The Minnesota Lynx struggled mightily in their first playoff game against the New York Liberty. They were outrebounded and outscored in the paint, gave up 24 big points off turnovers, and got uncharacteristically low production from Napheesa Collier and Olivia Miles.
The Liberty, meanwhile, were on fire from 3-point range, and Breanna Stewart dominated the game with 34 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
With that 91-75 loss looming over them, the Lynx have to win on the road. If they lose in New York on Tuesday, their season will be over much earlier than expected. They are well aware of that challenge.
“We’ve been a terrific road team,” Cheryl Reeve said in the postgame media availability. “And this is the time to be that terrific road team.”
The Lynx played well on the road in the regular season
The Lynx didn’t lose many games in the regular season, finishing with a league-best 33-11 record. Only four of those 11 losses came on the road. Minnesota was the best road team in the WNBA throughout the regular season.
The first time they lost a road game was a 100-97 loss to the Las Vegas Aces in mid-June. After that, they lost road games to the Liberty, Atlanta Dream, and Indiana Fever.
Winning on the road in the playoffs is a different beast. The stakes are much higher, and the Liberty’s fans should be extremely hyped after a dominant Game 1 win, considering how disappointing the team’s regular season was.
Still, the fact that the Lynx have consistently been able to win on the road should give them at least some confidence going into an elimination game—of course, that confidence would be a lot higher if they hadn’t lost their only road game in New York this season. They did win a close overtime game in New York in the finals two years ago, though. Both teams looked different back then, but the cores are the same with Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, and Courtney Williams on the Lynx’s side and Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu on the Liberty’s side.
New York is the worst possible first-round matchup for Minnesota
The Lynx cruised through the regular season with few hiccups, even though Collier missed much of the season. They should also be cruising through the first round. Every other No. 1 seed since 2022 did, sweeping their opponents just like the Lynx did with the Golden State Valkyries last year.
The Lynx probably could have pulled it off if they had ended up with the Dallas Wings or Washington Mystics as their first-round opponent. New York is just a horrible matchup with its championship veterans and length.
Add us as a preferred source on Google