Van Chancellor opening: We are in the playoffs and that’s all that matters, I am really proud of our team. When we lose people to 59 games, two starters, everybody is talking about Tina Thompson, but I am hear to tell you Dominique Canty has really hurt us and she was having and outstanding year. She was the most improved player in our league; I was pleased about where we are.

Q: Can you speak about the health issue and Tamecka Dixon is she going to be able to play for you at all.

Chancellor: Dixon that is looking tough, Saturday she was looking like the one player that might come back and play, I don’t feel as good about that as two days ago. She has this pull, it’s not getting better, I will be surprised if she plays.

Q: Your veterans, especially (Sheryl) Swoopes, a prime example is that triple overtime, how well has (Sheryl) Swoopes picked up that slack?

Chancellor: When we lost these players, we lost 4 players, three of them in our top six, Sheryl (Swoopes) stepped up and played remarkably well. Dawn Staley has really held our team together, Michelle Snow. The three of them has really made a difference since we lost 3 of the top 6. I can’t say enough for them, especially for Dawn (Staley) and Sheryl (Swoopes) leadership.

Q: What are your keys in this particular series, your team has been in different situations with various injuries throughout the year while playing Sacramento?

Chancellor: They have had injuries too, they have DeMya Walker out, it’s like two teams are meeting basically for the start. Anytime you play Sacramento, they have just dominated us on the offensive boards. 14, 16, and 20, if you are going to have a shot against them, they are the best offensive rebounding team that has been in the league a long time. You have to able to keep them off the boards, and then try to make sure you get back on defense.

Q: Can you speak to the evolution of the playoffs from the ten years you have been here; from the beginning to basically the wide open anybody can win this year kind of playoff?

Chancellor: Well if you think if it’s wide open then maybe you haven’t been seeing LA and Connecticut play, they are pretty doggone tough with Detroit and Sacramento in there close. But yes, I’d have to say, from when we first started, I was just thinking in 1997 we beat Charlotte in a game in double figures, we beat NY for the title about 8, or 9 or 10. I do agree with the coach from Washington, Richie (Adubato) I do think that all the games are at no favor, you have to play all games, it’s going to be real close. It’s all changed because of the players; it’s got so many players.

Q: Can you speak about the specialists about the West because each team in this playoff has one a championship in this decade?
Chancellor: yeah how about this, the hottest team, the Phoenix Mercury won 7 in a row. They beat Sacramento, Houston, and LA, and they aren’t in the playoffs.

Joe Bryant, Los Angeles Sparks

Bryant Opening Statement: We’re looking forward to the Playoffs. I think it should be a great match against Seattle and Anne Donovan, and I’m really looking forward to it.

Q: Will there be any change, compared to the regular season, on how you guard Lauren Jackson – will you double or triple-team her?

Bryant: No, we’re just going to play her straight up. We have a few different people we can run at her, so not too many gimmicks – we’ll just try to go straight at her. We know she is a very good player, a very tough player. She has a variety of moves around the basket and has shooting ability from three-point range. You have to really get out and guard her, she will be a tough match-up for us.

Q: Will you be rotating a few players on her or do you plan you use one player in particular?

Bryant: Well, we’ll see how it goes. The perfect match-up would be to have her and Lisa Leslie guard each other. (Laughs)

Q: Have you decided what your starting lineup will be?

Bryant: No, not really. We’ve been playing well with the group we have, good rotation coming off the bench and all. The important thing is really defense.

Q: Lisa Leslie has about as good a season as you can have – and is certainly a candidate for MVP again. Can you talk about her leadership and her season?

Bryant: Well her leadership is in the game and in the huddle. I get input from my players and she has been a great help this year. I think in years past, most coaches probably just put her on the box and you can get beat up down there, but I spread her around and let the offense run through her with finesse rather than just with a power game.

Q: The West, having four teams that have all won a championship, how tough does that make this particular round of the Playoffs?

Bryant: Well, like you said, the West is a tough conference. That first game on the road is going to be important, if we can pull that off and come home for two, it is still going to be difficult. Like you said, all four of these teams have won a championship and they know what it takes to turn the page and get to the championship. I think going to Seattle, the energy boost that home fans can give to Seattle, we’ll have to overcome that. We’ve just got to be able to withstand that run at keep it close, and hopefully come out with a victory.

