WNBA Finals: Minnesota Lynx comeback would have been biggest in league history

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 24: Lindsay Whalen
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - SEPTEMBER 24: Lindsay Whalen /
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The Minnesota Lynx were one Chelsea Gray jumper away from not only a 1-0 WNBA Finals lead, but also a piece of history.

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Had the Lynx held on to defeat the Los Angeles Sparks on Sunday, it would have been the biggest comeback in WNBA history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau, via WNBA PR.

The Sparks raced out to a 28-2 lead in the first quarter, but Minnesota out-scored LA by 11 in the second quarter to get back into it. The Lynx led by a point in the final seconds, before Gray gave the Sparks the 85-84 win.

If Gray’s shot had missed, it would have meant the Lynx had overcome a 26-point deficit, breaking the previous league record for the biggest comeback in WNBA history.

WNBA teams have overcome 25-point deficits three times to win, most recently in 2013 when the Sky beat the Sun in Chicago. The other two instances came in 2012 (Minnesota over Atlanta) and 2005 (Detroit over Los Angeles).

The biggest comeback in playoff history came in 2007 when the Fever beat the Sun after trailing by 22. And in finals history, you have to go back to 1999, when the Liberty overcame an 18-point deficit to win on Teresa Weatherspoon’s improbable half-court heave.

Game 2 of the 2017 WNBA Finals tips off Tuesday night at 8 p.m. ET in Minnesota, before the series shifts to Los Angeles for Game 3.