Cheryl Reeve spoke like a coach with full confidence that things would improve after the Lynx lost Game 1 of the WNBA semifinal series earlier this week. She liked Minnesota’s shots and assumed the Lynx would knock down those same shots as the series progressed.
More than anything, she knew her team would respond, because that’s exactly what they’ve been doing all season.
Reeve noted that she doesn’t sleep through the night, because that’s a coach’s life. But whenever his sleep is interrupted, it’s only briefly. Because there’s little to sweat with these Lynx.
“This team is what I have confidence in,” she said. “Every time I wake up, I can go back to sleep knowing this group, they’re going to bounce back. They always do it. They know how to solve problems. They never point fingers. They understood it collectively and we were going to bounce back. I wasn’t sure we were going to win game two, but I knew we were going to play basketball in game two.
Sure enough, Minnesota responded to win not only Game 2 at home, but also Game 3 on Friday in Connecticut, controlling the game from start to finish. So one would assume that Reeve was delighted. This is not the case. She certainly wasn’t disappointed, but the coach was quick to point out the many things she thought Minnesota could do better.
“Two of the three games (this series), I don’t think we played good defense. We didn’t play good defense (Friday),” Reeve said. “We did some things well with some players, but (the Sun scored) 44 points in the paint, they got to the free throw line, they hit us on the glass over and over again. It’s not a good defensive team. We have to be much better.
She also thought that, for the second straight game, the Lynx closed out the contest poorly, allowing Connecticut to score 27 points in the final quarter. This offensive production allowed the Sun to stay in the game longer than they probably should have.
“We’re lucky we made a few shots to save us,” Reeve said. “But I felt the same thing that happened at the end of Game 2, when we had a lead and we started to soften up and not play on one possession, doing what we needed to do to make sure one team doesn’t get a comeback in it. It became a seven-point game with just under two minutes (to play). is sure.
She is not alone in thinking this way. Lynx All-WNBA forward Napheesa Collier agreed that Minnesota can go to “another level,” especially on defense.
It may have to be done. Because Connecticut is sure to return home in Game 4 on Sunday, with its season on the brink of a best-of-5 series. The Sun has plenty of experienced veterans hungry for one last bite of the championship apple. The Lynx are trying to take that from them. They will not go down without a fight.
The Lynx have been really good in each of their last two outings. They’ll have to be great if they hope to finish this series in four games and avoid a deciding Game 5 in Minneapolis.
“It’s obviously a difficult thing to do,” Reeve said of shutting down teams. “We need to be a lot better in the areas that were really easy to play against (Friday), because of how difficult it’s going to be. As we have done all season, being great defensively and rebounding allows us to play offensively where we want to play. Connecticut will try to do exactly the same thing. So this is going to be a test of will on the defensive end.
Will it be easy? No, but Reeve will be resting comfortably in her hotel room Saturday night, confident that her team will deliver the performance required to take another step toward the franchise’s ultimate goal.
