The Minnesota Lynx were insatiable during the opening stretch of their 2025 WNBA campaign. Napheesa Collier's dominant performances during these fixtures displayed exactly why she was awarded the inaugural Unrivaled Most Valuable Player accolade, and confirmed most experts' predictions that she would claim the same honours at the end of the WNBA season.
Despite averaging a career-high in points per game (23.5), the UConn graduate was not the only star to shine as the Lynx appeared to be destined for another WNBA Finals matchup with their Eastern Conference arch-rivals, the New York Liberty. Collier's colleagues were lighting up the scoreboard from outside the arc, leading the league in 3-point percentage in June with 37.6 percent.
However, recent outings have transformed this positive into a resounding negative, as Minnesota has plummeted down the 3-point percentage leaderboard to eighth with 33.6 percent. For now, the Lynx have remained the greatest force in the Western Conference, but this decline could derail their championship ambitions.
2024 WNBA Finals rematch appears inescapable
As the campaign rages on, a sense of inevitability is establishing itself throughout the league with a rematch of the 2024 WNBA Finals looming on the horizon in this year's championship series. The Lynx and the New York Liberty currently sit first and second, respectively, in the regular season standings.
New York claimed its first-ever WNBA championship at the expense of Minnesota, winning the series 3-2, and has continued to put points on the board at a phenomenal rate in 2025, averaging the most points per game in the league (87.9).
As it stands, the Liberty tops the 3-point percentage charts (35.8), which has majorly contributed to the scoring clinic that the franchise has exhibited since the season commenced. Despite only registering 31.6% from outside the arc, Sabrina Ionescu's relentless volume shooting will pile serious pressure on Napheesa Collier and her teammates to space the floor effectively to score their own points from deep.
On top of the devastating scoring Ionescu provides, New York is also the home of the legendary Breanna Stewart—currently sidelined with a lower right leg injury—who can provide her teammates with efficient inside scoring to keep the scoreboard ticking over when things are not going their way from 3-point range. Stewart is currently averaging 18.3 points per game.
Even with their sensational performances throughout the regular season, the Minnesota Lynx must contemplate every postseason scenario if they wish to lift a trophy at the end of this campaign. Head coach Cheryl Reeve will be fully aware of the problems a matchup with the Liberty could pose and will know that her team must recover its lethal touch from 3-point range before it is too late.