Q: Seattle has matched up well with you this regular season, is there anything in particular you need to attack differently in the playoffs?

Bryant: It’s really their transition game and their speed that makes them good. I think we play great half-court defense. We have to be careful about letting them get out on the wings and letting them attack the basket the way they do, because that’s when they’re really successful, when they’re able to do that. Sue Bird is a really great point guard – she sees the floor well, she passes off the dribble well and we all know what Lauren Jackson does. So it’s going to be a great game for us, a challenging game for us, especially with it meaning we’re opening up on the road.

John Whisenant, Sacramento Monarchs

Whisenant Opening Statement: I don’t know what to say for an opening statement, other than that I am nervous. We’re playing a great opponent that we really respect as a team and as a coaching staff. We think Houston is as good as any team in the WNBA, if not the best. We’re just trying to get ourselves as ready as we possibly can to try to go down and steal a win in Houston.

Q: Could you speak to the uniqueness of the West playoffs, with every team having won at least one championship?

Whisenant: Well, I believe that is an indication of how wide-open and how good the West is this year. I’m certainly, in no way trying to slight any of the teams from the East. But all of these teams in here, and Phoenix could probably say they, too could be included in that group, could probably win any series from any other team. It’s a great honor to be in that mix is the way we feel about it. We look at the great talent and it is kind of frightening – it makes me quite nervous, but I guess that’s the enjoyable thing about all of this.

Q: They say that the defending champion will always see their opponents’ best game that next season. Did you see that this year, and is it wearing at all on your team?

Whisenant: We did. We made comments to our local media that there were four or five coaches, who after they played us, said their teams just played their best game of the season. When you’re playing the defending champion, you know that they’re capable, and so you get ready for them – emotionally, mentally, and you prepare for what they do that bothers you. We saw teams preparing to attack our defensive style, and in many cases they did. I told our players the way to stop that is to not win it this year, but we like having that target on our back. Ultimately, when you get right back to where we are today, to the playoffs, every game is a “target game.” It might have made a difference in the regular season, we won 25 games a year ago and 21 this year. Some of that was due to injuries early in the season, but also some of it based on just what you’re asking Mike.

Q: Coach, you guys started the season playing about .500 ball the first half and then really turned it on in the second half. How comfortable do you feel in defense of your title?

Whisenant: I like the competitiveness of my team because I’ve been there with them. A lot of our players, the nucleus, were with the squad last year. I know they’ll get in there and battle and fight. Playoffs are like street-fights, you’ve got to get your nose bloodied and some knees skinned, and take the charges. We’re not as consistent as we were last year…But we’re right where we need to be, winning the second-most games in franchise history for us and we’re right there with three other WNBA champions and we’re looking forward to it and we’re going to give it our all.

Q: How would you compare your team’s mindset, coming off a championship season with last season’s mindset going into the playoffs?

Whisenant: The one advantage is we know we can do it, because we have done it. The disadvantages are, on paper, we haven’t been as consistent a defensive team. I’ve told my players, if it were just a pick-up game with no defense and no team play, we couldn’t win, because the other teams have more offensive stars than us. But we do have plenty of good athletes that can score in a team-situation, and we can defend and rebound, and we’ve done it under the gun as proven by last year’s championship run when we won seven of eight in the playoffs.

Q: How important is it to your team to have Kara Lawson as healthy as possible?

Whisenant: We’ve missed Kara a lot, especially through some of those early losses. The old Kara, who has played the last half-dozen games, she loves big shots and big pressure. She’d be okay as a starting guard or the 10th player off the bench. If I wanted her to coach she’d probably do that too – she’s smart, competitive and analytical and just loves the game. She’s very important to our team.

Anne Donovan, Seattle Storm

Donovan opening: I want to be very short to tell you the Storm is excited very much for the new season which is the post season. Lauren Jackson is well rested from the last week that will do well for us going into the LA Series, really feel good about our chances and post season.

Q: As a player and as a coach how can you best appreciate the type of playoff your in this year which is wide open, what does it say about the women’s basketball game overall?

