Christie Sides postgame after Indiana Fever win over LA Sparks, now 7-1 since break and rolling

chrisy obviously it's a win I would imagine you want to perform better so what do you take away from finding a way to win which matters the most but also looking at some things you have to improve on yeah no question you know I when I went in and told the players if we had some I told him if we could get 50 points in the paint we'd win the game we ended up with I think 46 um but we weren't doing that early we were we were playing almost five out and we just weren't getting the ball in the paint which is what frees up our outside so it started there um I don't know it was just a grind you know they were hitting they were matching shots with us um I didn't feel that we were as sharp defensively as we've been I didn't hear us talking as much as we've been doing um I think there's just been a lot of emotions today as well that might have played into you know just trying to get get going for this game tonight um you know the playoff um clinch just you know I mean they they were excited and just that's that's huge for us so I think that had a little bit to do with it not an excuse but you know it just was a grind we grinded it out and that's just you know where we where we've grown call back yeah Caitlyn obviously with her second triple double she also was the first rookie dab over 100 three-pointers main tonight just do her accolades surprise you anymore or just how do you react to them you know she's been I mean she's been playing and doing things and just getting um an understanding of the lead every game she gets a little bit better every game she gets a little bit understanding of you know the speed and the quickness you know I don't think you know we had some opportunities in in the middle pick and roll with her and ab and her and Liz I don't think we capitalize on it and she and I talked about that for a minute um but I love the conversations with her about the game now like we have more uh conversations in the game she's I'm letting her you know I want her to call some of the sets that we're running um after after free throws just to you know I want her to look who's out there with her who's playing well um she's playing really well she's shooting the hell out of the ball um and she's making sure she's you know she's finding those open players she had some amazing assists tonight um triple double second one for a rookie just really really proud of her and her continue to keep her teammates involved and then also just her growth um it's been it's been great no M Christine yeah um Nelissa and Lexi scor the fewest among the starters but in the final two minutes they each make a really big impactful play um so I guess just how fulfilling is that for you to see that and also how that reflects in the seven and one stretch yeah that's what I told L just when we were in the in the locker room she had a huge block she came over on the help side and just literally you know went guy vertical and had a huge block and then Lexi hle with that rebound and then holding on to it and then going to the line after they fow and you know make those free throws those are just big plays I mean that's just them um just grinding it out but you know not stop playing like sometimes we we would stop playing in certain instances and that's just that didn't happen tonight chrisy Scott Christie um there's an EV and flow to a season right and you're not going to have a team always be on you know top of their game Caitlyn said that pregame and it seems like I guess I'm curious do you feel that that kind of was the maybe this game for you guys and then part two would be going back to the beginning after the Olympic break with the Phoenix game that was set a tone right that you guys set the tone that has led to this yeah so was it important to grind out this Victory to set the tone for these next five that are coming in home yeah for sure um you know we're not you know we're not trying to um like we're not done yet and I think that's kind of the the the we don't want people you know like our goal is to make the playoffs and we've done that and we have six games now remaining and we've got to make sure that we are um we don't have anything to prove I had a someone tell me today you know we don't have anything to prove we just have to improve um I appreciate that advice I thought that was really important because it's you know we don't have to prove ourselves anymore we just have to make sure we keep doing what we were we've been doing and finding ways to get that 1% better um I'm sorry what was the first part of that question is that sometimes there is going to be this kind of game yeah yeah I mean again I think the um just the emotions of today you know had we been in a situation where this game was going to make the playoffs for us I don't think it have been the same game um I think it' been a different level of intensity so I definitely think you know but for me them you know staying together grinding it out getting this win um just shows so much growth in maturity go Scott then we go back on the right Brad you started the season talking about closing games this is one where you close that I'm also curious postgame now that wins are you know expected no longer kind of celebrated how has that felt differently was that I said whoa whoa whoa we can't expect anything like it I'm so five wins in a row is huge I I think 2015 was the the last time the fever has has done that um but like we we can't go there like we can't start thinking that way like every game has to be the most important game the next game um showing up doing what we have to do to make sure that we put ourselves in a position to compete and get you know and have our and give ourselves a chance to win um you know five wins in a row is pretty awesome and I'm I'm not like it makes me smile and I'm really happy um for our players playoff you know playoffs for the first time but we can't stop now like we've got to keep growing we have a lot of growing that we can keep doing and um we just want to make some noise once we once we start the playoffs go down the line Brad than chrisy there's a second half toughness and a finishers mentality that seems to have developed with this team over this stretch after the Olympic break where did that come from maybe did the break help that come out and how has that been beneficial here in this five game winning streak particular yeah I think I think um more just just them being in these games having that experience in these kind of games understanding the importance of runs that other teams you know were were making on us and we weren't able to to Stop Those runs and stop that bleeding I think that's just part of our growth and maturity these are the things that happened last year these are the things that happened early for us that we've had to learn from and I think they they've really grown um in that area but you know we we did not start well um we did not you know I think we gave up 29 points in the second quarter um that just we can't let that happen like we we got to be better defensively that's where we're that's where our focus is that's where we think if we can be you know average sixth or seventh in the league in defense we give ourselves a much better chance to win know it came to tell me coach Al said it just came down to taking care of the ball but that first quarter turnovers and the way you guys rebounded and came back what does it say about the the growth of this team that you guys were able to respond when maybe earli in the season this would have been a game that got away from you guys yeah earlier if we had I think we had 11 turnovers in the first half and