2017 Minnesota Lynx season

2017 Minnesota Lynx season
Coach Cheryl Reeve
Arena Xcel Energy Center (Regular Season)
Williams Arena (Playoffs)
Attendance 10,407 per game
Results
Record 27–7 (.794)
Place 1st (Western)
Playoff finish WNBA Champions
Team Leaders
Points Fowles (18.9)
Rebounds Fowles (10.4)
Assists Whalen (4.1)
Media
Television Fox Sports North, ESPN, NBATV

The 2017 WNBA season of the Minnesota Lynx is their 19th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Lynx finished the 2016 season with a record of 28–6, finishing first in the Western Conference (and the league as a whole) and qualifying for the playoffs, before ultimately beating Los Angeles in the WNBA Finals to win their league-tying best fourth championship.

The Lynx moved from their normal home, Target Center in Minneapolis, to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for the 2017 season due to the renovation that would be taking place at Target Center.[1] Due to the Minnesota Wild season beginning, the Lynx announced that the entirety of their playoff run would be played at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena.[2]

The Lynx opened the season on May 14 with a 70-61 victory over the Chicago Sky. Sylvia Fowles led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds.[3] During the May 20 game versus the Dallas Wings, Rebekkah Brunson recorded her 3,000th career rebound, becoming the fifth player in league history to do so.[4] Cheryl Reeve was named the inaugural WNBA Coach of the Month for the month of May.[5] Lindsay Whalen became the all-time winningest player in WNBA history with 295 wins, with a June 9 victory over the Washington Mystics. The win broke the tie with Swin Cash, giving Whalen first place in that category all by herself.[6]

With the win against the San Antonio Stars on June 25, Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore, and Lindsay Whalen became the winningest quartet in WNBA History with 122 wins, passing the Los Angeles Sparks quartet of Tamecka Dixon, Lisa Leslie, Mwadi Mabika, and Delisha Milton-Jones who recorded 121 from 1999 to 2004.[7] During the July 6 victory over the Sparks, Maya Moore scored her 4,000th career point.[8]

Four Lynx players were named to the West All-Star Team - Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson. Moore and Fowles were named starters, while Augustus and Brunson were named reserves. Brunson was selected as a replacement player for the injured Brittney Griner. [9][10][11] During the July 16 game versus the Phoenix Mercury, Sylvia Fowles scored her 4,000th career point.[12] Sylvia Fowles recorded her 500th career block during the July 25 game versus the New York Liberty, becoming the seventh person in league history to do so.[13] Fowles grabbed her 2,500th career rebound during the August 8th game versus the Atlanta Dream. She became the 10th player in league history to reach that milestone. [14]

The Lynx unveiled their new logo, which will be used in the 2018 season, at the halftime of the August 11 game versus the Los Angeles Sparks. [15]

The team made WNBA history with the 111-52 victory over the Indiana Fever, breaking the WNBA record for margin of victory (59), largest run (37-0), and largest halftime lead (45). They also broke Lynx franchise records for most points in a half (68) and most field goals in any half (27), while tying a record for most points in any quarter (37). [16][17] During the same game, Jia Perkins passed Katie Douglas on the WNBA all-time steals list to move into fifth place. [18] After beating the San Antonio Stars on August 25 to begin a 3-game road trip, the Lynx clinched a spot in the WNBA semifinals. [19]

With their August 30 victory over the Indiana Fever, the Lynx recorded their 25th win of the season, which they have now done for six seasons in team history, tying a WNBA record. [20] During the September 1st game versus the Chicago Sky, Maya Moore passed Katie Smith for the franchise record for career 3-pointers. [21] On September 2, the WNBA and the Lynx announced that Minnesota would be the host of the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game. This would be the first time that the Lynx have hosted the All-Star Game. [22] Following their regular season finale victory over the Washington Mystics, the Lynx clinched the overall top seed in the 2017 WNBA Playoffs. [23]

By earning the top seed in the playoffs, the Lynx advanced to the semifinal round and faced the Washington Mystics. The Lynx swept the Mystics 3-0 to advance to the WNBA Finals. It is the Lynx's sixth time in seven years advancing to the Finals. [24] The Lynx defeated the Los Angeles Sparks in 5 games to win their fourth WNBA championship in seven years, tying the now-defunct Houston Comets for most championship titles.

