For Whalen, The Time is Now
PAUL CRARY
Lynx Writer
With the Lynx down one late in the game against the second place San Antonio Silver Stars, it was interesting to see which player Head Coach Cheryl Reeve and the Lynx would turn to for the last shot.
Would it be the offensive maestro Seimone Augustus? An isolation play for rookie phenom Maya Moore? Rebekkah Brunson in a post up situation? The answer was none of the above. Instead, the Lynx went to the sometimes-overlooked point guard Lindsay Whalen. And in typical Whalen fashion, she delivered.
Whalen received a pass from Moore with three seconds left, she then took two hard dribbles towards the baseline to create separation from her defender, Jayne Appel, and rose up and hit the mid-range jumper to give Minnesota the lead with 1.5 seconds to play. The Lynx went on to beat the Silver Stars, 70-69, which put the Lynx ahead of the Stars by two games in the West. The play was nothing fancy, it just ended with an effective result- that deliberate, smart approach to the game resembles Whalen�s focused personality- and for this Minnesota team, they wouldn�t have it any other way.
Whalen is currently playing in her eighth WNBA season; and what a season it has been for her. Whalen is currently averaging 14.3 points and 5.9 assists per game, both of which are career highs. Her stellar play earned her a spot in the 2011 All-Star game, the second time in Whalen�s career she has played in the mid-summer classic. While the individual stats have increased, Whalen has always put the team first. The Western Conference leaders are off to a 14-4 start, which is currently the best record in the WNBA. The team seems to be headed towards a deep run in the playoffs.
Success is nothing new to Whalen as she is a proven-winner. As a member of the Connecticut Sun, Whalen went to the NBA finals in 2004 and 2005. The point guard came up just short in both occasions; however, she is now starting to see similarities with those winning Sun teams and the 2011 Minnesota Lynx.
�Yeah, we have a real good group that plays together. We have lots of talent. As of right now, we�re feeling pretty good,� Whalen replied after being asked if this season feels similar to her Sun years.
Whalen said she only remembers a few plays in those Finals, but the Finals experience has given her a different perspective as she has continued playing. �I made it there [Finals] my first two years and didn�t win. You always think that�s what�s going to normally happen and it doesn�t. Other teams are good, so now it�s been five or six years since I�ve been in the Finals and you definitely want to take every opportunity and each year. You never want to take anything for granted or anything like that,� Whalen said.
While the Finals are always the goal, Whalen is well aware that this young Lynx team cannot get ahead of their selves.
�We know we have a lot of work to do. We�re just focusing on each possession and each game, and just focusing towards getting to that goal. It�s a long way away.� Whalen explained.
There�s the age-old saying that states: �Once you get a taste of something good, you�re going to always want and try and taste that again,� and for Whalen that couldn�t be more true. She knows the Lynx possess enough talent to win a championship, now it�s just a matter of execution and focus.
If the first half of the season serves as a measuring stick of determination for Whalen, then she has passed the test with flying colors as she leads the surging Lynx into the second half of the season.
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