What to Expect:

The matchup between these two teams has long been one of the reasons why I sometimes wished that the best two teams could play each other in the Finals, whether or not they’re in the same conference.  Both teams have incredibly talented rosters that dominate the WNBA, winning a total of 3 of the most recent 4 championships.  I would love to see them play each other in the 5-game Finals series, but alas, it is not to be.

For Minnesota, it all starts with Maya Moore.  Last year’s MVP, she averaged 20.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game this year.  The only reason she didn’t win MVP again this year was Elena Delle Donne’s phenomenal season.  And she’s not the only star for the Lynx- Moore, Lindsay Whalen (ferociously physical point guard extraordinaire), and Seimone Augustus (ninja scoring machine) have been known as the big 3 for Minnesota since 2011.  Rebekkah Brunson does all the dirty work for the Lynx, out-hustling everyone for offensive rebounds and playing tough in-your-face defense.  Midway through this season, they also acquired Sylvia Fowles in a trade from the Sky, bringing with her aggressive shot-blocking, rebounding, and around-the-basket offensive dominance.

Phoenix has some big names, too.  Brittney Griner just won back to back Defensive Player of the Year and is easily the best shot-blocker ever to play the game.  DeWanna Bonner hits difficult shots, feeds her teammates well, and is usually responsible for guarding the opposing team’s toughest guard.  This season, she guarded Moore, and was mostly responsible for Maya making only 35% of her field goals as opposed to her usual 44%.  Joining them is silent-but-deadly scorer Candice Dupree.  Conspicuously not joining them is Diana Taurasi, possibly the best WNBA player ever.  Phoenix has done surprisingly well without her this season, but can they beat the star-studded Lynx?

This season, Phoenix has won 3 of their 5 games against Minnesota, but the Lynx have had to deal with many injuries to key players such as Augustus and Whalen.  Also to their advantage, the Lynx are 14-4 at home this season, and as the number one seed they will play two of the three series games at home.  It seems likely that the number one seeds will face off in the Finals from each conference, New York for the East, Minnesota for the West.

 

Game 1: Minnesota 67, Phoenix 60

 

Key Players (Lynx):

Maya Moore- 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists

Seimone Augustus- 14 points, 3 rebounds

Rebekkah Brunson- 13 points, 19 rebounds, 2 steals

Sylvia Fowles- 12 points, 14 rebounds, 3 blocks, 4 turnovers

 

Key Players (Mercury):

DeWanna Bonner- 21 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 turnovers

Brittney Griner- 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Candice Dupree- 8 points, 12 rebounds, 2 steals

Marta Xargay Casademont- 7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists

 

DeWanna Bonner started on fire, scoring 8 points and dishing out 3 assists in the 1st quarter alone.  Minnesota looked a step slow on defense until the very end of the quarter, letting the Mercury get around them and penetrate the paint for easy points (Phoenix shot 9/13 from the field).  The Lynx came back with an 8-0 run that started while Griner and Bonner were riding the bench and cut the lead to 1.  The defensive and offensive intensity continued for Minnesota- overall, they outscored the Mercury 21-11 in the second quarter.  Fowles and Brunson were almost unstoppable in the post for the Lynx with a combined 21 points and 18 rebounds by halftime, putting their team up 35-32.

HALFTIME NEWS:  The draft lottery happened during the ESPN halftime show, and Seattle got the first draft pick for next year (Breanna Stewart)!  More on that later but I was so excited I just had to throw it in.

A bad foul call sent Sylvia Fowles to the bench with 4 personals 3 minutes into the second half.  Excessive foul calls made the third quarter annoyingly stop and go, neither team really getting into a rhythm offensively.  The defensive battle was intense and the period ended up a 14-14 tie.  Maya Moore had 9 of Minnesota’s 18 points in the final 10 minutes, but DeWanna Bonner made two CLUTCH three-point shots that were way outside the three-point line and pulled the Mercury within 4 with 40 seconds left in the game.  Minnesota missed a few free throws that kept Phoenix alive a little longer but ultimately the Lynx pulled off the 67-65 win.

 

Game 2: Minnesota 72, Phoenix 71

 

Key Players (Lynx):

Maya Moore- 40 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals

Sylvia Fowles- 8 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks

Lindsay Whalen- 4 points, 4 assists

Rebekkah Brunson- 2 points, 7 rebounds

 

Key Players (Mercury):

Candice Dupree- 16 points

Brittney Griner- 15 points, 6 rebounds

Monique Currie- 14 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals

DeWanna Bonner- 13 points, 4 rebounds

 

The referees were way too friendly with their whistles in throughout the game.  Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, and Brittney Griner were each whistled for two fouls in the first 8 minutes of the game, forcing Griner onto the bench and the other two to play more conservatively on defense (especially a problem for big-time shot blocker Fowles).  Still, with better shooting and better energy, the Lynx were up 25-15 going into the second quarter.  Phoenix went on a 11-0 run when Griner returned to the floor (7 points came from Brittney herself- she had 13 in the quarter!), rebounding hard and preventing Minnesota from getting any second-chance opportunities.  Maya was indomitable and scored an even 20 points in the half, but she, Brunson, and Fowles all committed 3 fouls in the first, forcing them to ride the bench for Minnesota a little more than is typical.  At halftime, both teams were tied 41-41.

With three minutes left in the third, the Mercury had outscored the Lynx in the paint 22-2, much of it without Griner on the floor (she was benched with 4 fouls pretty early on).  Aggressively attacking the basket gave Phoenix a 53-47 lead, but Maya Moore kept Minnesota alive with difficult threes, driving layups, and whatever else her team needed.  Phoenix missed a lot of point-blank layups in the final period, and Maya finally looked like she’d run out of crazy-shot-steam.  Both teams were neck and neck up to and including the final possession.  With less than a minute on the game clock, DeWanna Bonner hit a jumper that put Phoenix up 71-69.  She fouled out just about 10 seconds later, though, sending Maya Moore to the free throw line where she evened things out.  With 1.5 seconds to go, an idiotic foul was called on Noelle Quinn that sent Maya back to the line where she hit ½ and put Minnesota up for good 72-71.  

For me, that kind of soured the victory, as I really feel like that whistle shouldn’t have been called and Phoenix should have had another chance in overtime.  The whole game felt like a never-ending series of whistles on plays in which no contact could be seen.  Still, it should be fun to see Minnesota in their 4th Finals appearance in 5 years.