Postgame Press Conference | Seattle Storm vs Mystics | Climate Pledge Arena | August 26, 2024

we'll start our 10minute clock with uh Skyler and Sammy here in the room Jeff go ahead and kick us off yeah first for Skyler um they hold you to 72 points three of the four quarters you guys are under 20 um what I guess wasn't working offensively was it something they were doing defensively like in this leag if you aren't ready to play you'll get beat every night they were ready to play and we weren't on both sides of the basketball like they deserve to win the game if we're gonna play like that we need to be hitting our stride right now we're not there it's unacceptable how we're playing on both sides of the basketball and I it up at the end that's a terrible foul as a you can't make that play but it shouldn't fcking come down to that we all got to step our game up and this league it only gets harder after the break and that's fine that's fine but if we don't come ready to play from the start we're going to lose I know you may not have the answers right away um you guys did have some time off and time to practice and stuff do you anything as far as what could have being ready if you don't come ready to play you will lose why weren't you ready to play it just is what it is for whatever reason we weren't that's what happened that's all I got to say and so then moving on right because you've got a game in a couple days how do you all get back together and then because in this league you know you've got games and you still have a part of the Season left how do you all come together on that yeah I mean we have training we'll regroup we have to watch a little bit of film and prepare but I think you know it's a bit of we all have to look you know at ourselves in the mirror and hold ourselves accountable I think and um you know we have to show up and and and be more prepared I think be more locked in I think you know I don't know if maybe um I don't think we did but maybe we you know thought well DC is you know a team that's struggling a little bit or they're you know lower on the ladder than us I don't know but like she said I mean we have to I'm prepared every single game for a battle because every team is gonna um play hard fight no one's going to lay down um so I think we just have to regroup and figure out how to get back to playing our best basketball because we're not playing our best basketball on either side of the ball and you just played him a few days earlier yeah and that all adds to that um just wanted to ask about how it's been integ integrating Gabby obviously that has nothing to do particularly with the result but just wondering particularly for you Skyler she's a new player for you Sammy you've had some experience with with her just how it's been you know fitting in a player this section of the season when you you know don't have a whole lot of time yeah I mean she's a great player um like you said I have familiarity with her and stuff love playing with Gabby she's a great player to I think we're lucky that we get to add someone like that of her caliber at this stage especially considering she does know a lot of our systems a lot of our players um so it's great but obviously it's we need all of us to be you know clicking together at the same time we need all of us you know um um showing up prepared so it's it's great but obviously doesn't mean anything if um if we're not on the same page we love Gabby she fit like a hand in the glove to me just go to put her in positions for her to be successful and play instinctual but for her to jump in tonight and play 25 minutes and handle the basketball you know getting rebounds getting assist we got the steals got to see a small sample size of like what she really brings to the table for us and just so trying to find more moments for for her to highlight her Jeff down front yes Sammy on the on a bright spot in the second quarter you and Mercedes were and the bench and stuff were playing quite well you guys were down a lot of the first half you guys rally 80 run at the end of the first half what did go well for you guys in that unit yeah I mean I think um we flowed a little bit we um just got the ball moving I think we were able to get a few stops as well which helps and then I think we were able to get the starters a bit of a blow too which is is super important because obviously it's it's hard to play Heavy minutes in this league back to back to back so um it's our job to come in and and kind of um give that you know give that support and then obviously our starters came back in and they were able to close that half um on a really good run as well so I think we need more of that from sedes she's really capable of that she saids great screen she moves the ball really well she's got a great interior game and we can get her going that way it's really nice um and obviously I'm trying to hit shots when I can and bring some effort and um energy defensively and um yeah like I said just really try and give us kind of um a bit of whatever just a punch so that when we get our starters back and they feel really good and I thought we did a good job of that to close the half I I didn't think we matched their energy I think we have to set that tone they came in and set the tone when they came in and did that I I didn't think the starters did a good job of doing that I thought Sam and Sadies were locked in on both sides of the coverage um being aggressive um to the basket Sam getting her you know the looks that we want her to get um so she has the opportunity for herself um they they brought that energy I think this first unit could do a better job of establishing that in the first and the third quarter per he hey guys is there just a uh a disappointment or just a uh you know that's with this game that's maybe different from the other games you know uh because obviously you you guys have lost games before but just what is it about this one that maybe feels different than those other others I mean I think they all feel like feel they don't feel different to me we hate all of them I think they all feel like salty because it's right after the game but I mean it's no we don't we're not ashamed to lose and to Wasington like they they got vets they got people that play when you're down you know next woman up mentality people step up and play for each other you know what I'm saying I just didn't think we match that intensity 50-50 balls you know getting outrebounded yeah like you know not being successful as we usually are in the paint as far as finishing some things there some things that I felt like we're uncharacteristic and so I like to say hopefully more of a fluke than than that's our our who we are we know who we are and and I don't think we were that tonight but I also got to credit Washington for for um Coming Out ready to play and you know they deserve to win the game um but maybe perhaps does the date on the calendar maybe put maybe a little bit more urgency like had this happened in maybe May or June maybe not feeling the same type of urgency that it feels like you you guys are expressing right now oh I think as well like just how we've come back from the break like is probably part of it too I think we've had a few games that have we haven't played well we haven't played our best um we've been out efforted in certain areas um and we started a season like this yeah one and three but I just feel like you know we we we