several early in the game that kind of set the tone and everybody just kind of just kind of stood there and you know we we gotten that time out and I mean it was all about just us taking care of cuz it was our it was turnovers on us like it wasn't anything that they were doing um we just had to make sure we were taking care of the ball and getting paint touches we weren't getting paint touches that were going to help us you know loosen up that outside um we had a time where it looked like we were a five out offense and we're not a five out offense yet want to get to that um and that that'll that'll be really fun but that you know we've got a bang on the inside and establish that you told us before the game about a conversation you recently had with Aaliyah about you know her player offense to to have her have this kind of game and the game ceiling shot what did you think of her response to what you guys talked about yeah I just told her all business she's been all business the last couple days um she her voice is the one I keep hearing these last couple days um she just you know she had she came out and had a really really good game tonight on both ends of the floor um you know when we get in that pick and roll situation with her and kayin you know we're in a three on two on that backside and you know she's just got to be really aggressive and and she has an opportunity to take someone off the dribble or shoot that little pullup um she missed a couple of those pull-ups and I know she was really frustrated that but just heck of a game for Le Boston tonight for us Jameson last one the room and Matt Kaylin played all 40 tonight um obviously proba of the plan she said she play another 40 right now but I guess how do you feel that throughout the game and then secondly when she keeps breaking and doing stuff how much does her maybe not caring about that stuff help the team as as a group yeah you know I love what you know she said in the press conference earlier about Kelsey Mitchell and what she thought about Kelsey Mitchell and how she you know deserved um some awards you know she she doesn't she really doesn't care about those things like she just wants to keep getting better keep help her team get better and us just keep moving forward um to be the best team that we can be um but she's she's just um she's growing and she's steady and she's learning this game and she's learning her teammates and that's why we just have some really good things that keep happening cuz they're learning each other you know um and if one is down the other you know we've got others that are stepping up all the time uh you know Liss Liss has been so solid um the last two games Lisa Smith didn't play in the fourth quarter in Dallas but she was so solid to start that game in in the third and then Dei was in in the fourth and we were just getting some stops and just had a good flow same tonight went back with list in the fourth quarter um for DD and she had a hell of a job did a hell of a job rebounding um in some outside defense but she got that block so they're just all figuring it out and it's just you know really fun for all of us right now um to see that with them Matt last SW in the room we go to zom yeah and in hindsight you you you were able to pull out the wind tonight but I'm just curious you know what what's it like as a head coach navigating a lot of young players emotions uh you know maybe pent up with the celebrating the playoffs yeah you know I just try to get a read off of them get a feel for you know where you know where I think their heads are the coaches my my assistant coaches do a great job um you know the players are kind of separated amongst all of them and they have a really good feel for where they are so before a game during warm-ups they'll come in and let me know hey this was you know this one just kind of really struggled right here maybe you should say something so just trying to get a pulse on them I mean and you're right they are young and they're trying to figure it out and that's just been part of that Journey that we've been on this whole year um and and probably the the part of that was able to keeping it together you know young team could have gone in any direction early and they just and I keep saying it the character in that locker room is incredible they're just great people um and it's just you know it's just really really been fun to watch them go to zoom Rafi then Daniel this is Rafi with but they spos the Indiana F finally ended their playoff JN I mean what is this development for the team overall been like for the Indiana Fever franchise and it's incredible um it's incredible for us to you know have clenched early um use this opportunity to you know work on some things over these next six games um continue to grow but just you know for the fans the fans that have just been showing up night in and night out on the road to you know for them to enjoy this um and to to have the fever back in the playoffs um where they you know where they were several years ago it's just an exciting time for the fever franchise exciting time for this young team and and what the future has for these guys I mean that's that for me is they keep growing and the sky the limit for these guys last we gota go last two Daniel then Michael about that hey coach how you doing this is Daniel from the 9450 uh Nelissa Smith has made a lot lot of sacrifices in her game this season to help this team reach the level of success that they're having right now looks like earlier in the season she seems to be like struggling to adjust to this role but recently she's really been thriving can you speak to how her willingness to to sacrifice adapt and put the team first and how has it how how it it impacted the role I mean the growth of the the fever yeah you know all these guys um have taken on a role some of them it's not what they were used to um or what they had in the past um but you know Liz comes out and gets 13 and four for us tonight she gets some huge blocks she's a rebounding machine um it you know she is doing she wants to win so bad and loves you know she had put out a tweet about last year about it's going to be so fun when we're in the playoffs next year and um you know just the sacrifice she has I mean she's sacrificed um touches but she knows that if she keeps you know the the amount of attention that is on some of these players really loosens up Nelissa Smith really loosens up Lexi Hall loosens up kitlin Clark and you know Kelsey Mitchell and ab I mean they all draw so much attention so she's able to find hers and it's really nice when you can look at a stat sheet and you know we've got several who are who are in double digits um I think we had five tonight in double digits I mean she you know that that's that's how you win and have sustainable wins um for the long run yeah the last one Mike bu yeah coach sides obviously the toughest part of the triple double for guards is the the rebounds I just wonder if you could talk about Caitlyn's rebounding ability this season something I feel like she's car over well from college yeah I think she just moves in position always you know to where the ball could possibly just come off the rim she she reads that really well um you know she's she crashes uh pretty hard all the time um you know sometimes you know I want these guys to block out a little more make sure we're getting five uh five bodies on people I think um once we get more consistent with that um that'll be great but yeah it's tough but I mean you know she's she's able to get her you know her hands on the ball wherever you know she sees that she's reading it off the rim from where the shooters are which is you know that's just a skill for a lot of players