Donovan: The game has grown in leaps in bounds in so many ways, absolutely any one can win this game, and there is no favor. LA (Sparks) and Connecticut (Sun) both walk in with the best record, but haven been beaten by every team in the league it leaves everything wide open. That’s also a good question when you’re looking at the roster; you have (Chamique) Holdsclaw coming off the bench in LA, LA with the second best record in the league. Just the depth with all these teams now; Sacramento look at all the bench scoring they do. It’s been so great to see the growth of the game and the support of the game as well.

Q: Can you talk about how it plays into picture that the Western Conference this year has four teams that have all won a championship before, what role does that play?

Donovan: It always seems to be the Western Conference that brings home that trophy; it makes the East very hungry. Saw that with the All-Star game this year where the East was looking to take home some hardware. But I think you’re right, deep into the playoffs, the experience and the know how sets them apart. It requires a different level of concentration, different level mind over body, and a different level of execution.

Q: Everybody knows you have Lisa Leslie, but what have the Sparks done to turn around the Los Angeles Sparks to win 8 more games, what’s the difference?

Donovan: I give a lot of credit to Joe Bryant; he has done a great job in giving them the right roles. That starts with (Chamique) Holdsclaw coming off the bench, and really embracing that role, and doing great off the bench for them. But it just seems to be more balanced, focused, not so erratic team. They play very consistent once (Chamique) Holdsclaw joined them after the beginning of the year, very consistent basketball from beginning to end.

Q: Coach can you please talk about the health of your team, what do you think about it heading into the post season?

Donovan: Our team has been faced with many injuries, as with many other teams in the league. We have moved on to losing Wendy Palmer, although I have to say that is very significant in the big scheme of things and our post rotation. Losing Shaun Gortman as a backup perimeter player, we have adjusted from that, we have several games to do that. We were able to give Lauren Jackson a week of rest which was much needed between her shins which every one is well aware she has stress fractures in her shins and then her plantar fasciatis. This week rest should give Lauren freshness about her when we start the series with LA. We were able to rest Sue and Betty and for the last two days, Janell Burse.

The nagging injuries we we’re dealing with all season long, we have a better shot at ignoring them and playing through them. Having giving them a couple days off and we are here a few more days before we start the series at home against LA. We are in as good shape as we could be at this point, we would like to have more depth in our roster, and we would like to be more healthy. My hat is off to everyone that has been struggling with injuries, no one more then Houston. They made it to the post season with the number of injuries they have had. That speaks volumes to the coaching job Van (Chancellor) has done, but to the strength and the will of that team.

Q: With Betty, she has some injuries and inconsistency she deals with, going into the playoffs how important is she?

Donovan: I think these two days of rest is really important for Betty and her knee. I think post season is when Betty will shine; she was MVP of our championship run two years ago. I think she is the kind of person that knows this time of year is critical, and she will step up and help us, help Lauren, help Sue with that load. Betty has gotten better for us defensively, and that will really come into play as playoffs start.

Q: Other then that (Chamique) Holdsclaw and (Lisa) Leslie, how have the role players stepped up for them, even though their numbers aren’t big, they have really made the Sparks who they are?

Donovan: You talked about (Jessica) Moore and (Christi) Thomas, and then you have Murriel Page off the bench and you get three bigs that are rotating in the post and the perimeter. They get so much size; Temeka Johnson has done a tremendous job as their new point guard and understands where to get the ball at what time. I think the role players are what makes that team click. Lisa and Chamique (Holdsclaw) are two best players in the league no doubt, but with out the right pieces around them they can’t be effective as they are.

Q: It’s been a tough year for John Whisenant after losing his mother, you have your issues, new ownership, injuries, has this been an emotionally tough year for you?

Donovan: I burst into tears when John (Whisenant) was calling, my heart goes out to him, nothing compares to losing a parent especially your mother. Listening to him going through that, I ache for him having gone through that and knowing what kind of toll that takes, I give him so much credit getting through the season having to deal with that loss. Our emotional rollercoaster kind of fails when you compare it to that. Our goals were so high going into the season especially with the acquisition of (Wendy) Palmer was going to really help us. From there we have been back and forth with certain injuries. The announcement of the selling of the team caught us all of guard, something we knew was possibility, but no one anticipated that happening in the middle of our season. We have had to be focus and concentration, and that is seen in our inconsistent play that we have had. Right now I think we are coming together at the right time, and the rest for Lauren was really critical to go into post season and really do some damage.

