On Wednesday night, the Minnesota Lynx looked to improved to 10 – 0 as they entered Climate Pledge Arena to take on the Seattle Storm, who were looking to make it three in a row. There was good and not so good play from both teams, but in the end Seattle prevailed and played the better game. Up until the last 5 seconds.
Should Erica Wheeler have taken that last shot? From the Storm’s perspective, yes. Being a Commissioner’s Cup game, point total is a major factor, and those extra points gave Seattle a leg up on Minnesota. With two Cup games remaining, it is going to be very tight. So in a way, it was a coin toss whether or not Wheeler should have taken the shot. Under ordinary circumstances,
Wheeler should have dribbled out the ball. However, she took and made the shot, which Kayla McBride responded to quite aggressively.
In that situation, anyone else might have reacted the same way, not because she took the shot, but because of the apparent smugness with which she did it. As far as I am concerned, that was a bush league move and showed no class. Even with the point differential being a factor, there was no need to be so cocky. But people get caught up in the moment, and that is what happened. Nothing is ever black and white, so there you go.
A Competitive Matchup Between Minnesota and Seattle
As for the game, it was a back and forth first half. Both teams played an erratic game, and although the Lynx came back to take a one point lead at halftime, their game was tenuous at best. Seattle just had that much more energy and it showed. Nneka Ogwumike led Seattle with 21 points followed by Wheeler, who scored 20. Napheesa Collier led Minnesota with 25 points followed by McBride with 19.
The most glaring problem for Minnesota was giving up 50 points in the paint. While the Lynx scored 32, to give up that many showed a huge breakdown of Minnesota’s defense, which the Storm basically ran around at will.
In the third quarter, the Lynx had built a 10 point lead, which Seattle then dismantled and ended the quarter up by three points. In the fourth quarter, the Lynx managed to get as close as one point, but Seattle simply played their game and eventually won 94 – 84.
Commissioner’s Cup Standings For The Lynx and Storm
As far as the Commissioner’s Cup is concerned, there are a number of permutations that would give Minnesota the lead and likewise for Seattle. As far as the season is concerned, Minnesota is now in second place behind the New York Liberty and Seattle is in fifth place. With a load of money at stake the Commissioner’s Cup is at the forefront of the minds of Seattle and Minnesota. In the Eastern conference, the Liberty look to be a lock unless they completely collapse over the next couple of games.
Unlikely. The question is, are the Liberty at all vulnerable? Will they have an undefeated season? Good question. And will the next meeting between the Lynx and the Storm, also in Seattle be a repeat? Stick around, it’ll be fun to find out.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
Follow Beyond Women’s Sports for more from the world of sports.
