2017 Minnesota Lynx season

The 2017 WNBA season of the Minnesota Lynx is their 19th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Lynx finished the 2016 season with a record of 28–6, finishing first in the Western Conference (and the league as a whole) and qualifying for the playoffs, before ultimately beating Los Angeles in the WNBA Finals to win their league-tying best fourth championship.

2017 Minnesota Lynx season
CoachCheryl Reeve
ArenaXcel Energy Center (Regular Season)
Williams Arena (Playoffs)
Attendance10,407 per game
Results
Record277 (.794)
Place1st (Western)
Playoff finishWNBA Champions
Team Leaders
PointsFowles (18.9)
ReboundsFowles (10.4)
AssistsWhalen (4.1)
Media
TelevisionFox Sports North, ESPN, NBATV

The Lynx moved from their normal home, Target Center in Minneapolis, to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul for the 2017 season due to the renovation that would be taking place at Target Center.[1] Due to the Minnesota Wild season beginning, the Lynx announced that the entirety of their playoff run would be played at the University of Minnesota's Williams Arena.[2]

The Lynx opened the season on May 14 with a 70–61 victory over the Chicago Sky. Sylvia Fowles led the way with 26 points and 10 rebounds.[3] During the May 20 game versus the Dallas Wings, Rebekkah Brunson recorded her 3,000th career rebound, becoming the fifth player in league history to do so.[4] Cheryl Reeve was named the inaugural WNBA Coach of the Month for the month of May.[5] Lindsay Whalen became the all-time winningest player in WNBA history with 295 wins, with a June 9 victory over the Washington Mystics. The win broke the tie with Swin Cash, giving Whalen first place in that category all by herself.[6]

With the win against the San Antonio Stars on June 25, Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore, and Lindsay Whalen became the winningest quartet in WNBA History with 122 wins, passing the Los Angeles Sparks quartet of Tamecka Dixon, Lisa Leslie, Mwadi Mabika, and Delisha Milton-Jones who recorded 121 from 1999 to 2004.[7] During the July 6 victory over the Sparks, Maya Moore scored her 4,000th career point.[8]

Four Lynx players were named to the West All-Star Team - Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson. Moore and Fowles were named starters, while Augustus and Brunson were named reserves. Brunson was selected as a replacement player for the injured Brittney Griner.[9][10][11] During the July 16 game versus the Phoenix Mercury, Sylvia Fowles scored her 4,000th career point.[12] Sylvia Fowles recorded her 500th career block during the July 25 game versus the New York Liberty, becoming the seventh person in league history to do so.[13] Fowles grabbed her 2,500th career rebound during the August 8 game versus the Atlanta Dream. She became the 10th player in league history to reach that milestone.[14]

The Lynx unveiled their new logo, which will be used in the 2018 season, at the halftime of the August 11 game versus the Los Angeles Sparks.[15]

The team made WNBA history with the 111–52 victory over the Indiana Fever, breaking the WNBA record for margin of victory (59), largest run (37-0), and largest halftime lead (45). They also broke Lynx franchise records for most points in a half (68) and most field goals in any half (27), while tying a record for most points in any quarter (37).[16][17] During the same game, Jia Perkins passed Katie Douglas on the WNBA all-time steals list to move into fifth place.[18] After beating the San Antonio Stars on August 25 to begin a 3-game road trip, the Lynx clinched a spot in the WNBA semifinals.[19]

With their August 30 victory over the Indiana Fever, the Lynx recorded their 25th win of the season, which they have now done for six seasons in team history, tying a WNBA record.[20] During the September 1 game versus the Chicago Sky, Maya Moore passed Katie Smith for the franchise record for career 3-pointers.[21] On September 2, the WNBA and the Lynx announced that Minnesota would be the host of the 2018 WNBA All-Star Game. This would be the first time that the Lynx have hosted the All-Star Game.[22] Following their regular season finale victory over the Washington Mystics, the Lynx clinched the overall top seed in the 2017 WNBA Playoffs.[23]

By earning the top seed in the playoffs, the Lynx advanced to the semifinal round and faced the Washington Mystics. The Lynx swept the Mystics 3–0 to advance to the WNBA Finals. It is the Lynx's sixth time in seven years advancing to the Finals.[24] The Lynx defeated the Los Angeles Sparks in 5 games to win their fourth WNBA championship in seven years, tying the now-defunct Houston Comets for most championship titles.

