Alexander Shun

Web Editor Associate | @alexpshun 

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS | LYNX WIN SERIES 2-0

It is never easy to win a game on the road. Such a task becomes even tougher in the playoffs. The Minnesota Lynx experienced that difficulty firsthand on Sunday afternoon.

Taking on the Phoenix Mercury down in Phoenix, the Lynx entered Sunday’s meeting with a 1-0 series lead in the Western Conference Finals and were looking to close out the Mercury and avoid a winner-take-all game three back in Minnesota on Tuesday night. It wasn’t easy and was a fight until the end, but the Lynx emerged victorious and punched their ticket to the 2015 WNBA Finals, beating Phoenix 72-71 on a free-throw with just 1.5 seconds left in the game.

“From day one we’re all humble and didn’t have an ego. We just wanted to win and getting to this position wasn’t easy at all,” Lynx forward Maya Moore said. “I don’t know if it looks easy but it’s not. Each year has had something different and has been progressively harder and has led us up to this point.”

The road to the finals was definitely not easy for Minnesota. After a regular season filled with roster moves, player injuries and multiple attempts to build team chemistry, the Lynx are finally completely healthy and are arguably playing their best basketball of the season.

After beating the Los Angeles Sparks in three games in the Western Conference Semifinals, the Lynx made quick, although definitely not easy, work of the Phoenix Mercury, defeating them in the Western Conference Finals in two games, clinching a spot in the 2015 WNBA Finals for the fourth time in five years.

“Four times in five years in the Finals, it’s not easy for these players,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said, “especially when the expectation is every time they play, they should win the game.”

And win they did.

After a great defensive first quarter in which the Lynx built a 25-15 lead, the Mercury responded in the second quarter with a great defensive showing of their own, outscoring the Lynx 26-16 and sending the game to halftime tied at 41.

The game was back-and-forth the rest of the way, with no team able to build a safe or comfortable lead.

After Moore added two free-throws to tie the game at 71, the team exchanged empty offensive possessions before Phoenix obtained possession with just five seconds left and was fouled by Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen. Upon inbounding the ball, Mercury guard Noelle Quinn attempted to pass the ball to center Brittney Griner but Moore lept up and deflected it before eventually stealing the ball and drawing a foul with just one second left in the game. Moore knocked down the first free-throw before missing the second and watching the final second of the game come off the clock making her team Western Conference champions.

“You just keep playing until the last horn,” Moore said. “I was just anticipating them passing the ball inside and just tried to get a deflection. That’s what I’ve been trying to do all year, lead my team in deflections.”

Moore was the star of the game, pouring in a game-high 40 points, a playoff career-high for her. She also added eight rebounds, four assists and three steals.

“Maya, early, was really good and as the game went on things were much more challenging. She was a tired boxer, not being active as a cutter, and she was just spent. But, for most of the game she was screening, cutting, and being active,” said Reeve. “She was very difficult to guard and was creating openings for other people. Maya is relentless and she had five offensive rebounds. You have to get the easy ones and our team used every bit of it.”

“I think that was a great game against two great teams; it could have gone either way,” said Mercury head coach Sandy Brondello. “I’m very proud of the team, the first game we didn’t bring our best game, but tonight we did. Maya is a special player, she went for 40 but we kept everyone else quiet and we gave ourselves a chance to win…Minnesota deserves the credit, they just know how to play in those big games too, they have a lot of veteran players and they just dig deeper when they need to.”

Center Sylvia Fowles added eight points, 14 rebounds and two blocked shots for Minnesota while guard Seimone Augustus chipped in eight points of her own in the win.

The Mercury received a balanced offensive attack from their starters with four of their five starters scoring in double-figures. Forward Candice Dupree scored a team-high 16 points, center Brittney Griner added 15 points and forward Monique Currie added 14 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Guard DeWanna Bonner chipped in 13 points, but fouled out with just over 30 seconds left in the game and was forced to watch the loss from the bench.

Phoenix entered Sunday afternoon’s game having lost just four times all season on their home floor. Minnesota ended the Mercury’s six game winning streak at home dating back to last season as well as their seven game winning streak vs. Minnesota at home. Prior to Sunday afternoon’s game, the home team had won 12 matchups over the last 13 games between the Lynx and Phoenix. The win also ended the Lynx’ three-game losing streak in postseason road games.

The Lynx now await the winner of the Eastern Conference Finals between the league-best New York Liberty and the Indiana Fever. They will play game three on Tuesday night in New York with a berth in the WNBA Finals on the line.

QUICK HITS

–The Minnesota Lynx won its fourth Western Conference Championship, to advance to the WNBA Finals with today’s 72-71 win in Phoenix. The year’s trip to the WNBA Finals will mark the Lynx’ fourth trip in the last five seasons. They await their WNBA Finals opponent as the New York Liberty and Indiana Fever are currently tied 1-1 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

–With today’s win the Lynx improve to 27-21 all-time in the WNBA Playoffs and 9-2 in the Western Conference Finals, including 7-2 against Phoenix. The Lynx have now swept the Western Conference Finals three times in Phoenix, also sweeping in 2011 and 2013.

–This will be the Lynx’ fourth WNBA Finals appearance, the most by any team since the league went to the 3-3-5 playoff format in 2005. Detroit, Houston, New York and Phoenix have also made four trips to the Finals, but at least one for each required fewer games.

–It will be the sixth WNBA Finals appearance for both Rebekkah Brunson (Sacramento, 2005-2006) and Lindsay Whalen (Connecticut, 2004-2005). Brunson has the opportunity to win her fourth WNBA championship, which would tie five members of the 1997-2000 Houston Comets (Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, Tina Thompson, Janeth Arcain and Tammy Jackson) for the most in league history.

–The Lynx outrebounded Phoenix 36-26, marking their third straight double-digit board advantage after outrebounding Phoenix 44-30 in Game 1 on Thursday and Los Angeles 40-27 on Tuesday. It’s also the 11^th time in franchise playoff history the Lynx have outrebounded an opponent by double-digits, going 10-1 in those contests.

–Maya Moore finished today’s contest with a career-and game-high 40 points, tying Elena Delle Donne for the most points scored by one player in the 2015 WNBA Playoffs. It also ties for third place all-time in WNBA postseason history. She is the fourth player ever to score 40+ points in a WNBA Playoff game.