Who will the Lynx face in the first-round of the WNBA playoffs, which open this weekend?
In an odd twist, Minnesota has a major say in that answer.
The Lynx long ago clinched the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the postseason. But their first-round opponent will be determined … by Minnesota’s regular season finale.
Should the Lynx beat Golden State, they will meet the first-year expansion team again in Round 1. Should the Valkyries knock off Minnesota, Seattle will then be the No. 8 seed and come to Minneapolis this weekend.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve could’ve wanted to use the regular season finale as a chance to get others more minutes and allow her stars some rest just days before the postseason begins. But should the Lynx have a significant preference between Golden State and Seattle, any potential plan may change Thursday at Target Center.
So … who should the Lynx want to play in Round 1?
About Golden State: Minnesota is 3-0 this season against the Valkyries, who lack all-star level talent and lost their leading scorer, Kayla Thornton, to injury in the middle of the campaign.
But Golden State has won five of its last seven games and has been elevated by the ascension of rookie French forward Janelle Salaun, who’s shooting 45% from deep since July 31.
About Seattle: The Storm are flush with established players like Skylar Diggins, Brittney Sykes, Ezi Magbegor, Gabby Williams and Nneka Ogwumike, who won’t shy away from a raucous arena such Target Center.
Seattle proved that two weeks ago, when they walked into Minneapolis and scored 93 points to secure the season series split.
The Storm endured a six-game losing skid in early August to put their playoff position in jeopardy, but won six of their final nine games to secure their spot.
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