The Minnesota Lynx officially stand atop the WNBA playoff seeding.
Minnesota now holds the No. 1 seed in the postseason after a Golden State Valkyries lost, 90-82, to the Portland Fire in overtime on Tuesday, Sept. 22. The Indiana Fever
delayed the Lynx clinching by beating them, 96-77, in a game in which Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve benched her starters in the second quarter and never brought them back. Rookie guard Olivia Miles did not play for the Lynx because of calf tightness.The Lynx held off a push from the Valkyries, who have been second in the league standings for several weeks. Golden State capitalized on Minnesota's late-season skid — where it lost four of five — by winning six straight games and closing the gap between the two teams
to as little as a half game.
Minnesota recently helped itself in the playoff race with a 101-89 win over Connecticut. The victory on Sept. 20 could not have come at a better time. The Lynx were in danger of possibly losing out on the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
Overall, Minnesota is having an excellent season.
The Lynx are top five or better in multiple league categories, including field goal percentage (48%), points per game (91.3), blocks per game (4.6) and steals per game (8.9). The team, coached by Cheryl Reeve, has also had a 103.8 defensive rating for the season. That ranks third among all teams.
Reeve's roster is led by Rookie of the Year frontrunner Olivia Miles and a host of talented veteran players, including three-time all-star Courtney Williams, five-time all-star Kayla McBride and 2024 Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier. The group is rounded out by three-time WNBA champion Natasha Howard.
Despite the top seed, it seems Minnesota is focused on taking care of business the rest of the season.
“I want to see that (expletive you) about us, and I mean that wholeheartedly. I don’t care about the (standings) outcomes. I’m more so concerned about our (expletive you) towards other teams and just going and taking and ripping people’s hearts out and taking momentum back," McBride said ahead of Tuesday's game.
“Finishing games, the details, and putting like hammers down. That's what I want to see from us these next two games. Whatever that looks like, however that looks like, we don't know the scenarios or the standings. We could talk about that … all day.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Minnesota Lynx back into WNBA playoffs' top seed after loss by Golden State Valkyries
