There are platitudes aplenty for the situation the Minnesota Lynx find themselves in. They were run off their own homecourt as the number one seed, falling to the eighth seeded New York Liberty by a final score of 91-75. The fairy dust that had kept them soaring through the regular season looks to be all but spent.
But down is not out, so lets see what magic Coach of the Year Cheryl Reeve can come up with.
Game Info
- Who: #1 Minnesota Lynx (0-1) vs #8 New York Liberty (1-0)
- When: Tuesday, September 29th at 7:30 PM CT
- Where: Barclays Center — Brooklyn, NY
- National TV: USA/CNBC
Counter Moves
Make The Effort Count
The Lynx won the turnover battle, giving the ball away 13 times while taking the ball from the Liberty
21 times. Despite the disparity, New York managed 24 points off their turnovers while the Lynx were only able to convert their efforts into 18 points. For the game, the Lynx attempted just six more shots than the Liberty yet made three fewer baskets.
Minnesota is giving an all-out playoff effort, but against the size, speed, and physicality of New York. they are going to have to convert on their opportunities much more efficiently.
Limit Stewie
This is the hardest challenge going forward for Minnesota. Breanna Stewart picked apart the Lynx in game one to the tune of 34 points, 12 rebounds, and when she saw two Minnesota players applying pressure, she made the simple read to tally six assists. Leonie Fiebich drilled four of her five attempts from perimeter, two of which were assisted by Stewart.
To win game two, the Lynx must flash their help on Stewie in ways that disrupt her. Right now, the pass is too simple to make, putting the Minnesota defense in a blender until New York gets the shot they want. It doesn’t help that Stewart also had 12 attempts from the charity stripe which brings me to my next adjustment…
Foul Smarter
Against a bigger and stronger opponent the Lynx are struggling to match the physicality without hacking. All-Star Natasha Howard was limited to 18 minutes as she struggled with foul trouble. Minnesota’s starting five, save Courtney Williams, were whistled for sixteen fouls. I don’t see many avenues to meet the Liberty’s size advantage with anything other than smarter fouls. This comes down to recognition of knowing when you are beat before the shot goes up and being willing to foul.
This is even more important for defenders on the wing. When plays start to break down and the blender starts to rev up, a foul to force an out of bounds play can be preferable. With the exception of the end of the 2nd quarter on Sunday, the Liberty were in a rhythm. Smart fouls can break up that up.
Hit Your Shots
The Lynx are at their best when their outside shooting opens up their attempts at the rim. They shot 35% in game one, hounded by Liberty defenders. Their inability to drive the offense from the three point line pushed them to shoot over a third of their shots from the midrange and under duress. Napheesa Collier, as capable of a midrange shooter as exists in the league also missed all of her attempts from three. New York is making the Lynx take the shots they want, If the threes start falling, the avenues to the rim will open up and Minnesota can start a blender of their own.
Take A Breath
This one goes out to recently crowned Rookie of the Year, Olivia Miles. The Spectacle was frequently looking through blinders as she drove towards the cup looking to set up her teammates. Where normally her passes zipped out and confounded the defense, the Liberty were there with hands in the lane to break up the play and turn the ball over.
Coach Reeve summed up Miles’ game with one word: “Learning.” This is Miles’ first taste of the playoffs. At this new stage, her opponents are game planning specifically for her habits. What was once reliable is less so. The Liberty are actively trying to speed her up and force her into the passes and shots that feel natural, because what is natural is predictable. As Miles continues to ascend, this will become easier for her. In her first playoffs, against a team as seasoned as the Liberty, she has her work cut out for her.
Closing Thoughts
Few can say it better than Kayla McBride post game, so I’ll let her take it away:
It’s a series. There’s not one second I don’t believe in this group and that’s my message. Yeah, this 40 minutes wasn’t our best, but we have another opportunity in front of us. I believe in us, I don’t have any doubt inside my body that we can’t go to New York and bring this sh*t back here.
