Aliyah Boston INTERRUPTS Caitlin Clark to DEFEND her from a REPORTER who asks about TURNOVERS

thanks for Caitlyn and A

aliyah

, in what ways do you think this team has grown since the first few weeks of the season? In what way have you improved? I think just being able to have more practice time and actually play and get a feel for each other. I think we've been playing team basketball a lot better. Everyone is playing, everyone is hitting their shots. So I think it's been really great and I also think our defensive intensity has been a focus for us. us and we can use that to spark our offense, it's good for Caitlyn, so 18 points and 12 rebounds has you good.

I'm sure you probably had that many bounces before, but maybe not. I had them in college. I would get them. Sometimes, how significant is it to you that the double double is points and rebounds? Yeah, I mean, I think I got off to a fast start in the first quarter, sometimes the ball just bounces a little bit more in your direction, um and a lot of times. Sometimes the people I'm guarding are coming back on defense so I have a little more freedom to go and chase the ball, while our bigs are probably boxing and hitting a little more, so thanks to them , we sure are.

Hitting it a lot more, I'm sorry I'm bad, but no, I mean, I think we're really good when I can get it off the rim and drive in transition, so I take a lot of pride in trying to get it off the rim and then really. go and I think that led to a lot of easy baskets for A

aliyah

early in the game or just for all of us in transition like um you know, I think that's a really good thing, but yeah, 12, you know, don't get it. accustomed, that's for sure, uh, yeah, for any of you, um, that's three close wins in front of you, you know, three good home crowds.

I guess how much energy or juice it gives them to have all those thousands of fans, um, when push comes to shove. Yeah, it's cool, I mean, we feel the energy. We use that to our advantage. They are clapping very loudly. So we're grateful that they keep showing up and they're very loud because I mean we're. We are also playing hard for them, this is for you three, but three consecutive wins at home every four, four, good in this position at home. Also, how does that help your confidence going into the upcoming road games you have and what does that mean?

Talking to you about this streak at home, uh, I think for us, being able to perform to a point where we're winning games against you, it's always an advantage, so we never want to let you down, um, I don't think so. Individually or us as a group we want to see them look in the crowd and we just have long faces so we're proud to want to win a game obviously we're proud of our city and you know the people that represent us. so I think we feel, you know, it gives us a boost, or whatever we need as a group, I think this energy is important in this stretch because, in the final stretch of this game, he's going to get Mony.

It's going to get ugly and I think if we can handle the adversity and or you know, be a part of or deal with whatever crowds come our way, I think down the stretch of the games, when it gets really competitive and greedy, we'll come out on top. victory yet. so I think it will be a learning experience, but I think we can push it forward. Yes I agree. I think you know these were important games and I'm proud of us. I felt like we took it one game at a time. Look too far ahead and I think it's the same with this next streak of five five straight games from Row, you just have to go one game at a time and the next two teams rers that we played last week, so they're certainly going to go. wanting some revenge, but also, you know, I feel like the confidence that we've been able to build over the last three games is that you continue to step forward and you learn every game, and you know if we happen.

Lose one, how are we going to respond? I think that's been a big thing for us as well. The last game we lost we found a way to respond and you know, we got three wins in a row, so I think we've improved a lot. the course of these last three games and continues to build on that Aaliyah uh during this home stand it seems like you and Caitlyn have found a lot of chemistry in the pick and roll game how much does that help you guys offensively to kind of have an action that you guys feel like you can come in and get a good shot, yeah great, I think Caitlyn does a great job of finding me and also understanding when she can get her shot out of the pick and roll, too, I think that's something we've followed building throughout the games and practices and we continue to feel each other out, so I'm really excited about where she is now, but I also think a big part of that is Caitlyn with the ball. in her hand, she talks to me a lot and tells me do this or do that, so I'm just trying to make sure I hit those places because I know she can hit me.

M aah, now you've played with Kelsey. for two years, I think she today she made the first five of hers, maybe even the first six shots of hers. That's what she does to your team when she goes out and fires on all cylinders. I mean, she just she continues to encourage us. Really, I mean, Kelsey can score. the ball is hard for people to stay in front of because of its speed so it just runs past people and we love that so it's a great energy for us because we know one thing if we give Kelsey that ball and she's going to Go and they won't stop you Demon Kelse.

See you three up there combined 62 tonight and 11 11 12 shots for the trio. Which is covering the three of you and including Nissa, especially these last two games as we've seen you all play well together. uh two things, I think chemistry and experience, I think we have a relatively young group and you need experience in this league to figure out where your team is and I think we've already seen our law and what it looks like. I like it and I think it took us up a couple levels, which is a great thing, and then individually and personnel-wise, you know your team, you know the people that you play with, you know, you have to know what places they like. you have to know how to pass it, you have to know where they feel most comfortable, where they feel uncomfortable, all of that matters and I think we are starting to master how to play with each other and I think once we still have to deal with it, it will be difficult for people stop us because I think we could all fire our own cylinders, together, I think everyone can eat, so I agree with you three.

