BY MIKE PEDEN
The Minnesota Lynx added a few more firsts in their 2011 campaign against the Los Angeles Sparks Saturday night at Target Center.
Minnesota's 87-68 win gave them the privilege of being the first WNBA team to reach 20 wins this season and, more importantly, the first team to clinch a playoff spot.
"It couldn't get no worse than where we were at," said Lynx guard Seimone Augustus, referring to the franchise's struggles in her first five seasons. "A weight lifted off our shoulders."
Not that the Lynx felt weighed down leading up to a playoff berth. Clinching a spot has simply been a step all season in the team's ultimate goal of leaving their past behind and winning a WNBA title.
"We have that fire inside of us and we still got some work to do," Augustus said.
The Sparks (10-15) were the more energetic team in the first quarter, taking a 20-14 lead with Candace Parker racking up 10 points in the period.
The Lynx (20-6) communicated to their fans that they had control in the second, starting the quarter with three treys, ultimately taking the lead for good at 23-22 following a Maya Moore 21-foot three-pointer. Minnesota outscored Los Angeles 32-14 in the second and never let up on their way to their fourth straight win over Los Angeles after losing eight in a row.
"Yesterday, I came in the gym and shot 500 mid-range and 500 three-pointers," said Lynx guard Candice Wiggins. "You come in the game and just concentrate and that's going to help."
Augustus led Minnesota with 17 points, with Wiggins chipping in 13. Parker scored a game-high 18 points, although a more stingy Lynx defense would frustrate Parker after the first.
For good measure, the Lynx out-rebounded the Sparks 43-24 for the game.
While the magic number to reach the playoffs is now zero, the Lynx are seeking the magic number they wanted from the start of the season: home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. Minnesota is two games ahead of Indiana for the league's best record with eight games remaining for both teams. A combination of seven Lynx wins or Fever losses would cement home-court through the Finals.
"That's when you'll see the locker room excited. To go from second-worst to first, that's when we will celebrate for a short moment," said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. "Then you're measured by what you do in the playoffs."
Perhaps the biggest "magic number" of all is Minnesota's win total. In all but one of the WNBA's first 14 seasons, every championship team recorded at least 20 victories in the regular season. The Houston Comets were the only exception finishing 18-10 in 1997 before winning the first of four straight titles.
Maya Moore, who scored seven points in only 16:22 of playing time, may have acknowledged her battle to find consistency with her belief that Minnesota can go far beyond 20 wins.
"That's the scary part. We're continuing to sharpen up on help-side defense, continuing to communicate, making sure we're forcing players to do things they don't want to do," she said.
ALSO
Watch below for special guest interviewer Lisl Von Steinbergs chat with Rebekkah Brunson on the development of Minnesota's young post player tandem of Jessica Adair and Amber Harris.
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$15 for one episode, $50 for the complete series (4 episodes)
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