Transactions

WNBA Draft

Trades and roster changes

Roster

Minnesota Lynx roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
G/F 33 United States Augustus, Seimone 6' 0" (1.83m) 170 lb (77kg) 04-30-1984 LSU 12
F 32 United States Brunson, Rebekkah 6' 2" (1.88m) 185 lb (84kg) 12-11-1981 Georgetown 14
C 34 United States Fowles, Sylvia 6' 6" (1.98m) 212 lb (96kg) 10-06-1985 LSU 10
F 3 United States Howard, Natasha 6' 2" (1.88m) 165 lb (75kg) 09-02-1991 Florida State 4
G 21 United States Montgomery, Renee 5' 7" (1.7m) 139 lb (63kg) 12-02-1986 Connecticut 9
F 23 United States Moore, Maya 6' 0" (1.83m) 177 lb (80kg) 06-11-1989 Connecticut 7
G 7 United States Perkins, Jia 5' 8" (1.73m) 165 lb (75kg) 02-23-1982 Texas Tech 14
G 13 United States Whalen, Lindsay 5' 9" (1.75m) 173 lb (78kg) 05-09-1982 Minnesota 14
F/C 22 United States Pierson, Plenette 6' 2" (1.88m) 195 lb (88kg) 08-31-1981 Texas Tech 15
G 12 United States Jones, Alexis 5' 9" (1.75m) 173 lb (78kg) 05-08-1994 Baylor R
C 14 United Kingdom Fagbenle, Temi 6' 4" (1.93m) 197 lb (89kg) 09-08-1992 Southern California R
F 9 Italy Zandalasini, Cecilia 6' 1" (1.85m) 160 lb (73kg) 03-16-1996 Italy R



East: ATL • CHI • CON • IND • NY • WAS | West: DAL • LV • LA • MIN • PHO • SEA
Head coach
United States Cheryl Reeve (La Salle)
Assistant coaches
United States Shelley Patterson (Washington State)
United States James Wade (Kennesaw)
Athletic trainer
United States Chuck Barta (Wisconsin-La Crosse)
Assistant trainer
United States Kate Taber (Iowa)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

WNBA roster page

Depth chart

Pos. Starter Bench
C Sylvia Fowles Plenette Pierson
Temi Fagbenle
PF Rebekkah Brunson Natasha Howard
SF Maya Moore Cecilia Zandalasini
SG Seimone Augustus Jia Perkins
PG Lindsay Whalen Renee Montgomery
Alexis Jones

Schedule

Preseason

2017 pre-season game log
Total: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0)
pre-season: 2–0 (Home: 1–0; Road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Record
1 May 5 Atlanta W 113–67 Natasha Howard (19) Chantel Osahor (6) Chantel Osahor
Alexis Jones (5)		 Xcel Energy Center
5,132		 1–0
2 May 8 @ Washington W 74–59 Rebekkah Brunson (14) Rebekkah Brunson (7) Lindsay Whalen (5) Verizon Center
1,426		 2–0
2017 season schedule

Regular season

2017 game log
Total: 27–7 (Home: 15–2; Road: 12–5)
May: 6–0 (Home: 3–0; Road: 3–0)
June: 6–1 (Home: 2–1; Road: 4–0)
July: 7–1 (Home: 5–0; Road: 2–1)
August: 6–5 (Home: 3–1; Road: 3–4)
September: 2–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 0–0)
2017 season schedule

Playoffs

2017 playoff game log
Total: 6–2 (Home: 4–1; Road: 2–1)
WNBA Semifinals: 3–0 (Home: 2–0; Road: 1–0)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 September 12 Washington W 101–81 Seimone Augustus (24) Sylvia Fowles (7) Maya Moore (4) Williams Arena
7,834		 1–0
2 September 14 Washington W 93–83 Sylvia Fowles (25) Rebekkah Brunson (10) Lindsay Whalen (7) Williams Arena
9,033		 2–0
3 September 17 Washington W 81–70 Maya Moore (21) Sylvia Fowles (14) Lindsay Whalen
Maya Moore (5)		 Capital One Arena
7,950		 3–0
WNBA Finals: 3–2 (Home: 2–1; Road: 1–1)
GameDateTeamScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation
Attendance		Series
1 September 24 Los Angeles L 84–85 Maya Moore (27) Sylvia Fowles (13) Lindsay Whalen (6) Williams Arena
11,823		 0–1
2 September 26 Los Angeles W 70–68 Lindsay Whalen (14) Sylvia Fowles (17) Rebekkah Brunson
Lindsay Whalen (3)		 Williams Arena
11,434		 1–1
3 September 29 Los Angeles L 64–75 Maya Moore (16) Sylvia Fowles (11) Alexis Jones (4) Staples Center
13,500		 1–2
4 October 1 Los Angeles W 80–69 Sylvia Fowles (22) Sylvia Fowles (14) Lindsay Whalen (8) Staples Center
13,500		 2–2
5 October 4 Los Angeles W 85–76 Maya Moore (18) Sylvia Fowles (20) Lindsay Whalen (8) Williams Arena
14,632		 3–2
2017 playoff schedule

Statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Standings

# Western Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
1 Minnesota Lynx - (1)277.794–15–212–513–3
2 Los Angeles Sparks - (2)268.765116–110–712–4
3 Phoenix Mercury - (5)1816.52999–89–87–9
4 Dallas Wings - (7)1618.4711110–76–117–9
5 Seattle Storm - (8)1519.4411210–75–128–8
6 San Antonio Stars - e826.235196–112–151–15

Playoffs

 
First round:
Single elimination
(Sept. 6)		Second round:
Single elimination
(Sept. 10)		Semifinals:
Best-of-five
(Sept. 12 – Sept. 17)		WNBA Finals:
Best-of-five
(Sept. 24 – Oct. 4)
 
              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2
Los Angeles Sparks		3
 
 
5
Phoenix Mercury		0
 
 
 
 
 
4
Connecticut Sun		83
 
 
 
5
Phoenix Mercury		88
 
5
Phoenix Mercury		79
 
 
 
8
Seattle Storm		69
 
1
Minnesota Lynx		3
 
 
 
2
Los Angeles Sparks		2
 
6
Washington Mystics		86
 
 
 
7
Dallas Wings		76
 
3
New York Liberty		68
 
 
6
Washington Mystics		82
 
 
 
 
 
1
Minnesota Lynx		3
 
 
6
Washington Mystics		0
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

Semifinals
Team123
1
Minnesota Lynx		1019381
6
Washington Mystics		818370
Team123
2
Los Angeles Sparks		798689
5
Phoenix Mercury		667287
WNBA Finals
Team12345
1
Minnesota Lynx		8470648085
2
Los Angeles Sparks		8568756976

Awards and milestones

Recipient Award/Milestone Date Awarded
Rebekkah Brunson 3,000th Career Rebound May 20th [38]
Sylvia Fowles Player of the Week May 13-21 [39]
May 22-28 [40]
June 5-11 [41]
July 17-23 [42]
August 7-13 [43]
Minnesota Lynx Tied WNBA All-Time Record for Consecutive Wins in May (23 Straight) May [44]
Sylvia Fowles Player of the Month May [45]
June [46]
July [47]
Cheryl Reeve Coach of the Month May [48]
Lindsay Whalen Became WNBA's All-Time Winningest Player (295 Wins) June 9th [49]
Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen Became WNBA's Winningest Quartet (122 Wins) June 25th [50]
Maya Moore 4,000th Career Point July 6th [51]
Maya Moore
Sylvia Fowles		 All-Star Starters July 11th [52]
Sylvia Fowles 4,000th Career Point July 16th [53]
Seimone Augustus All-Star Reserve July 18th [54]
Rebekkah Brunson All-Star Reserve July 19th [55]
Maya Moore All-Star Game MVP July 22nd [56]
Sylvia Fowles 500th Career Block July 25th [57]
Sylvia Fowles 2,500th Career Rebound August 8th [58]
Maya Moore Franchise Record for Career 3-Pointers (461) September 1st [59]
Sylvia Fowles 1st Team All-Defense September 12th [60]
Rebekkah Brunson
Maya Moore		 2nd Team All-Defense September 12th [61]
Sylvia Fowles MVP September 14th [62]
Sylvia Fowles
Maya Moore		 1st Team All-WNBA September 29th [63]
Sylvia Fowles Finals MVP October 5th [64]

