Alright, Lynx Nation, it is time to dive right in to our victory tour! The first game of the regular season was a home game for us against the Tulsa Shock on June 5, 2015. We were, of course, very excited to start our season, and I am happy to report that we came out of this game with a win.
At the beginning of this year, we had no idea how good the Tulsa Shock were going to be. With all of their players healthy, this was a very strong team. Skylar Diggins is a talented player, and when paired with Odyssey Sims, this team is really strong.
At the beginning of this year, we had no idea how good the Tulsa Shock were going to be. With all of their players healthy, this was a very strong team. Skylar Diggins is a talented player, and when paired with Odyssey Sims, this team is really strong.
Our starting line-up for this game included our Core Four and Damiris Dantas at Center. Within the first minute of the game, Maya Moore sunk a beautiful three pointer to start our season off right. Linsday Whalen drove to the basket right after the first minute of the game expired and got a traditional Lindsay call. Going back and watching this game really makes me miss healthy Lindsay. She is one talented lady, and watching her play at 100% really makes me realize how off she was during the playoffs. Maya got two early foul calls, which forced us to call up Tricia Liston, which made pretty much all of us cringe. No one wants to see Trish in the game with 7 minutes left in the first quarter. Not even Trish looked excited to be there that early. The first quarter didn't go terribly well for us. Rebekkah Brunson played well and got some pretty awesome rebounds, including a few awesome offensive rebounds, one of which earned her a call that sent her to the line. After Rebekkah hit one of two free throws, Maya got a fantastic steal at the other end, but we were not able to capitalize on that because Trish missed her three. The best thing about our team in the first quarter was Lindsay Whalen. Not only did Lindsay drive aggressively to the basket, but she also had some fantastic assists. Between some great passes under the basket for Rebekkah and a beautiful no-look pass on a backdoor cut by Maya, Lindsay really was on fire. To close out the quarter, Maya hit a clutch three to bring us to a score of 26-19. No one was happy that we were down, but Maya's three gave us a bit of momentum heading into the second quarter. Overall, this was not a strong quarter for us. We picked things up a little towards the end, but we were in a good place heading into the second.
At the start of the second quarter, we hit two pretty quick shots, and the Shock were forced to call a timeout to try to stop our 13-0 run. Unfortunately for us, it worked for them. After they hit a basket and two free throws, Lindsay drove to the basket and was not awarded a foul all. I remember thinking it was odd that she did not get the call, but I do not think anyone had any idea how few calls she would get throughout the season. Shortly after that, Seimone Augustus scored her first points of the night off of a beautiful crossover. Despite not playing perfect basketball, it was great to see our team playing more like the Lynx team we know and love. Our Core Four was strong throughout the first first half. Unfortunately, Maya got whistled for her third foul, sending her to the bench and Trish and Jenn O'Neill, our undrafted point guard. Despite her not sticking around for most of the season, Jenn was a spunky, energetic addition to our team. Not much was going right for our team in the second half of the second quarter. Damiris Dantas got herself into foul trouble, so we were forced to put Dev Peters into the game. At the time, that was not something that made most fans terribly happy. I am quite pleased to say that I no longer cringe when Dev steps on the court. In fact, I now think she brings a lot to our team. With just over a minute to go in the half, Seimone hit a two to put us up by one. The Shock quickly answered, but Lindsay had an answer prepared. She drove at the rim and missed, but Rebekkah "Band-Aid" Brunson was there for the offensive rebound. She put it up and hit the shot, putting the Lynx up 45-44 at the half.
