It was intense. It was highly-physical and tightly-contested. Bodies crashed to the floor. Technical fouls were handed out. Emotions were flowing inside the Target Center, which had a raucous atmosphere. Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White called it a bloodbath. And it is exactly how the series is panning out as far as identity is concerned.
It was an all-important win for the Lynx which avoided being down 0-2 heading to Indianapolis. The victory gave Minnesota momentum heading into Game 3 although they have to score at least a road win to even things out and have a chance to go back to their home floor.
Maya Moore had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks while Sylvia Fowles added 21 points and 9 rebounds.
More importantly, it was another game where Minnesota showed they can it done on the defensive end.
Prior to Game 1 of the finals, the Lynx were outrebounding their foes by an average of 12.3 boards in the last three outings. Game 1 belonged to them slightly, and in Game 2, they outrebounded the Fever 35-30.
Minnesota also forced Indiana to commit 16 turnovers, 6 more than Indiana's Game 1 total. By the halftime break, Indiana already had 10 turnovers.
The Lynx also had a huge lead in getting to those 50-50 balls. The hustle of bench players Devereaux Peters and Anna Cruz towards the end of the game gave the Lynx a huge lift. Cruz was plus-22. The Minnesota bench doubled their output from 7 in Game 1 to 14 in Game 2.
That impact outside of the obvious go-to players have been big, and as the Lynx seek to win at least one on the road, the bench must continue contributing.
How about Maya Moore's 3 blocks? Minnesota went small in the decisive third quarter, going with lineups of Renee Montgomery, Anna Cruz, Seimone Augustus, and Maya Moore plus a big. They outscored the Fever 24-18 to take control and the quickness of Minnesota on the defensive end helped them generate easy offense in transition.
But it would be intriguing to see them do this again provided that Tamika Catchings stays out of foul trouble.
Whalen showed flashes of aggressiveness
Before going down with an injury which forced her out of most of the second half, Lindsay Whalen was a big part of the second quarter for the Lynx where they kept it a close fight.
It was an aggressive Whalen who came out to play, attacking the Fever defense to get inside and contribute to the offense. I loved how she was able to split the pick and roll defense and get to the paint using her quickness.
Whalen finished with 8 points including 4 in the second quarter, a much better output than her 4-point Game 1. She only took three shots in the opener but in Game 2, she had 12. Nevermind that she missed nine of those but Whalen is getting more actively involved in the offense. She also tallied 3 of her 4 assists in the second quarter, which only proves an aggressive Whalen leads to offense for the Lynx.
Having her as a threat with the ball allows the other scorers like Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore to preserve their energy on offense and in the long run it would benefit the Lynx.
A more offensive-minded Fowles came to play...
Sylvia Fowles is having a remarkable run in the finals so far. In the first two games, she is averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds, on a two-game total of 18-for-28 from the floor.
In Game 2, she hit 9 of her first 11 shots to keep the Lynx in the game while Augustus and Moore were struggling. The key for her was the third quarter.
...the Fever defense suffered without Catchings
With Tamika Catchings suffering from foul trouble, Indiana lacked the presence of a tough enforcer underneath. Cheryl Reeve went with Fowles for the high ball screens, and it challenged Erlana Larkins' lateral quickness. Larkins did not have much of a choice, and Fowles was able to roll to the basket several times for easy baskets.
The fifth foul on Catchings was really a ghost call, and people cannot blame Stephanie White for saying they did not have a choice in the fourth because basically, she really had to put Catchings on the bench instead of risking her to commit her sixth foul.
But it wouldn't be every time Catchings is in foul trouble so in the succeeding games, the Lynx must try to keep the Fever guessing on to whom are they are going to on offense. Those high ball screens are effective but the off-ball movement should also be utilized.
January continues to lead the Fever
White's main playmaker continues to be the top player for the Fever in the finals. In two games, Briann January is averaging 18 points and 5.5 assists.
She is just too quick to be stopped one-on-one and she knows how to use that advantage to get her teammates involved.
Three-point shooting hasn't been bad for the Fever either. In fact, they were 45.5 percent in Game 2
The reality is that the past two games have been extremely close, and both could have gone either way.
It could have been an easy 2-0 as well for either one of them, but Minnesota and Indiana are dead even heading into Game 3, and the series promises to be even more exciting and nerve-racking for everyone involved.
