Was there ever any doubt this team would punch back?
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The Minnesota Lynx appeared to be flattened on the mat after dropping Game 3 of the WNBA Finals to the New York Liberty in the most dramatic fashion possible when Sabrina Ionescu drilled a dagger into the heart of the Lynx from 28 feet away with one tick on the clock.
But even that wasn’t enough to kill these Lynx.
On Friday night at Target Center, the star-studded Liberty delivered a number of blows in an attempt to end this championship bout. Every time the Liberty tried to separate in the first three quarters, Minnesota reeled them back in. The Liberty did the same, erasing multiple five-point Lynx advantages in the closing minutes.
There would be no “pulling away.” This game — heck, this breakthrough WNBA season — was always meant to come down to the wire.
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It was going to be determined by a play.
On Wednesday, that play was a shot: Ionescu’s bomb that lit up social media. An All-WNBA player made a spectacular shot.
That’s the Liberty.
On Friday, that play was grit. With the game tied, Courtney Williams missed a potential go-ahead jumper in the waning seconds. At that point, it looked like there were two potential outcomes: another New York buzzer beater or overtime.
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Bridget Carleton had other ideas. One of the unsung heroes of this remarkable Lynx season, Carleton flew in to crash the offensive glass, got her hands on the ball and attempted a putback. It was short, but officials called Ionescu for a foul on her boxout attempt. Carleton went to the line and buried both free throws to win the game on, essentially, a rebound.
That’s the Lynx.
While their movement-centric offense is often beautiful, they’ve proven all year that they are willing to win pretty or ugly — it doesn’t really matter. Whatever is required to get the job done, Minnesota will do. Even against perhaps the most talented team in the WNBA. Even just two nights after getting its heart ripped out.
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The Lynx just keep coming.
“Anybody that’s followed along knows that this team, from the beginning of the season all the way through Game 4, has this unique ability to believe in themselves and believe in each other,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. “What we said before the game (was), ‘Can we do it in the toughest of times? Because … this will be the most this group has been tested in that way.'”
Reeve already knew the answer. We all did.
“I was sure how we would connect and compete,” Reeve said. “I was sure that we would be the Minnesota Lynx, and how we’ve done things all season long — the ups and downs and all of that, this group is just equipped to handle it. It’s special.”
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It’s too bad the WNBA’s decision to extend the Finals to a best-of-seven set doesn’t take place until 2025, because basketball fans would sure enjoy as many games of this as humanly possible.
Instead, this thrilling series, and the league’s record-setting season, will come down to a decisive Game 5 in New York on Sunday. There is no other way for it to end.
Who will win? Who knows. But this much is assured: Whether these Lynx win or lose, they will absolutely be swinging, scratching and clawing to the final buzzer.
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These Lynx fight to the finish.
“What I’m just thrilled about is how this group gets to experience Game 5,” Reeve said. “It’s beyond words how we feel about this team, and we just so wanted them to be in the Finals, No. 1. And, two, put themselves in a position to win a championship, and we’ve done just that.”
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