Practice Report | One Final Practice

Mitchell Hansen
Web Editorial Associate
Twitter

The wait is almost over.

The Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks both got in one final practice on Saturday at Williams Arena in Minneapolis before Sunday’s Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

“I’m ready to play,” Sylvia Fowles said. “We have to be locked in and focused on the little things and I think that’s going to separate both teams.”

The two teams will square off in Game 1 of the Finals on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at Williams Arena. This year’s Finals is a rematch of last years series and is a battle against the top two teams in the WNBA this season.

“Everyone is trying to beat LA, right?,” Seimone Augustus joked. “This is the matchup people want to see. This is the matchup that we need on TV, this is the matchup we need media talking about because its two great teams with great players who having accomplished so much stuff. There are so many different storylines, the but the main point for us is you’ll see great basketball being played on national TV.”

For the Lynx, they aren’t thinking about what could be with a certain outcome of the series. Instead, their lone focus is on taking care of business in Game 1 on Sunday.

“We dropped Game 1 three times in five (Finals appearances),” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said. “We actually overcame it in two years where we were able to force a Game 5. I think, probably for me, I’m more mindful of it that obviously I’ve done something wrong in terms of our preparation and mindset. I kind of analyzed that a little bit. . . I’m not focused on the outcome of Game 1, but focusing on the process.”

Game 1 between the Lynx and Sparks will be aired on ABC, 106.1 BOB FM, TuneIn Radio and the Lynx App.

“This is what we worked hard for all season was to get homecourt advantage and we definitely want to utilize being at home,” Fowles said. “I think this first game is going to be crucial and we need to come out and focus, focus on winning possessions and come out and get a win in this first game. It’s very important.”