'JA WILSON: Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Q. -- and came back and obviously won.

A'JA WILSON: Yeah, I don't think we find any comfort in that. I think it's just a matter of we just got to buckle down and lock in from the start. Yeah, we did it last series, but there's no guarantee that this series is the exact same. I think it just comes from within and just knowing how it feels. Now we see the looks that we're getting, we just got to knock those down.

Q. Despite the loss, you guys outlasted the Seattle Storm in three-pointers made. How does it feel to have that and how important will that be going into Game 2?

A'JA WILSON: I think that's very important, but at the same time it's just within our system. We got guards that can knock the shots down, it's just a matter of time that they were going to fall. I think we just got to continue to stay within us. So later on down the road I'm pretty sure that those are going to be important, but at the same time, I think it starts on the defensive end. Those shots don't matter a lot if you're not stopping them from making shots.

So at the end of the day, we really had to just lock in on the defensive end.

Q. I know it's only one game, but how hard are they to deal with when Breanna is playing the way she is and Jewell Loyd scoring the way she was and Sue is kind of out orchestrating everything?

A'JA WILSON: Like how hard --

Q. Just how hard are they to defend when everything is kind of flowing for them like that?

A'JA WILSON: It's them. It's their system. It's who they are. It's not necessarily just a hard or easy thing. They're knocking down shots. Their players are doing exactly what needs to be done and I think it just comes back on us. I don't think it's anything that they did that made us miss shots. We just didn't make shots. It just didn't happen. It didn't fall in.

I feel like Seattle's had a game like that before, so it's not like it's just, like, Oh, my goodness, a bad game. I think it's just on us from within our system, within our locker room. It's on us and that's what we got to focus on. I can't really focus on what goes on in their locker room because I can't control that. I can only control what I can control.

Q. On availability earlier last week, you mentioned playing not only for your team but for young black women everywhere watching you. What does it mean to you in light of that to play on the highest stage possible, I guess?

A'JA WILSON: It means a lot to me. It really does. I don't take anything for granted at all. I am grateful to be in the position that I am because in the WNBA there's 144 of us and that's it. That’s all. For me to be one of those 144, I take that with a lot of pride and I just try to go out there and I do my best and I show, just keep pushing and I'm always trying to be there for my teammates and produce for my team at a high level. But it's not easy, this league is probably one of the hardest leagues until the world. But it's good. I like it because I'm competing every single night and I know I'm going to get somebody's best, so at the same time that puts it on me to then give it my all and don't let up.

Q. Bill said it and then you sort of reiterated, different series, different team. But is this a different Seattle team than you swept in the regular season, that you beat? Tonight, did you see a different Seattle team, different mindset?

A'JA WILSON: No. I mean, the team that we saw in regular season were just as offense-heavy and defensive-minded as well, as we have seen just now in the playoffs. It's just a matter of we didn't hit shots that we were hitting in the regular season. I can't really harp on the regular season at all, can't go there and get it back.

Of course it's a different look because now Sue's playing with them and she's their floor general. But at the end of the day, this is the same Seattle team we saw last year and the year before that. They are who they are, they have a system and they stay within it. So it's on us to do the same and knock down those shots that we missed. And I keep saying that, and it's not an excuse for the loss at all, but at the end of the day, I can only control what's in my locker room and what goes on with me.

Q. I would like to know what aspects from today did you like and what things can you build on moving forward to get momentum the next game?

A'JA WILSON: Yeah, I think the biggest aspect that I loved today was the way that we came out in the third quarter. Third quarters are normally kind of tough for us. We come out sluggish, like we did in the fourth quarter. But the third quarter, I think when we played defense and we were everywhere and flying across the court and communicating with one another. That's just good basketball on us and that's how we play.

Things that I want to do better for and want us to do better is probably just coming out with that same energy. I think that's the biggest thing and key for all of us, especially playing against a team like Seattle who is good at capitalizing on all of your mistakes. You have to come out with the same energy throughout 40 minutes, and yes, it's going to be hard, but we're in the Finals. We got to give it our all and leave it there with no regrets. So I think those are two things that I really enjoy and things that we got to work on.