Lynx Playoff Outlook
by Claire Meador
Lynx Writer
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With only six games left in the regular season, the Lynx are definitely feeling the heat as they fight to hang on to the fourth and final spot in the Western Conference. If the playoffs started today, the Lynx would match-up against the defending champs the Phoenix Mercury.The month of August will prove to be difficult for Minnesota, seeing that they only have two home games and will spend the majority of their time on the road. For their last games of the regular season the Lynx will face off against San Antonio, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington and Indiana. Minnesota has struggled against each of these teams and will need to pull out their best basketball in order to secure their spot in the playoffs.
San Antonio:
At their first meeting of the regular season on June 26 the Lynx struggled to contain Michelle Snow. She scored a total of 23 points and snatched nine rebounds to help the Silver Stars oust the Lynx 80-66. They held Minnesota to 38.5-percent shooting and had a whopping 36 points in the paint. Seimone Augustus led Minnesota with 14 points on 6-of-20- shooting but it just wasn't enough to match Snow or Becky Hammon who scored 21 points, including four 3-pointers. The Lynx couldn't put the ball in the hole, and couldn't match the Silver Stars on the offensive end.
The next contest between these two teams had the exact opposite outcome for the Lynx as they defeated the Silver Stars 89-66. Rebekkah Brunson led Minnesota with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Brunson's dynamic play seemed to be contagious and the team played one of their best games. Minnesota dominated both ends of the floor throughout the contest shooting 53.2-percent from the field and held the Silver Stars to just 38.1 percent shooting. At this contest they were able to shut down Becky Hammon who missed all six of her three-point attempts. The Lynx had a total of 18 rebounds and 34 points in the paint, a terrific win for the club.
July 22 was the last meeting between the Silver Stars and the Lynx, which ended in a heartbreaking loss for Minnesota. They emerged with a 40-35 lead at halftime but weren't able to hold on to the lead. The Silver Stars held Lindsay Whalen to just four meager points. At that point in the season she had been averaging more than 14 points per game. Sophia Young's two free throws with 3.8 seconds to play in the game gave the Silver Stars a two-point edge over the Lynx and they went on to win 74-72. Seimone Augustus, who had 22 points for the game, had a shot to send the game into overtime, but it clanked off the rim sealing the deal for San Antonio.
The Lynx put the ball back in their court, with their most recent game, defeating the Silver Stars 73-66 in San Antonio on Tuesday night. Rebekkah Brunson had 12 points and 12 rebounds, and Seimone Augustus scored a whopping 20 points. They improved their playoff position by sliding into third place, and evened the series between the Silver Stars to two games apiece.
Their next meeting will be on August 15. The Lynx have plenty of experience with the Silver Stars and know just what to expect. They'll need to watch out for dynamic duo Becky Hammon and Sophia Young. They are high-scoring, explosive players who know how to lead their team to victory in the last seconds of the game. If Minnesota has a game like they did on July 8 and August 10, they should have no problem shutting down the Silver Stars, and coming up with a W.
Los Angeles:
June 13 was their first contest of the season, and the win slipped out of Minnesota's hand in the last seconds of the game. DeLisha Milton-Jones and Marie Ferdinand-Harris proved to be a deadly combination as they scored 22 and 19 points respectively. They led the Sparks to an 88-84 win over the Lynx. Charde Houston led Minnesota with 21 points but it just wasn't enough to overcome Los Angeles. Even though Seimone Augustus made a crucial 6-foot shot with less than 40 seconds to go, Ferdinand-Harris responded immediately by converting four free throws as the Sparks regained an 87-84 advantage with 17 seconds left in the game. Their second match-up of the season also resulted in a loss for Minnesota. On July 27 the Sparks bested the Lynx 71-58. It was clear that the Sparks knew the playoff implications of this game as they limited turnovers, shared the ball, rebounded well and played stingy defense. The Sparks limited the Lynx to 26 percent shooting, and their zone defense contributed to Minnesota going only 2-for-20 from the floor. They held star player Seimone Augustus to a season low of six points and she missed her first seven field goal attempts. The Lynx struggled to put the ball in the hole and just couldn't get their act together against former coach Jennifer Gillom and her new team.
Their next two contests are scheduled for August 12 and August 20. These are crucial games for the Lynx because the Sparks already have two victories and they are fighting for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. In order to win they'll need to match every point the Sparks make, and find a way to overcome Los Angeles' zone defense. Again, Minnesota knows what to expect from the Sparks, if they use that knowledge wisely and learn from their mistakes they should have no problem winning these next two games.
Washington:
Although they've only met once during the regular season, on May 16, the Mystics definitely know how to ruffle Minnesota's feathers. This game was Lindsay Whalen's home debut after being traded from the Connecticut Sun and local sports fans were more than thrilled to have University of Minnesota star and native back on her home turf. Although the Lynx built a lead as big as 33-18 at one point during the game the Mystics came right back at them frustrating Minnesota with foul trouble and shooting struggles. Despite Whalen's charged up attitude and some fancy passes she made with Quanitra Hollingsworth the Lynx couldn't recover from foul calls. Coach Cheryl Reeve grew so agitated with the refereeing at one point she was whistled for a technical.
Hopefully, with a few more games under their belt and lots of time to grow as a team Whalen and her fellow Lynx will be able to keep their emotions in check and come up with the win. They'll need to contain Monique Currie and former Lynx Star Katie Smith, by not letting them gain too much momentum and run away with the game.
Indiana:
June 8 was the last time the Lynx faced off against the Indiana Fever, and the outcome wasn't pretty. Minnesota played short-handed that night, guard Lindsay Whalen was out due to an undisclosed illness yet that was the least of their woes. The Fever lost no time taking advantage of Whalen's absence and maintained and vast double-digit lead throughout the entire game. The Fever dominated both ends of the floor shooting 51-percent from the floor while draining nine 3-pointers. Defensively, the Fever held Minnesota to just 20 percent shooting and forced them to turn over the ball 22 times. Rebekkah Brunson recorded her third double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds, but that was about the only highlight of the game for the Lynx.
August 22 will be the next time these two teams meet, and hopefully this outcome will be much different for the Lynx. Tamika Catchings will need to be contained and the points that she makes will need to be answered. Protecting the ball and a good shooting percentage will help Minnesota come up with a win.
The month of August will be hard for the Lynx, but not impossible. They have proved that they can be deadly contenders in this league, now all that's left to do is go out there and win games.
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