How the Minnesota Lynx became serious championship contenders
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve is going for a record fifth WNBA title. Photo: Steph Chambers/Getty Images
The Minnesota Lynx have exceeded all preseason expectations and find themselves with a strong chance of winning a championship.
Why it matters: With the playoffs beginning Sunday, a fifth championship on Cheryl Reeve's resume would make a strong argument that she's the greatest coach in WNBA history.
By the numbers: Reeve won four WNBA titles between 2011 and 2017, tied for most of all time.
- She's won more regular season games than all but two other coaches, and she guided the U.S. team to a gold medal this summer in the Paris Olympics.
The big picture: Winning it all this year would be extra special because she would do it with a roster she completely remade as the team's general manager. There are no players remaining from the Maya Moore-Lindsay Whalen-Seimone Augustus dynasty of the 2010s.
State of play: The Lynx won 15 of their last 17 games to lock up the No. 2 seed in the eight-team playoff field and will face the seventh-seeded Phoenix Mercury in a best-of-three series that tips off at Target Center on Sunday at 4 pm.
- The Mercury finished 19-21 in the regular season.
- It could be the last hurrah for WNBA legend Diana Taurasi, who is 42 and will be a free agent after the season. The Mercury guard has hinted this could be it but hasn't made any decisions.
Details: Tickets to the first two games, both at Target Center, can be purchased here.
The bottom line: The Lynx are now the top-ranked team in the WNBA by the Associated Press, so losing to Phoenix would be a huge upset.
Almost M-V-Phee
The ascension of the Lynx from a mediocre team to a contender is thanks in large part to forward Napheesa Collier's own rise to elite status.
Between the lines: In many years, the season "Phee" just wrapped would result in an MVP trophy, but she will likely finish runner-up to Las Vegas Aces center A'ja Wilson, whom The Athletic said had perhaps "the most prolific season in league history."
What they're saying: Reeve believes otherwise.
- Collier is "defensive player of the year and MVP, that's why we are sitting where we are," the Lynx coach told the Associated Press.
Reality check: Collier isn't the only reason for the Lynx's success. Reeve's system of quick passing to open up three-point shots has done wonders for other players.
- Kayla McBride, Bridget Carleton and Alanna Smith hit more than 40% of their threes in that system and are among the league's most-improved players this season.
Caitlin Clark in round 2?
If the Lynx take care of business against Phoenix, the Caitlin Clark show could be coming back to Minneapolis in the second round of the playoffs.
State of play: Clark's sixth-seeded Indiana Fever finished the season on a hot streak and will play Connecticut in the first round.
- If the Fever and Lynx advance past the first round, they will face off in a best-of-five series that would start Sept. 29.
What we're watching: Between the end of her college career and the start of her WNBA career, Clark has played in Minneapolis four times this year and has packed the house for all of the games.
- Playoff crowds would be pandemonium.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect Diana Taurasi is 42 (not 35).