know better now we should know better we aren't the same team that we were there then so I think it it just feels inexcusable now I think for us and I think that's been that's probably the if you think think we seem more disappointed it's probably because of that um we have really high expectations of ourselves and each other um and we don't want to let each other down and when we play this way we let each other down I thank you ades we'll have coach in here in just a minute thank you coach Percy start us out hey coach just what was the uh difference tonight in this game uh I've heard you say in before that there isn't a game that comes down to one play but it it seemed like it did but was it even more than just that last play yeah no we weren't locked into our coverages um offense we weren't connected um yeah obviously the last couple of possessions um are what we're going to remember but we didn't play this game with the correct energy or mindset and then um you know it was just a few minutes ago it was Skyler who was here and she really just said that that your team was not ready to play and and and and was just really expressed like a lot um just uh when you met him what was that like what's what's going on in tired of the locker room I can't beat him up this game is done um we have to prepare ourselves for Atlanta another hungry team another team that we struggle with on the road um it's about moving forward um I you know take full responsibility for my team not playing up to the capacity that we should um but at the end of the day we have to move forward and prepare for the next opponent uh you guys are held to 72 points throughout the four quarters sub2 points was there anything that Washington was doing defensively to slow you guys down or what why wasn't the offense clicking as well as it could uh we had eight transition buckets I just don't think we had a good Pace about ourselves we weren't quick to next actions and I just think that they were more energized um played with a little bit more Pride um it's nothing strategically or schematically that they were doing that we haven't seen got to hit shots um Mercedes and Sammy uh played pretty well off the bench today I know in the second quarter you guys uh that was obviously your best quarter you guys played quite well a lot of that was the reserves what did you see out of them um you know when sami's in a game where're you know try our hardest to to get her some looks because we know her ability to shoot the three it's contagious um I thought sades has some good looks um in the paint um around the RAM and being a force and being physical so with that unit I it's a little bit um the flow kind of gets going because we know specifically what you know players can do in that unit um just overall how was the um kind of integration of Gabby in this game and did that kind of affect any of the coverages in the schemes at all just the amount that she was playing with a new unit no not at all thought she was locked in at that um we created a lot of deflections when she was in the game it was you know I thought she do well um and then you know getting outrebounded was something that I know last season was a really big you know point of emphasis is that um what do you see what did you see there tonight I guess that um maybe either mirrored what was happening last season or what would you change I think it's fundamental sometimes we just don't box out we're looking in a team that takes a lot of three those long rebounds are going to happen and we're slow to balls 5050 balls they're out hustling El out rebounding us um that's a hard that's a desired thing sometimes it's not a technical thing we weren't very good at that and we haven't been honestly since Break um following up on that a little bit in terms of getting those hustle balls and and getting the the team to hustle a bit more is that something that needs to come from the players themselves or is there something that you do to try and bring that out of them a bit more hustle I don't I'm not on the court you know I'm not on the court we're not on the court so it has to come from within there has to be accountability to that I wish you know I can implore it I can't help him cuz I'm not physically on the court um and then I wanted to ask about uh sades played bit more minutes today than we've than we've seen from her obviously you mentioned um or Jeff mentioned she had good minutes off the bench and and Skyler mentioned it as well um I was wondering if any of her playing time had to do with getting her on the floor with Gabby to give her some familiarity or if it was really just sort of the performance she was giving you and the energy she was giving you yeah I think it was that I thought that when she was in there no matter what unit it was I thought she did well um obviously Gabby is a a playmaker and has space about herself and can find um certain reads um but I thought it's on it's on sades I thought her mindset was very sharp and very aggressive yeah coach just going back on the under you talked about you implore that but the accountability do you mention that or is this a professional team and like you said that the one off and they have to concentrate on the on the game coming up here sorry say the first part again yeah how much do you mention to the team in terms of the pride Factor the energy the boxing out because that comes from the heart and those kinds of the 5050 balls I mean we are blessed to have these jobs and so when you put on a storm uniform that should automatically engage ride and effort in all of the things the intangible so yes I can continue to encourage yes I continue to implore yes continue to give give accountability to to myself and set the example but at the end of the day we're hoping for a living stepping in a court should already ignite something within you period it doesn't come down to schemes it doesn't come down to like actions it just comes down to sometimes playing harder than your opponent and we're not doing that right now and we're not doing that together right now but it's on me yeah you're right I got to continue to coach it figure it out utilize people who energize us but at the end of the day you're putting on Seattle Storm Jersey that should mean a lot I didn't say it was on you but in terms of now as a coaching staff given the limited amount of time that's left in the season here and then you don't want to overreact what's that balance I'm overreacting yep I am my urgency is high because it's not about it's about how we're playing and we're at the end of the year we're at the end of the season in which we need to be playing how we were playing before the break CLE momentum playing good offense is Flowing defense is locked and we're not there and that's why my urgency is very high because um every game matters every moment matters I and we're not playing like that and then does that mean practice is more intense with the up without you can't practice you know can't practice we got to focus on our next opponent we have a game a day in between a game we can't we have to find it within ourselves look at the film regroup and figure out how to get better um through not physically taxing ourselves um we practiced for however many days you know what I'm saying so um it's about getting better I'm trying to move forward but my urgency is very high thanks coach appreciate your time thank you see you back here on Wednesday