WNBA: Why the Minnesota Lynx came back to win Game 1 of the Finals

Everyone’s going to focus on Courtney Williams’ iconic four-point play or Napheesa Collier’s overtime game winner as the reason for the No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx’s 95-93 comeback win over the No. 1-seed New York Liberty, and for valid reasons.

But the moment that turned the tide for the Lynx was at the 4:03 mark of the fourth quarter, when head coach Cheryl Reeve made one of the most daring coaching moves I’ve ever seen.

Reeve made the bold decision to sub in Natisha Hiedeman for Alanna Smith, opting to run a four-guard lineup of Hiedeman, Williams, Kayla McBride and Bridget Carleton with Napheesa Collier at center for the remaining stretch of the game.

What makes this decision so audacious is that the Lynx were significantly outrebounded the entire game. So playing this small lineup against a frontcourt of 6-foot-4 Leonie Fiebich, 6-foot-4 Breanna Stewart and 6-foot-6 Jonquel Jones seemed like a crazy decision. But it worked. The Lynx would storm back into the game with this lineup, ultimately winning in overtime, largely in part to the 3:21 sequence that followed Reeve’s risky move:

On the first possession, the Lynx go after Jones in a pick-and-roll action and easily get the matchup they want because the Liberty were switching for most of this game. Williams does a phenomenal job of getting Jones to turn her hips to get past her. With the Lynx players all spaced out to the 3-point line, it leads to an open Hiedeman 3.

The first defensive possession for this lineup really highlights how small the Lynx were and how susceptible they were to giving up easy layups when opting to switch any defensive matchups. Jones gets an easy layup over Hiedeman and Carleton inside. These would be the last two points the Liberty scored in regulation.

Hiedeman is able to attack Courtney Vandersloot in pick-and-roll on the next possession, collapsing the defense and forcing Jones to come over and help, which leaves Collier open for an easy midrange jumper.

After getting a huge defensive stop by intensifying the ball pressure on Sabrina Ionescu and Stewart, Williams comes down and drains a midrange pull-up jumper. This shot is wide-open because the Lynx run an empty-side pick-and-roll with Collier, and both Fiebich and Stewart are afraid to leave her wide open. Williams was the best midrange shooter in the entire WNBA this year, taking a league-best seven shots per game from that area on 46 percent shooting.

On defense, the Lynx were able to get some crucial stops, largely due to the Liberty’s conservative approach. It was clear that New York’s plan was to simply run out the clock, which meant they weren’t generating quality looks during this time, but merely swinging the ball side-to-side without any intention. Notice how long it takes the Liberty to get into their action. By the time Ionescu turns the corner to attack the basket, there are only seven seconds left on the shot clock. The possession is a disaster for New York and leads to a shot clock violation.

Collier would score on the other end by lowering her shoulder into Stewart and touching in a soft jumper, cutting the lead to five. Notice on this play how Williams relentlessly crashes the glass to get this huge offensive rebound, one of five in the entire game for the Lynx. (New York had 20!)

The Lynx were tied for the best defensive rating in the league this year, largely because of possessions like the following. Collier, the Defensive Player of the Year, is capable of switching onto sharpshooting guards like Ionescu, and the rest of the Lynx roster is fantastic at containing dribble penetration, forcing Stewart into another difficult miss. Notice how McBride plays in front of Jones in the post (known as “fronting”) to deny the entry pass that previously led to New York’s only points of this period.

Finally, the Lynx get another huge defensive stop by forcing Ionescu into a difficult floater and Williams makes a huge floater in transition to cut the lead to three. There are several things to notice here, the first being that the Lynx are in drop coverage on this side pick-and-roll. This was one of the very few possessions all game that Minnesota did not switch, and in this case it allows for them to bring an extra defender (Williams) over to prevent any pass to the rolling Jones.

It was the decision by Reeve to play a small-ball lineup during the final stretch of regulation that was the difference. Despite a lack of size being the reason for their 18-point deficit, she doubled down on her scheme and trusted the DPOY and supporting cast to complete the biggest comeback in WNBA Finals history.

The Lynx would outscore the Liberty 15-3 in the final four minutes of the fourth quarter to force overtime and win. I’ve detailed a full breakdown of this unbelievable game in a YouTube video: