MENZIE HENDERSON
Lynx Writer
Nearly a month through the 2011 season, the Minnesota Lynx have already had their share of ups and downs. The Lynx got off to a hot start by gliding through opponents for five consecutive wins, but now have lost two straight to fall in the middle of the West at 5-3. After the tough loss suffered in the closing moments to Indiana on Sunday, the focus of today's practice at Life Time Training Center was all about execution.
"We had that game won against Indiana," head coach Cheryl Reeve said. "It came down to our lack of offensive execution. We took some tough shots, some bad shots, had some turnovers, and just gave them too many good opportunities down the stretch. It was our game to win and it just didn't happen."
The Lynx practiced executing late game scenarios and worked mainly in half court sets; a place where Minnesota has struggled in recent games.
"We're still working on the half court sets a little bit," mentioned Lindsay Whalen after practice. "We know in transition we can't be stopped as we have lots of people who can run the floor and that's obviously something we like to go to, but we're working on the half court when teams force us to play that way."
The Lynx have a great chance to bounce back and display better execution against the 1-8 Tulsa Shock on Thursday, but Cheryl Reeve knows not to overlook any opponent in this league regardless of record.
"There are only 12 teams [in the WNBA], so that would be a huge mistake to think that we could go down there and win just because and we've already talked about that. A team like Tulsa becomes a spoiler type and I think they know their role in the league this year and we've got to go down there and take care of business. But mainly, it's always about us, it doesn't matter who we're playing."
While the Lynx remain the favorite team to beat this season, at times they may be their own worst enemy. With increased intensity and higher pressure brought from opponents, errant possessions have been the teams Achilles' heel. In the upcoming matchups, it will be vital for Lindsay Whalen to take control of the rock and display veteran leadership.
The Lynx will face the Tulsa Shock at the BOK Center on Thursday night at 7 p.m. Catch all the action on WNBA Live Access or on BOB 106.1 FM.
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