MINNEAPOLIS — The “MVP-MVP-MVP” chants for Napheesa Collier began around the 6:30 mark in the final quarter and rained down on the floor throughout the rest of the fourth quarter. By that point Collier had already accumulated 35 of her eventual 42 points, setting her career high and a franchise record in scoring for the second time in four days.
By the time Collier checked out with less than a minute to go, she raised her hands to the crowd at Target Center, and on command, they rose to their feet and cheered their MVP.
With the Minnesota Lynx’s 101-88 win over the Phoenix Mercury, the Lynx are headed back to the WNBA semifinals for the first time since the 2020 bubble season and the expectations in Minnesota to bring home a championship — behind its own MVP in Collier — is as high as it has been since the aughts, when the Lynx won four titles in seven seasons.
Minnesota, which has been excellent in third quarters this season, used a decisive third frame to mount an insurmountable lead on the Mercury. In addition to Collier’s 42, which tied the league record for most points in a playoff game, the other four Minnesota starters finished in double digits.
After Game 1, in which coach Cheryl Reeve was frustrated with the Lynx’s defensive execution, the team responded by being more active on the defensive end, forcing 15 turnovers and scoring 24 points off those giveaways.
The secondary storyline of the night was the questions swirling about whether or not this would be Mercury guard Diana Taurasi’s final WNBA game. During the final two weeks of the regular season, the Mercury had been tweeting cryptic “If this is it” tweets and the franchise seemed to be leaving breadcrumbs along the way that these finals games could, in fact, be Taurasi’s swan song.
This story will be updated.
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(Photo: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
