Bill Laimbeer - Detroit Shock Head Coach

Q: What is Plenette Pierson’s injury status?
Bill Laimbeer: Having today will help a lot. I haven’t talked to the trainer yet. We’ll call it a game-time decision and that’s not trying to fool anybody. She is significantly injured. We can get the swelling down, but then when she fatigues it, it comes back. It’s really the swelling that causes the problem.

Q: How do you replace Pierson’s defensive presence?
BL: Olayinka Sanni’s pretty athletic, but we’ve always got the “all-world defender” [Katie Smith] out there – who just happens to be only a second-team All-Defense pick.

Q: How do you intend to guard against Becky Hammon?
BL:Well, I don’t know strategically why I would ever give you guys our game plan before we play our first game. We’re going to try to limit her from scoring 30. How’s that strategy?

Q: How has your team overcome the various injuries and other absences and changes that your team has experienced throughout the season?
BL: You know, we don’t make excuses, we go play. We have great players. We have determined players, we have championship players. We have what we have. We think we can win no matter what we’ve got. That’s one of our best traits. Whether we have nine bodies, eight, ten, whatever, let’s go play basketball – we’re coming to win.

Q: Can you identify any key matchups in this series?
BL: You don’t really know until you start to play the game. We have new stuff we have put in, we have stuff still to play. The first game is kind of a “feeling out” process. It doesn’t matter whether you win or lose the first game. The second game is a matter of how many adjustments you make, and how you can take advantage of what you see on film. The third game is a lot of the same. That first game, you just go do and see what works against the other team.

Q: What is the difference between your team now and the one that lost twice to San Antonio in the regular season?
BL: We know each other much better. We’re a much better defensive team than we were then. The first time we were here and we lost, we didn’t get a couple of calls down the stretch and still had an opportunity to win the game – but we missed a shot at the end of regulation. Ok, so we lost the game. The second game, we were still in “suspension mode,” and our brains were gone. We were just trying to get to the break and we lost at home. The first game, here, I think was indicative of some of the things you might see here in Game 1. I think we’re a better defensive team with Taj [McWilliams-Franklin], but we’re not as good an interior team, or as good a rebounding team than with Cheryl [Ford]. It’s a little bit of a tradeoff.

Q: Is it any different being that you don’t have homecourt advantage in this series?
BL: Yes … and no. I can’t go in the locker room in Game 1 and say, “win the home games and you’re the champions.” But we’re a very confident road team. We think we can go in any building and play our game and win. Nobody scares us. No arena scares us. We’re a very close knit, trusting team. We trust each other. And that’s what wins road games.

Q: Your team was barely .500 on the road in the regular season. How do you fix that?
BL: We lost a couple toughies, no question about that. But we’re a different team now, both personnel-wise as well as being mentally strong. It’s hard for us, being in the Finals a lot, for regular season motivation at times. But I can see it in their eyes now. We’re a much better basketball team than we were in the regular season, mentally-speaking. We have players that play for the playoffs, that play for a championship. It’s all that matters to them, and their sole focus is pointing toward that.

Kara Braxton - Detroit Shock Center

Q: How do you feel about making it back [to the Finals] for the third time in a row?
Kara Braxton: I’m very happy and excited. I’ve been here three times and every time we come back, it’s a different experience. I try to take it all in, but it’s just a very fun, happy and exciting time and I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s game. It came around very quickly, but I would rather it come quickly, than not at all.

Q: Do you feel like this has been a breakout year for you?
KB: I’ve been doing the same things, but I do feel like I’ve gotten more of an opportunity now that one of our girls – really two, Cheryl and Plenette – are down. They just need me to step up and do the things that I am expected to do. Breakout, no, but I am happy to be on the court.

Q: Have you felt any added pressure since Plenette’s been out?
KB: No. Our team is built on the idea that if we have a man down, everyone steps it up. It’s just something we do together as a team. That’s what the Detroit Shock is. We look out for each other.

Q: Was there a point in the season where you all realized that returning to the Finals would be possible?
KB: Not to be conceited, but Bill always puts together a pretty good team. Also, we really had the majority of the same people coming back as the core of the team with myself, Katie [Smith], Tweety [Deanna Nolan], Cheryl [Ford] and Plenette [Pierson]. When you have players like that, who play so hard, and take the game so seriously, you can always expect great things. I expect to be here every year. That’s the kind of attitude you have to have to get here.

Alexis Hornbuckle - Detroit Shock Guard

Q: What does it mean to you to be here in the Finals?
Alexis Hornbuckle: It’s an honor for me to be here and have the opportunity that so few players get as rookies. [Detroit is] a championship-caliber team, as this team has been to the Finals in each of the last three seasons. I knew coming in that there was a good chance I could be playing in the Finals, but it is a truly a blessing.

Q: What would it mean to win an NCAA championship and WNBA championship in the same year?
AH: Truthfully, that’s something that’s crossed my mind. It would be a great honor to have that become a reality.

Q: What does San Antonio do well that the Shock will need to address in order to take home the title?
AH: San Antonio plays true team basketball. They have so many great players, and every player knows her role on the team. At any time, a player can break loose and hurt you, especially Becky Hammon, who will drive to the hoop or hit a big three-pointer.