Transactions

WNBA Draft

Round Pick Player Nationality School/Team/Country
1 12 Alexis Jones  United States Baylor
2 24 Lisa Berkani  France USO Mondeville (France)
3 36 Tahlia Tupaea  Australia Sydney Uni Flames (Australia)

Trades and roster changes

Date Trade
February 1, 2017 Signed F Plenette Pierson [25]
April 14, 2017 Acquired the draft rights to F/C Chantel Oshaor from Chicago in exchange for Keisha Hampton [26]
April 18, 2017 Signed F Shao Ting [27]
April 19, 2017 Signed F Keyona Hayes [28]
April 20, 2017 Signed 1st Round Pick, G Alexis Jones [29]
April 21, 2017 Signed F/C Chantel Osahor, F Breanna Richardson, and G Moriah Mack [30]
April 26, 2017 Signed 2nd Round Pick, G Lisa Berkani [31]
April 28, 2017 Waived F Keyona Hayes [32]
May 9, 2017 Waived F/C Chantel Oshaor, F Breanna Richardson, and G Moriah Mack [33]
May 12, 2017 Waived F Shao Ting and Suspend G Lisa Berkani [34][35]
August 28, 2017 Signed F Cecilia Zandalasini [36]
September 1, 2017 Signed C Sylvia Fowles to a Multi-Year Extension [37]

Roster

Minnesota Lynx roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
G/F 33 Augustus, Seimone 6' 0" (1.83m) 170 lb (77kg) 04-30-1984 LSU 12
F 32 Brunson, Rebekkah 6' 2" (1.88m) 185 lb (84kg) 12-11-1981 Georgetown 14
C 34 Fowles, Sylvia 6' 6" (1.98m) 212 lb (96kg) 10-06-1985 LSU 10
F 3 Howard, Natasha 6' 2" (1.88m) 165 lb (75kg) 09-02-1991 Florida State 4
G 21 Montgomery, Renee 5' 7" (1.7m) 139 lb (63kg) 12-02-1986 Connecticut 9
F 23 Moore, Maya 6' 0" (1.83m) 177 lb (80kg) 06-11-1989 Connecticut 7
G 7 Perkins, Jia 5' 8" (1.73m) 165 lb (75kg) 02-23-1982 Texas Tech 14
G 13 Whalen, Lindsay 5' 9" (1.75m) 173 lb (78kg) 05-09-1982 Minnesota 14
F/C 22 Pierson, Plenette 6' 2" (1.88m) 195 lb (88kg) 08-31-1981 Texas Tech 15
G 12 Jones, Alexis 5' 9" (1.75m) 173 lb (78kg) 05-08-1994 Baylor R
C 14 Fagbenle, Temi 6' 4" (1.93m) 197 lb (89kg) 09-08-1992 Southern California R
F 9 Zandalasini, Cecilia 6' 1" (1.85m) 160 lb (73kg) 03-16-1996 Italy R



East: ATLCHICONINDNYWAS | West: DALLVLAMINPHOSEA
Head coach
Cheryl Reeve (La Salle)
Assistant coaches
Shelley Patterson (Washington State)
James Wade (Kennesaw)
Athletic trainer
Chuck Barta (Wisconsin-La Crosse)
Assistant trainer
Kate Taber (Iowa)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (DP) Unsigned draft pick
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured

WNBA roster page

Depth chart

Pos. Starter Bench
C Sylvia Fowles Plenette Pierson
Temi Fagbenle
PF Rebekkah Brunson Natasha Howard
SF Maya Moore Cecilia Zandalasini
SG Seimone Augustus Jia Perkins
PG Lindsay Whalen Renee Montgomery
Alexis Jones

