All things considered, this is not your typical No. 1 vs. No. 8 matchup in this season’s WNBA Playoffs. The Minnesota Lynx carry a roster with likely Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles and five-time All-Stars Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride.
Not to be outdone, the New York Liberty have a talented triumvirate of multiple-time All-WNBA players in Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones.
During the regular season, the Lynx and Liberty faced each other three times. New York got the better of Minnesota, winning two of the three matchups. Both teams finished in the top five in points per game; the Lynx at 90.8 and the Liberty with 89.6.
What’s more, each team shot the ball from beyond the arc at a solid rate this season. Minnesota was second in three-point percentage (38.2 percent) as New York was fourth (34.8 percent). Additionally, both squads found great success at the free three line. The Lynx (84.5 percent) and the Liberty (81.5 percent) were the top two percentages in the category.
Lastly, each team placed in the top five in total rebounds as New York was third (1,564) and Minnesota fifth (1,519).
Key Players and X-Factors
While covering the similarities, each team brings its own style of play into this series. For the Lynx and head coach Cheryl Reeves, defense is the calling card. Minnesota had the second-most with 384 steals as McBride (100) and three-time All-Star Natasha Howard (70) were first and fifth, respectively, in the category.
Reeve’s squad was third in the league with 197 blocks. In this case, Howard and forward Nia Coffey led the Lynx with 44 blocks apiece.
Shifting to head coach Chris DeMarco and New York, hitting the glass is their specialty. The Liberty was third in total rebounds (1,564) as Jones (390) and Stewart (348) finished in the top 10. New York tied of the league lead the WNBA this season with 1,206 defensive rebounds. Once again, Jones (306) and Stewart (284) placed in the top 10.
Credit: Getty images
Looking at Minnesota, three-time All-Star Courtney Williams is an X-Factor as she is third on the team and top 15 in assists (187). Guards Marine Johannes and Pauline Astier of New York have a case to be the X-Factor.
Johannes leads the Liberty in three-pointers made (86) and Astier leads in total assists (147). It’s important to note that Astier (36) and Johannes (31) are second and third in steals on the team.
Who Wins
On a personal note, I would shocked to see a sweep in this series given the star power on both teams. Although New York had Minnesota’s number in the regular season, this should go the distance and is a toss-up to me.
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