June 28, 2006
STORM COACH 
ANNE DONOVAN:
On the game:
It’s a fantastic win for us. To have this type of effort when you are down a player on the second game of a back-to-back and to do it against the team that’s playing the best basketball in the league it says a lot about our heart and guts. Without
Lauren (Jackson) we had to go small to force L.A. to go small. We also switched up our zone a great deal.
On 
Betty Lennox's performance:
Betty rolled tonight. We needed her play tonight, especially with L.A.’s inside game. It was important that all our perimeter players step up, and they did.
On Lisa Leslie's foul trouble:
It definitely played a major role, but that was our game plan. We wanted to take it right at her.
GUARD 
SUE BIRD:
On playing without Jackson:
We knew we were going to miss Lauren. She is a big part of what we do. Pretty much everything we do goes through Lauren. At the same time stuff like this happens, so you have to not worry about who is not here and do your job. That is what we did as a team tonight, everyone chipped in and contributed.
On ending the Sparks winning streak:
It is a big confidence boost. This is a tough environment to play in and for us to come in focus and get a win, this is a huge confidence boost.
GUARD BETTY LENNOX:
On her mindset:
I have been in this league for seven years, so I just play with a big heart and try to be aggressive.
LOS ANGELES HEAD COACH JOE BRYANT:
On Lennox and the game:
She is a very good player. She can beat you off the dribble and do some very good things. But besides all that, and getting 27 points or so, we missed some layups and some easy shots. And also the discrepancy in the free throws in the first half was really the balance of the game. If you think about the first half, on 13 field goals we had like 10 assists, so we were doing some good things. And I am not going to talk about the officials. The good and the bad is that the games we have been winning despite what the officials are calling, we have still been finding ways to win. But tonight we didn’t do that, we laid an egg, and that is normal. And that is what I told the players, I told them as soon as Lauren wasn’t playing, I said you have to be careful because human nature tends to relax and the energy level goes down. We have to follow the scouting report and coaching plan and we did not do that.
On attempting to come back in the second half:
We cut it down to about seven points and we had the ball, and I think we turned the ball over and missed the easy shot. A few times we came back and played with defense and then they got the ball and got some three-point plays on some tough calls, but that is the nature of the game. Now we can get refocused and think about what we need to do.
On the officiating:
When you think about it, how are you going to give Lisa three offensive fouls? That stuff is not fair, but that’s the name of the game and that is how stuff goes. We have to be more than players, we have to beat obstacles. Whether it is the three stooges, the three amigos, or the Marx brothers, we still have to overcome that. I told the players, 'I am not mad at you, I am not upset.'
CENTER LISA LESLIE:
On her game:
I did not feel tired. It wasn’t a complete game for me. It is just difficult to get into a rhythm and help the team, coming in the fourth quarter. Just ran out of time. The points really don’t matter. It’s really about the win. Whether I have three points and we win or if I have forty points and we win it, it is really just about the win. I didn’t have enough time out on the court to be helpful, I think.
GUARD TAMARA MOORE:
On the Sparks intensity:
In general the intensity we started with in the third quarter is how we need to start the game. It was back and forth the first half, then they took a run, but I think the energy we started the third quarter with when we were getting on the back of their heels really showed what we could do and if we could have started the game like that we definitely would have had a better chance. The game we only lost by seven. For us to lose by seven with the way that they played, we know that we have the ability in the next game against them to win.
On what the Sparks need to do differently:
I think getting back to really attacking them in their zone. With us that is what we do best, attacking and kicking, whether that be getting all the way to the basket or finding shooters and getting inside out. With Lisa having quick fouls in the first quarter it changed the whole complexity of the game, but we can't worry about that. We just need to come out and play with that intensity we did at the start of the second half.
2006 Postgame Quotes/Notes Archive
