2016 Minnesota Lynx season
The 2016 WNBA season of the Minnesota Lynx is the 18th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Lynx are the defending WNBA champions. The Lynx finished with a record of 28–6, finishing first in the Western Conference (and the league as a whole) and qualifying for the playoffs. Minnesota advanced to their second straight Finals. Their 2016 roster included five competitors in the 2016 Rio Olympics (Moore, Whalen, Fowles, and Augustus of the U.S. squad and Cruz of the Spanish team) as well as seven current or previous all-stars (Moore, Whalen, Fowles, Augustus, Brunson, Perkins and Montgomery) with an astonishing 22 total past selections to the all-star game between them.
2016 Minnesota Lynx season | |
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Coach | Cheryl Reeve |
Arena | Target Center |
Attendance | per game |
Results | |
Record | 28–6 (.824) |
Place | 1st (Western) |
Playoff finish | Lost 2016 WNBA Finals |
Media | |
Television | ESPN |
Draft picks
The Lynx made three selections in the 2016 WNBA Entry Draft in Uncasville, Connecticut:
Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | WNBA Team | School/Team/Country |
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2 | 14 | Jazmon Gwathmey | United States | Minnesota Lynx[nb 1] (then traded to San Antonio)[1] | James Madison |
2 | 22 | Bashaara Graves | United States | Minnesota Lynx[nb 2] | Tennessee |
3 | 35 | Temi Fagbenle | United Kingdom | Minnesota Lynx | USC |
Roster
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Game log
Preseason
2017 pre-season game log Total: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0) | |
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Pre-season: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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2016–17 season schedule |
Standings
Western Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
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1 - Minnesota Lynx | 28 | 6 | .824 | - | 15–2 | 13–4 | 15–1 |
2 - Los Angeles Sparks | 26 | 8 | .765 | 2 | 14–3 | 12–5 | 11–5 |
7 - Seattle Storm | 16 | 18 | .471 | 12 | 10–7 | 6–11 | 7–9 |
8 - Phoenix Mercury | 16 | 18 | .471 | 12 | 11–6 | 5–12 | 6–10 |
e - Dallas Wings | 11 | 23 | .324 | 17 | 6–11 | 5–12 | 8–8 |
e - San Antonio Stars | 7 | 27 | .206 | 21 | 4–13 | 3–14 | 1–15 |
Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
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3 - New York Liberty | 21 | 13 | .618 | - | 10-7 | 11-6 | 11-5 |
4 - Chicago Sky | 18 | 16 | .529 | 3 | 11-6 | 7-10 | 8-8 |
5 - Indiana Fever | 17 | 17 | .500 | 4 | 8-9 | 9-8 | 8-8 |
6 - Atlanta Dream | 17 | 17 | .500 | 4 | 11-6 | 6–11 | 9-7 |
e - Connecticut Sun | 14 | 20 | .412 | 7 | 8-9 | 6-11 | 4-12 |
e - Washington Mystics | 13 | 21 | .382 | 8 | 5-12 | 8-9 | 8-8 |
Regular season
2017 game log Total: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0) | |
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May: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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June
: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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2016–17 season schedule |
Playoffs
The Lynx qualified for the 2016 playoffs, and, as the team with the best regular season record in the WNBA, received two automatic byes, advancing straight to the best-of-five semifinal against the eighth-seeded Phoenix Mercury. They swept the Mercury three games to none to advance to the 2016 WNBA Finals.
2017 playoff game log Total: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conference semifinals: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Road: 0–0)
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2017 playoff schedule |
Transactions
Additions
Player | Signed | Former Team |
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Anna Cruz | New York Liberty | |
Awards
Recipient | Award | Date awarded | Ref. |
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Maya Moore | Player of the Week award | ||
Maya Moore | Player of the Week award | ||
Maya Moore | Player of the Week award | ||
Maya Moore | Player of the Month award | ||
Maya Moore | Player of the Month award | ||
Sylvia Fowles | Defensive Player of the Year Award | ||
Cheryl Reeve | Coach of the Year Award |
References
- "Lynx Acquire WNBA All-Star Jia Perkins From San Antonio - Minnesota Lynx". Minnesota Lynx. Retrieved 2016-04-15.
Notes
- The Lynx received this pick and Renee Montgomery from Seattle in exchange for Monica Wright
- The Lynx received this pick from Chicago