u/Skyline8888

Three segments worth watching as a Fever fan:

- MVP candidates

- All-WNBA

- Fever playoff chances.

.

Stephanie White: Yeah, I'll just start with an update on Kelsey. It seems like she just got overheated. This is two games in a row where we played in really, really hot environments. All indications right now are that she was just overheated. (00:00)

​Reporter: Kelsey tied A'ja Wilson for the most consecutive 20-point games. What is it like to have a player like that you can rely on day in and day out, and obviously the company she is in? (00:16)

​Stephanie White: It's incredible. She can get a shot at any time. She gets a shot for herself, and her gravity creates shots for everybody else. It's nice to know that you can give her the ball and let her go to work. There aren't a lot of players that can create those kinds of shots that she does. For us, it's almost like a crutch at times, like give it to her and let her go to work. But I think it's just a result of Kelsey's hard work. She grinds. She loves this game, she just wants to play, and she doesn't get caught up in any of the nonsense. She brings something new every year, and I'm just proud of her. (00:26)

​Reporter: Just to follow up on Kelsey being overheated, was there any concern of rhabdo like she had last year? (01:09)

​Stephanie White: Not that I'm aware of, but I'm not sure. (01:16)

​Reporter: Tonight, despite the injuries, it was a very tough game by the Tempo, and they competed very hard. What was the hardest challenge with the Tempo on the court tonight? (01:21)

​Stephanie White: Their offensive rebounds. The way they just crashed the glass, they were relentless. They were relentless on both ends, but especially in their pursuit of the boards. They had 18 offensive rebounds. They play with great pace. We like to play with pace too, but they play with great pace and it makes it tough. It puts a lot of pressure on your offense to be really good so that you don't allow them easy opportunities on the open floor. (01:33)

​Reporter: You guys have played in front of a lot of big arena crowds. What was it like tonight with the sold-out 19,000 crowd? (01:58)

​Aliyah Boston: Yeah, it was great. The energy was high and the crowd was loud. When you're getting into these arenas and playing, it's so great to see how many people come out and support women's basketball, especially here in Canada. Everyone was super excited when this team got announced, so to play here was pretty exciting. It was great energy. (02:05)

​Stephanie White: And everyone was so kind. Oh my gosh, it was nice. (02:21)

​Reporter: You have to keep the stereotype alive. In terms of the mascots, were you guys able to see the mascot reveal tonight at all? (02:26)

​Sophie Cunningham: Oh no. (02:33)

​Stephanie White: No, we were dialed in on our timeouts. (02:34)

​Sophie Cunningham: Honestly, no. (02:37)

​Reporter: The mascots got revealed: it's an Arctic hare and a turtle. (02:38)

​Aliyah Boston: Turtle, period. (02:45)

​Sophie Cunningham: Like a hare as a bunny, a rabbit? (02:46)

​Reporter: Yes, exactly. Canadian animals. I was going to ask your thoughts on it, but (02:47)

​Sophie Cunningham: No, we didn't see it. (02:53)

​Reporter: Five-game win streak now for you guys. How do you feel about what is working in this past stretch? (02:54)

​Aliyah Boston: Just our pace of play. We've been doing pretty well defensively, trying to get stops and using that to fuel our offense. Tonight, just like Coach said, we gave up way too many offensive rebounds to them. For us, we have to use those to get our offense going and give them one chance. But honestly, just our flow; we've been able to get into a pretty great flow. (03:01)

​Reporter: Steph, tonight was an event in this city, and I imagine when you play on the road, it must feel like an event all the time. As a coach, how mentally taxing is that for your players, knowing that every game you play, the crowd and the opposing team are really up for it? (03:21)

​Stephanie White: It's a privilege. I think our team does a great job of keeping the main thing the main thing. Our locker room has a lot of mature women who are for each other every day, making sure we keep each other aligned on what is the most important thing. It is a spectacle sometimes, but when it's time to play, it's time to play. It's a privilege for us to be a part of that. At the same time, pressure is a privilege, and we've got to make sure we handle it every day. When you have great leadership in the locker room, the players take care of that. (03:39)

​Reporter: Sophie, both Caitlin and Kelsey are playing at such a high level right now. Is there something that you've learned from both of them throughout their (04:22)

​Sophie Cunningham: Stay out of the way. (04:30)

​Sophie Cunningham: No, I'm going to add AB in there because that's our Big Three. When those three are clicking and their chemistry and rhythm on the court is at an all-time high, which it has been, people cannot defend that. No one can defend Kelsey, when she's on no one can defend her, and really no one can defend AB. For us, the "others" as we like to call ourselves, we just try to make sure they get the ball when they need it. We know they're going to get the majority of the shots, and that's how it should be. When we get the ball, we need to knock down our shots and do what the team needs. I'm just fortunate I get to play with them. It's a hell of a Big Three and they're clicking right now, so it's a lot of fun. (04:31)

​Reporter: Sophie, you got booed a little bit tonight, especially in warm-ups and in the tunnel. Do you think it was because of the ketchup chips? (05:11)

​Sophie Cunningham: Really? (05:13)

​Sophie Cunningham: You know what, yeah! I like where your mind is at on that. Maybe I should try a different brand. But I will tell you, I want to shout out the Tempo crowd and the city. We've had so much fun. It's my first time being in Canada, and it's a lot of our first times being in Canada. The crowd was absolutely amazing. That's what sports is all about: you're going to get boos, you're going to get cheers, but the fact that they're so passionate, loud, and putting on for the city is amazing. Shout-out to you guys for coming out and supporting. (05:19)

​Reporter: By the way, whoever told you about maple cookies, I've lived here my whole life and never heard of them. (05:46)

​Sophie Cunningham: Dude, not great. You don't need to try them. (05:50)

​Reporter: Sophie, thinking about the growth of the WNBA globally, everybody is watching the WNBA. How do you think playing outside the US will make the game bigger? (05:55)

​Sophie Cunningham: For a long time, a lot of us W players had to go overseas, so we know that there is a lot of talent. Coach, did you go overseas? (06:07)

​Stephanie White: I did not. (06:15)

​Sophie Cunningham: Oh, well. I'm old, never mind. There's a lot of talent around the world, and it's awesome that women's basketball is at an all-time high with a lot of eyes on us. We're going to put on. When you can expand outside the US, especially right here in Canada, there are so many young girls that are going to be inspired to be us. All they have to see is someone who looks like them, who is kind of like them a little bit, and then they're going to come take our shoes one day. It's really fun. Coach says it: it's a privilege that we have all the eyes and all this pressure on us, and we just get to go out there and have fun. We get to dribble a basketball for a living, so that's pretty awesome. (06:17)

​Reporter: Steph, Caitlin is going to the free throw line almost seven times a game, a substantial increase from previous seasons. How much of that is a mindset of being willing to embrace the contact, and how much of it is reading the defense? (06:49)

​Stephanie White: A lot of it is taking what they give you. She worked a lot in the offseason on not avoiding contact, and the angles at which she's attacking to embrace the contact. Basically, you've got to make it obvious to get the call, and she's doing a better job of making it obvious. She's also playing with a low center of gravity. Sometimes when you play upright and try to avoid contact, you don't get that call. She's staying low and using her body to get into defenders when they're out of position. She's really worked hard on it and it's paying off. (07:05)

​Moderator: All right, thank you. (07:39)