Cheryl Reeve is glad the Minnesota Lynx aren’t playing the New York Liberty in the WNBA Finals this year.
The storyline would have centered on her and Liberty coach Bill Laimbeer, who had Reeve on his staff winning titles in Detroit.
Instead of the talk being about the head coaches, Sunday’s Game 1 of the finals at Target Center is all about the players who are still around from when the Lynx lost the 2012 finals to the Indiana Fever.
Five current players both on the Lynx and Fever were on their respective teams three years ago, including four starters for Minnesota.
The Lynx (22-12) claim to be tougher this time around after battling back from adversity this year, especially with injuries to Lindsay Whalen and Seimone Augustus.
“I think each year is so different,” Whalen said. “Each year each team’s path is so different. We have a lot of the same players; they have a lot of the same players. We have new players, and they have a lot of new players. Things are constantly changing. That was a while ago. We have evolved; they have evolved.”
Whalen, Augustus, Moore and Rebekkah Brunson started on the Lynx’s 2011 WNBA championship team, but they weren’t able to defend their title even with home court advantage against Indiana the following year.
They have reminded their current teammates how devastating it was to lose the first game at Target Center three years ago.
The Fever (20-14), still led by Tamika Catchings, split two games on the Lynx’s home court before winning the 2012 finals with two straight victories in Indianapolis. Both teams are 9-8 on the road this season.
“I think that’s what we take away from the 2012 series,” Reeve said. “It’s not going to have to be a sell job on my part. We lived it. The players who were in it are going to be able to impart that wisdom on the group that wasn’t here. We know it’s going to be a tall order to win every game, whether it’s on the home court or on the road.”
Reeve said the Lynx felt like they hit “rock bottom” this season after losing 81-68 at New York on Aug. 28. It was their fourth loss in five games. Three of the defeats were by double digits, including an 18-point loss to the Washington Mystics at Target Center.
Augustus, who was averaging 15 points a game to start the season, was out for a month after arthroscopic knee surgery. But she was sidelined again Aug. 19 following a foot sprain.
Whalen missed a game for being poked in the eye in July, then she was out the final four games of the regular season after suffering through ankle and Achilles’ tendon pain.
Center Sylvia Fowles was acquired through a trade with the Chicago Sky after the all-star break in late July, but even her inside presence wasn’t enough to overcome losing two backcourt starters to injuries.
Minnesota needed Anna Cruz and Renee Montgomery to fill bigger roles while Augustus and Whalen were sidelined. The Lynx won three of their next five games to finish the regular season.
“We’re probably not where we are today without the play of those two players to get us home-court advantage in the Western Conference,” Reeve said. “It was those two that helped us beat Phoenix, a huge game for us at home, and helped us beat Indiana and start playing better.”
In their final regular-season meeting, the Lynx beat the Fever 81-65 at home without Augustus and Whalen. Moore, who suffered a bruised nose and black eye a couple games prior, scored only 11 points.
But Fowles, Cruz and Montgomery combined for 43 points, 21 rebounds and 13 assists.
“We talked in August that for whatever the reason, we don’t know it right now, we can’t see it right now, but there’s a reason why we’re going through these things,” Reeve said. “This group was kind of a new group, if you will. Without Lindsay and without Seimone, adding (Fowles) into the mix. Renee and Anna — it’s all new for those guys. Often times you have to experience failure before you can have success. We saw that with this team. We believed that was the case, that there was a bigger picture to this.”
The big picture is the Lynx getting an opportunity to win their third WNBA title in five years and first since 2013.
Whalen and Augustus returned just in time for the playoffs. They aren’t completely back to normal, but they give the Lynx an extra boost with Moore playing at an all-time best level.
Moore is averaging 29.5 points in the playoffs, highlighted by a 40-point performance to win the Western Conference finals series at Phoenix.
“We’ve definitely been battle-tested, which is great,” Moore said. “It didn’t feel good going through it. August was tough for us. The last week of the season with my broken face didn’t feel too good. Whatever happens, we are ready to bounce back and move forward together. That’s what it’s going to take to beat a good Indiana team.”
