Three Reasons Why the Minnesota Lynx Will Win the WNBA Title


Heading into the 2015 WNBA Playoffs presented by Boost Mobile, the title is as up for grabs as ever. Each of the eight contenders can state their case for why they will take home the trophy come October. With that in mind, WNBA.com is profiling all eight one-by-one as the Sept. 17 tip-off approaches.

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Maya Moore and the Minnesota Lynx have been in this position before. Atop the Western Conference standings for much of the season, now they’re set to embark on a playoff journey that they hope will end in championship glory.

They’ve been far and away the best team in the Western Conference all season, guided by their MVP repeat hopeful. They’ve persevered through injuries all season long, but Moore’s consistent dominance – combined with contributions from many others – has them poised to try to bring home the franchise’s third (2011, 2013) title.

Here are three reason why the Minnesota Lynx will win the WNBA championship.

Maya Moore.

The Lynx are one of the few teams that have the benefit of having one of the planet’s best basketball players on the court whenever they take the floor. When Maya Moore is on the court, the Lynx simply cannot be counted out.

When the stakes intensify, there’s hardly anyone better at taking their game to the next level when it matters most than Moore. She’ll be vital in whatever postseason success head coach Cheryl Reeve’s squad hopes to experience over the next month of play.

Maya averaged 20.9 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in the Lynx’s 2013 playoff run. If she averages anywhere close to those numbers, the Lynx should be set for another deep playoff run.

Perseverance.

Even through their midseason struggles, the Lynx were still a dominant, competitive team out west. Six-time All-Star Seimone Augustus has only played 16 games for Minnesota and it’s unclear whether she’ll be able to return for the playoff run, though she has not been ruled out.

Point guard Lindsay Whalen is dealing with her own set of bumps and bruises, too, and the Lynx powered through the last portion of its schedule without her.

Through it all, Minnesota has stayed strong and shown poise in her absence. Their ability to stay together and push through setbacks will be important in their push toward another WNBA championship.

Depth.

No matter what obstacle has been thrown Minnesota’s way this season, it seems as if they’ve been able to overcome it by some combination of Maya Moore and depth on the roster.

Anna Cruz has been wildly important to their success. Rebekkah Brunson has been very effective in the frontcourt and has been the team’s leading rebounder all season.

Even Sylvia Fowles – who came over midseason from Chicago – has made an impact on the Lynx’s dominant season. All of those factors will be important in their push to bring home another WNBA title.

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