In an absolute shocker, the number one-seed Minnesota Lynx have exited the playoffs far earlier than expected after an 87-71 beatdown by the New York Liberty. In what seemed to be the first exciting playoff run for Olivia Miles, the unanimous rookie of the year fell flat. There was no redemption for Napheesa Collier either, after going through double ankle surgery. She turned into a team worst -37 on the series.
To be fair, the New York Liberty were no typical eight-seed. Just two seasons ago, we watched both of these teams duke it out in one of the more entertaining 2024 WNBA Finals in quite some time (with a questionable ending).
Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and 2024 Finals MVP Jonquel Jones proved they can return to that form. On Sunday, these two met in the first round and immediately felt like one team came ready to play. It wasn’t Minnesota.
The Lynx seemed a step late on nearly every possession in Game 1, which led to scorching-hot shooting from beyond the arc at 52%. That shooting prowess didn’t follow the Liberty in Game 2 at 31%, but it was evident that Minnesota was once again a step late in closing out defensively. 12 offensive rebounds for New York and countless opportunities extended their lead.
Minnesota only managed to shoot two field goals within the first three minutes of the game, while Jonquel Jones scooped three offensive boards and quickly put two back to give New York an early lead. Minnesota hung in there, but the shot selection and ball movement were sluggish at best, allowing the Liberty to quickly gain a five-point advantage after the first quarter.
Those struggles continued to haunt Minnesota in the second quarter and for the rest of the contest, truthfully. Unable to find a way to score 20 or more points in the final three quarters and suffocated by a New York defense that knew exactly where to rotate, there was no one picking up the ball, boxing out, or showing any urgency at all.
Jones was special all night, tallying a double-double with 21 points and 13 total rebounds, with six of them coming from the offensive end. Breanna Stewart didn’t shoot the lights out in Game 2, but finished with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. That’s the type of game that will close out a series. Sprinkle in a few Sabrina Ionescu scoring barrages, and it’s tough for any team to cover that type of ground. Minnesota would exit the playoffs in the first round in an 87-71 loss.
Olivia Miles had an eye-popping rookie campaign that certainly has the Lynx world buzzing for hopefully the next decade and beyond, but her playoff debut could be a sort of welcome-to-the-league moment.
After struggling in Game 1 (3-12 FG, 1-4 3PT, 4 turnovers), there seemed to be no silver lining in Game 2. Miles would finish the game with only 17 minutes on the court, shooting 1-8 from the field, 1-4 from three, and only dishing one assist for Miles in Game 2.
Between Stewart and Jones hovering in the paint, Miles couldn’t find any room to finish at the dish. Frustration boiled over in the third quarter as Miles was hit with a flagrant-one for swiping Stewart across the face as she was trying to finish a layup.
Nepheesa Collier was certainly Minnesota’s best offensive creator throughout these two games, but shooting sub-50% in both contests just won’t get the job done. Five fouls for Collier added to the frustration as the team could never feel like they could get into a groove. Missing shots from the midrange that she typically makes left fans scratching their heads about what was initially expected to be such an exciting postseason. That panic and atypical performance were exactly what New York was hoping to force in this series.
It wasn’t just Collier and Miles who struggled this series; it was the theme for nearly every player (besides Nia Brodie in Game 1). If we’re looking in hindsight, it’s easy to look at expectations from the beginning of the season and say this year was a success considering the changes that were made to the roster.
Simultaneously, it’s hard to eat what was plated during the postseason. Going from 33-11 to 0-2 and being the first team out of the playoffs is pretty crushing.
To give New York credit, their defense came to play. Not for a few quarters, but for the whole series.
Now the Lynx head into the offseason with one question at the top of mind: Will Napheesa Collier re-sign with Minnesota, or is a youth movement around Miles coming?
