Chancellor

Opening statement: I think it's a tough matchup. The Sparks are really playing well, but you've got to beat them all somewhere, so we might as well start Saturday. End of discussion.

Q: Talk about the rivalry with L.A.
Chancellor: I think it's a tremendous rivalry. That's why I hate to start out playing them but that's just the way it goes.

Thompson

Q: What is Tina Thompson's status?
Chancellor: She's having a tough time pushing off on her right foot, but she's playing big minutes. We're having to play her big minutes. We don't have a choice.

Arcain

Q: Does that put extra pressure on Janeth Arcain?
Chancellor: We've put a lot of weight on her and she's absorbed it very well. It's hard to win a basketball game -- we got 32 shots last night on Phoenix and made six. It's hard to win in any league when you make six shots out of 32. The sad part about it is, to start the second half our percentage went down.

Q: Are Tina and Janeth tired?
Chancellor: I think they are tired and I think that's going to be one advantage in the way this series is going to go. We don't play until Saturday and I think three days off will be really good for us.

Byears

Q: Who on L.A. hurt you this season?
Chancellor: Latasha Byears.

Q: Why Byears?
Chancellor: She got 17 rebounds. Rebounds here, rebounds there, rebounds everywhere.

Q: Shooting and rebounding, are those the differences for your team in the first and second half?
Chancellor: It's ironic, we've been a better second-half rebounding team. The difference in the first half and the second half is one thing: The first half we were second in shooting in the WNBA. Now, we are about ninth or 10th. I have never seen a team ... we just got in the worst shooting slump I have ever seen.

Q: Is that attributable to defenses keying on Tina and Janeth?
Chancellor: No question. I think the combination of Tina's injury hurting her mobility and then everybody started defending us differently.

Q: Who do you look to, then, to step up for you?
Chancellor: This is the most asinine answer you have ever heard since you've been writing but I have no idea.

Washington

Q: Who has been playing the best then?
Chancellor: I think Coquese Washington has the greatest rotation, the best-looking practice shot I have ever seen.

Q: What are your feelings on the playoff format?
Chancellor: The thing that I hate about it is that if it goes to a third game it's a back-to-back. I think that's a tremendous disadvantage for us. We play Saturday, Monday, Tuesday. I think three games in four days hurts our team.

Q: Does the rivalry help this team?
Chancellor: Right now, nothing matters until we start shooting better and that's all that matters. It would be a great rivalry, a great game for NBC, for the WNBA -- four-time defending champ against the team with the best record.

Q: Coach Michael Cooper said if the Sparks continue to play the way they have you might see a new champion. How do you feel about that?
Chancellor: Michael Cooper said there is going to be a new champion for three years now. One of these years he's bound to be right.

Q: Do you have a sense that they think it's their year?
Chancellor: They thought it was their year last year. They think it's their year this year. They are going to think it's their year every year. It might be, it might be.

Q: What do they need to do?
Chancellor: For a three-year period now they've been awfully healthy. They didn't have a Sheryl Swoopes to miss the season. They have to stay healthy.

Swoopes

Q: How is Sheryl coming along?
Chancellor: Unbelievable. If we had another month to go in the season I might dress her out Saturday.

Q: What is her level of participation in practice?
Chancellor: She's been doing drills. She wants everybody to believe she's been doing this, this and that. She's been in my ear for two days about me letting her dress on Saturday.

Q: And?
Chancellor: And the answer is no. I couldn't take a roster spot away from somebody. But she was in my ear today. She is going to be in the ear tomorrow. I haven't the heart to tell her I put (the roster) in 45 minutes ago.