Richie Adubato, Washington Mystics

Adubato Opening Statement: We have a very big challenge ahead of us in the Playoffs facing Connecticut. We played them three times this year and it was 2-1 and we were able to win one game at home, but that was the first time we beat them in about six opportunities. We are looking forward to it. We understand that the type of team we are playing has been to the Finals twice and are very hungry to get back there a third time.

The Sun are lead by a terrific inside game of Taj McWilliams-Franklin, Asjha Jones and Margo Dydek and a lot of perimeter shooters when you talk about Sales, Douglas, Whalen and Phillips. They have a lot of balance, they have a lot of size, they play excellent defense and they are very well coached. It’s going to be a very big challenge for us, but we feel we played very good basketball at the end of the season and we are healthy now. Beard is back healthy and so is DeLisha Milton-Jones and we are looking forward to this game.

Q: Connecticut is such an overwhelming favorite. Do you guys feel there is nothing to lose when you go in to this series?

Adubato: We’ve played Connecticut this year three times and we know they have great players, but we also know we were 13-4 this year at home and we were able to beat a lot of good teams at home. We understand this is the biggest game of the year for us, but we have to win this game in order to go to Connecticut and play them on their homecourt and then take a bigger challenge where we haven’t been very successful. Anything can happen in the playoff, that’s one thing you learn about professional sports.

Q: Can you talk about the evolution of the Playoffs from when you first started watching them to what we may see this time around?

Adubato: I came in after the second year. I was in New York for six years and we did get to the Finals three times and I felt at that time that women’s basketball had a great future and the players were excellent. Coming from the NBA, it was a big adjustment for me because they are different in other areas because they don’t have the individual abilities that players in the NBA have, but they have more of a team game. I see an evolution as far as the teams in the league.

There is tremendous parity in the league. Because there are only 14 teams and we are in our 10th year people have been able to put together strong teams with good players at every position and just like the NBA the league has been able to go to the international scene and bring in people. The biggest thing is the top for picks that came out this year packed this league with talent and as a result you have a better product. People can come out and see an excellent brand of basketball. We are getting bigger up front, we are getting more athletic and we are getting better athletes.

Q: Can you talk about the 24-second clock speeding the game up and offense getting better this year. Do things tend to slow down during the Playoffs?

Adubato: Normally, they usually slow down for the same reason it slows down in the NBA and that is because people understand they must take away the transition game so everybody is sprinting back at a 110 percent and make you play in the half-court. Your veteran players always have an understanding of what it’s like and always step up their level of play. It’s probably going to be more physical than the regular season and the veterans understand how to make it more physical and how to combat it. That’s why when you look at the Connecticut team you will understand that they have been there and have been together in the Finals for years and have a very good understanding.

The 24-second clock has defiantly enhanced the scoring this year and has forced people to play up tempo. As a result more shot opportunities and more points on the board.

Q: What is Crystal Robinson’s availability?

Adubato: She practiced today and she will be ready to play on Friday.

Q: How has Alana Beard evolved as a leader and as someone who has helped make her team better?

Adubato: Last year she had many injuries and as a result she really only played at about 75percent of her talent. This year in the off-season she was overseas playing and got herself in tremendous shape. She came in this year with a great attitude to prove that she is very talented and can lead a team. She’s come in here with great attitude in super shape and she is playing tremendous basketball, rebounding, scoring, defensive pressure on the ball and steals. She’s been a leader on and off the floor and brings enthusiasm and energy to this team and has been very important to the success of this team.

Q: How would you rate your bench going into the Playoffs?

Adubato: We feel we can go 8 deep on our roster. When you get into the Playoffs teams will cut down on the rotation. I think our bench has delivered for us. We can go deep in the guard spots and we can rotate the guards and we have good enough strength up front.

Q: Leaguewide, has there been more injuries this season or is there just more focus on it because some of the bigger players were injured?
Adubato: Seattle got hit big time and Houston and it was their stars and over here it was our stars. I don’t know what the exact figures are, but I do know the importance of having your star player go down and the parity we have in this team. When we lost DeLisha we didn’t win as many games. It seems this year that the star players were injured and I guess that’s why it’s more noticeable.