References

  1. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Announce Xcel Energy Center as Home for 2017 Season". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
  2. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Announce Williams Arena as Home for All Potential 2017 Postseason Games". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  3. ↑ "Lynx open season by stopping Sky;Sylvia Fowles scores 26". startribune.com. Star Tribune. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
  4. ↑ "Fowles, Augustus lift Lynx over Wings". startribune.com. Star Tribune. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
  5. ↑ "Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve Named WNBA Coach of the Month". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  6. ↑ "Whalen Becomes WNBA's All-Time Leader In Wins". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
  7. ↑ "Three Observations From Sunday's Lynx Win Over Stars". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  8. ↑ "Lynx beat Sparks 88-77 in rematch of WNBA Finals". startribune.com. startribune.com. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  9. ↑ "Seattle's Bird, Five Former MVPs Selected to Start Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  10. ↑ "Ogwumike, Stewart Highlight Reserves For Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  11. ↑ "Minnesota's Brunson, New York's Rodgers Named As Replacement Players For Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
  12. ↑ "After slow first half, Lynx crush shorthanded Phoenix". startribune.com. startribune.com. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  13. ↑ "Moore, Lynx survive Liberty's furious 2nd half comeback". swishappeal.com. swishappeal.com. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  14. ↑ "Fowles' 27 points, 13 boards lead Lynx by Dream 81-72". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
  15. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx unveil fierce new logo for 2018". foxsports.com. foxsports.com. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
  16. ↑ "Lynx shatter WNBA margin record, blasting Fever 111-52". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  17. ↑ @Lynx_PR (19 August 2017). "In tonight's 111-52 victory..." (Tweet). Retrieved 2017-08-19 – via Twitter.
  18. ↑ "Gameday preview: Lynx in New York to take on Liberty". startribune.com. startribune.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  19. ↑ "Lynx Complete Sweep Of Stars, Clinch Spot In Semis". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-25.
  20. ↑ "Lynx Top Fever In Final Regular Season Road Game". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-30.
  21. ↑ "Lynx Fly By Sky For 26th Win". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  22. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx To Host Verizon WNBA All-Star 2018". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
  23. ↑ "Lynx Take Down Mystics In Regular Season Finale". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-03.
  24. ↑ "Moore, Lynx headed to WNBA Finals after 3-0 sweep of Mystics". foxsports.com. foxsports.com. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
  25. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Sign Two-Time WNBA Champion Plenette Pierson". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  26. ↑ "Chicago Sky trade UW's Chantel Osahor to Minnesota Lynx". seattletimes.com. Seattle Times. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  27. ↑ "Lynx Sign Forward Shao Ting". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  28. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Sign Keyona Hayes to Training Camp Roster". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  29. ↑ "Lynx Sign First-Round Pick Alexis Jones". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  30. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Add Three to Complete Training Camp Roster". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  31. ↑ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  32. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Waive Keyona Hayes". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  33. ↑ "Lynx waive 3 players, trim training camp roster to 12". foxsports.com. foxsports.com. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
  34. ↑ "Lynx decide on 11-player roster, waive Shao Ting". startribune.com. startribune.com. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  35. ↑ "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  36. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Sign Forward Cecilia Zandalasini". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  37. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Announce Multi-Year Contract Extension With Sylvia Fowles". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  38. ↑ "Fowles, Augustus lift Lynx over Wings". startribune.com. Star Tribune. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
  39. ↑ "Atlanta's Clarendon and Minnesota's Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  40. ↑ "Sylvia Fowles, Epiphanny Prince Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
  41. ↑ "Tina Charles and Sylvia Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  42. ↑ "New York's Charles and Minnesota's Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  43. ↑ "Connecticut's Jones, Minnesota's Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  44. ↑ "Minnesota Lynx Make History by Going Undefeated in May". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  45. ↑ "Lynx Center Sylvia Fowles Named Western Conference Player of the Month". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  46. ↑ "Connecticut's Jones, Minnesota's Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Month". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  47. ↑ "New York's Charles, Minnesota's Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Month". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
  48. ↑ "Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve Named WNBA Coach of the Month". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  49. ↑ "Whalen Becomes WNBA's All-Time Leader In Wins". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
  50. ↑ "Three Observations From Sunday's Lynx Win Over Stars". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  51. ↑ "Lynx beat Sparks 88-77 in rematch of WNBA Finals". startribune.com. startribune.com. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  52. ↑ "Seattle's Bird, Five Former MVPs Selected to Start Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  53. ↑ "After slow first half, Lynx crush shorthanded Phoenix". startribune.com. startribune.com. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  54. ↑ "Ogwumike, Stewart Highlight Reserves For Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  55. ↑ "Minnesota's Brunson, New York's Rodgers Named As Replacement Players For Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
  56. ↑ "Maya Moore Wins Verizon All-Star Game 2017 MVP Honors". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  57. ↑ "Moore, Lynx survive Liberty's furious 2nd half comeback". swishappeal.com. swishappeal.com. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  58. ↑ "Fowles' 27 points, 13 boards lead Lynx by Dream 81-72". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
  59. ↑ "Lynx reach 100 points for 3rd straight home game, top Sky". kare11.com. kare1.com. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  60. ↑ "Defensive Player of the Year Alana Beard Headlines 2017 WNBA All-Defensive Team". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
  61. ↑ "Defensive Player of the Year Alana Beard Headlines 2017 WNBA All-Defensive Team". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
  62. ↑ "Minnesota's Sylvia Fowles Named 2017 WNBA Most Valuable Player". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  63. ↑ "2017 MVP Sylvia Fowles Headlines 2017 All-WNBA First Team". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  64. ↑ "Fowles Finishes Perfect Season With Finals Redemption". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
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