Recap: Lynx make it 3-0; beat Sparks 92-84

 The Lynx perfect record was very much in doubt enter the 4th quarter down 66-70. However, a 4th quarter spurt where Minnesota outscored Los Angeles 26-14 put the game away. The big difference in the game was bench scoring. The Lynx bench outscored the Sparks 19-8. Just an example of how deep this team is. The two biggest concerns that showed up in this game was poor FT shooting (69%) and Maya Moore‘s early season turnover issues. If this team wants to keep on rolling the way it has they cannot continue to turn the ball over 15-20 times a game. The balanced scoring will keep them hard to defend. They had 4 players scoring in double-digits led by early season MVP Seimone Augustus‘ 25 points. Rebekkah Brunson was the 2nd leading scorer with 17 points. She also added 7 rebounds and 3 assists.

 The Lynx next game stays at Target Center this Sunday, May 27th against the Seattle Storm (0-2).

Recap: Lynx don’t believe in Liberty for all; Win 80-62 over New York

 The Lynx formula is getting simpler and simpler with each passing game. The Lynx formula of a+b=c is working but instead of a,b, & c they are using Augustus + Moore = Win. Seimone Augustus dropped 22 points and Maya Moore chipped in 15 for the defending champs. Rebekkah Brunson also managed to throw in 14 points and it is easy to see why this team is such a large favorite to win it all again. The team isn’t without flaws. Moore has been demonstrating a high turnover rate early in the season, 5 against New York and 3 against Phoenix. Those numbers will need to be reduced. However, with the bad has come the good. Moore has 11 assists over the first 2 games which is incredible considering she is playing much more small forward this season. The defense came to play this game too holding the Liberty to just 34% shooting after giving up 83 points to the Mercury. The Lynx need to keep rolling so they can add some more rings to their fingers and add some much-needed decorations to the Target Center. The next game comes back home Thursday, May 24th against the Los Angeles Sparks, ironically, the team Minnesota is trying to duplicate as the only team to win back-to-back WNBA championships.

NOTES: Second-year forward Amber Harris missed her second straight game with a sprained left ankle.

Photo: Lynx hang Championship banner; open season with dominant win

 The Phoenix Mercury were without star Diana Taurasi but I don’t know if even she would have helped. The Lynx beat the Mercury 103-83 at the Target Center in front of 12,611 fans (Ricky Rubio among them), the largest for a home opener in team history. Minnesota was a force on offense with balanced scoring. They finished the game with 6 players in double-digit scoring, Seimone Augustus led the way with 19 points on 9-16 shooting. Charde Houston led the way for the Mercury with 24 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Before the game, Minnesota hung the Championship banner from last year (pictured below). They are the odds on favorite to win again this year having brought back all 4 of their All-Stars from last year.

NOTES: Seimone Augustus jumped into the front row seats chasing a loose ball and was down injured for an extended period of time. She went to the locker room and appeared to be okay in post game interviews.

Lynx kick off preseason with a win

 With so much going on with the Vikings stadium it is easy to forget that the defending champs Minnesota Lynx had their first preseason game against the Connecticut Sun. Minnesota ended up with an 87-85 victory (check the box score by clicking HERE) but in preseason, the score isn’t all that important. The big news here is that the Lynx will go for their second consecutive title entering Maya Moore’s second year in which she will only be more experienced. The home opener is Sunday, May 20th against Phoenix (televised on ABC). They still have one more preseason game left, a May 15th matchup against Chicago. If you are getting tired of the MLB worst Twins, the Lynx may be worth a look.

NOTES: Lynx’s 3rd round pick, Devereaux Peters, made her WNBA debut scoring 9 points, grabbing 6 rebounds and blocking 3 shots in 14 minutes of play.

Minnesota Lynx 2012 draft picks

The Lynx had 6 picks in this year’s WNBA draft including two in the first round, three in the second and one in the third. Below is a summary of all their picks. It still remains to be seen how many of these players will join the team for next season.

Lynx hold 3rd overall pick in draft, look to make strong even stronger

 It almost seems unfair that after winning the WNBA Championship the Lynx enter the WNBA Draft with the 3rd overall pick. The draft is only 6 days away (April 16th) and the Lynx have 6 of the 36 selections with the highest two being the 3rd and 12th overall. The 3rd comes from a trade with Washington that sent them Nicky Anosike. The Lynx have many options but with such a strong roster they can do what every successful GM says they will do, take the best player available. The question is, who will be the best player? Here is a quick list of the top 3 athletes entering the draft:

1. 6’2″ PF Nneka Ogumike, Stanford
2. 6’2″ W Shekinna Stricklen, Tennessee
3. 5’11” SG Shenise Johnson, Miami

 Most mock drafts have the players going off the board in that order as well. Fans may look and see SG and think that Maya Moore is the unquestioned starter but she can also can play SF and do so quite effectively. The WNBA Draft’s first round will be broadcast on ESPN2.

Lynx reach WNBA Finals

The Lynx completed the sweep of Phoenix on Sunday in the Western Conference Championship to advance to their first ever WNBA Finals beginning on Sunday at Target Center. The WNBA Finals will be a best of five series instead of the best of three series they have been playing. The Lynx will play either Atlanta or Indiana after they play the deciding game three of their series on Tuesday in Indiana.