Alexander Shun

Web Editor Associate | @alexpshun 

With the decisive game five of the WNBA Finals just hours away from tip-off, the Minnesota Lynx and Indiana Fever are both prepared to leave absolutely everything and anything on the floor tonight, in hopes of bringing a championship to their respective teams.

With a championship on the line, it is obvious that all players from both teams are going to have an added level of excitement entering tonight’s contest; however, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve doesn’t view that as an issue with her team.

“We’ve got a mature group,” Reeve said. “We’ve got players that have been in championship games and big environments and NCAA tournament games and championship games. We’ve had our runs here where the crowds have been unbelievable and so I think we understand what it’s going to feel like, but it’s going to be hard to resist the feelings that they’re having. Both teams are going to share those feelings and it’s whoever is able to focus their energy in the right way is going to have a chance to be successful early in the game.”

After coming out quick in game four and building a 20-15 first quarter lead, the Lynx are no strangers to early leads, trailing after the first quarter only once in this series. The first quarter has not been the issue though, rather the second quarter is where the issue lies.

In the four games in the Finals, the Lynx have outscored the Fever only once in the second quarter (game two) and have been outscored in all second quarters combined 86-68; another issue that doesn’t concern Minnesota heading into tonight.

“It’s a 40-minute game,” Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen said. “We just got to stay focused and not let one quarter or one half decide the game. Indiana is a good team and they’re going to make runs, we just have to make sure we respond and make runs of our own.”

After a tough game four loss in Indiana, the Lynx are eager to get back in front of their home fans and hopefully (knock on wood) win a championship in front of their fans (their first two championships were both won in road games).

“Great opportunity for us and our fans who have been with us all season,” Lynx forward Maya Moore said. “That’s the beauty of it. Be ourselves at home. We have a really good chance if we do that.”

Moore, who is having an excellent Finals’ series thus far which includes hitting a buzzer-beating three-pointer to win game three, knows that all players are going to have to do a little bit more than usual if they want to win, but knows they also must play within themselves.

“[Our] mindset is just continue to do the things that have gotten us to this point,” Moore said. “All the winning habits, all the winning routines that we’ve been doing that have been successful for us and staying locked in. We had a great shootaround and just building momentum into the game tonight.”

The Fever players and coaches noted that they had a great shootaround as well and, despite playing tonight on the road, they are up for the challenge, especially having already beaten the Lynx in Minnesota once in this series. The fans will be much different tonight, and the players know that.

“Indiana fans were great and I don’t want to take anything from them, but I think our roar will be better and I think we’ll beat it out,” Lynx guard Renee Montgomery said.

“I know the place is going to be loud,” Fever forward Tamika Catchings said of the environment she’s expecting tonight. “But that’s what you play for. That’s what makes it fun for us.”

It all comes down to tonight. The Minnesota Lynx, the top seed in the Western Conference, against the Indiana Fever, the third seed in the Eastern Conference. Fans are ready, players and coaches are ready and tonight, it’s game time.

“Why not go to a Game 5? It’s been that good of a series,” Reeve said.