Mitchell Hansen
Web Editorial Associate
Twitter
In 2016, Cheryl Reeve finished up her seventh season as head coach of the Minnesota Lynx.
Since arriving in Minnesota to take her first head coaching position in the WNBA prior to the 2010 season, Reeve has maintained an impressive resume. Last season was yet another addition to that resume.
In 2016, Reeve and the Lynx appeared in the WNBA Playoffs for the sixth straight season in her tenure. And she led Minnesota to yet another deep playoff run a season ago.
The Lynx concluded the 2016 regular season with a record or 28-6, which was best in the WNBA and good for first place in the Western Conference.
Minnesota entered the WNBA Playoffs as the top seed and earned a bye in each of the first two rounds. The Lynx went on to sweep the Phoenix Mercury in the semi-finals and advanced to the WNBA Finals against the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Reeve-led Lynx were appearing in the WNBA Finals for the fifth time in six seasons, having won three titles during that span. Minnesota finished the playoffs with a 5-3 record and fell to Los Angeles in five games in the title series.
Throughout her WNBA head coaching career, Reeve has recorded a 168-70 record (70.6 percent) in Minnesota. She has won three WNBA Championships as a head coach, two championships as assistant coach of the Detroit Shock, is a two-time WNBA Coach of the Year and was the WNBA All-Star Game coach in 2013 and 2014.
In 2017, Reeve is set to begin her eighth season at the helm of the Lynx when Minnesota takes on the Chicago Sky at 6 p.m. May 14 at Xcel Energy Center.
Notable Games From 2016
3.) Sept. 17 vs. Atlanta Dream
In the 95-87 win over the Atlanta Dream, the Lynx won their 28th game of the regular season, which is the highest win total during the Reeve era. Minnesota finished with a WNBA-best 28-6 record.
Sylvia Fowles had 30 points and eight rebounds, Maya Moore had 21 points and eight assists, Natasha Howard had 11 points and nine rebounds, and Seimone Augustus had 10 points and six rebounds to lead Minnesota.
2.) Oct.2 at Phoenix Mercury
In the 82-67 series-clinching win in the WNBA Playoffs semifinal round, the Lynx secured a spot in the WNBA Finals by completing a three-game sweep of the Phoenix Mercury. Moore led the Lynx with 20 points and six rebounds, Howard had 17 points, Augustus had 12 points, and Lindsay Whalen had 11 points and five assists.
Minnesota went on to play in WNBA Finals for the fifth time in six seasons.
1.) Oct. 20 vs. Los Angeles Sparks
The Lynx and Sparks ended up going to five games in the 2016 WNBA Finals, where Los Angeles came away with a 77-76 win in Minneapolis. The Lynx battled back from down 1-0 and 2-1 to even the series at 2-2, but ultimately fell just shy of the franchise’s fourth WNBA title.
Moore had 23 points, 11 assists and six rebounds to lead Minnesota. Augustus had 17 points and Fowles and Whalen each added 10 points in the game.
They Said It…
“We are very happy to announce a multi-year contract extension with one of the league’s best coaches, Cheryl Reeve,” Lynx Executive Vice President Roger Griffith said in 2012. “. . . We gave Cheryl the opportunity as head coach of the Lynx based on her extensive experience as assistant coach in the WNBA and glowing recommendations from her colleagues. The decision has paid off with Cheryl leading our team to back-to-back WNBA Finals appearances, including its first championship in 2011, and the best record in the league since being hired. We are extremely happy to continue the relationship and look forward to even better things in the future.”