Schedule

Preseason

2017 pre-season game log
Total: 20 (Home: 10; Road: 10)
2017 season schedule

Regular season

2017 game log
Total: 277 (Home: 152; Road: 125)
2017 season schedule

Playoffs

2017 playoff game log
Total: 6–2 (Home: 4–1; Road: 2–1)
2017 playoff schedule

Statistics

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% PPG RPG APG SPG BPG
Sylvia Fowles 34 34 30.8 .655 .000 .768 18.9 10.4 1.5 1.3 2.0
Maya Moore 34 34 31.3 .442 .411 .858 17.3 5.0 3.5 1.9 0.4
Seimone Augustus 32 32 27.7 .502 .432 .868 10.9 2.9 4.0 0.6 0.1
Rebekkah Brunson 30 30 26.9 .449 .348 .711 10.2 6.7 1.5 1.1 0.4
Lindsay Whalen 22 22 23.6 .451 .353 .750 8.0 2.5 4.1 0.5 0.1
Renee Montgomery 34 12 21.9 .424 .358 .842 8.0 1.6 3.4 0.7 0.1
Plenette Pierson 34 4 13.7 .427 .339 .792 5.2 2.2 1.5 0.4 0.1
Natasha Howard 34 0 11.7 .484 .214 .733 4.3 2.4 0.7 0.5 0.6
Jia Perkins 34 2 16.3 .369 .316 .833 4.2 2.0 1.4 1.1 0.0
Alexis Jones 29 0 7.3 .342 .379 .857 2.6 0.8 0.8 0.3 0.0
Temi Fagbenle 21 0 4.2 .500 .000 .778 1.2 1.0 0.0 0.1 0.2
Cecilia Zandalasini 3 0 6.3 .250 .000 .000 0.7 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0

Playoffs

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% PPG RPG APG SPG BPG
Sylvia Fowles 8 8 35.4 .631 .000 .559 18.6 13.1 1.5 1.6 2.0
Maya Moore 8 8 33.4 .515 .542 .730 18.3 5.3 3.0 1.8 0.4
Seimone Augustus 8 8 31.8 .490 .526 .500 13.9 4.8 3.5 0.4 0.5
Rebekkah Brunson 8 8 28.0 .361 .111 .793 9.5 6.0 1.6 1.1 0.5
Lindsay Whalen 8 8 22.9 .457 .222 .789 7.4 2.0 4.9 0.5 0.1
Renee Montgomery 8 0 17.1 .449 .393 .500 7.0 1.3 1.9 0.5 0.3
Plenette Pierson 8 0 5.4 .364 .500 .000 1.1 0.8 0.5 0.1 0.1
Natasha Howard 7 0 5.6 .200 .000 .800 1.1 0.9 0.0 0.3 0.0
Jia Perkins 8 0 15.8 .333 .286 1.000 3.3 2.0 0.9 0.8 0.1
Alexis Jones 5 0 6.0 .333 .667 .000 2.4 0.8 1.4 0.0 0.0
Temi Fagbenle 2 0 2.0 .667 .000 .000 2.0 0.5 0.0 0.0 0.0
Cecilia Zandalasini 5 0 2.2 1.000 .000 .000 0.4 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0

Standings

# Western Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
1 Minnesota Lynx - (1)277.79415–212–513–3
2 Los Angeles Sparks - (2)268.765116–110–712–4
3 Phoenix Mercury - (5)1816.52999–89–87–9
4 Dallas Wings - (7)1618.4711110–76–117–9
5 Seattle Storm - (8)1519.4411210–75–128–8
6 San Antonio Stars - e826.235196–112–151–15

Playoffs

 
First round:
Single elimination
(Sept. 6)
Second round:
Single elimination
(Sept. 10)
Semifinals:
Best-of-five
(Sept. 12 – Sept. 17)
WNBA Finals:
Best-of-five
(Sept. 24 – Oct. 4)
 
              
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2
Los Angeles Sparks
3
 
 
5
Phoenix Mercury
0
 
 
 
 
 
4
Connecticut Sun
83
 
 
 
5
Phoenix Mercury
88
 
5
Phoenix Mercury
79
 
 
 
8
Seattle Storm
69
 
1
Minnesota Lynx
3
 
 
 
2
Los Angeles Sparks
2
 
6
Washington Mystics
86
 
 
 
7
Dallas Wings
76
 
3
New York Liberty
68
 
 
6
Washington Mystics
82
 
 
 
 
 
1
Minnesota Lynx
3
 
 
6
Washington Mystics
0
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Note: Teams re-seeded after second round and semi-finals.

