The Minnesota Lynx have had the first seed locked up for quite some time. So, their matchup with the Indiana Fever had few implications for the Lynx. It had massive implications for the Fever, however, and Stephanie White’s team came out firing, securing a 10-0 start in the first two-and-a-half minutes of the game. Minnesota struggled to close the gap, trailing 36-49 after the first half and eventually losing the game.
Even without Napheesa Collier and DiJonai Carrington, the Lynx should be able to take care of business against a Fever team that lost five players to season-ending injuries and had three fairly new players play big minutes. Odyssey Sims, Shey Peddy, and Aerial Powers have only played a handful of games with the Fever so far.
After the game, Lynx forward Jessica Shepard didn’t mince her words about what played into Minnesota’s loss. “Playoffs are coming quick and there’s a lot of teams that are playing really well, and so what we did tonight is not going to get us where we want to go,” Shepard said in the postgame press conference.
She added, “We weren’t dictating, we weren’t being aggressive, we weren’t rotating for each other. Just really the hustle plays, the areas of effort, were the biggest concern today.”
When asked about Shepard’s comments, head coach Cheryl Reeve said she agreed.
Minnesota is still one of the favorites to win it all
A lacklustre performance in a game that really had little meaning shouldn’t be used to judge the Lynx’s postseason potential. This team has been waiting for a chance to redeem itself since Game 5 of last year’s finals. So, one can only imagine that the effort will be all there as soon as the playoffs start.
Minnesota is still one of the favorites to win it all, but other teams have good cases as well. The Aces, for example, have a 15-game win streak going, and A’ja Wilson looks every bit like the best player in the world. Atlanta is also well set up to go on a deep run. While outside the top three, Phoenix and New York could also cause some trouble. The Liberty have a star-studded roster with championship experience, and the Mercury are led by Alyssa Thomas, who just continues to make WNBA history. She just broke Jessica Shepard’s record for the fastest triple-double in league history.
The Lynx’s first-round matchup isn’t set yet, but Minnesota has some control over its destiny. Their final game against the Valkyries will decide which team finishes in eighth place. If they lose, the Valkyries drop in the standings and will have to face the Lynx in the first round. If Minnesota wins, Seattle will finish with the final playoff spot.
A gritty and physical Valkyries team is not necessarily the kind of opponent the top team in the league wants to face in the first round. However, the Storm managed to beat the Lynx twice this season and have a veteran roster, while few Valkyries players have extensive playoff experience now that Kayla Thornton and Tiffany Hayes are sidelined.