Mike Thibault, Connecticut Sun

Q: What’s the health status of Nykesha (Sales) and Katie (Douglas)?

Thibault: We actually have several in juries with our team. Katie did limited practice today. We’re just trying to be cautious. She’s had some muscle cramping in our calf, and we’re just trying to be proactive by not overworking her this week. Nykesha has practiced full practices every day now for about 10 days, so she has not been an issue. Obviously, we rested Lindsay (Whalen) the other day, and that was more precautionary. She hasn’t had a break since… whenever. She hasn’t had one. Erin Phillips took a pretty bad fall the other day in Detroit, so we sat her out today just to kind of rest her. I think by Friday everyone will be ready to go. We’ll be there ready to play.

Q: What has Megan Mahoney, as well as the rest of your bench, provided for you guys this season?

Thibault: Our bench has been much improved over a year ago. We’ve been able to give them all more minutes. They’ve won us some games. They’ve had some huge games, and Megan’s been a big part of that. The fact that she’s been able to play her at the one, two and three has really helped us, because we’ve been able to move around defensively and play against different players. I think she’s still learning about what she can do offensively, but the reason she gets minutes on the floor is that she’s a very helpful player. She comes up with loose balls, steals, and helps disrupt opponents. I think that what I’ve been trying to impress upon young players is to do one or two things well. You’re not going to be able to do everything as a rookie, so give us hustle plays. Give us energy, and that will translate into making you valuable for me to put you on the court.

Q: How has your team proved to be a force without Nykesha for all this time?

Thibault: Obviously, we’ve improved the depth of our bench. It’s shown up when she was out. Obviously, Asjha (Jones) is one of the best players in the league coming off the bench. She could easily be a starter. The collective group effort of Erin Phillips, Jamie Carey in the backcourt, Megan, Laura Summerton, Asjha and Le'Coe Willingham… All of that group have taken turn filling different roles for us throughout the course of the season. We’ve needed it. If people are getting banged up as we head into the playoffs, we’re going to need it some more. I think the tendency for coaches is to shorten their bench a little bit in the playoffs, and I’m probably in that group. I don’t know that you’ll see some of these players playing the long minutes that they do in the regular season, but they’re going to have a role to play at some point during the playoffs.

Q: Have you figured out how you’re going to configure your lineup with Nykesha back?

Thibault: I probably won’t make a final decision until Thursday.

Q: What worries you most about the matchup with Washington?

Thibault: Everything. I’m a typical coach. I worry about everything. They obviously beat us at their place earlier in the year, particularly in the first half. We’ve got a lot of things to be worried about. Their front line has had a great season. Delisha Milton-Jones is kind of that wild card, because they can move her around and play her at different positions and get her against different matchups. They have three guards that can all play the point in (Nikki) Teasley, (Alana) Beard and (Coco) Miller. I think Miller’s one of the underrated players in our league. She comes off the bench and gives them great energy, makes hustle plays and does a ton of great things. (Latasha) Byears has been great when healthy… So, they have balance. They have an outside game, an inside game, they’ve got a lot of people who can score. I think it’s going to be a great series.

Q: Do you expect Katie Douglas to be matching up against Alana Beard?

Thibault: That’s been the matchup most of the time for the last couple years. It depends on what lineup we have in there. Sometimes, Katie has gone to Teasley or Milton as well. The thing that Katie does is make Beard work very hard to get shots. I think it’ll be a great matchup. You’re talking about two of the better defenders in the league playing against each other, so they’ll make each other work.

Q: How important is Delisha Milton-Jones’s return to them?

Thibault: There are several factors with her return. One, she’s the best defender. She’s just such an aggressive defender that can guard both post and perimeter players. Second, because of her long-range shooting ability, they try to get her mismatches. That causes problems for a lot of teams. Fortunately for us, we’ve got players who can guard her on both sides of the floor, so that helps us a little bit.

Q: Any predictions for the Houston-Sacramento matchup?

Thibault: I make no predictions about anybody else’s series because I have enough problems coaching my own team. I’ll worry about me. I’m not in the prediction business.