Semifinals
Team123
1
Minnesota Lynx
1019381
6
Washington Mystics
818370
Team123
2
Los Angeles Sparks
798689
5
Phoenix Mercury
667287
WNBA Finals
Team12345
1
Minnesota Lynx
8470648085
2
Los Angeles Sparks
8568756976

Awards and milestones

Recipient Award/Milestone Date Awarded
Rebekkah Brunson 3,000th Career Rebound May 20 [38]
Sylvia Fowles Player of the Week May 13–21 [39]
May 22–28 [40]
June 5–11 [41]
July 17–23 [42]
August 7–13 [43]
Minnesota Lynx Tied WNBA All-Time Record for Consecutive Wins in May (23 Straight) May [44]
Sylvia Fowles Player of the Month May [45]
June [46]
July [47]
Cheryl Reeve Coach of the Month May [48]
Lindsay Whalen Became WNBA's All-Time Winningest Player (295 Wins) June 9 [49]
Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen Became WNBA's Winningest Quartet (122 Wins) June 25 [50]
Maya Moore 4,000th Career Point July 6 [51]
Maya Moore
Sylvia Fowles
All-Star Starters July 11 [52]
Sylvia Fowles 4,000th Career Point July 16 [53]
Seimone Augustus All-Star Reserve July 18 [54]
Rebekkah Brunson All-Star Reserve July 19 [55]
Maya Moore All-Star Game MVP July 22 [56]
Sylvia Fowles 500th Career Block July 25 [57]
Sylvia Fowles 2,500th Career Rebound August 8 [58]
Maya Moore Franchise Record for Career 3-Pointers (461) September 1 [59]
Sylvia Fowles 1st Team All-Defense September 12 [60]
Rebekkah Brunson
Maya Moore
2nd Team All-Defense September 12 [61]
Sylvia Fowles MVP September 14 [62]
Sylvia Fowles
Maya Moore
1st Team All-WNBA September 29 [63]
Sylvia Fowles Finals MVP October 5 [64]

