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.
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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.
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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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