The Seattle Storm are no strangers to the Minnesota Lynx nor to the Target Center, the scene of their last meeting, which ended in a double-overtime loss for Seattle. Since then, the Storm have won seven of their last eight games, and are on a six-game winning streak.
The Lynx have gone five and three, and interestingly, have come back from each loss with impressive double-digit wins. Each team has shown consistent growth, and this third meeting between them will most likely be very different than the previous two.
Minnesota Lynx and Seattle Storm: Tale of Two Teams
Seattle had been given the pre-season sobriquet of a possible new super team with the additions of Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith. Along with Jewell Loyd, they looked like an immediately formidable opponent, at least on paper. But Diggins-Smith had been away after giving birth to her second child, and Nneka was playing with a different WNBA team for the first time in her career. The Lynx too were a different team at the beginning of the season, having added a number of new players.
However, the Lynx seemed to gel much more quickly, and the chemistry became evident early on in practice and then on the floor of the Target Center. Both of these teams right now are firmly planted in the playoff conversation.
back home Sunday. pic.twitter.com/XhbxKVH17Z
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) June 8, 2024
This season, there is an air of unpredictability, which certainly contributes to the entertainment value. No one is more surprised than the Las Vegas Aces, who have gone 5-3 in their first eight games. Connecticut, after a 9-0 run, was finally taken down by the New York Liberty. I don’t think anyone would have predicted the current order of the top five teams: Connecticut, New York, Minnesota, Seattle, and Las Vegas. What that shows is that everyone is vulnerable.
What to Expect from Both Teams
The Storm offense has improved greatly since their first two games. The Minnesota Lynx defense has also improved, as has the offense, although their occasional lapses in shooting have proven to be obstacles that, for the most part, they’ve been able to overcome. The most recent game, a one-point loss to Phoenix, was that kind of game.
Now, will Minnesota be able to bounce back from that game, and will Seattle have the juice to continue their impressive winning streak? No pundit or prognosticator can predict that, and metrics can only tell a part of the story. What they don’t tell us is the state of mind of each team, the human element. We never know who is going to have a record-breaking night or who will find themselves in a slump.
Final Thoughts
When people say “oh, so-and-so is due…” that is only wishful thinking, and nothing that can be measured statistically. But sports, in large part, are built on hope. Maybe not as much as on talent, but it is and always will be a part of the game. Maybe people hoped that Connecticut would eventually lose. People may hope that Washington will eventually win.
Those are not unreasonable hopes. But hope aside, it all comes down to that night, that game, and those players. Ask Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon and Connecticut Sun coach Stephanie White about that. Ask Eric Thibault about that. Both Noelle Quinn and Cheryl Reeve know what they want and expect from their teams. Seattle knows that Target Center is not an easy place to play.
Minnesota knows they are facing a different Seattle than they did earlier. What really matters is how each team comes into the game. This one should be a lot of fun. Hopefully.
And that, my friends, as they say, is that.’ — Martin Ruben.
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