Alexander Shun

Web Editor Associate | @alexpshun 

2015 WNBA FINALS | SERIES TIED 2-2

Minnesota Lynx (2-2) vs. Indiana Fever (2-2) | 7:00 P.M. CT

WHERE TO WATCH: ESPN 2

WHERE TO LISTEN: 106.1 BOB FM

This is it. Win, and the Minnesota Lynx are WNBA champions for the third time in five years. Lose, and such honors are celebrated by the Indian Fever and the Lynx instead must watch as the Fever celebrate their franchise’s second championship on Minnesota’s home floor.

After suffering a 75-69 loss in game four in Indiana  on Sunday night, the Lynx return home determined to get their championship, especially after having learned quite a bit about themselves in the road loss.

“Indiana played great, played like a team that didn’t want their season to end,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said.

“I think we had a couple points that can learn from game four,” Lynx guard Lindsay Whalen said. “We have another chance. I think that’s something that this team has done – we learned from previous games and from previous situations – and I think that’ll be a key for us tomorrow night.”

The Finals’ game five tonight will be the first of its kind since the 2009 Finals and only the fourth since the championship round was expanded to a best-of-five format in 2005.

“Why not go to a Game 5? It’s been that good of a series,” Reeve said of the series after Sunday night’s game four loss. “It’s good to have eyes on our product right now because there are a lot of great things to watch and a lot of great people putting it all out there.”

“We didn’t want to have a Game 5,” Lynx guard Renee Montgomery said, “but Game 5 is great for women’s basketball and I’m just glad we have it on our home court.”

On their home court this season, the Lynx are an amazing 17-5, including winning four of their five postseason games thus far. Lynx players and coaches recognize the importance of having home court for the decisive game tonight and know that the crowd will play a huge role in tonight’s contest.

“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.”

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

For those that may not remember, at the beginning of the season, the Lynx were voted to have the league’s best home-court advantage, beating out the Seattle Storm who had held that title for five consecutive years. I feel compelled to add that the same survey was also the one that tabbed Minnesota to win this year’s finals; a prediction that tonight’s game will see either come to fruition or fall just forty minutes short. None of that matters to the Lynx players and coaches though, especially when facing such a resilient opponent like the Fever, a team that has already beaten the Lynx once in Minnesota in this Finals’ series.

The Fever are 5-0 this postseason in elimination games, but it doesn’t end there. Since Indiana last won the championship in 2012, the franchise’s only championship thus far, the Fever are 9-2 in postseason elimination games.

“We have the heart of a champion,” Fever head coach Stephanie White said, “Of a champion — and Tamika Catchings.

“I really love this team. I’ve never been around a team that grown so much in the course of one year, even though we like to make it interesting. We came out, we competed hard and gave ourselves a chance.”

“We really have some pretty good weapons on the perimeter,” Fever guard Shavonte Zellous said. “But we know heading into Game 5, it’s going to take all 12 of us.”

“It gives us confidence knowing that we’ve been able to win on the road all season long,” White said. “We’re happy to be playing another day.”

In their game four win, the Fever received a balanced team effort on both ends of the floor with four of their five starters scoring in double figures while receiving 23 points in a combined 48 minutes from their bench. Indiana shot a stellar 24-of-49 (49 percent) while adding 25-of-29 (86.2 percent) from the free-throw line and 26 points in the paint.

“Everybody has played a part in that, the starters and our entire bench,” Fever guard Briann January said. “Everybody has helped bring us up a level each step along the way.”

While the Fever deserve a great deal of credit for their game four performance, after getting in early foul trouble, Lynx center Sylvia Fowles was designated to the bench and could only watch as Indiana began to build their lead. Without Fowles, the Lynx struggled.

“I’ll state the obvious,” Reeve said when asked about Fowles. “Sylvia being in foul trouble affected our ability to defend the paint.”

“It’s definitely a learning experience,” Fowles said when asked her thoughts on her game four performance. “I’m not going to beat myself up about it. I’m going to go watch film and see how to help my teammates out better and get some good looks and how can I play defense.”

In nine games this postseason, Fowles has averaged 11.8 points, 9.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.8 blocks, despite averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds in the first two games of this Finals’ series.

Though January has played well this series, the Lynx will be most concerned with stopping the heart and soul of the Indiana team in Catchings, who notched 10 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks in the Fever’s game four win.

“Whatever it takes,” Catchings said. “Sometimes, you’re not really looked at to be the scorer, other people are stepping up and doing their things, so for me, it’s just a matter of, ‘What are the little things I can do to keep creating opportunities?'”

As Catchings goes, the Fever go, and they will need her again in game five to propel them to a tough road win and a second championship for the franchise, a difficult task for Indiana, especially against a determined Lynx team led by Reeve.

“You’re seeing passion on display. You’re seeing great athleticism and teamwork and all that good stuff. It’s only fitting that we go to five games.”

KEY MATCH-UP: REBKKAH BRUNSON VS. TAMIKA CATCHINGS

One of the best players – especially in the rebounding category – in the history of the WNBA, especially in the postseason, has yet to really make a sound against the Fever.

In the four Finals’ games thus far, Brunson has a combined 11 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, one steal and three blocks. Brunson is a team captain and has been one of the major emotional leaders for Minnesota all season long. She has come up huge for them when the Lynx need her most and seems to shine brightest on the biggest and grandest stages; there is no grander stage to shine on than a game five championship-deciding stage.

Brunson has the opportunity to play in front of the home crowd one last time this season and send her team and the fans home celebrating another championship in Minnesota. To do that though, Brunson is tasked with getting the best of Fever forward Tamika Catchings.

Catchings, as noted before, is the emotional heart-and-soul of this Indiana team and, although she has not lit up the stat sheet, she has provided this team with incredible leadership and guidance when they needed it most. In the Finals, Catchings is averaging 10.75 points, 7.25 rebounds, three assists, 2.5 steals and one block, including many huge defensive plays for the Fever when they needed her most.

These veteran forwards are two of the best to ever play the game and their head-to-head battles are always a highlight for fans of any WNBA team and fans of basketball in general. Watching these two do battle in post for the 2015 WNBA Championship will be a joy for all and will be made even more significant given the impact that these two are going to have on the outcome of this decisive game five.

Both players have immense heart and always leave everything they have on the floor, and tonight, that is all their respective teams will be asking of them.

PROJECTED STARTERS

Lynx: PG – Whalen, SG – Augustus, SF – Moore, PF – Brunson, C – Fowles

Fever: PG – January, SG – Johnson, SF – Coleman, PF – Catchings, C – Larkins