Lynx ‘beat selves’ in semifinal to even series at 1-1, but there’s still plenty to talk about

Let’s face it: Most of us who follow the WNBA, whether we admit or not, really want the Lynx and Las Vegas Aces to meet for the championship. It’s the matchup with the most star power, the most intrigue, and the most potential for spectacular trash talk among players and coaches. It carries all the trappings of a real rivalry, not the contrived one our friends at ESPN tried to manufacture between the Lynx and the now-eliminated New York Liberty.

Whether we get that dream matchup depends on how the normally resilient Lynx respond to the worst 20 minutes of the franchise’s glorious postseason history. A boisterous Target Center crowd of 10,824 arrived Tuesday night ready to celebrate another Lynx victory, one that would give the club a commanding two-games-to-none on the Phoenix Mercury in their best-of-five semifinal. 

When the Lynx rolled to a 16-point lead at halftime, victory seemed automatic, since the franchise had never lost a playoff game it led by double digits at the half (per ESPN). 

But the Mercury stepped up their physicality after the break, not unexpected from a desperate team playing its fourth game in seven days. The Lynx suddenly fell apart, and the game took a dramatic, unexpected turn.

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Up 59-39 with 5:45 to play, the Lynx committed five turnovers (most unforced) on five consecutive possessions in a span of about two minutes. “That made us out of sorts,” Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve said. Phoenix scored 12 consecutive points to cut the lead to eight, eventually tying the game with 3:32 left in regulation.

The Lynx had gone back ahead by three when Phoenix’s Sami Whitcomb, with about 11 seconds left, misfired a three-pointer from the left wing. Teammate Alyssa Thomas out-hustled multiple Lynx for the critical rebound, and the ball eventually found its way back to Whitcomb on the left, who made a tying three this time. Phoenix dominated the five-minute overtime and headed home with an 89-83 victory to even the series 1-1.

The crowd filed out quietly, and the Lynx exited the floor so quickly they left injured teammate DiJonai Carrington, on crutches, behind. Carrington, out for the season with a sprained left foot, slowly made her way down the middle of the court to the locker room, accompanied by a Lynx staffer. 

“We certainly talked about it at halftime, what this (Phoenix) team was feeling and what would be next,” Reeve said. “Our response to it was very uncharacteristic. Some of the body language, in terms of players that I’m not used to seeing certain looks from. … Then we needed to go get buckets. We had good opportunities, but we weren’t strong enough, we weren’t tough enough. And they ripped the game from us.

“They got offensive rebounds and threes, and we lost the game on hustle plays. We lost the game on guards not wanting to go get rebounds. We did it in the first game. They did it to us this game. … We could not get that way about us to win the game anyway, despite how poorly it had gone for us in the second half. That’s what was uncharacteristic.”

Now the series shifts to Phoenix for Game 3 on Friday night and Game 4 on Sunday.

Collier had her hands full guarding the versatile six-feet-two-inch Thomas, a triple-double machine who nearly had another Tuesday night (19 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds). Collier finished with 24 points, but only four in the fourth quarter and overtime. Afterward, she and McBride sat glumly in the Target Center interview room, speaking softly and keeping most of their answers short.

‘We beat ourselves’

“Phoenix did a good job coming out aggressive, but I think we beat ourselves,” Collier said. “Unforced turnovers, not taking care of the ball when we were pressuring us. I think just keeping our composure in those situations is huge.”

The Lynx certainly did that to grab Game 1 at home two days earlier, 82-69, via a 14-2 burst in the final five minutes. That’s the kind of finish Lynx fans grew used to in the regular season, when the 34-10 Lynx set a franchise record for victories (albeit in a 44-game season, the WNBA’s longest) and went 20-2 at home. Those numbers don’t include the 74-59 home loss to Indiana July 1 in the Commissioner’s Cup final, which didn’t count in the regular season standings.

Vegas, for its part, stumbled in Game 1 of its semifinal, losing to the injury-ravaged Fever 89-73 before responding with a 90-68 rout to even that series.  

Lynx and Aces the best finals matchup

Why are the Lynx and Aces the best finals matchup? Because their seasons are so intertwined.

The Lynx roared into Vegas Aug. 2 with Collier as the MVP front-runner and the team proceeded to humiliate the struggling Aces, 111-58. Collier was still in the game with the Lynx up 43 points late in the third quarter. Reeve said later she planned to sit Collier the entire fourth quarter, but it never got to that point. Shortly before the horn, Collier sprained her right ankle going for an offensive rebound. She didn’t return until Aug. 24, missing seven games.

Meanwhile, the pummeling fired up the 14-14 Aces, the two-time WNBA champs who sat eighth in the league and were in danger of missing the playoffs. Three-time MVP A’ja Wilson put the Aces on her back, sparking the 16-game winning streak that earned Vegas the No. 2 playoff seed and Wilson a record fourth MVP. So in one sense, Reeve deserved more Coach of the Year votes for motivating two teams.

Then there was the catty exchange between Aces Coach Becky Hammon and Reeve after Lynx center Alanna Smith and Wilson tied in the voting for WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Hammon’s reaction, in full:

“I guess I’m just confused by the ‘co-(winners),’ ” Hammon said. “You guys said Phee (Collier) was the best defensive player last year, and then now she’s not. I mean, I don’t know. I’d love to make the voting public. I don’t know how it came in a tie, but apparently it did. To me, there’s no comparison. A white-tailed deer looks really good until an elk walks into the room.”

That riled up the Lynx, and the ultra-competitive Reeve couldn’t let it pass without comment. At a Target Center press conference honoring Smith, Reeve arrived loaded for … elk. Before anyone could ask, Reeve had a line ready to go: “I’m just proud Alanna Smith is a Minnesota Lynx, and super proud this honor was bestowed upon her. And we love our white deer.” 

(Reeve didn’t land the line perfectly, omitting the “tail,” but people got the gist. Smith cracked up, as did most others in the know. And Game 1 saw several handwritten “We Love Our White-Tailed Deer” signs carried by fans.)

The argument over whether Collier or Wilson, the league leader in scoring and blocks, deserved the MVP will likely bubble up again if the Lynx and Aces meet in the finals. At this point, both teams have work to do to get there. 

“I feel like I’m still focused on the championship,” Collier told a small group of reporters before Game 1, hours after the MVP results were announced. “That has been my main goal the whole season. Of course, I want to win MVP. But the championship is what I really wanted for the season.”

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