Perhaps no Finals sweep for the Lynx this year: Dunn and Reeve expect a hard-fought series
The Indiana Fever made no stops on their way from the Eastern Conference finals Thursday night to Minneapolis to face the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals. Yesterday the teams faced the media and the coaches gave some insight into their expectations for the five-game series that begins today at 8:00 p.m. ET in the Target Center. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
Lin Dunn, Indiana Fever Head Coach
On the tenacity of this team, having won four win-or-go-home games in the playoffs
“Playoffs are another ball game. You’ve got your regular season and then you’ve got your postseason – once you get to the playoffs, everything goes up a notch. There is a sense of urgency. Our players in particular, especially because of our leadership in Katie Douglas, (Tamika) Catchings and (Tammy) Sutton-Brown who have been to the Finals before, they know what it takes to win in the playoffs and they set the tone. I’m not surprised that we’re where we are. I thought that if we defended at a high level and did a better job of rebounding that we would have a chance to do exactly what we’ve done.”
On how the five players from the 2009 team are motivated to avenge not being able to close out that series carries over to this year
“We look back on that series and we know that we just missed open shots. We had every opportunity to win a title in ’09, but you have to knock down your open shots. We didn’t take care of business at home; we just missed too many shots. That really ended up costing us a championship. This year, some different faces, but we also have the leadership of the players that have been there. We’re excited about being in the Finals.”
On moving forward Erlana Larkins into the starting lineup
“We’d considered changing the lineup in the second-half of the season, but we just loved having her come off the bench. Talk about energy, effort and intensity coming off the bench, she is a great sixth man. We decided just needed more toughness and more rebounding to start the game. In the Atlanta series, they exploited us so much on the boards that I decided it was time to make that move and I did. It has certainly paid off for us.”
On how important a WNBA Championship would be for Indiana’s do-everything forward, Tamika Catchings
“There is always a sense of urgency with her to be first, no matter what it is – win a gold medal, win a national championship, win a pick-up game – that is just part of who she is. I don’t think there is any doubt that we would love to see her have a WNBA Championship, but it is not going to be easy. Minnesota is standing in our way. They’ve got home court [advantage], so if you think we’ve been mentally tough through the playoffs, now we really have to be in this final.”
On what edge the Fever may have over the Lynx
“The only edge that I can think of is that the pressure is on them – they’re expected to win. We’re not the favorite, we’re the underdog. The pressure is on them to protect home court right off the bat. As far as player-for-player and match-up for match-up, they’re good at every spot and then their depth, to me, when you talk about where they’re really strong is when you’ve got people like (Candice) Wiggins, (Monica) Wright and (Devereaux) Peters coming off the bench. I wonder sometimes if there is anybody on their team that wasn’t an All-American or a first-round pick. They’re just loaded, they’re loaded with talent. It is going to be a tough challenge for us.”
On the status of Indiana guard/forward Katie Douglas
“It is day-to-day. She is currently receiving treatment back in Indiana – we flew her back immediately after the game. We’ll know more tomorrow morning whether she is available for the game or not, but we’re just going to stay optimistic and hope for the best.”
Cheryl Reeve, Minnesota Lynx Head Coach
On matching Indiana’s intensity
“We like to think that we play pretty hard, too. So we just want to make sure that we understand that we are being ourselves and we are playing hard. And, if we don’t, Indiana’s going to, so it’s not necessarily matching Indiana as it’s being who we are every possession. We are just reminding ourselves of that fact that at this point it’s for all the marbles.”
On the impact of Rebekkah Brunson
“Every day Rebekkah plays the game – she rebounds the ball and the way she approaches her business is one with great intensity. She only knows one way – that’s to go full speed, and it’s been huge for us. She is very confident in scoring the ball when it’s a face-up situation and down on the block she has been very effective. At this point in the playoffs, she has been our MVP. We’ve had some solid performances around her, but she’s been really big for us.”
On how Rebekkah works in the shadows of three Olympians
“She likes it that way – she doesn’t want me to run a play for her. She is that kind of player. She’ll do her thing, she’ll go get what she is going to get. She is happy with the others doing their thing and she’ll fit in where she can.”
