Postgame Quotes/Notes - Storm 64, Minnesota 54

On Sue Bird's broken nose:
Losing Sue Bird three minutes into the game was similar to losing Lauren (Jackson to foul trouble) in game one, only this time we knew she wasn’t coming back. Every player on our bench stepped up. Alicia Thompson gave us great minutes. Tully Bevilaqua can’t go long stretches of time. She can’t usually play 27 minutes because she plays so hard and tires out. Michelle Greco gave us some good minutes. Betty (Lennox) gave us some great minutes at the point. I can’t say enough for the team effort, which is how we won Game 1. Everybody on our bench contributed.

On the last few minutes:
We were getting stops at the other end. We were getting great stops defensively. We didn’t allow second shots. They kept going into their post and we stepped up big.

On the difference in the Storm's play without Bird and Jackson the last two games:
This team has learned that we can play with or without our superstars, whether they are there physically or they get taken out of the game like Lauren has on many occasions. Through that process, we’ve gotten that killer instinct. We feel that we can come back and we will come back, and when we’re ahead we’re going to maintain it. The month of September was difficult for us in terms of challenging losses, but it prepared us for the postseason. We really grew as a team.

On Bevilaqua's performance:
She may not score, but at stretches she’s the one running our offense, she initiates how aggressive we play on defense, so for this team to rally around Tully, or Greco or Betty, it really was a group effort. There was never a feeling that we were not going to get it done. There were stretches in the first half where we lost our composure a little bit, missed some easy layups, rushed a lot of things. But we got regrouped at halftime. I think they felt better having seen Sue and knowing she was going to be OK and in the second half they knew what they needed to do.

On the broken nose:
It’s a bad break, it’s not a small fracture. She is still bleeding, so she has not been able to stop the blood. Our doctors are on top of that. It was the kind of feeling that makes you sick to your stomach to see Sue in complete agony, and her telling me, 'It’s broken. I heard it break.' It gives me goose bumps right now just to see the blood coming out and to see the pain in her face. When someone you know and love gets hurt like that, it’s hard. Tully was stunned watching Sue run past her. I had to call her three times to snap her out of it and get her into the game.

On who she'd like to play in the Western Conference Finals:
You always want home-court advantage, so in that sense it would be great to play Sacramento. But for me, LA is still the team that holds the Western Conference crown. So, from a competitive standpoint, that’s pretty important to me.

On seeing Bird break her nose:
I saw the blood and freaked out a little bit. She’s a tough little cookie, so it was a bit of a shock. But Tully really stepped up for us and so did Betty.

On the bench's performance:
Everyone is really stepping up and playing great basketball at the moment. We’re only going to get better.

On the Western Conference Finals:
The home-court advantage is always good, but I really don’t care at this stage. We’re the only ones that can beat ourselves, so we just need to focus on us and what we do. I don’t really care who we play.

On whether she knew her nose was broken:
I knew. I knew right away. That’s why I ran off. I needed to get out of there. I ran into (Teresa Edwards), and it felt horrible. It’s really swollen now, but there is a big bump. I knew. I was running off and then I saw all the blood, so I just kept running. I’m sure it’s going to be really bad tomorrow, but right now I’m OK. I’m going to go to an ear/nose/throat guy tomorrow, a specialist.

On whether she'll wear a mask:
Probably. Not by choice. But I’m sure they’ll make me put one on.

On having the nose re-set:
I’m really nervous. Everyone says it’s the most painful thing.

On the game:
Regardless of this, I think winning tonight was huge. It says so much about our team to be able to do that. The first game, we didn’t have Lauren for the first half, and tonight they didn’t have me for the whole game. We were able to win it in two. (That's important) especially since LA and Sacramento are going three. They were playing against a team that was playing for their lives, so for us to play like that was great. It was a great game.

On the game:
Obviously we didn’t convert on a number of possessions (at the end) and (Seattle) was able to capitalize on that. They hit open jump shots and we didn’t defend like we needed to defend down the stretch - we weren’t out challenging shots. They had bench players that stepped up. Tully Bevilaqua stepped in for Sue Bird and did a great job. Alicia Thompson came in and hit some big shots for them. Some of the shots didn’t fall for us and they played with a lot of energy, and more sense of urgency down the stretch. Seattle just had too many weapons. They are a very talented team.

