My wife is not a big sports fan, but she loves the Minnesota Lynx (and University of Minnesota women’s hockey). So, on the way down to Williams Arena last night she asked me, “What’s gonna happen?” I said, “It’s gonna be intense.” And, it was intense. The Lynx and the Los Angeles Sparks are 2 great, great basketball teams, meaning in part that they go all out , tooth and nail, and they leave nothing on the court. And, that is exactly what both teams did last night.
The Lynx got off to a great start, leading 7-0, then 17-6 halfway through the 1st quarter as Rebakkah Brunson and Maya Moore came out strong, scoring 14 early points on a combined 6-of-9 shooting. The Lynx already had established the pattern that everybody was going to contribute. Lindsay Whalen hit a 3 and had an assist and a steal. Seimone Augustus hadn’t scored but had 2 assists, and Sylvia Fowles hadn’t scored but had 4 boards already, 2 on each end, with an assist on one of Moore’s buckets after the offensive board. Meanwhile, L.A. missed its 1st 5 shots and 7 of its 1st 10.
I had also told my wife that it would also probably come down to rebounding, and it did that, too. The Lynx outrebounded the Sparks 46-29, including 14-7 on the offensive end. Fowles dominated the defensive board all night and finished with 20 boards overall. Candace Parker had 15 for L.A. Nobody else had more than 3 for the Sparks.
But, the Lynx could never put the Sparks away. The Sparks never, ever caught up, and never got closer than 2. But, I don’t know about you but I never felt secure until a pair of Fowles FT made it 83-76 with about 21 ticks remaining on the clock.
In the 1st quarter, down 17-6 and 19-8, the Sparks closed with an 11-2 run, Parker scoring the last 2 at the buzzer, to get within 21-19. In the 2nd, the Lynx pulled out again to a 39-28 lead, but L.A. closed 7-2 and Nneka Ogwumike made a couple of throws at :02 to get within 41-35.
In the 3rd the Lynx made it 47-35 and 51-42, but L.A. closed 14-9 to get within 60-56 as Chelsea Gray hit a pull-up jumper at :03. Then, in the 4th, the Lynx went ahead 79-67 as Brunson hit a 2 + 1 and Whalen a pair of throws around the 5 minute mark. The 2 teams then missed 5 straight shots and the Lynx turned it over 3 times, so it was almost 2:30 before an Augustus jumper gave the Lynx a 12 point lead at 2:32.
Sure enough, L.A. turned over Whalen and then Fowles and suddenly it was 79-76. But, Moore hit a running 15-footer from the FT line, and Fowles and then Whalen hit 2 throws to close it out.
But, let’s be honest. L.A. was quicker, fresher. The Lynx are not quick, but they really excel at getting into their half-court offense and getting a quality shot. All 5 starters scored in double figures, and the Lynx needed every bit of that. Moore led the way with 18 on 8-of-18 shooting. Fowles and Whalen each scored 17 on 6-of-10 and 4-of-8 FG shooting. Fowles also made 5-of-7 throws, Whalen 8-of-8. Augustus scored 14 on 6-of-15 shooting, and Brunson 13 at 5-of-13. All 5 were also at least +8 while the Lynx bench was ineffective at a cumulative -24.
But, it is Fowles who makes it all happen. The Sparks doubled her really quick when the ball got inside to her but still she made 6-of-10 shots and also kicked it back out for 4 assists. The L.A. defense left the mid-range open for Moore and Augustus. They weren’t great at 14-of-33, but they were good enough.
Parker was a tower of strength for L.A. with 19 points, 15 boards, 5 assists and 4 blocks. The big differential was at the 4 spot where Ogwumike scored 11 on just 6 FG attempts, and fouled out. Each team shot 45 percent. The Lynx made 5 extra FT on 3 extra attempts, making 21-of-23 (91 percent).
7 Years
The Lynx now have won 219 games over the past 7 WNBA seasons, including 37 playoff games and 4 WNBA championships, for a winning percentage of better than 75 percent. 4 WNBA titles ties them with the Houston Comets, who won the 1st 4 WNBA titles from 1997 to 2000. The Sparks, the Detroit Shock and Phoenix have all won 3. The Lynx have done it by playing really, really hard. The excel in the half-court offense. They reall shoot it. The pound the boards. And I haven’t even mentioned, specifically, but when I say they play hard, I mean on defense.
You have probably forgotten how bad the Lynx were before 2011. Even Seimone and Lindsay and Brunson only won 13 games (losing 21) in 2010. But Maya Moore joined the team in 2011 and the rest is history. But that wasn’t the only turning point in 2011. That was also the year that coach Cheryl Reeve got inside Augustus’ head and convinced her to dedicate her considerable athleticism toward the art of defense.
Now, Augustus, who came here in 2006 as an overall #1 draft pick, is 33 years of age. Brunson, who came as a free agent in 2010, is 35. She peaked at 23 ppg in 2007, and as 1st team all-WNBA and NBA finals MVP in 2011. She scored just 11 ppg last year and this, but she is a career 48 percent shooter who still shot 50 percent this year.
Whalen, who came in a trade in 2010, is 35. She peaked at 15 ppg in 2013 and as 1st team all-WNBA in 2011 and 2012. She scored just 8 ppg this year, and has seen her assists drop from a high of 6 to 4 the past 2 seasons. Still, she is a career 47 percent shooter who still shot 50 percent as recently as last year.
Moore, who came in 2011, also as an overall #1 draft pick, is just 28. Even Moore peaked 3 years ago in 2014 at 24 ppg with 8 boards. This she she was at 17 and 5, and her shooting has dropped from 50 and 48 percent in 2013 and 2014 to 44 percent this year.
Brunson peaked at 11 ppg and 10 boards way back in 2010. This year she was at 10 and 7, and her shooting percentage has dropped from a peak over 50 percent in 2011 and 2012 to 45 percent this year.
Even Fowles, who came here 2 years ago, will be 32 on Friday. She is at her peak, and that has been the trademark of the Lynx. Augustus, then Whalen, then Moore and now Fowles have been their best player in one year or another since 2011. Augustus, Moore, Moore and now Fowles have been the finals MVP, but I would have picked Augustus, Whalen, Moore and Fowles as the regular season MVPs for the championship seasons of 2011, 2013, 2015 and now 2017.
Now, a a 5th WNBA title seems unlikely. For one thing, the Lynx haven’t had a meaningful draft pick in years. The starting 5 is old. The bench is not strong. Only backup point guard Renee Montgomery is a potential starter, but she was overmatched against the Sparks Gray and Odyssey Sims. Natasha Howard is just 26, but she was a turnover waiting to happen last night. Backup forward Jia Perkins is 35 years old herself.
But 4 WNBA titles! With last year’s unfortunate loss, and with 3 titles, it seemed like the Lynx had been shortchanged. I don’t doubt that Lindsay and Seimone and Brunson and Fowles and Maya all want a 5th, and Cheryl Reeve wants a 5th, but a 5th WNBA title seems unlikely. But, 4 WNBA titles, that’s really something to celebrate.
