Q: What are you going to work on in practice today?

Whisenant: We just wanted to work on some of the stuff they might do that’s different like zone presses, half court zones. We spent the day mainly as a shooting day, a running day, and worked on some of that stuff that you don’t work on every day because teams typically don’t play it. We want to be prepared for everything.

Q: Are you at all worried about a zone press in Game 4?

Whisenant: When you have the 24-second clock you don’t have to press. The 24-second clock presses. That’s one of the things that the NBA second clocks do because they take a lot of those things out of the game. I’m trying to expect anything. If I’m coaching in the Finals my team should be prepared for anything they might throw at us.

Q: Is two days off going to help the team or hurt the team?

Whisenant: We are not used to that much time. I don’t know. We will see Wednesday night whether we like it. It is what it is. I try not to worry about things I can’t control.

Q: How are you preparing for Game 4?

Whisenant: It’s all about if you just think football and you understand what football coaches say. We’ve got to establish the running game in order to run sweeps. If they want to stack the lane in our running game and stop it, that means we can sweep the ends and throw it out there and it’s not different in basketball. If you look at the first game they didn’t want our four post to have 50 points like they did in some of the other playoff games so they stack the paint. Kara [Braxton] and Nicole [Powell] had good days because they had good looks and they made them. Game three was the opposite, they got up on our perimeter shooters, played our post players one-on-one and our post players got 50 points. I’m sure there will be some other things in the Wednesday game. We have been practicing today to prepare for all things that might happen in this fourth game.

Q: Are you changing your defense at all for Game 4?

Whisenant: Our defense doesn’t change. Our defense is exactly the same and has been for the three and half years that I have been a coach. Our philosophy is we have a sound solid defense. We feel like there are no tricks, it comes down to can we make it hard for them to score and can our offense outscore them.

Ticha Penicheiro, Sacramento Monarchs

Q: What did you work on today in practice?

Penicheiro: Today was a relaxed practice; we watched a lot of film. Sometimes that’s the best way to work on your mentality. Your body is a little tired, you are emotionally tired, you are physically tired, so we watched film for about an hour and we worked on our press.

Q: What are you expecting from Detroit?

Penicheiro: Their backs are against the wall and we don’t even want to think that we can lose, but we are thinking about winning. We think that they have a smart coach and we expect them to do something new. We anticipate more press because they have to play all out. We expect more presses, individually or zone. We just have to be ready for everything.

Q: Do you like having this much time between games?

Penicheiro: In a way yes and in a way no. It gives you time to prepare better and to relax. In a way you want to play and you want to get this thing done and over with. I think because we have a bench that comes in and plays a lot of minutes we are probably more fresh than they are. They have more time to get in better condition. If we were to play tonight it would give them less time to relax.

Q: Who is the most nervous before a game?

Penicheiro: I don’t know. We are all pretty loose. I don’t see anybody being nervous or anything. We have been playing basketball for how long, I know that I have been playing since I was born. It’s just another game. Its fun and it’s supposed to be fun. I usually get antsy especially if it’s like a 7 o’clock game. When the games are later, you get anxious to get the ball rolling. I don’t think we get nervous, this is our job and we have fun doing it.

Demya Walker, Sacramento Monarchs

Q: What do you expect Detroit to come out with?

Walker: Even though this isn’t technically a back-to-back, they are really good at their turnaround games or when their backs are against the wall. When your backs are against the wall you have nothing to loose. All you have to do is just play so it’s kind of freeing them up a little bit and taking the pressure off. If you lose, you lose. Why not just play freely and do what is necessary. They are going to try to put their heads down and drive at us, they are going to try and get in the lane on us and we have to remain steady. We have to be willing to put that wall up and say no.

Q: Do draw from last years close out game against Connecticut?

Walker: What we draw from Game 4 is that it could have went a whole different direction if she made that three at the end of the game. We need the ball in our hands when the buzzer sounds and we need to be up on the scoreboard. It’s never over until it’s over.

Q: Who is the most uptight before a game and who is the most loose?

Walker: Erin is probably the least uptight and I couldn’t tell you who is the most uptight. Yo [Yolanda Griffith] doesn’t really talk to people much before games, but I don’t know if that’s really uptight or just her. We are all kind of jolly before a game we all walk in and are like, “Hey girl, that’s a nice outfit.