The @minnesotalynx even the #WNBAFinals up at 1-1. Maya Moore put on a clinic tonight going off for 19p-9r-5a-4s-3b! pic.twitter.com/KE5mfjldE7
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 7, 2015
At the end of the day, the series is knotted at one game apiece after the Minnesota Lynx edged the Fever 77-71 in Game 2 of the WNBA.It was an all-important win for the Lynx which avoided being down 0-2 heading to Indianapolis. The victory gave Minnesota momentum heading into Game 3 although they have to score at least a road win to even things out and have a chance to go back to their home floor.
Maya Moore had 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and 3 blocks while Sylvia Fowles added 21 points and 9 rebounds.
More importantly, it was another game where Minnesota showed they can it done on the defensive end.
Prior to Game 1 of the finals, the Lynx were outrebounding their foes by an average of 12.3 boards in the last three outings. Game 1 belonged to them slightly, and in Game 2, they outrebounded the Fever 35-30.
Minnesota also forced Indiana to commit 16 turnovers, 6 more than Indiana's Game 1 total. By the halftime break, Indiana already had 10 turnovers.
The Lynx also had a huge lead in getting to those 50-50 balls. The hustle of bench players Devereaux Peters and Anna Cruz towards the end of the game gave the Lynx a huge lift. Cruz was plus-22. The Minnesota bench doubled their output from 7 in Game 1 to 14 in Game 2.
That impact outside of the obvious go-to players have been big, and as the Lynx seek to win at least one on the road, the bench must continue contributing.
How about Maya Moore's 3 blocks? Minnesota went small in the decisive third quarter, going with lineups of Renee Montgomery, Anna Cruz, Seimone Augustus, and Maya Moore plus a big. They outscored the Fever 24-18 to take control and the quickness of Minnesota on the defensive end helped them generate easy offense in transition.
But it would be intriguing to see them do this again provided that Tamika Catchings stays out of foul trouble.
Whalen showed flashes of aggressiveness
Before going down with an injury which forced her out of most of the second half, Lindsay Whalen was a big part of the second quarter for the Lynx where they kept it a close fight.
It was an aggressive Whalen who came out to play, attacking the Fever defense to get inside and contribute to the offense. I loved how she was able to split the pick and roll defense and get to the paint using her quickness.
Whalen finished with 8 points including 4 in the second quarter, a much better output than her 4-point Game 1. She only took three shots in the opener but in Game 2, she had 12. Nevermind that she missed nine of those but Whalen is getting more actively involved in the offense. She also tallied 3 of her 4 assists in the second quarter, which only proves an aggressive Whalen leads to offense for the Lynx.
Having her as a threat with the ball allows the other scorers like Seimone Augustus and Maya Moore to preserve their energy on offense and in the long run it would benefit the Lynx.
A more offensive-minded Fowles came to play...
Sylvia Fowles is having a remarkable run in the finals so far. In the first two games, she is averaging 21 points and 10 rebounds, on a two-game total of 18-for-28 from the floor.
In Game 2, she hit 9 of her first 11 shots to keep the Lynx in the game while Augustus and Moore were struggling. The key for her was the third quarter.
...the Fever defense suffered without Catchings
With Tamika Catchings suffering from foul trouble, Indiana lacked the presence of a tough enforcer underneath. Cheryl Reeve went with Fowles for the high ball screens, and it challenged Erlana Larkins' lateral quickness. Larkins did not have much of a choice, and Fowles was able to roll to the basket several times for easy baskets.
The fifth foul on Catchings was really a ghost call, and people cannot blame Stephanie White for saying they did not have a choice in the fourth because basically, she really had to put Catchings on the bench instead of risking her to commit her sixth foul.
But it wouldn't be every time Catchings is in foul trouble so in the succeeding games, the Lynx must try to keep the Fever guessing on to whom are they are going to on offense. Those high ball screens are effective but the off-ball movement should also be utilized.
January continues to lead the Fever
White's main playmaker continues to be the top player for the Fever in the finals. In two games, Briann January is averaging 18 points and 5.5 assists.
She is just too quick to be stopped one-on-one and she knows how to use that advantage to get her teammates involved.
Three-point shooting hasn't been bad for the Fever either. In fact, they were 45.5 percent in Game 2
The reality is that the past two games have been extremely close, and both could have gone either way.
It could have been an easy 2-0 as well for either one of them, but Minnesota and Indiana are dead even heading into Game 3, and the series promises to be even more exciting and nerve-racking for everyone involved.
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