Mitchell Hansen
Web Editorial Associate
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The Minnesota Lynx were back at practice on Friday afternoon as we inch closer to the semifinal round of the 2017 WNBA Playoffs Presented by Verizon.
With the Lynx still not knowing who they will play until the second-round games finish up Sunday afternoon, the team has spent the last few days focusing and working on making improvements in their own game before their postseason play begins.
“Just reps. Rep your identity, that’s what we’re doing. Try to make us uncomfortable and make it more like playoff basketball. You’re not going to get your first option, second option, third option,” Cheryl Reeve said after practice. “How do you get through that? How do you just keep playing? How do you still get the percentage shots that you want and the people that you want? It’s more of that. At this point, it’s not pretty offense. It’s not how you scripted it and you have to understand how to deviate, how to stay aggressive and don’t just quote run the play.”
This practice time to work on themselves is valuable for the Lynx in more ways that one.
With Lindsay Whalen returning from a left hand injury earlier this week, this week has really been the first time the entire Minnesota team has practice together since the beginning of August when Whalen went down.
“This is incredibly valuable time for her,” Reeve said of Whalen. “It’s been hard for her, these practices were designed to kick her in the butt and we’re kicking her in the butt.”
Minnesota will find out Sunday evening who they will be facing in the semifinal round of the playoffs, which kick off on Tuesday at Williams Arena.
Until then, all the Lynx can do is focus on themselves and make sure they are ready for another postseason run.
“It’s been nice to have a single focus of trying to sharpen and master the things we want to be great at and the things that we’ve been great at all year,” Maya Moore said. “Just continuing to intensify it here in practice the last few days.
“I think we’ve been using this time really well and hopefully Sunday we’ll get here and find out who we’re playing and then get off to the action on Tuesday.