vs. 
POSTGAME QUOTES
AUGUST 13, 2002
COMETS COACH VAN CHANCELLOR
On the game:
"We came out tonight and both of us (Comets and Lynx) looked like we were going through the motions. Rita Williams played really well. The good news is we got to play a lot of players, and didn't have to play the starters a lot of minutes. That's really, really big. What I was concerned with what with Tina (Thompson) out and Sheryl (Swoopes) hurt, was that we were going to have to reach down and pull out a victory and what was I going to do with Sheryl not knowing the L.A. score. That was going to be really, really big. We had decided going into the game, it didn't matter where we finished, if we got them hurt it would do us no good, so we kind of had Sheryl playing under wraps until the last play of the game. I thought (Janeth) Arcain's knees were really tight. That L.A. game (last Thursday) really sucked a lot of out of us. No question we'd be better off if we could play Friday, but you can't have everything. I'm pleased we won. I am truly amazed with these Comets fans and I'm really pleased for Tammy Jackson. Who we play is second to when we play now. If we're healthy, I don't care where we go. I'm more concerned about the Comets' health."
On the playoffs:
"I've never had as many contingency plans in my life as to what we're doing tomorrow. Nobody has any idea where we're going and who we're going to play, when we're going to leave. We have no idea when we're playing; I'’d like at least to know if we're playing Thursday or Friday."
On Tammy Jackson's final regular season game with the Comets:
"Wasn't that a great night for Tammy? If you're going to talk about a night with a player retiring, there was a lot of love out there. If you couldn't enjoy that, you don't have a heart."
TAMMY JACKSON
On the emotional night:
"I am not a crier - I had to keep my word."
On her reaction to the video of her career:
"I am kind of shy - it was hard for me to look at that kind of stuff."
On playing her last regular season game:
"I expected Van to put me in the game and get the crowd into it and that would be it. See all these presents? Tina Thompson went to Saks Fifth Avenue. If anybody out there has some presents for me, just send them to the office and I'll get it."
On if all the presents enough to change her mind about retirement:
"Someone on the team did mention that I should just give all the presents back and just come back, but NO! I will just take the fifth championship and get Van to hire me as his third assistant and I'll be happy."
RITA WILLIAMS
On her play:
"I talked to Coach Chancellor at the beginning of the game and yesterday, and he just wanted to rest these guys and give us the opportunity to go out and play without any distractions. I just wanted to come out and play. I wanted for my turn to play and when my turn came, I tried to take advantage of the situation."
SHERYL SWOOPES
On the game:
"I thought everybody played great. Getting ready for the playoffs, whether we play Thursday or Friday, it is going to be important to see what everybody can do. I think this was the last opportunity to see exactly who is going to step up come crunch time because we are at the point now where we are going to need everybody to step up every single night and play big minutes for us. I thought Michelle (Snow) did a great job. I thought Rita (Williams) probably had one of the best games she has had all season. That is exactly what we need in getting ready for the playoffs."
On the Comets' first round opponent:
"I don't think it really matters who we play. I think the thing that is most frustrating is we don't know exactly when we will play. If we play Thursday, there is one scenario; if we play Friday, there is a whole other scenario. At this point, it doesn't matter if we play Utah or Seattle. It is just that time of season where you have got to be ready to play regardless of who you are playing."
LYNX COACH HEIDI VANDERVEER
On the game:
"I thought for the most part in the first half, things were fairly well played and with them shooting only 21percent, I thought we got some good shots and then in the second half, we gave some open jump shots up and they had some people stepping in and hitting some big shots. That's why they're going to win the West. We're a good young team that our record doesn't indicate how good we are and I think Houston is, obviously, very talented and they have got some great players, some veteran players that understand what it takes and we're just learning."
On the even shooting by both teams:
"There was good defense. Both teams give people nice looks and maybe not getting into a good rhythm. I think the defense, the pressure that they put on us, it was just two good defensive teams going at it."
TAMARA MOORE
On the game:
"I think for us it was really just a game for pride. Definitely a different situation for Houston - they're playing for homecourt advantage and first place in the West. For us, if we get this win, it's for pride. For them it's getting a good spot to play well in the playoffs."
On the play of Rita Williams:
"I don't think we expected her play as much because this was her first game of playing a lot of minutes. She did a great job. She really controlled the offense, really knew when to take her three-point shots, when to set up the offense. She was definitely the leader out there tonight."
TAMIKA WILLIAMS
On the game:
"Tonight they (Houston) got some good shots. They got Sheryl (Swoopes) the shots she needed, she made some really good passes and it's really hard to play a team that has (Janeth) Arcain, Rita Williams. They're just a very sound team. Michelle Snow from the beginning of the season until now has gotten a lot better. She's rebounding now, she's changing shots, she's doing what she's supposed to do and that shows a veteran team, a team that's experienced. They know how to get their veteran players better as well as the big players stepping up."
On what she's learned this rookie season:
"It's a very short season. It's hard playing the game at a whole different level against people of this caliber, but I've been through a lot of controversy with this team (coaching changes, personnel changes, a lot of franchise controversy, not winning for four straight years, etc.), so for me just taking it as a learning experience, and learning how to stay positive. It helps you know where your game is and what you need to work on."
KATIE SMITH
On the game:
"They came out and played well; their reserves came out and gave them a spark, especially in the first half. In the second half, they were able to let their starters kind of sit out a bit. We just couldn't convert very well and they got some big shots on us."
On the play of Rita Williams:
"It wasn't shocking - she can score, she can do some good things. She knocked out some shots. It's not shocking - she's done that before. She was a good addition. She and Sonja (Henning) are different. In ways, Rita is more of a scorer than Sonja is, but Rita can learn a lot from Sonja about leading the team, but definitely someone can do a lot for them."
On the team's season:
"This was a season the team can build on next year. Hopefully we learned what it takes to win by playing at Houston and playing at L.A., and even Seattle being the young team that they are and what they've done. We've got to look at that and really kind of concentrate because our margin of error isn't going to be that big. Hopefully we've learned what it takes to win and keep this with us in the offseason."
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
