The WNBA Finals series shifts to Minnesota on Wednesday night for Game 3 between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty. The two teams split the first two games in New York, with the Lynx rallying for a stunning comeback win in Game 1 and the Liberty racing out to another big lead and holding on for a 14-point win in Game 2.
Here are some things to keep an eye on and watch for in Game 3.
Lynx need to avoid another slow start
The one common trend in both games to open the series is that the Liberty have been able to race out to huge leads after the first quarter.
In Game 1 it was a 32-19 lead, and in Game 2 it was a 31-21 edge after the opening 10 minutes. Put it together, and that is a 63-40 first-quarter edge for New York.
While Minnesota was able to erase that deficit in Game 1, that is not exactly a sustainable recipe for success. Especially against a team as good and deep as the Liberty. Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve was livid with a second straight slow start in Game 2, so there should be plenty of motivation for the Lynx to come out more prepared and start faster in Game 3.
Having the home-court advantage and the home fans behind them should also help set the tone early.
The Lynx are 20-5 at home this season, including a 4-1 mark in the playoffs.
Napheesa Collier’s usage for the Lynx
Collier was the runner-up for the league MVP this season and is the best player on the Lynx roster. She has also been fantastic in the playoffs. But an interesting development from the first two games of the series, and especially in Game 2, is that the Lynx have not really used her as much offensively as they have during the regular season.
Through two games, she has taken just 28 shots in the series, attempting 16 in Game 1 and only 12 in Game 2.
She only had two games during the entire season where she took fewer shots, and one of those was a game where she played just 25 minutes.
That is far below her normal usage, where she averaged 16 during the regular season and has been averaging more than 15 in the playoffs.
Given how efficient Collier has been from the floor in the series (over 61%) it might be in their best interest if she takes a more assertive role shooting and gets back closer to her regular-season level.
Liberty’s three-point game
New York’s superstar duo of Brenna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu have not yet found their shooting rhythm in this series, both shooting below 40% for the series.
But the one thing the Liberty have had going for themselves offensively has been a tremendous three-point game. That was the big difference in their Game 2 win when they shot 45% from three-point range (11-for-24), compared to only 30% (6-for-20) for Minnesota.
Stewart and Ionescu made the most of the field goals they did hit by going 4-for-10 between the two of them. But the real difference-maker was Betnijah Laney-Hamilton who was 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
Minnesota was the best three-point shooting team in the league during the regular season (New York was fifth), but the Liberty have had the clear advantage through the first two games.
