Open(er) And Shut

MYSTICS 78

LYNX 66

After almost 3 years away, I made my way to a Lynx game again. I've seen a lot.of great basketball at Target Center in the last decade. 

Sunday.night was not that. This was easily the worst Lynx performance I have witnessed since way back in 2010.

Cheryl Reeve outsmarted herself. Days before the season she shocked everybody by cutting Layshia Clarendon, Crystal Dangerfield, and Rennia Davis. Clarendon was one of the Lynx's 3 best players last year. Dangerfield is just a year removed from being rookie of the year. Davis was last year's highly touted 1st round pick, who missed the season hurt, but who looked good in preseason. 

Now, the WNBA faces challenges other leagues don't. They have smaller rosters. They have players still finishing up overseas commitments as the season begins. They have a much shorter camp and preseason. And certainly no other league faces having players out due to pregnancy. 

The Lynx are dealing with all of this, all while still trying to field a team that can compete for a title. Reeve isn't about that rebuilding life. And this is Sylvia Fowles final season, and everyone wants to give her one last shot. 

But this isn't the way. The Lynx opened at Seattle and held tough for a half before being slaughtered by an elite team. But this opener, against a Mystics team resting star Elena Delle Donne, was a vastly easier task. 

And the Lynx trailed by 20+ for much of the game.

It was truly grotesque. They were bad in the 1st quarter, even if the scoreboard didn't quite reflect that. But then came an embarrassing 2nd quarter in which they were outscored 23-4. Yes, 4. Nobody could make a shot. Or get a rebound. Or defend. Or stop turning the ball over. It was the worst basketball I have ever seen the Lynx play.

Things were not as ugly after halftime, but they still closed the 3rd down 23. There was a sort of rally in the 4th to close the gap as far as 8 points, but it was very late by the time they got there. There was never a moment they had a real chance to win.

You don't think that, as they flounder over and over at running the simplest offense and trying to find buckets they couldn't have used some of these discarded players? Even a less than 100% healthy Clarendon has to be of more use than Banham.

Reeve has ring cred, but she doesn't have ring cred as the GM of this team. In fact, since she assumed that role the Lynx have only won 1 playoff game. As I heard Reeve yelling from the other side of the arena, all I could think was "YOU picked these players"

The Lynx started 0-4 last year and turned it around, but they aren't getting Napheesa Collier this season, unless it is right at the end, and there likely isn't a Clarendon signing in the offing this year. It looks like this may be the year the Lynx playoff streak ends.