Bill Laimbeer, Detroit Shock

Bill Laimbeer Opening Statement: Our team in the last few days has had the best concentration we’ve had in a long time. We understand the task in front of us. We believe we have an outstanding chance to compete for the championship this year. We understand that we have one game in front of us that needs to be won and every time we step on the basketball court we are going to be mentally and physically prepared to play an all out war and to win the game at hand. This is the most focused I’ve seen out team in a long time. Whether that translates to tip off time, that’s what we are hoping for. Overall, we are healthy, we have no issue as far as being banged up or hurt, our bench is starting to round up to be in a good situation for us, and they are all on the same page being focused and dedicated to go out there and compete for the championship.

Q: League wide there are key players that have been down for extended periods of time. In your history with the league, are you seeing injuries this season being a bigger theme than in the past?

Laimbeer: It happens every year. In certain markets they will promote injuries that happen to their key players. These [injuries] happen to every team, but it’s a matter of what year and what team. You have to play through it. That’s why you are going to see in such a short season that we have multiple champions over the course of time because injuries will play a part in who wins and loses.

Q: Some school of thought that believes that teams take on the personality of their coaches and that certainly has been said of coach Laimbeer.

Laimbeer: I do understand when people say the players take on the personality of their coaches. In many ways they have my personality and in some ways they don’t. We lose focus at times which I never had a problem doing. We sometimes just blank out and have moments where we look bad, but for the most part I’ll take being associated with these players and them being associated with me. I think they play hard physical basketball and they go out there and compete to win every game.

Q: Can your own NBA playoff experience be translated to your players and is it applicable?

Laimbeer: You can verbally speak the words and sometimes that registers and sometimes it doesn’t. In practice you have to work on scenarios that will show it. We’ve been putting in different sets for the playoffs that we haven’t shown yet just so people can’t scout them. In that regard, I do understand that you have to put in new things and make adjustments before you even play the first game in order to try and give yourself an edge.

Q: How different is the league now from when you won the championship.

Laimbeer: Bigger, faster, stronger, smarter, coaches across the board are more prepared. It’s like night and day. The league had take two massive jumps. When it started it was a thirty something league and the first major jump was the year that Cash and Sue Bird and the Connecticut kids came in and really made it a influx of young talent. I think in the last year the new players coming in and the competition for jobs has taken the league to another jump. You have seen the scoring go up. I think the 24-second clock had an impact, but I don’t think anybody realized the impact it would have scoring wise and increase the quality of the game. Our team now is bigger, faster, stronger and we are more mature, but so are all the other teams.

Q: It seems like you like the 24-second clock but, don’t things tend to slow down in the Playoffs?

Laimbeer: They will slow down a little bit and we still need to get rid of the zone defense. In the playoffs it will slow down a little, but if you look historically you are still going to score because the concentration level goes up so high. When the concentration level goes up the shooting percentages normally go up.

Q: Do you see any of your players being an absolute X-factor in this series?

Laimbeer: There is no x-factor in our starting line up. They are talented individuals. Any x-factor would have to come from our bench. Braxton is probably the biggest potential x-factor there is out there. Nobody can guard her, she is 6’6”, strong as an ox and if she wants to play hard and have good concentration she’s unstoppable on offense. Kedra [Holland-Corn] making shots is another possible x-factor for us. I think those two off the bench will be hit or miss for us.

Q: Can you talk about Katie Smith’s play this season and her hunger for a championship?

Laimbeer: There is no doubt that Katie Smith has done everything we have asked her to do and has enjoyed doing it. She realized her place early on in our time. We have a great starting five and she fulfilled a role that we needed which was stability. What has been a great thing to watch is how well she plays defense. She’s an outstanding defender. Her defense has been phenomenal, he steady play and running our point has been a great positive for us and the best part about it is she is still learning how to understand the defenses being thrown at us and what our players can still do.

Brian Winters, Indiana Fever

Winters Opening Statement: Our series with Detroit … we’ve been very competitive all year. They won the two games at their place, and we won the two at ours. I think we match up pretty well together. We’re both pretty good defensive teams, both rebound the ball well. They probably rebound a little bit better than us because of their size. The games have been very close and competitive, and I would assume they’re going to continue in that vain. Both teams have very good players, so it should be a highly competitive series.

Q: What do you guys have to do in the postseason to be successful?