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| Lindsay Whalen driving in for a contested layup. |
At the beginning of the half, we had our starters back on the floor. Despite Lindsay's great defensive rebound, we had some trouble getting our offense started. Maya, of course, came through for us with a big three from relatively far beyond the arc. Lindsay helped us keep up our momentum, but the Shock continued to answer each and every one of our shots. After Cheryl pulled Lindsay out of the game for around 45 seconds, we were suddenly down by eight in the third quarter. We all know that the third quarter is supposed to be Lynx Quarter, so everyone was getting a bit worried. Would we really be a championship caliber team this year? Cheryl quickly called a timeout to move our line-up around. As soon as she got back in the game, Lindsay drove to the basket, drawing yet another Linds-Foul. I know I keep saying this, but Lindsay really was a completely different player in the post-season than she was pre-injury. At around the four minute mark after the game started getting physical, Lindsay got the ball on a fast break, but we just didn't have numbers. It looked like we might turn the ball over, but then Lindsay, in true Lindsay fashion, found Rebekkah on an almost impossible pass to bring us back within three. With one minute left in the game, Seimone got a fantastic steal, only to end up down at our end with Trish as her only option to pass to. Despite Seimone making the right basketball decision, Trish could not handle the pass and just dropped it out of bounds. We were able to hold for the last shot of the quarter. Maya took a three and was fouled, meaning she got to take three free throws, two of which she hit. Her final free throw did not fall, but Dev was there for the rebound and put back. She hit the shot, and our team finally had some momentum. Heading into the quarter, we were only down by one.
To start the fourth quarter, we inexplicably still had Trish. To the surprise of all of us, Trish actually forced a turnover on the first possession of the quarter. Off of that momentum (and an offensive foul drawn by Jenn), Maya hit a big three, putting us up by two points. After a few more times up and down the court (and a surprising rebound by Trish), Rebekkah got the biggest rebound of all time and passed it to Lindsay who hit an awesome layup. Moments like this remind me how amazing our entire team is. Our team cohesion is incredible, and watching each of our players shine is such a great feeling. With just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Lindsay hit a layup, drew the foul, and was headed to the free throw line. She hit it, of course, because that's what Lindsay does. That put us up by three, but no one felt comfortable yet. Rebekkah hit a nice layup after driving to the basket, putting us up by five. When everyone got back down to the end of the floor, Maya got called for her fifth foul. It was a completely ridiculous call. However, Maya was able to almost immediately block Plenette Pierson's three and get a steal. She and Lindsay streaked up the court on the fast break, putting us up by seven and making us feel a little better about our ability to win basketball games. Of course, the game was far from over, so no one would dare say we were feeling comfortable. Unfortunately, on our next possession, Dev threw the ball away on a less-than-great pass to Maya. With 1:30 left in the quarter, we were suddenly only down by two. Lynx Nation held its collective breath, hoping beyond hope that we would not lose our home opener. Cheryl called a timeout, and we drew up a play for Seimone. She hit a nice, contested runner, putting us up by four. Lindsay was followed shortly after that and was sent to the line where she hit both free throws. With 37 seconds left, we drew up a play for Seimone again. She wasn't able to finish and the ball was batted out of bounds. The referees went over to the instant replay, and we were awarded the basketball. Maya inbounded the ball to Seimone who was fouled and sent to the free throw line. To close out the game, the Shock bricked a shot, we inbounded, they got a steal, and the game clock expired. Despite it not being a terribly exciting end to the game, this was a great way to start our season. We came away with the win (83-75) and a lot of confidence moving forward.
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| Rebekkah Brunson had 14 points and 18 rebounds for a great start to the season! |
In important WNBA news for this season, the Shock discovered shortly before this game that Glory Johnson would be sitting out the season because she was pregnant. Johnson and Britteny Griner of the Phoenix Mercury were married around a month before this game, just weeks after the two were arrested for a domestic disturbance. Just one day after Johnson announced her pregnancy, Griner filed for an annulment of their marriage. All of that being said, the reason this matters to the WNBA is that this set the stage for any players who may be involved in domestic disturbances in the future. Because both Johnson and Griner were arrested, both were suspended for seven games. Johnson will serve her suspension at the beginning of 2016. This precedent-setting decision was a bit of a controversial move by the WNBA. Is seven games enough? Too much? Should they have gotten involved at all? I think they ultimately made the right decision by suspending both players. It send the message that domestic violence is never tolerated, which I think is an important stance for this league to take.
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