References

  1. "Minnesota Lynx Announce Xcel Energy Center as Home for 2017 Season". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
  2. "Minnesota Lynx Announce Williams Arena as Home for All Potential 2017 Postseason Games". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-27.
  3. "Lynx open season by stopping Sky;Sylvia Fowles scores 26". startribune.com. Star Tribune. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
  4. "Fowles, Augustus lift Lynx over Wings". startribune.com. Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
  5. "Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve Named WNBA Coach of the Month". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  6. "Whalen Becomes WNBA's All-Time Leader In Wins". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
  7. "Three Observations From Sunday's Lynx Win Over Stars". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  8. "Lynx beat Sparks 88-77 in rematch of WNBA Finals". startribune.com. startribune.com. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  9. "Seattle's Bird, Five Former MVPs Selected to Start Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  10. "Ogwumike, Stewart Highlight Reserves For Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  11. "Minnesota's Brunson, New York's Rodgers Named As Replacement Players For Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
  12. "After slow first half, Lynx crush shorthanded Phoenix". startribune.com. startribune.com. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
  13. "Moore, Lynx survive Liberty's furious 2nd half comeback". swishappeal.com. swishappeal.com. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  14. "Fowles' 27 points, 13 boards lead Lynx by Dream 81-72". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
  15. "Minnesota Lynx unveil fierce new logo for 2018". foxsports.com. foxsports.com. Retrieved 2017-08-12.
  16. "Lynx shatter WNBA margin record, blasting Fever 111-52". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
  17. @Lynx_PR (19 August 2017). "In tonight's 111-52 victory..." (Tweet). Retrieved 2017-08-19 via Twitter.
  18. "Gameday preview: Lynx in New York to take on Liberty". startribune.com. startribune.com. Retrieved 2017-08-19.
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  21. "Lynx Fly By Sky For 26th Win". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  22. "Minnesota Lynx To Host Verizon WNBA All-Star 2018". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-02.
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  25. "Minnesota Lynx Sign Two-Time WNBA Champion Plenette Pierson". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-02-01.
  26. "Chicago Sky trade UW's Chantel Osahor to Minnesota Lynx". seattletimes.com. Seattle Times. Retrieved 2017-04-14.
  27. "Lynx Sign Forward Shao Ting". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
  28. "Minnesota Lynx Sign Keyona Hayes to Training Camp Roster". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-04-19.
  29. "Lynx Sign First-Round Pick Alexis Jones". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-04-20.
  30. "Minnesota Lynx Add Three to Complete Training Camp Roster". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  31. "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  32. "Minnesota Lynx Waive Keyona Hayes". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-04-28.
  33. "Lynx waive 3 players, trim training camp roster to 12". foxsports.com. foxsports.com. Retrieved 2017-05-11.
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  35. "WNBA Transactions". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-12.
  36. "Minnesota Lynx Sign Forward Cecilia Zandalasini". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  37. "Minnesota Lynx Announce Multi-Year Contract Extension With Sylvia Fowles". lynx.wnba.com. lynx.wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-01.
  38. "Fowles, Augustus lift Lynx over Wings". startribune.com. Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2017-05-25. Retrieved 2017-05-21.
  39. "Atlanta's Clarendon and Minnesota's Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-24.
  40. "Sylvia Fowles, Epiphanny Prince Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-30.
  41. "Tina Charles and Sylvia Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-12.
  42. "New York's Charles and Minnesota's Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-24.
  43. "Connecticut's Jones, Minnesota's Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Week". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-14.
  44. "Minnesota Lynx Make History by Going Undefeated in May". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-05-28.
  45. "Lynx Center Sylvia Fowles Named Western Conference Player of the Month". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  46. "Connecticut's Jones, Minnesota's Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Month". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
  47. "New York's Charles, Minnesota's Fowles Named WNBA Players of the Month". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-04.
  48. "Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve Named WNBA Coach of the Month". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
  49. "Whalen Becomes WNBA's All-Time Leader In Wins". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
  50. "Three Observations From Sunday's Lynx Win Over Stars". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-06-27.
  51. "Lynx beat Sparks 88-77 in rematch of WNBA Finals". startribune.com. startribune.com. Retrieved 2017-07-07.
  52. "Seattle's Bird, Five Former MVPs Selected to Start Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-11.
  53. "After slow first half, Lynx crush shorthanded Phoenix". startribune.com. startribune.com. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  54. "Ogwumike, Stewart Highlight Reserves For Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
  55. "Minnesota's Brunson, New York's Rodgers Named As Replacement Players For Verizon WNBA All-Star 2017 2017". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
  56. "Maya Moore Wins Verizon All-Star Game 2017 MVP Honors". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-22.
  57. "Moore, Lynx survive Liberty's furious 2nd half comeback". swishappeal.com. swishappeal.com. Retrieved 2017-07-26.
  58. "Fowles' 27 points, 13 boards lead Lynx by Dream 81-72". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-08-09.
  59. "Lynx reach 100 points for 3rd straight home game, top Sky". kare11.com. kare1.com. Retrieved 2017-08-01.
  60. "Defensive Player of the Year Alana Beard Headlines 2017 WNBA All-Defensive Team". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
  61. "Defensive Player of the Year Alana Beard Headlines 2017 WNBA All-Defensive Team". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-12.
  62. "Minnesota's Sylvia Fowles Named 2017 WNBA Most Valuable Player". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-14.
  63. "2017 MVP Sylvia Fowles Headlines 2017 All-WNBA First Team". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-09-29.
  64. "Fowles Finishes Perfect Season With Finals Redemption". wnba.com. wnba.com. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
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