The WNBA semi-finals ended Tuesday night with Minnesota’s convincing victory over the Connecticut Sun, sending the Lynx to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2017, where they will do battle with the regular season’s top-seeded New York Liberty.
Final: Lynx 88 – Sun 77
Napheesa Collier led the way for the Lynx with 27 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four blocks, becoming the first player in league history to tally 25 points and 10 rebounds in three consecutive playoff games. Courtney Williams and Kayla McBride also concluded the night as major contributors for the Lynx. Williams finished 3-for-3 from beyond the arc with 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds. Mcbride tallied 19 points and four assists on 3-of-9 shooting from deep.
The Lynx managed to grab an early double-digit lead and maintained their advantage throughout the game; so the win-or-go home game 5, wasn’t as much of a dog fight that the first four games were known for. The Sun entered the second half with a 19-point deficit that proved too large to overcome.
“They came out strong” Sun’s Forward Brionna Jones said “Unfortunately, we dug ourselves a hole in the first half. We came out in the second half, and we fought, but we dug ourselves too big of hole.”
“I can’t even tell you what happened…” Sun Star DeWanna Bonner said following the game. ” I think they just kind of, punched us in the face and we got shellshocked, and then we couldn’t fight back.”
Liberty VS Lynx Preview
Minnesota is right back to business as Game 1 of the finals against the Liberty is set for Thursday night in Brooklyn. The Lynx will face a well-rested Liberty team who haven’t played since sending the Aces home on Sunday. It may also be worth mentioning that New York has played with a chip on their shoulder all season, after falling to the Aces in four games in last season’s finals and leaving their quest for the franchise’s first championship unfulfilled. The Lynx dominated the regular season bouts between the teams 3-1 including the Commissioner’s cup championship game.
The Minnesota Lynx are no strangers to post-season glory, having won four championships between the years of 2011 and 2017 but haven’t seen the Finals stage since, until now. The Lynx (30-10) were on the Liberty’s heels all season and as owners of the second-best regular season record, were only 2 games behind New York (32-8), setting the stage for an evenly matched battle of the best, and for a new champion to be crowned.
Players to watch
Napheesa Collier and Sabrina Ionescu are WUFO’s players to watch for this Finals matchup.
Collier, current Defensive Player of the Year and four-time all-star is currently on a historic postseason run averaging just over 27 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two blocks with a 53/44/90 shooting split. She also enters game 1 as the first player to put up 25+ points and 10+ rebounds three consecutive postseason games (she is on a roll). The Liberty will look to do what the Sun’s league leading defense was unable to and neutralize her. However, Collier has shown a level of adaptability where she can step into a supporting role should the opposing defense focus on her, making it nearly impossible to ever mitigate her impact on the game. Napheesa Collier is the obvious player to watch on the Lynx’s side.
I know what you’re thinking, and no I haven’t forgotten about former league MVP Breanna Stewart who is looking to bring a championship to her home state. Stewart is an established star for New York with two WNBA championships and two Finals MVP awards to her name. Ionescu is a young superstar who has continued to develop and is having a phenomenal post-season with 49/47/95 split. In short, we know what Stewie can do, we’ve seen it many times, Ionescu has the chance to establish herself and her team as legit postseason threats for years to come. As the Liberty’s top postseason scorer thus far, the team’s success will be largely impacted by Ionescu’s.
Game 1 is set for Thursday October 10th at 8PM in Brooklyn.
Written By Raven Ullah, WUFO Intern
