Everyone’s going to focus on Courtney Williams’ iconic four-point play or Napheesa Collier’s overtime game winner as the reason for the No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx’s 95-93 comeback win over the No. 1-seed New York Liberty, and for valid reasons.
But the moment that turned the tide for the Lynx was at the 4:03 mark of the fourth quarter, when head coach Cheryl Reeve made one of the most daring coaching moves I’ve ever seen.
“AND MINNESOTA WITH A MIRACLE GAME 1 WIN, 95-93, THE FINAL IN OVERTIME!” – Ryan Ruocco as the Minnesota Lynx take down the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the #WNBA Finals. ️ pic.twitter.com/rqc28SmeVW
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) October 11, 2024
Reeve made the bold decision to sub in Natisha Hiedeman for Alanna Smith, opting to run a four-guard lineup of Hiedeman, Williams, Kayla McBride and Bridget Carleton with Napheesa Collier at center for the remaining stretch of the game.
What makes this decision so audacious is that the Lynx were significantly outrebounded the entire game. So playing this small lineup against a frontcourt of 6-foot-4 Leonie Fiebich, 6-foot-4 Breanna Stewart and 6-foot-6 Jonquel Jones seemed like a crazy decision. But it worked. The Lynx would storm back into the game with this lineup, ultimately…