Taj McWilliams-Franklin - Detroit Shock Forward

Q: Do you have any family or friends coming to watch the games?
Taj McWilliams-Franklin: My college coach may get some of my old teammates together and surprise me. I’m from the area, so I know that my family, my daughter and people in my community will make it out to support us.

Q: What are you going to do differently during these Finals games as opposed to previous Finals?
TMF: Win the title. I have the same preparation for every game – Finals or not. We need to focus on the little things like making sure you go for that loose ball. You have to win a game away in order to be the champion. We are hoping win one here in San Antonio and then go home and win on our home court.

Q: You recently joined the Shock. How have you gotten acclimated to the new team?
TMF: I know everybody’s game – I’ve played with or against most of my teammates at some point in last 10 years either here in the U.S. or overseas, so it has been easy for me to adjust.

Deanna Nolan - Detroit Shock Guard

Q: What is your mindset coming in here offensively and defensively?
Deanna Nolan: We are coming in trying to get one, maybe two on the road. Of course considering that they have home court advantage, it gives us the opportunity to win it on our home court.

Q: Are you approaching the Finals differently this year because you don’t have home court advantage?
DN: No, I don’t think we approach it differently. We are just about winning games. We are a great road team. We are able and capable of winning two on the road. Playing on the road, we are just playing the best games – this is the Finals.

Q: How do you think you match up with the Silver Stars?
DN: I think we match up well. As for post and perimeter, we both have shooters. We both have post players that can take you out and shoot. I think it’s going to be a great matchup and it’s going to be interesting to see.

Plenette Pierson - Detroit Shock Forward

Q: How is your shoulder?
Plenette Pierson: It’s pretty much the same. It’s going to be sore. I played on it kind of early, but the shoulder’s okay.

Q: What do you bring to the team off of the bench?
PP: I bring energy off of the bench and try to be that spark plug – whether it’s getting rebounds, or doing the little things. That’s pretty much what I bring, and a little bit of scoring.

Q: How does it feel to be in the Finals?
PP: It feels great. We’ve had this goal all season long. We’ve had this goal since we first started playing basketball. It’s just great to be here again, and hopefully we can come home with the championship.

Q: What does your team have to do to stop San Antonio?
PP: Play defense. We’re going to play Shock basketball. We’re going to do what we’ve been doing all season long. We’re going to play together as a team and play great defense.

Elaine Powell - Detroit Shock Guard

Q: What’s it like being back in the Finals?
Elaine Powell: Every time we go into training camp we say the same thing – we are going to make it to the WNBA Finals, and here we are.

Q: You lost to the Silver Stars twice during the season, what do you guys have to do to win against San Antonio?
EP: Just play sharp basketball. The first time we played them they won by a few points and the second time we didn’t have all of our players. Now that we have our full team we are just going to go in there and play good basketball.

Q: With such a quick turn around, how are you guys plan to be ready to go for Game 1?
EP: We are used to this. After playing them twice this year, we know what they are going to do and we know what we need to do in response: play good defense.

Q: What is the most important thing for you, personally, to play well in this series?
EP: To win. To come out and play every minute and win the title.

Q: How is going to be guarding Vickie [Johnson] or Becky [Hammon]?
EP: We don’t rely on focusing on one or two players. You have to go at everybody and play good defense.

Katie Smith - Detroit Shock Guard

Q: What does it mean to you to be back in the Finals?
Katie Smith: Any time you’re at the Finals, it’s great to have a chance to participate and possibly win a championship. This is what you work hard for. This is what you play all your games in the regular season is to be here at the end – to be one of these two teams, to see what goes down and see who performs the best. It’s going to come down to which team makes plays and gets it done. I mean yes, I’m excited, as I said this is why we do what we do to have a chance to win a championship. Detroit has a nice group and every night you go out and you know you can win a ball game. It’s been fun because that’s why you do it.

Q: When the season started what were your expectations?
KS: To be [in the Finals]. Honestly, with our squad and with the people we’ve had – obviously we have had some interesting turns during the season with injuries and a lot of stuff and little bumps in the road – we have kind of stayed with it, stayed the course. Our expectations from the start were to be back in this position again and give it our best shot.

Q: Last year you had home court advantage and this year you don’t. Does that change your approach?
KS: No it doesn’t. Last year Phoenix jumped on us in the second game and stole one, but we had an opportunity to win [the championship in Phoenix]. Any game some one can win something. Homecourt advantage is not fool proof, but it definitely helps. These guys get great crowds down here in San Antonio. Watching the games the other night, the crowds were nice. Energy-wise, that will hopefully help us out too in the sense of understanding how big a game and how much fun it’s going to be.

Q: How good would it be to end your year with an Olympic medal and a WNBA Championship? How do those two compare?
KS: They are different. Obviously, the Olympics are a different scenario in terms of your time spent, what you’re representing and the people you are with. Here it’s hard, it’s hard to get here. You are representing Detroit and the WNBA. They are their own thing, but they are both very special. I’m excited to be here. We are going to have fun, enjoy ourselves and hopefully go out there and play well.