As the Minnesota Lynx defeated the Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of the WNBA Semifinals on Tuesday, they looked like they had spent years together. They were the better team on both ends of the field. Part of it can be chalked up to simple existence Nafeesa CollierWho scored her third consecutive game of at least 25 points and 10 rebounds, a WNBA postseason record, and could potentially turn a quartet of traffic cones into a stronger basketball team.
But Links is worth watching because it’s not a one-woman show. Instead, they are emphasizing a harmonious style of hooping, heavy on ball movement. Watching them skate across the sun, 88-77, and having fun With the traditional electric slide after the victoryIt was hard to believe such a cohesive team was still so new: Only five players from this Lynx team returned from last season’s roster, and only three of those five have been meaningfully involved in this playoff run. This team was assembled in free agency and on the trading block by Cheryl Reeve and her dual duty as head coach and president of basketball ops. Tuesday’s elimination game was especially a showcase for the Lynx’s most important offseason signing: veteran guard Courtney Williams, who had 24 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
Williams plays an extremely tough brand of basketball without ever really getting taxed. She is playful and tireless all the time; She commands attention with just as much force when she’s harassing an opposing ball-handler as she does when she’s driving herself into the lane. As much as Collier is the backbone of this team, it is Williams’ aggressiveness that creates many early advantages for them, both in transition and in the half-court. Once she pierces the defence, any number of good things can happen. When Williams gets two feet in the paint, she can choose her own adventure: a swing-swing, corner three from one of her many shooters; Hit the rolling collier for a smooth layup; Or a secret finish on the rim itself.
Williams’ energy was matched only by his father, sitting on the side of the court but often standing“Where are the other fathers?” donald williams SB Nation’s Noah Dalzell asked“How can you forget that kind of excitement?”
In the first half of Game 5, Williams took over the scoring, going 6 of 6 from the field to help establish the Lynx lead that proved to be unassailable. Coming back to the third quarter, Williams started to force matters a bit, and the ball got stuck in his hands more than Reeves liked, but after some time on the bench, the guard got back to his normal ways and the flow continued. Placed links in the last step.
Williams played for four different WNBA teams before arriving in Minnesota – including two separate stints with the rival Suns, a team that The 2023 tank job failed so badly That he reached the playoffs. Minnesota clearly needed a sound environment as Collier turned into an MVP-caliber player. Williams displayed plenty of athleticism, some of the best mid-range shooting in the league – the only other players to make 100 mid-range shots in the regular season were league MVP A’ja Wilson and Williams. matched him in efficiency – and a capable partner in the pick-and-roll game with Collier, an action that proved especially powerful as the Lynx enjoyed the league’s best spacing.
ESPN analyst Chiney Ogwumike, who played with Williams on the Suns early in his career, told How much the guard has developed his game during his nine seasons. When she arrived in the league, Williams was an off-guard who focused on putting up points with one-dribble pull-ups. Now, she was playing the point and planning the offense well enough to make the WNBA Finals.
Even the woman responsible for signing Williams, who won both Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year honors this season, didn’t expect it to work out so well. “I’m blessed. I don’t know if I really knew what we were getting. Definitely the basketball player I’ve been watching for years,” Reeve said after the game“But I don’t know if I knew exactly what we were getting.”