WNBA FINALS: PHOENIX VS. CHICAGO

October 13, 2021

Sandy Brondello

Phoenix Mercury

Game 2: Postgame

Mercury 91, Sky 86

Q. You said you felt confident they were going to come back and play this kind of game, and it seemed like the other night it got away from you, you didn't have the energy, you couldn't come back and today they just answered, answered, answered and found a way to get there in the overtime.

SANDY BRONDELLO: Yeah, you know, talked about just the quick 48-hour turnaround to that first game. We weren't where we needed to be against a really good team and tonight we were able to dig deep. There was still fatigue on both teams, but it's just how bad you wanted it.

So really proud. We grinded out a win. Areas we can still get better at, but we made enough plays to get the W.

Q. The atmosphere in there tonight, what did you think of it? Do you have a comparison for something you've played in front of?

SANDY BRONDELLO: Yeah, it was pretty amazing. I could hear it, like my voice gets really -- I haven't got the loudest voice, so screaming -- that's why I whistle a lot, so lucky I have that thing I can get their attention with. But yeah, I could hear it. Obviously, I was pretty focused on what we were doing at hand, and it was great. We haven't had much success this year in the Footprint, so it was good to finally get a win on our home court.

We know we play well on the road, so we're okay going back, going to Chicago, but it was good to finally get a win in front of our crowd. We really do appreciate them. They're the best in the WNBA, and yeah, I mean, what a great game. Should be a great game for TV, as well. It's always easier for me because we won, so I'm happy.

Q. When Skylar is able to distribute the ball the way she did, I think 12 [assists] is a career high or ties her career high as a WNBA player, how much does that open up everything in the offense for her and let her be able to get downhill?

SANDY BRONDELLO: Yeah, look, and Skylar would probably say, I've missed too many shots, but I thought with her ability to facilitate and just give us some easy baskets, Breezy [Brianna Turner] obviously at the rim and BG, we needed that. It's not very often you look and Diana has zero, but that's why they complement each other. We brought them in because D is a three-point shooter, a scorer, she's a great passer as well but they put a lot of pressure on her. So, we put her in being more of a screener and put the ball more in Sky's hand, and she made some pretty good decisions.

There were some times I thought she should have shot it. She passed it back. It's like, just shoot it because Breezy is going to rebound anyway. Yeah, really proud of her. 12 [assists], that's great, and that's an area she's really gotten better and better at.

Q. What can you say about Brittney's game today? Is she the type of player in situations like this where you want the ball in her hands on every possession at some point?

SANDY BRONDELLO: Yeah, I probably wanted it more than what we were doing at some stage, just getting that point across, but she kept going and screening. Look, we found a way. In the second half in particular we played a little bit more with poise and had a little bit better inside-outside attack, getting her touches down low.

You know, obviously she's a dominant player. We don't want to go all the time because we have to involve everyone else, but she has to be -- she's a playmaker, as well, not just a scorer.

Q. You talked about just the energy lift that Sophie brings in; can you just talk a little bit about what she was able to bring tonight and how big that was for her to come back and give you guys a lift?

SANDY BRONDELLO: Yeah, I mean, that was -- just to have another body. Obviously, we put her in the starting lineup, we just thought that was the right way for us to start with our rotations, and the energy that she brings, and she was great for us. I was pretty mindful of like, is it three to four minutes yet? Sometimes I would be forgetting, but she looked great out there. I know she scored early, didn't score in the second half, but doing the one percent, as well. Her teammates actually feed off her energy, and those plays, you love having those [players] on the floor and on the bench because it doesn't matter if they're playing or not, they're so invested in helping this team win.

Q. Although Chicago had 50 points in the paint, I'm curious if you can discuss what you saw differently defensively tonight, and also how BG was able to impact you all defensively.

SANDY BRONDELLO: Yeah, I mean, we've got to protect the paint against the Sky. At halftime we talked about 30 is too much. We're getting -- we want to be inside to outside and then scramble and then they started making some threes in the second half. We still -- this is a dangerous team from so many different positions that can stretch you out a little bit. Sometimes it's easier said than done, but when we committed to that, that meant we were a little bit better. Sometimes we switched two to be able to stay in place. They still made play after play. This is just two good teams going against each other.

You know, BG had some breakdowns there, but they're trying to pull her away from the basket as much as they can, so take away her shot-blocking ability, but she still impacted the game by changing so many shots, as well. But Brianna Turner, too, I thought our defense was great. They could have had runouts at certain times and she got back and stole the ball. They're the one percenters. That's just effort and heart.

Q. Even Diana is not maybe her having her best game, when you get into that late-game situation in overtime, do you feel like everyone is turning to her expecting to do what she ended up doing?

SANDY BRONDELLO: Yeah, she's amazing, isn't she? She was pretty tired out there, and guarding Quigley running around after her all night, that's fatiguing, as well, but Diana does this -- regardless what she's done in the first half, in the fourth quarter, we saw her in Vegas in the fifth game in a lot of big games, in Seattle, in overtime, she is just a player that loves those moments. She's not -- there's no fear, even when she's so tired. Obviously making that three late in the game, that gave us a little bit of separation.

Great effort, but we joked a little bit about her, the biggest play of the day was the steal. Diana doesn't steal very often, so that was a big play.

Q. Even when Skylar wasn't hitting some shots in the first quarter, she seemed to locked in and had a fire in her. What did you see from the way she responded tonight and does that competitiveness rub off on her teammates?

SANDY BRONDELLO: Yeah, look, I think that's an area she's gotten better and better all through the year. We tell her, look, you impact this team not just by scoring. I think you saw it tonight, like defense. She's the hardest on herself, a lot of them are. But defensively creating for others, facilitating, having 12 assists, that's great.

She had some shots, shots she knows she can make. She'll be reliving that all night tonight but I thought she had a really good game. Players like this are special, they have this fire in their belly, the will to win, and they're all locked in, and that's why I felt good coming into the game. Obviously, it was a close game, but we had a little bit more energy and a little bit more focus.

Q. You had Skylar and Sophie diving for rebounds in the first half and just showing a lot of scrappiness in the early going. Is there a specific message or something that you would contribute or attribute that to, or what was the overall tenor for that grit that your ladies displayed tonight?

SANDY BRONDELLO: It's the Playoffs. It's the Finals. We're one down. This is our home court. We knew we needed to play with that sense of urgency. We look back at the film, that's what I said, we're a way better team than what we showed in Game 1. But we know it's going to be hard because this team is really, really good.

That's what I talk about. I always steal -- coach Monty [Williams] always sends me some quotes and it talked about excellence and you've got to do common things uncommonly well for long periods of time. That's what happens if you want to be excellent at something. You've got to just grind it out.

Those players, you can feed off everybody else, it kind of gets them going. Very proud of their effort. It wasn't just those two, it was everyone, Shey Peddy came up with big plays, and had to go to overtime but we got the W, and we'll go to Chicago and hopefully we can both freshen up and get ready for the next game.

Q. Allie Quigley is one of the most dangerous players coming off the ball, and coming off the screens, and it seemed like tonight there was a lot of -- you were playing her physically. Was that a part of the game plan heading into this series, making her uncomfortable off the ball?

SANDY BRONDELLO: She's a great player. I love Allie. Just her persistence. You try to limit her separation as much as we can. She got open a few times, and you leave her open, she makes shots. She always punishes you. She doesn't stop moving. I get tired watching her, having to chase that around. But you need to play -- this is the Finals. You have to play a little bit tougher, play in their space, a little bit more physical. She still obviously had 19 points on us. We made it as hard as possible.