WNBA FINALS: STORM VS. ACES

October 4, 2020

Kayla McBride

Las Vegas Aces

Game 2: Postgame

Seattle Storm 104, Las Vegas Aces 91

Q. Kayla, I thought a more aggressive offensive game for you guys all around and you in particular. Did you like the aggressiveness that you had today offensively?

KAYLA McBRIDE: Yeah. I mean, that's who I am. I know it doesn't seem like that all the time, but that's how I want to be on the court for this team, be aggressive, take my shots, and just be myself.

That's who I've been in this league the last six years, and I'm going to continue to do that.

Q. Bill talked a lot about the turnovers, and I know that's obviously a huge factor in any game, but how difficult is it when you have a few turnovers here and there, and especially just at certain times when it looks like the game could kind of go either way? How important were those today to push things in their favor a little bit?

KAYLA McBRIDE: I think it's been our Achilles heel all season long. It was last series, it still is this series. I mean, I had three today. That causes, especially when we're on runs and we give the ball back to a good team like that, an efficient team like that. You know, I think we scored enough to win.

It's about our defense and our turnovers really right now. And they're that good of a team that they're going to be able to take advantage of things like that. Instead of being a 6-2 run it becomes an 8-0 run because we turn the ball over and give them too many opportunities.

It's valuing each possession, and then they add up. It's really hard to beat a team like that when you're giving them extra possessions.

Q. During the regular season, your team was first in the league when it came to getting to the line, but today your team only went to the line five times, and that seemed to be one of the differences. How are you going to increase your free throws?

KAYLA McBRIDE: Just continuing to stay aggressive. They're not calling too many things. It's the Finals. We knew it was going to be physical, based on the last series. Just keep playing through it, keep being who we are, who we've been all season, and eventually the refs will make the calls.

Q. What's the takeaway from today's game that you will take into Game 3?

KAYLA McBRIDE: Don't turn the ball over and just have no fear. From the beginning, it doesn't matter, we've been in this win-or-go-home situation before. We've had such a great season. Stay together, take care of the ball and just go out there swinging; know what I'm saying. Not necessarily swinging, obviously, but just go out and just be who we've been all season. We've had a lot of success this season with this group and obviously this isn't where we want to be right now in this series, but I believe in this team and I believe in what we've done all season long and I believe in us right now down 0-2. Just going out there, continuing to play hard, continuing to compete, continuing to stay together and fight like hell, and that's it.

Q. You mentioned earlier talking about being aggressive on defense. I wonder if you can maybe just describe throughout the season how has Las Vegas been successful? What is the right formula for when the team is playing well defensively?

KAYLA McBRIDE: You know, when we're communicating, then just putting forth the effort in personnel. This league is too good, the players are too good for us to have mistakes on the defensive end on assignments and things like that. Knowing our assignments, knowing personnel and then making it a team effort and always finishing with a rebound, not giving second opportunities, that's been a big thing for us, too, for us to get out in transition, and just being tough, hard-nosed and gritty. I think that's been our MO all season long, and we've gotten away from it.

Credit Seattle for making shots, being very efficient. But still, you know, we've still got to be that tough-minded group on the defensive end. That's who we were all season long. That's what got us the No. 1 seed. We move forward to Game 3.

Q. On that note, there are a lot of people right now on social media and just general in coverage of this series kind of acting like the season is over, like Seattle is on their way to their fourth title. What do you have to say to people who are kind of counting the Aces out at this point?

KAYLA McBRIDE: See you on Tuesday.