It’s not so much what happened in Game 1, but instead what adjustments the team — now down a game in the best-of-five championship series — will do for Game 2.
Missed free throws — eight total, and 22 second-chance points were the “little things we let slip away,” noted Maya Moore, after her Minnesota Lynx lost 75-69 Sunday to Indiana. The Fever “caused chaos” throughout the contest, including forcing 14 Lynx turnovers that shifted the home team’s home court advantage to visiting Indiana.
“We can’t rewind this game back,” said Lynx center Sylvia Fowles. She (21 points) and Moore (27 points) were Minnesota’s only double figures scoring starters. A combined 14 points from starters Rebekkah Brunson (1 point), Seimone Augustus (9 points) and Lindsay Whalen (4 points) were a disappointing effort that made things very difficult for the home club.
The Lynx must “make shots in the second game, and the rest of the series,” noted Whalen.
Swish Appeal’s Adrienne Thomas told the MSR after Sunday’s contest that both clubs need to make adjustments: Indiana needs to “pick up the tempo,” and Minnesota needs to be “aggressive defensively.”
“A lot of dumb mistakes” by both teams, stated Thomas.
Game 2 of the 2015 WNBA Finals is set for Tuesday in Minnesota, 7:00 pm CDT. The MSR will continue to provide post-game observations and quick quotes throughout the championship series.
Charles Hallman welcomes reader responses to challman@spokesman-recorder.com.