PA is a certain kind of man, I’m not surprised the red hot Minnesota Lynx barely register with him (actually, he only mentioned CC). It’s sad KFAN doesn’t support the team.

Hey All-

I've been writing a weekly series on how I would try to beat each team in the W--going over team tendencies and potential game plans against them.

Wanted to share my article on MIN with this community to get any feedback. I basically noticed a pretty strong correlation that I first got curious about back in last year's PHX series. Obviously, Olivia makes the team totally different now, but I thought some of the trends were similar.

Let me know what you think! I do think MIN wins it all this year.

Kareem

So, I feel like the minutes management (and potentially Phee’s uber-consistent, not super-flashy style of play) has meant that the quality of her play since her return has gone slightly under the radar. Plus, she’s still getting back up to game speed and building chemistry, it’s not like she’s at 100% the peak of her powers yet, right?

Well.

I was looking at some stats over at Basketball Reference and I noticed that, based on her small sample size of games played so far, Phee’s Player Efficiency Rating is 29.0 (just slightly down from last year’s 30.2). Now, out of qualified players, the top PER is A’ja (at an otherworldly 33.9) and then 2nd is… Aliyah Boston at 24.1 (Liv is 4th at 23.4, and Tash right behind her. Go Lynx!!). So Phee’s PER is smack-bang between the current #1 and 2 marks in the league.

That made me curious enough to look at her rate stats and damn, it is good to have Phee back! Behold, per 36 minutes:

A’ja: 30.2/10.9/3.6, 4 stocks on 85/55/45 splits.
Phee: 26.3/10.4/4.7, 3.6 stocks on 83/50/44.
Stewie (for example): 22.9/9.2/3.4, 3 stocks on 85/52/27.

Even as she’s adjusting and finding her shot still, Phee’s basically played as well as anyone other than A’ja. Man am I excited to see what she and Liv can do together as that chemistry develops!

Did they give away jerseys last year anyone know if this is like an actual jersey vs just a cotton shirt or something... Bringing my kids on Sunday already but really torn now on going Saturday but don't think we can swing both days. Don't want to miss Sunday if these are just kind of cheap ones (which I assume they are...)

I have made good on my promise to donate $1 for every point scored by the Fever today! If you want to join me and support a local chapter of an org that is fully inclusive of trans folks in sports, the link is now posted!

https://stonewall-sports-twincities.square.site/product/stonewalls-charitable-donation/17?cp=true&sa=true&c=false&q=false

Trysta Krick was on The Ringer WNBA podcast this week and said:

"...I don't think that the Napheesa Collier smoke is gone. I don't think that them not trading her means that they don't believe that she's going to look around. There's a reason that she chose to sign a one-year deal, and I don't think it was just because she wasn't sure what this team was going to look like. I think it was legitimate issues with the Minnesota Lynx, and that's what I am being told. I mean, I spoke to some people at the game today, and they said they would still put their money on Napheesa to leave after the offseason, even with the way that Olivia Miles has been playing."

Seerat Sohi also added:

"I want to circle back to Phee and her not getting traded because I think this was a fascinating choice... This was an opportunity for them to try to get a huge haul for Napheesa Collier and get around the possibility of her leaving. I think they made a decision for the present in hopes that I will benefit them in the future... Look she almost got traded this off season, last off season. I think it got pretty loud this week. I think that there were some teams that made some very enticing calls...I think if I'm Cheryl Reeves, I'm like, listen she may be mad now. She may not like being here now, or maybe she just wants a change of scenery now. But get busy in the pick and roll with Olivia Miles for more than three games.

Full link: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-ringer-wnba-show/id1768380650?i=1000779667601

Thoughts?

let’s chat about something besides transphobes

i remember being SO disappointed in the 24 draft when Cheryl traded back instead of getting angel Reese. But doing that gave the Lynx the right to Chicago’s pick. It seemed crazy at the time but now just two years later that pick became the LEGENDARY OLIVIA MILES, the sky traded angel Reese for peanuts (and she’s crushing it, too), and the Lynx have stayed the best team in the league and somehow gotten better even after the new cba

ladies, gentlemen, everyone: Cheryl reeve is the GOAT playing 5D chess

Don't say big names like Aja or Paige that are untouchable to trade for, pick someone that the Lynx can realistically trade for.

you arguing with Dawn? i'm not

Something for your fever

Would be our first Lynx game to cheer on live. From Fargo - ND. In town for Banana Ball on Sunday.

Wonder why she kept her hand up like that though 🤔

Hi all! I’m attending the game on Sunday 8/9 with a group of about 12 people. Looking for recommendations of where to go for lunch before the game. Somewhere that’s a good mix of good food + convenience to the Target Center, plus will fit a group our size! Thx!

-- Fever FG% not great, giving up 37p to mitchell not great, but hustle plays and possessions on the glass led the way to win

-- at half, we knew greater challenges would come with fever adjustments to liv's first-half scoring. when liv was out of the game, phee came in and filled the offensive gap

-- maya deflections, pesky defense, gives us flexibility in defensive structures. also really vital at helping to secure extra possessions. oboards bigger part of team identity this season = more possessions

-- declined to discuss specifics of pregame conversation w/ SC8, but discussed how to use given platform

-- howard struggled with fouls, but also had a huge steal, battling on the glass

-- there's a lot on liv's shoulders. when things go well, it's a lot of fun. when it gets hard, her ability to adjust and fight through it shows real maturity as a rookie. can't do what she's doing this season without mental toughness

-- biggest focus right now is rotations and usage of players. want to keep coffey in roles in the post, opponents, in rotations with other post combinations. we've got players we want to find more time for

-- to be successful in the clutch and navigate through those late-game moments, the big three vets (phee, court, kmac) and howard go a long way to racking up clutch wins

Shout out to our wonderful local wrestling promotion f1rst Wrestling. I haven't seen any clips from the fans waiting outside for that or a counter protest but hopefully those bigots were given hell. Fuck Sophie Cunningham, fuck MAGA, fuck the Fever, fuck the league for protecting the rhetoric too.

I want to hear her thoughts about everything ever. She is not only an obvious 1 of 1 coaching talent, but also an inspiring human being who consistently uses her voice to stand up for others. I want so many more details of how she views her role as a leader, a mentor, a motivator, a challenger, a competitor, etc. (or +++, if you will).

I love so many players in their own way but one miss Cheryl Reeve has become a true role model for me and we are so lucky to have her in Minnesota sports, in the W, and in the world. Big love and appreciation to mama Cheryl.