No Longer The Weakest Lynx, Take 2

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe Minnesota Lynx are the 2011 WNBA champions.  Coached by Cheryl Reeve, they had the best record in the league during the regular season, then sprinted through the San Antonio Silver Stars, Phoenix Mercury and Atlanta Dream in the playoffs to claim the franchise's first title.

In defeating the Dream 73-67 Friday night at Atlanta for a three-game Finals sweep, Seimone Augustus scored 16 points to lead the Lynx and was named the Most Valuable Player.  Maya Moore, already named Rookie of the Year, scored 15 to continue her run of championships that began in college at Conneticut.  The Dream rallied behind Angel McCaughtry's 22 points, but fell short.

The connection to all of this is native Minnesotan Lindsay Whalen, the woman who popularized the game in this state.  She was partly responsible for bringing the Gophers to the Women's Final Four, and remained popular even after she moved to Conneticut to play for the Sun.  When the deal was made to bring Whalen back to the Lynx, she became the playmaker they needed to augment Augustus, Moore, and Candice Wiggins.  Plus the crowds started coming to Target Center, which was a nice bonus.  Now Whalen has a championship in her home state.

This is the first professional sports title for Minnesota since 1991, when the Twins beat the Atlanta Braves in the World Series, and the first basketball title since the Lakers won the NBA crown in 1954.  Coming as it does when the fortunes of the Twins, Vikings, Timberwolves, Wild and football Gophers are in the tank, the Lynx were a breath of fresh air with star players who were healthy and winning. 

Though the WNBA season may be over, many of these same players will be going to Europe to play for teams that pay far more money than the summertime league ever could.  Also, this will probably be the last professional basketball we see in this country for awhile, with the NBA lockout reaching crisis proportions as games start to get canceled.

Now comes the hard part for the Lynx.  With an Olympic break scheduled for next season and every other team in the league gunning for them, the Lynx are going to learn what it's like to try for back-to-back championships, rendering what they accomplished this season all the more remarkable.