Lynx, Fever Set For First Game 5 Since 2009


MINNEAPOLIS — The 2015 WNBA Finals presented by Boost Mobile have exceeded even the loftiest expectations. Every game has been battled tooth and nail, with the slimmest margins separating each team every night.

First there was Indiana’s shocking Game 1 win in the Target Center. Then there was Maya Moore’s iconic game-winning buzzer beater in Game 3 to silence and shock the Fever faithful in Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Sunday’s Game 4 proved to be more of the same from Indiana, backs against the wall and unwilling to go down without a fight. And all of that sets the stage for Wednesday’s decisive Game 5. It’s winner-take-all. One game, 40 minutes for the right to hoist the WNBA Championship trophy.

When it’s all said and done, the theatrics of this series combined with the competitiveness in each game could make the 2015 iteration of the Finals one of the best, if not the best, in league history. It’s had everything any player or fan could desire – close games, big shots, great crowds and now a fifth and decisive game.

It’s the first time a WNBA Finals has gone the distance since 2009 when the Phoenix Mercury beat the Indiana Fever. The fact that these two teams are etching their names in WNBA history is something players from both squads understand.

“It’s great, but it also writes history,” said Lynx center Sylvia Fowles. “And just to say our determination from both sides, each team, to actually go into a Game 5. It’s good that we’re back here at home. We’re going to have a good crowd, and I’m just happy to be a part of this.”

Some of these players have experience on this stage – be it in a pivotal Playoff game or an NCAA Championship Game. But there are others, like Fever guard Shenise Johnson, who haven’t experienced the thrills of a winner-take-all championship atmosphere.

“This is the pinnacle of my career,” Johnson said. “I’ve dreamed about this since I was a child. I watched the WNBA growing up in high school and college. It’s just one of those things where you’re kind of in the moment right now. I’m trying to stay in the moment. Maybe I’ll look back on it next week and be like ‘Wow, this was amazing.’ I have people hitting me up, but I’m just trying to stay focused on the moment.”



“It’s been amazing,” added Fever forward/center Erlana Larkins. “I don’t think any recent finals have gone any longer than three games or four games. I guess I’m just excited to bring that back to the sport going into Game 5. It gets more people to watch us and it prolongs our season a little bit more, so that’s always good.”

Lynx forward Devereaux Peters played her collegiate basketball at the University of Notre Dame, a program that has been wildly successful over the past decade. That success allowed her to compete in high stakes contests, which, to her, is the only other comparison for Game 5.

“It’s exciting,” Peters said. “It’s been a great series. Indiana has given everything they’ve had, and we’ve given everything that we have. It’s been a lot of fun. We’ve had awesome crowds in both arenas. It’s been a fun experience, and to cap it all off with a winner-takes-all type of game, it’s fun to be in.”

“This is the second Game 5 that I’ve been involved in,” added Lynx forward Rebekkah Brunson, “and they’re all intense. All the journeys are different, but everybody wants to be here. Everybody wants to be a part of a series where you have to leave it all out there, where it’s not going to be easy and you can feel really good about it at the end with what you accomplished and what you did with your teammates.”