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WNBA FINALS: MERCURY v SHOCKSeptember 13, 2007Paul WestheadPHOENIX, ARIZONA: Game Four KAREN KASE: Coach, thanks for joining us, we'll start with an opening statement. COACH PAUL WESTHEAD: Since the last second of the previous game what I said to the team fortunately came out, I said our only focus is to win a game. We wanted to win it in our style, fast, run the fast break, we wanted to defend, but any which way we won it and needed to win a game. Because otherwise there's no other story line, there's no discussion, it's goodbye. So in light of that, it was scripted about as good as you could. And I think that apropos for our team that they had to do it on the defense end to get a win. So we had to get a defensive stop. We had a big debate at the timeout whether to switch out and play man and my Assistant Coach Corey Gaines looked me in the eye and he said "Let's go with what we have been playing all year, play that softer zone. So we played the rougher zone. And I reminded myself. Don't get amnesia. By that I mean, if you're doing things and they work, don't forget them and make something up. So we did not get amnesia, our players played our zone at the end and got a stop. KAREN KASE: Questions? Q. How much confidence do you have in Cappie just to be able to create her on shot and get off good shots in the last couple possessions? COACH PAUL WESTHEAD: You might want to look at the line there. I think about 80 percent of the possessions in the second half were going through her hands. We made that decision at halftime. We changed our play call action when we had to, of course we're still trying to run our break, but we ran what we call a lot of 3 push, which gets her coming up off the screen and then some pick and roll action. She has multiple things to do. But it was all going through Cappie's hands. Q. Why did you make that decision at halftime? COACH PAUL WESTHEAD: We made that decision because we have great faith in her ability to take the ball hard to the basket and make something happen. She's just a tireless player going to the rim. You get in her way, you foul her, you don't foul her, she misses, she's going to get her own rebound back and put it back up again. She's just a tenacious player. And she will get it to open people like she did -- I thought it was Penny, but it was Cappie who kicked that ball out for Kelly Miller's three pointer. Big three pointer for Kelly Miller. Struggling a little bit like a lot of our players tonight, not making shots. You're not going to see that line -- well, you might see it one more time this season, but you're not going to see that line very much. Q. Is she your best option when it slows down, when the game slows down? COACH PAUL WESTHEAD: We have evolved into this from end of game situations during the regular season to many situations where we just get that ball in her hands and we run what we call our cross, which she, like D on defense, she's free to kind of create and do her thing. So sometimes that's take it to the basket, sometimes that's pull up and shoot the jumper and many times it's to deal it to her teammates. So everybody has to have like a go to thing that you just say, "Here's what you do when things are stuck." Well, when we're stuck, we're getting the ball in Cappie's hands. Q. It's been a wild series, what do you expect Sunday? COACH PAUL WESTHEAD: I just would like to back off for a second. If I'm a fan of basketball, if I'm a WNBA fan, I couldn't have asked for anything more. Here we go. There have been four terrific great games. We felt kind of proud of the games we lost. Because we played our heart out. So now this is the fitting caption of, this is my first go around in this league of a terrific series here, so I'm happy to play this game anywhere. I would play Istanbul or Paris or Moscow, or Detroit, Michigan, we're going to be happy to play and we're going in expecting that we're going to win a championship. Q. The offense has been dropping off quite a bit lately, what does it say about your team when you can score only 77 and still win a game? COACH PAUL WESTHEAD: It says we're improving our defense. Yeah, I looked at the halftime stats, I said "This can't continue." We're just missing shots that we normally make and it did continue. So I have to give credit to Detroit's defense, they're getting in us and we're not shooting as free and easy. But I'll take this anywhere in the world. My team's going to come out shooting and firing and making baskets. We're not going to -- win or lose, I don't think we're going to be in that low scoring scenario. That's my take. Q. Does it frustrate you seeing layup after layup that just didn't fall for you guys tonight? COACH PAUL WESTHEAD: I got a little used to it there for awhile. Yeah, it is, but I'm happy that we have played, that is we could get some good inside looks. I know my players can miss shots but I know they're not going to keep missing. So I'm happy for them. KAREN KASE: Thanks a lot coach. COACH PAUL WESTHEAD: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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