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    • Lynx vs. Liberty lives up to the hype
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    Lynx vs. Liberty lives up to the hype

    Kathleen William Posted on

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    After two games, the WNBA Finals are more than living up to the hype.

    First, Minnesota shocked everyone – especially the Liberty – with an overtime win after trailing by 18 points in Game 1.

    Then Breanna Stewart delivered perhaps the best defensive performance of her career – or at least her playoff career – when she recorded seven steals in a much-needed Game 2 win for New York.

    Now tied 1-1, the series heads to Games 3 and 4 in Minneapolis. These teams only met once at Target Center during the regular season, and the Lynx won that one. If the Liberty can steal one on the road like Minnesota, Game 5 will be back at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

    WINNER

    The League

    There are so many new fans here for the first time this season, and the Finals more than delivered, especially with Game 1. The Lynx comeback was so exciting – and downright hard to understand just by studying the stats – that Napheesa Collier returned and watched the game again late Thursday night, something she says she never does. But it was so crazy that she had to understand exactly what had happened.

    There's no doubt the fans felt the same way – and it's especially good for the league that the Finals were so good because it shows that this league has a lot of playmakers and the fans have a lot of talent to cheer for .

    The Liberty set an attendance record of 18,046 fans on Sunday, prompting New York coach Sandy Brondello to declare, “The winner is women's basketball.”

    The lynx

    Yes, this series is tied 1-1, but it's really, really hard to go on the road and win a game in the playoffs. Coming back to Minnesota after losing home-field advantage to the Liberty is huge. Minnesota beat New York in its only game in Minneapolis this season (an 84-67 Lynx win on May 25), meaning it's entirely possible the Lynx win the title at home.

    All-WNBA defense

    First Collier showed everyone exactly why she was named Defensive Player of the Year in Game 1 by blocking six shots (which tied a career high) and picking up three steals. She changed numerous other looks in the Lynx's surprising 95-93 overtime victory, an impact Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve called “unbelievable.”

    Game 2 was the Stewie Steal Show as Stewart, another first-team All-Defense selection, recorded seven steals, a career-best, and led the Liberty to an 80-66 victory. New York's squad is known for its long wingspans that wreak all sorts of defensive havoc. The Liberty totaled 13 steals in Game 2 – two of which came from Jonquel Jones, another All-Defense selection.

    Lynx forward Alanna Smith, also an All-Defense player who recorded a steal in each game, has done an excellent job defending Jones so far this series, making things difficult for her despite being two inches and 32 pounds on Smith has.

    She is not playing at 100% following midseason knee surgery and continued treatment to get her ready to play. But she certainly looked healthy — and deadly — in Game 2 on Sunday, when she started 4 of 4 from the field and finished with a season-high 20 points.

    LOSER

    Officiating

    Who could have predicted that the stripes would so badly mar the end of Game 1 just a few hours after commissioner Cathy Engelbert was pressed about how the league was working to improve refereeing performance.

    Or rather, they distorted the end of regulation. When the ball was thrown out of bounds minutes before the end of the game while Liberty had possession and none of the referees knew who last touched it, it was downright embarrassing. They got New York to the free throw line with 0.8 seconds left – when they had previously declined to give possession to Minnesota despite Collier getting hammered inside. Luckily, Stewart missed the second free throw, forcing overtime and letting the players decide the game.

    The management was also difficult in Game 2. After there were hardly any fouls in the first half, the second half developed into a foul (and free throw) festival.

    All we demand is continuity – and that officials remain uninvolved. Seems pretty simple.

    Minnesota's first half

    Two days after the Lynx came back from an 18-point deficit to pull out a miraculous 95-93 overtime win in Game 1, they fell behind by double digits again in Game 2 when the Liberty jumped out to a lead of as many as 17 points built up first half.

    When asked how frustrated she was that her team couldn't score in the final minutes despite only scoring twice twice, Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve didn't mince her words.

    “I’m disappointed that we made it to 17, I’m even more disappointed about that,” she said. “I am more than disappointed. I’m mad this happened again.”

    Email Lindsay Schnell at [email protected] and follow her on social media @Lindsay_Schnell

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    Kathleen William
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