Todd Barin
Web Editorial Associate
Twitter
It was an exciting Saturday evening for the defending WNBA Champions as the Lynx not only beat the Phoenix Mercury in a convincing manner, but Minnesota also received their 2015 Championship rings, and unveiled their World Championship banner.
“It felt great,” Seimone Augustus said about receiving her ring. “I’m not sure if you’ve seen the ring but it’s amazing and they said they’re only going to get bigger, so it’s more motivation for us to do what we need to do.”
Well the Lynx took a step in the right direction winning their season opener by 19 points; something that Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was a little skeptical of pregame.
“I think the hard part is that we have gone through it, so we know the pitfalls that exist with having this type of ceremony,” Reeve said of having the celebration before the game. “It doesn’t matter who you’re playing, last time we did this we were down 20 before we even knew it. I want the players to enjoy the moment with their fans, but it has to be just a moment, and we have to be able to quickly shift into the mindset of what the game plan is and make sure that we’re ready to go. It’s a challenge, but it’s a veteran group and they’ve been through it, so we’ll have to see how we handle that tonight.”
Well it looks as if the Lynx players were able to control their emotions as they put on a brilliant performance in front of over 9,000 fans just minutes after accepting their Championship rings.
As if fireworks, a light show and a Championship recap video weren’t enough, the Lynx also put together a very touching Prince Tribute to honor the late singer.
Overall, the opening night of the 20th WNBA season was a huge success and one that the fans and players in attendance will never forget.
“It felt like we picked up where we left off,” Sylvia Fowles said. “I just want to say thanks to the fans for coming out and showing love and it was a good thing tonight, and I think I can get used to some banners dropping around here.”