Minnesota Lynx: The Fall Of An Empire

In 2017, the Minnesota Lynx ended the regular season with a 27-7 record and the clear favorite to win the championship. The Lynx completed their run in dominating fashion by sweeping the Washington Mystics. This was Minnesota’s sixth trip to the Finals the last seven years winning their fourth championship in franchise history.

They were a well oiled machine, mowing down opponents with precision. The Lynx would finish in the top three of nine different statistical categories.

Minnesota could play at any pace or style the opponent tried on any given night. They had an answer for anything a team threw at them. Once they got a lead, it was over and whatever the coach implemented, it worked.

Fast forward to 2018, they are one game over .500 (17-16) with one game remaining in the regular season. Minnesota will finish fourth in the Western Conference (that’s not a misprint).

They will make the playoffs but as the 7th seed (out of 8 teams). They could be a dangerous team if everything starts to click.

How did this happen so suddenly? The biggest contributor has been the influx of continued talent into the league making teams better.

Another factor is they seem to have lost their edge and teams no longer fear them, especially at home. Minnesota was all but unbeatable at home (15-2 last season). This season they were just 8-8, not much of an advantage. What a difference a year makes.

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