"In the last game of the regular season, with the top seed firmly locked up, Minnesota's starters still played heavy minutes against the Golden State Valkyries, a win that dropped the Valks to the No. 8 seed and moved Seattle to No. 7. Perhaps the Lynx wanted to avoid another round of Electric Slide taunting from Skylar Diggins. Perhaps they wanted MVP candidate Napheesa Collier to juice her numbers a little more."
"If the Lynx arrived in the Finals with a real flaw last year, it was the team's relative lack of size in the frontcourt. Collier plays up so well that you don't notice her true height (6-foot-1) on most nights. It's a little more noticeable on nights when she's suiting up against teams with deep frontcourt rotations, like Seattle or Atlanta, both of whom played the Lynx tough in the regular season."
The Minnesota Lynx finished the regular season preserving the top seed while still playing starters heavy minutes in a finale that affected seeding. The win over Golden State dropped the Valkyries to No. 8 and moved Seattle to No. 7. Motivations for the minutes included avoiding an unfavorable matchup and boosting Napheesa Collier's numbers. The Lynx possess elite perimeter and small-ball strengths, but a relative lack of frontcourt size remains a clear vulnerability. Collier often outperforms her listed height, yet matchups against teams with deep, tall rotations have exposed Minnesota, particularly at center and on jump balls.
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