Minnesota Lynx face the Washington Mystics in WNBA playoffs semi-final
By Travis Young
After a two-week layoff, the Minnesota Lynx will now take on the sixth seeded Mystics.
The Minnesota Lynx played their final regular season game on August 30th, an 80-69 win over the Indiana Fever. This clinched the top spot in the WNBA with a 27-7 record and an automatic bye to this week’s league semi-final. Their arch nemesis, the Los Angeles Sparks, finished just one game back.
The Washington Mystics are red-hot. They won two single elimination games over the past week. First, they knocked off the Dallas Wings 86 to 76. Then, they surprised the third seed New York Liberty in the Big Apple with a convincing 82-68 victory.
The Mystics are led by the lanky all-star Elena Della Donne. The Lynx will also have to contend with the hot shooting Kristi Tolliver. She drained a WNBA playoff record nine three pointers in the win over the Liberty.
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However, if you are superstitious, then perhaps 2017 is the year of the Lynx. They shoot for their fourth title after winning in 2011, 2013 and 2015. Perhaps divine intervention did play a part in last year’s dramatic last second loss to the Sparks with the missed shot clock call.
The Minnesota Lynx will welcome back their leader and glue, point guard Lindsay Whalen to the lineup. She missed the final dozen games with a broken left hand. The play of the club dipped during Whalen’s absence with a mediocre 7-5 record. They were a remarkable 20-2 when she got hurt.
The Sparks will have their own issues. They begin their playoff journey against the fifth seeded Phoenix Mercury in the other semi-final. The Mercury finished the season with an 18-16 mark, identical to that of the Mystics.
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The Lynx will open the best of five series with Washington on Tuesday at Williams Arena. They played the regular season at the Xcel Energy Center as the Target Center underwent renovations. Tip off at The Barn is 7 PM, central time.