Minnesota Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve sat at the podium at Mohegan Sun Arena on Sunday alongside stars Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride. Her team had just defeated the Connecticut Sun to force a winner-take-all Game 3 in the first round of the 2023 WNBA playoffs, and she couldn’t help but reflect on how far her group had come.
As McBride finished an answer describing the emotions of the moment, Reeve interjected. “From 0-6 to 40 minutes from the semifinals,” she said. “What more could you ask for?”
The Lynx haven’t been underdogs very often since Reeve took over in 2010, winning four championships across the following seven years to become one of the most successful franchises in league history. Minnesota, which took home its last title in 2017, officially embarked on a new era after last season: With Collier sidelined all but four games of 2022 due to pregnancy/maternity leave, the Lynx missed the playoffs for the first time since Reeve’s initial season in Minneapolis, and Sylvia…
