Minnesota Lynx Could Become Even More Dangerous After ‘Dig Deep’ Win
The Minnesota Lynx’s first game of the season against the Golden State Valkyries promised to be a thrilling matchup. Both teams delivered with defensive intensity, record-setting shot-making from Olivia Miles, and an impressive showing from Cecilia Zandalasini and Janelle Salaün. The game was an exciting back-and-forth that wasn’t decided until Zandalasini missed a last-second 3-pointer to end the fourth quarter.
With yet another win, the Lynx solidified their place at the top of the standings. But there is more to come—and not just because Napheesa Collier could still return to the Lynx lineup this season. Cheryl Reeve believes that her team can take a lot away from a gritty win in a close game.
“I think this game is incredibly meaningful,” Reeve said in the postgame media availability. “I’m going to walk out of here knowing that we had to dig deep That’s what I just told them—and they all nodded their heads pretty emphatically—that knowing that we can do that, I just think it bodes well for us. It’s a great sign, finding ways to make big plays, hustle plays, to win the game, to get the separation to close it out, to get six stops to finish.”
The Lynx have already shown how difficult they are to beat despite missing Collier and all of the offseason losses they had to endure. The confidence they gained from a gritty, last-second win against another great two-way team could make them even more dangerous.
The Minnesota Lynx have been one of the biggest surprises to start the season
No one should be shocked that a Cheryl Reeve team that features Olivia Miles, Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, and Natasha Howard is good. Still, it’s surprising how truly great this team has been. Just a few weeks ago, the idea that Minnesota would get out to an 8-2 run and accumulate more wins than the Las Vegas Aces, New York Liberty, Indiana Fever, and Atlanta Dream seemed crazy.
Losing Napheesa Collier to ankle surgery, watching Alanna Smith and Jessica Shepard walk away in free agency, and letting Bridget Carleton go in the expansion draft all in one offseason is a lot to overcome. But the Lynx persevered. Nia Coffey has been a defensive revelation, Natasha Howard is playing well, Olivia Miles has been even more impressive than expected, and Courtney Williams is thriving next to her new backcourt partner.
Minnesota currently has the second-best offensive rating in the league, trailing only the Dallas Wings, and the best defensive rating. The latter is especially impressive if you consider that they lost two of the last three DPOY winners.
So far, there has been no indication that the Lynx can’t sustain this level of play for the rest of the season. If anything, they might just keep getting better, especially if Collier and Dorka Juhasz return from injury to bolster a thin frontcourt soon.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.