Notes and Quotes:
May 24, 2005

Washington forward DeLisha Milton-Jones, on Nykehsa Sales' jumper with 58 seconds left to beat the Mystics on Sunday:
''That shot pretty much broke our back because we really had the momentum."

Sun coach Mike Thibault talking about the Sunday's win over Washington, to the Hartford Courant:
"I don't have a lot of positive things to say other than we won. I'm an agitated coach in that I know we can play better. I'm very happy we won. Disappointed would not be the word. Any time you start the season on the road and you get a split you probably have to be happy. But I'm just frustrated with the fact that we don't have a rhythm."

San Antonio rookie Kendra Wecker, who is lost for the year with a torn ACL, as told to the Kansas City Star's Mechelle Voepel:
“Immediately when I did it, I thought the worst,” Wecker said Sunday night from San Antonio. “I thought, ‘Oh, it's my ACL,' even though I've never had that injury before. It was a burning sensation, and I couldn't straighten or bend it. It wouldn't move. The only word I said was ‘ouch,' like 500 times.”

Shock coach Bill Laimbeer on Cheryl Ford's 18 rebounds in New York on Sunday:
"That's her job, to get rebounds for us. She really went to work there in the second half."

Laimbeer on the New York Knicks coaching vacancy, which he has not interviewed for. Yet:
"I've always wanted to coach in the NBA . . . but I'm not going to leave Detroit until my daughter graduates from high school... in about a week."

Sheryl Swoopes averaged 26.5 ppg in the first two games. Bill Baptist/NBAE/Getty Images

Comets forward Sheryl Swoopes, on teammate Michelle Snow after Sunday's win against the Minnesota Lynx, to the Houston Chronicle:

Comets coach Van Chancellor about Minnesota's Katie Smith after Sunday's game:
"I don't know when I've ever seen Katie Smith held to nine points."

Lynx center Nicole Ohlde, after a season-opening loss, to the St. Paul Pioneer Press:
"I think we know that we aren't clicking on all cylinders right now. We have to get everything tweaked a little bit, but we are going to get better. We are going to be all right."

Chancellor on Sheryl Swoopes to the Houston Chronicle on Sunday:
"Sheryl was really gutsy tonight. She's had back-to-back nights that have been unbelievable."

Indiana coach Brian Winters, on the opening win, to the Indianapolis Star:
"It's nice to win a game when Tamika struggles because of foul trouble. "I think we have a team where a lot of people can play and we can still win games... We have some guards that can penetrate and pitch and make some plays."

Fever forward Jurgita Streimikyte, on playing her first game for the Fever since 2001 after giving birth to a son and then playing in Europe:
"The WNBA is quicker," Streimikyte said of the adjustment. " But basketball is basketball."

Storm guard Betty Lennox on the championship celebration on Saturday, to the Seattle P.I.:
"It was very emotional for me. Through all my trials and tribulations with different teams ... ah," Lennox said, trailing off as the tears welled again. "I still have a smile on my face right now, even though we lost, because of the ring"

Seattle's Sue Bird, about looking ahead to 2005:
"It was wonderful to remember, but now we're on to the next season," Bird said. "You can only live in it so long."

2003 MVP Lauren Jackson on Saturday's loss to conference-rival L.A.:
"It's a damn shame."

2004 MVP Lisa Leslie after the dramatic come-from-behind win over the Storm:
"Every time we needed another rebound, boom, Chamique was right there. Overall, the two of us got a lot better as we built up our confidence. It's a great tandem with the two of us out there."

Mercury coach Carrie Graf, on her team's opening game loss on Saturday to the Monarchs:
"We put ourselves in a hole with pitiful execution."

Bill Laimbeer, after Kara Braxton's rookie debut on Saturday, where the rookie had 18 points in 14 minutes off the bench just four months after giving birth:
"She's a monster out there."

Shock forward Deanna Nolan, after her triple-double against the Sun on Saturday, only the fourth in WNBA history:
''When they said I had a triple-double, I was like, 'Who, me?' " Nolan said. ''I'm glad no one had told me I was close -- I might have started missing shots just to get enough rebounds."

Liberty coach Pat Coyle, reacting to ESPN's Nancy Lieberman's preseason predictions, which had the Liberty last, to the New York Times:
"I was upset. "But I shouldn't say that. Nancy Lieberman isn't in the gym every day. She doesn't see what we see. Initially I was upset because that's my team now and we've never gotten the respect."

Mystics forward Charlotte Smith-Taylor, on returning to Charlotte for opener as a member of the Wasington Mystics:
"It was very emotional," Smith-Taylor said. "When I came in for shoot-around, it was just kind of weird being back here at the Coliseum.