Winters: We added eight new players this year, so I don’t think we were considered a favorite to be in the playoffs, considering how many changes we made. But I think we made the right changes. Having said that, I think when you get to the playoffs there are no surprises. Both teams know each other well. We look at film. They look at film. We scout each other. We try to figure out what the best matchups are. We try to figure out the best plays to run, what defenses to use, how we can limit them, how they can limit us… When you get to this time of the year, I don’t think there’s a surprise factor. I think you just have to play better than the other team. It’s going to be a physical series, and the team that can make the least amount of mistakes should win the series.

Q: Do you think that this is the most wide open playoff race that we’ve seen in years and why?

Winters: I think the league has gotten better, and there is a lot of parody. There are also a lot of really good young players in the league, and it makes for more competitive games and a more competitive league. To me, Connecticut is still probably the team to beat. They’ve had the best record the last few years, and they’re a terrific basketball team. They’re probably the odds-on favorite to win. Amongst the rest, obviously L.A. has had a great year and is probably the favorite in the West. But if Connecticut gets Nykesha Sales back to full health, then they’re going to be awfully tough to beat.

Q: Are you happy with the results of all the transactions you made during the offseason?

Winters: Yeah, as a coach you always worry about a lot of different things, and you never know exactly how the chemistry is going to be bringing in so many new faces. But from day one, they’ve liked each other, they’ve gotten along and they’ve helped one another. So, that part’s been good. As far as plugging all the holes we had, Tamika Whitmore’s been a great addition to our team. She’s come in and had an All-Star caliber season. I didn’t quite realize how good of a scorer she was. She’s a better perimeter shooter than I thought; she’s a better dribble-drive player than I thought she was. Then we added Charlotte Smith and Olympia Scott, who have had their roles and had a positive influence on our team. Tan White’s game has improved. Ebony Hoffman has played pretty well, so overall I’m pretty happy with it. I always want more and am looking for ways to get more. We didn’t win the East. We didn’t have the best record, so you’re always looking for little ways to get better. But overall, I’m relatively pleased with what we’ve done and what we’ve accomplished. Our goal is still to win the championship, because the playoffs are a new season.

Q: Is Detroit’s frontline the most physical in the league?

Winters: They’re one of them. Connecticut’s frontline is pretty good too when they’re all healthy. Detroit does too, but obviously out in L.A., any frontline that has Lisa Leslie on it is awfully tough to beat.

Q: Is there any psychological advantage to playing the first game at home?

Winters: Generally, you play a little better at home. I think most coaches would say that. That being said, with Detroit coming here, we don’t want them to get the first game, because obviously to win the series you’ve got to go there and win twice. So, there’s pressure on both teams to do well. If we win, we put pressure on Detroit going back home. It’s very important to win the first game, it being the only home game of the series. We’re going to go out there and play as well as we can, and I think if we play well we should win our home game. And then we’ll go to Detroit and try to win one there. Obviously, they’ll try to win both there. We’re very evenly matched. The games have been really close, whether they’ve been here in Indiana or up there in Detroit.

Q: How do you think Tamika Catchings’ game has improved?

Winters: I think since I first got here, Tamika has better understood the roles of everybody else around her, and how they can help her. She has a better understanding of that now. On the court, she’s still our best player. She does everything for us. She rebounds, she gets assists, steals. We have her match up against varied offensive players. She can guard twos, threes and fours, so we move her around accordingly. She’s always good in that regard. She loves to guard people, and you don’t find that in many players, who really enjoy the defensive end of the court. She’s one that does. I think later in the season she’s gotten a little more efficient with her shot selection, especially in the last three weeks or so. Earlier in the year, we were still adjusting to all the new players, and trying to figure out where we were going for shots. I think now we’re just a little more settled in that regard.

Q: How do you plan to offset Bill Laimbeer’s ability to get inside the refs’ heads during the game?

Winters: I can get in their heads too. Two can play that game, a little gamesmanship I guess… You’ve got to plant seeds with the officials, whether someone’s walking, someone’s in the paint too long, whatever it is… Two can play that game; I don’t think it’s a one-way street.

Q: Do you enjoy the theatrics Bill brings to the league?

Winters: I don’t know if I enjoy it. I can deal with it. I can play my part too. It can work both ways. There are some things that I can do that will get into the official’s heads about what his team does. I don’t necessarily enjoy it, but if that’s what it takes to win, that’s what you do.