On what she told her team after the game:
Obviously you can’t take away the feeling of disappointment that they have right now. I’m very proud of the season that we have had. A lot of people counted us out and picked us sixth or seventh in the West. It’s a very tough conference and they continued to believe in each other. They worked hard all season. When Katie (Smith) went down, people really counted us out, but the team just continued to believe and proved everybody wrong by getting the three seed in the West. It was a great first season for the rookies. With the veterans we have, this is a special group with great chemistry. It’s hard for it to come to an end.

On this season serving as a springboard for next year:
Absolutely. Nicole Ohlde had an unbelievable rookie season and look for her to come back even stronger next year. We hope to get Vanessa Hayden playing in the off-season and coming in healthy from the start next year. We have our solid veterans that hopefully get better in the off-season as well. We hope to come back and not necessarily talk about making the playoffs, but winning a championship. Katie Smith coming back healthy will definitely make a difference.

On how the Lynx came together this season:
We made a good run this season. A lot of people doubted us, so, in that sense, with the whole team coming together and with the great chemistry we have, it’s good for us. But right now, you don’t want to think about anything, really. It’s a tough loss for us and we definitely wanted to be in a different position than we are in right now. It’s going to take a little while to get over it.

On how the game turned at the end:
They just stepped up their game and we didn’t respond to it. They hit big shots and made key stops, and we didn’t on the other end. They jumped out on us and they did the things necessary to get a win.

On her rookie season:
Right now, it’s hard to look at anything. I think it will probably take me a couple of days to reflect on what happened this season. As for right now, I couldn’t have played with a better group and for a better coaching staff and organization. But it will take me a few days to look back on the whole experience.

On this season serving as a springboard for next year:
Definitely. All of us rookies got opportunities to play. It’s good for us and we just have to work hard in the off-season and come back prepared for next season.

On the game turning down the stretch:
I think they just outplayed us the last five minutes. We stayed with them the whole game, but at the end they just took it from us. They played very aggressively on both ends. Their bench players stepped up and it was very hard to contain them. I’m really proud of our effort because we stayed with them.

On the season:
I think it was one of the best seasons for the Lynx, because we had some people injured throughout. Our rookies had to play a lot and they did an excellent job. It was tough and nobody believed in us except for our team and the coaching staff. We knew we could make it to the playoffs.

On this season serving as a springboard for next year:
Hopefully Katie will come back healthy and be in good shape. It was a big season for our rookies because they had to play a lot and got good experience. We’ll definitely miss Teresa (Edwards) if she doesn’t come back, but this team is just going to get better. We were a new team and we didn’t have that many players who had played with each other so it was definitely a learning experience. Too bad it’s a long off-season, because I want to come back and do it again.

On the game turning down the stretch:
Playing behind with four minutes (down five) was so huge. We came out of that timeout and I thought Seattle played great defense. They didn’t allow us to execute. They played like a veteran team. They played like a team that can win a championship. If they keep that up, they probably will. We hurt ourselves, too, by missing shots. In big game situations, that’s when shots have to fall for you. We got a lot of them up, but they didn’t go in for us.

On her collision with Bird:
We didn’t see each other. I just turned to go and she was cutting through (the key). I just know we hit. I didn’t know we hit that hard, but I know she hit my jawbone. I felt bad for her because she’s such a good player. I would never want to see a good player get hurt and come out for the whole game. She’s very pivotal to this team. I just feel bad about that, but it just happened. I’m sorry.

On whether she will return next season:
I’m not saying yet. We’ll just wait it out. I’ll have to speak to our organization before I tell everybody else anyway. I’m spontaneous so you never know (when the decision will come). It’s not that big of a deal … I’m too old anyway!

On this season being a success despite the loss:
Of course, of course. I’m very proud of my teammates. We fought all the odds all season. They counted us out and ranked us last in the preseason for the West, and that’s when Katie was healthy. Our rookies came in and did a great job. They didn’t play like rookies. They adapted and learned as fast as they could. Whether they got everything right or not wasn’t important – they gave the effort every day. I’m just proud of the new kids. It’s a totally different team, but we gave it all we have and left it out there.

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