Minnesota Lynx superstar rookie guard Olivia Miles had one of the best first WNBA seasons of all time. However, she wasn't on the court for crunch time in the team's series-deciding playoff loss to the New York Liberty. Why is that?
Miles left the game with 6:26 on the clock in the third quarter and sat for the Lynx's entire fourth quarter on Tuesday night at Barclays Center for Game 2, which saw the Liberty complete the shocking 2-0 sweep.
Not having your Rookie of the Year and MVP candidate on the court in the most important moment of the season just doesn't make any sense at first glance. Why did Minnesota bench her during that time?
Postgame, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve admitted that Miles and star forward Natasha Howard, Reeve's choices for the
best two players during the season for the team, were "sort of rendered ineffective" in the Liberty series.
Reeve didn't address the situation directly, but that does give pretty good context into why Miles probably didn't play down the stretch.
Reeve most likely felt they had the best lineup out there for the situation, one that Miles was not a part of for that time. Unfortunately for Miles, veteran teams like New York can take you out of the game plan in your first-ever playoff series. It's just part of how it goes sometimes.
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Miles is still one of the best rookies in WNBA history and has a bright future ahead of her in Minnesota. However, her first season has now come to a close in surprising fashion.
Did Olivia Miles win Rookie of the Year?
She did! She was unanimously selected for the honor.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why didn't Olivia Miles play in crunch time of Lynx playoff exit?
