The Los Angeles Sparks couldn’t have asked for a better situation in Game 1 of their first round series against the Minnesota Lynx.
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The 2015 WNBA Playoffs begin on Thursday, and so that means it’s time for WNBA Playoff Previews. Parker’s nail-biter shot at the end with three seconds left on the clock went long and allowed the Lynx to edge out the Sparks. All hail Candace. But as good as Moore is, history show us that whether it’s male or female basketball, superstars can’t win games on their own, no matter how good they are. They started out the season winless in their first seven games and were sitting at 2-12 before finally turning things around.
At the start of the season, with Diana Taurasi taking the year off, Brittney Griner suspended, and the entire core (except for Janel McCarville) back in Minnesota, the Lynx were the clear favorite to win a third WNBA title in five years, and there was a belief that they would simply not be challenged. Candace Parker is averaging 16 points and nine rebounds while Nneka Ogwumike is averaging 14 points and four rebounds.
Indeed, the Lynx enter the post-season with the best record in the Western Conference, but it has not been smooth sailing this season. Augustus hasn’t played since August . 19 with a foot injury while Whalen didn’t play in September because of discomfort in her Achilles tendon and bursitis in her right heel. The Lynx shot 45 percent from the field in their game one victory.
As their reward, the Lynx will get to face Parker and the Sparks, who finished just 14-20 on the season to claim the fourth seed in the top-heavy West. Of course, once Parker returned, the Sparks were 11-7, giving them a.611 winning percentage that, over the course of a full season, would have landed them the two seed. The Sparks looked lethargic and unorganized for most of the first quarter. Alas, we’ll have to settle for just three classic games between Moore and Parker.
But the health of Lindsay Whalen and Seimone Augustus is a big question mark for Minnesota. However, Moore’s fast-break basket gave Minnesota a three-point lead with just over a minute to play.
The two teams will play the decisive Game 3 on Tuesday in Minnesota.
Minnesota Lynx forward Maya Moore saves a ball from going out-of-bounds as official Jeff Wooten watches during Friday night’s Game 1 in the Western Conference Semi-Finals held at Target Center. The Lynx controlled the tempo so well, that the Sparks looked rushed and unorganized on defense.
Now that both Augustus and Whalen are healthy and expected to play in Game 1 of this matchup, Cruz will be relegated back to a bench role where she can run the second unit. On the Sparks next possession, Brunson stole a pass from Sparks center Jantel Lavender but the Lynx failed to convert on that possession. Goodness, I think it was a six-point game when Devereaux Peters gets a layup, and we botch a layup.
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In a matchup that features plenty of star power on both sides, it could very well be up to the supporting casts to determine the outcome.