National narratives are interesting. and maybe it's not even accurate, huh, but the narrative from the beginning was that you're struggling, you're losing, you know, it's a bad team, whatever it is, I'm sure you heard it, saw it or tried to avoid it, so what is the narrative now? The story of the fever now, if the season ends today, you're in the playoffs. What is the story America should pay attention to? Now you three, if you could respond, thank you sincerely, my opinion is that I let people maintain their narratives. whatever they want to say is whatever they want to say because I feel like we have this group here of 12 that we know what we're working for, we know how we get there every day and if they want to change their narrative, that's great for them, but we're going to rock with R12 what she said.

I think everyone loves instant satisfaction in our world like no one came here and said we were going to be WNBA champions from day one in our locker room. that was never our goal, our goal is to get back to the playoffs and we are fighting for that every night, since this is the first time we have won four games in a row at home since 2015, we have to have perspective on things. and that applies to life too, like having a perspective on life and there just needs to be a solid perspective on what this team can achieve and I think everyone in our locker room had that and nobody ever hung their head.

We had the toughest schedule to start. I didn't get to practice much and we're playing with the most inexperienced team in the WNBA, so, I mean, I think it's just this group, you know, starting to click and develop some chemistry and it's one day at a time, but um like. I said everyone loves instant satisfaction, but I'm sure we probably would have loved it too, but I think we all kept a good perspective knowing that we just need to get better step by step and that's why we're going to continue to do it even more. although we've won, you know, three in a row at home here, yeah, Caitlyn, a really efficient first half for you, a few more passes from Target, uh, in the second half, I guess, how do you smooth that out as they go along? the games, yes?

I mean there were a couple here and there, I think one was a stage design where I just assumed AO was going to be open and didn't even look before I cast it, so I think I just slowed down a little bit, honestly. ly I'm trying to remind each other each other was aiah that was singing okay don't worry because don't worry because I mean, you look at Caitlyn and you look at the way she passes the ball. and so sometimes things happen that way and that's okay because we're not going to let her hang her head, we're not going to hang our head on any Miss pass because we still continue to come together and I know she's a great passer, so if he thinks he can get that ball in there, he's going to throw it and if he misses it, then we're good, we're good, don't worry, we're good, don.

Don't worry, Leah, we haven't asked you about being named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, especially considering what you went through in the first few weeks, so this is a little more fruitful, a little more meaningful to you? Yes it was. well I'm very happy um I mean I'm glad my teammates have continued to put me in those positions thank God I was able to receive that award but I mean it's special to me Kelsey as a team what are you further? proud of what's clicking on what's happening right now for this group uh I would say I think our attitude is to keep what doesn't matter um I would say I'm very proud of our group for that um I think Right now it we keep, we keep basketball, we keep the main thing, the main thing and that's the exes and O's in our group.

I don't think we focus on what the world might be saying and I think that's the best part for us. right now, so I think that's our biggest growth and our biggest jump as a group, the coaches included, yeah, for Kelsey, obviously, the last time you guys won four home games in a row was in 2015, which was still three years ahead of you as the longest 10-year-old player. Here what is different about this year's team compared to all the others, I am obviously referring to the change of Era or the change as a new one. I think obviously, you know, these guys are kind of changing their game in general. the women's basketball side, but I think collectively we took the time to build what the organization and what you know it captures at that time was what it was and I think we're trying to do something different and establish something different, so I think That's the biggest difference.

I got the last two on Zoom, uh, DJ, do you want to start. Hello, questions. I have two questions. Questions for all three. All three made three in this game. I wanted to know how it's done. You feel about space when everyone shoots well from distance and then the other question is for Caitlin. You had a three on a down screen in the fourth quarter around the clock and I wanted to ask you if you were more comfortable on the ball or off the ball in those situations um I mean I would say our spacing has definitely improved over the course of um , probably the last couple of weeks, honestly, I think we struggled at the beginning of the year and then, to be honest, I think it was like that. a bit broken play, we were running a set and I just ran in a circle and then came off a down screen because I knew I was supposed to come off a down screen at some point and sometimes it works better when you fake it because then you really fake the defense and it worked and I got the most open I've been all night, so honestly I prefer shooting off the dribble.

I think everyone knows that, but I think that, you know, catch and shoot, shooting and getting off the screen has definitely improved over the course of the last two years, sure, maybe Kel, something about the spacing, yeah , I think our spacing has definitely improved, like Caitlyn said, but I think a big part of that. Also, um, they have to chase so many people, they've chased Kelsey, they have to chase Caitlyn, so they're more focused at that moment and then sometimes we can just go back and take down the last one in Zoom Mike Vel. Yeah, I think you already have four threes this year, which is a lot last year.

Just wondering, obviously, it's you, you fight so hard, boy, but when do you decide to go for those three and what's it like? Have you worked on that to make it part of your game? Yeah, I mean, shooting three is something I worked on in the off-season, but it's also something I still do inpractice and I just do it and we do a lot of drills where we're shooting threes so I mean I'm pretty sure I don't start there obviously I want to hit and duck and then sometimes when I get the chance I just back off and I take advantage of it, thank you.

Everyone, we'll bring the coach in next.