The post Lynx’s Napheesa Collier would’ve missed WNBA Finals if Minnesota advanced appeared first on ClutchPoints.
Napheesa Collier and the Minnesota Lynx were favored to go all the way and win the 2025 WNBA title when they entered the playoffs. They ruled the regular season, topping the rest of the competition with a 34-30 record to lock down the No. 1 seed. But the postseason is a different animal, and the Minnesota struggled to tame it, particularly in the semifinals against the Phoenix Mercury.
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After sweeping the Golden State Valkyries in two games in the first round, Minnesota was eliminated by the Phoenix Mercury in four games. The Lynx took Game 1 of that series before suffering three losses in a row. In Game 4, with their season on the line, the Lynx did not even have their best player active, as Collier was ruled out for that contest due to an injury she suffered in Game 3.
But even if the Lynx survived Game 4 and forced a winner-take-all Game 5, Collier likely wouldn’t have played in it as well. The same could be said about her outlook in the WNBA Finals had Minnesota found a way to pull off a series comeback against Alyssa Thomas and the Mercury, according to ESPN senior writer
Ramona Shelburne.
Wrote Shelburne via X, formerly Twitter: “Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier suffered a Grade 2 tear of three ligaments in her left ankle and a muscle in her shin during the collision with Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas in Game 3 of their best-of-5 playoff series, a source close to the situation told ESPN. The injury carried a six-week recovery period, meaning Collier would not have been able to return this season had the top-seeded Lynx advanced in the playoffs.”
In five games played in the 2025 WNBA playoffs, the 29-year-old Collier averaged 20.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 steals, while shooting 53.8 percent from the field.
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Minnesota braved Collier’s absence in Game 4 of the Mercury series, even building a 13-point advantage in the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams, only to squander it and watch the Mercury dance their way to the WNBA Finals.
Now, Collier and the Lynx are left to watch who between the Mercury and the A’ja Wilson-led Las Vegas Aces will take the WNBA crown.
Related: Sky’s Angel Reese drops big reaction to Napheesa Collier’s fiery WNBA callout
Related: Lynx’s Napheesa Collier reveals torn ligaments in ankle
