Five takeaways: Beard buzzer-beater lifts Sparks over Lynx in WNBA Finals Game 1



(Video from WNBA YouTube channel)

Welcome to the WNBA Finals, Los Angeles.

After years of settling for heartbreaking exits, the Sparks have finally made the final round of the WNBA post-season, and they started their campaign successfully as Alana Beard sank a buzzer-beater to help her team beat the Minnesota Lynx, 78-76 in Game 1 last Sunday.

It was the fourth time this season in the Sparks-Lynx head-to-head series that the road team has won. Game 2 is set on Tuesday, October 11 at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN 2.

Nneka Ogwumike and Kristi Toliver led the Sparks with 19 points apiece. Ogwumike also had nine rebounds and shot 8-for-9 from the field. Candace Parker added 14 points, nine boards, three assists, and three steals.

Sylvia Fowles led the Lynx with 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting and 13 rebounds. Lindsay Whalen and Maya Moore both added 18 points as well.

During halftime of the game, the WNBA's Top 20@20 players were honored.

Here are five takeaways from Game 1 of the 2016 WNBA Finals:

The Sparks' activity on defense made it difficult for the Lynx to execute

The Lynx were coming off a dominant 3-0 sweep of the Phoenix Mercury in the semi-finals, a series they won by an average of 14.3 points per game. They averaged 97 PPG, and had an offensive rating of 117.5.

Everything changed though when the defending champions collided with the Sparks, a team significantly better on defense (no. 2 DRTG, no. 4 steals).

The Sparks' activity on the defensive end bothered the Lynx in Game 1 and prevented them from executing well. The Sparks were playing the passing lanes well and were also aggressive with their on-ball defense. They tallied 13 steals in Game 1.

An aggressive Whalen is what Minnesota needs


Whalen was arguably Minnesota's best player in Game 1. She kept the Lynx in the game when Moore was struggling in the first half. She attacked the basket hard whenever she saw an opening and she finished strong. She was also on target from mid-range. Aside from finishing with 18 points on 8-for-14 shooting, Whalen had six assists.

When she is constantly looking to score and not just looking to facilitate, that results to opportunities for her teammates. That's what she needs to keep doing for the remainder of this series.

Kristi Toliver might be LA's most important player for this series


Everyone knows what Los Angeles' two MVPs are capable of, but what about the value of Toliver to this squad's championship hopes?

Toliver had 19 points in Game 1. She made 2-for-4 from deep, and made all of her seven free throw attempts. She also had three dimes.

Toliver gives the Sparks space and as a shooter who can both pull-up or catch-and-shoot, she helps in making the Lynx come out of the paint on defense. That opens the lanes for other players, and most of the Sparks move well on the floor without the ball.

In the playoffs (including Game 1), Toliver is averaging 15.6 PPG on 45.7 percent from three-point area and 94.7 percent from the foul line.

Moore helping off Beard was the last thing the Lynx needed


Moore was way out of position in the last possession of Game 1 when she helped off Beard to provide an extra body inside the paint.

As you take another look, Seimone Augustus was doing a decent job against Chelsea Gray one-on-one, and Rebekkah Brunson was underneath the basket to provide help defense.

Moore, however, was nowhere near Beard when Gray made the kickout pass, and that allowed Beard to take an attempt just before the clock expired. It might have been a different result if Moore was there to bother the passing lane. If she had covered Beard well then Beard might have taken an extra dribble as well to create separation.

This is one of the lapses the Lynx need to correct heading to Game 2. They also overplayed a lot, resulting to backdoor cuts or uncontested lay-ups.

Expect a slugfest every game

Game 1 had 19 ties and 10 lead changes and that is an indication that every game in this series will be close.

In three of the four games including the regular season, the average winning margin between the two sides is just 2.67 (the Sparks won 94-76 last June 24).

The Lynx and Sparks are the no. 1 and no. 3-ranked offensive teams, and also the no. 1 and no. 2 defensive teams in the league.

Somehow, they play similar in terms of utilizing high post touches and pick and rolls. The main difference of course is that the Sparks lean on their frontcourt while the Lynx are more of a backcourt-laden team.

The Sparks' perimeter defenders did a decent job against the Lynx's usual scorers like Moore, Whalen, and Augustus, but the latter's frontcourt of Fowles, Rebekkah Brunson, and Natasha Howard should step up defensively because they are facing the league's best frontcourt.

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