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Dates | October 2 – 7 | |||||||||
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MVP | ![]() | |||||||||
Hall of Famers | Lynx: Seimone Augustus (2024) Lindsay Whalen (2022) | |||||||||
Eastern Finals | Atlanta defeated Indiana, 2–1 | |||||||||
Western Finals | Minnesota defeated Phoenix, 2–0 | |||||||||
The 2011 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2011 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Minnesota Lynx, champions of the Western Conference, swept the champions of the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Dream in three games.
The WNBA Finals was under a 2–2–1 rotation. The Lynx held home-court advantage as they had a better regular season record (27–7) than the Dream (20–14). The 2011 Finals marked the first time the teams met in the championship round. The Lynx made their first ever appearance in the Finals while the Dream were making their second consecutive appearance, after appearing in the 2010 championship series.
Prior to 2011 the Minnesota franchise had not won a playoff series. They had not qualified for the postseason since 2004. Only four players had postseason experience: Rebekkah Brunson, Alexis Hornbuckle, Taj McWilliams-Franklin and Lindsay Whalen. To advance to the Finals, the Lynx defeated Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury 2–0 in the Western Conference Finals. Atlanta won its second straight Eastern Conference championship by defeating the top-seeded Indiana Fever 2–1 in the Eastern Conference Finals.
This was the first time in WNBA history that both Finals teams were coached by women. Minnesota's Cheryl Reeve had been involved with the WNBA since 2001; she won championships with the Detroit Shock in 2006 and 2008 as an assistant to Bill Laimbeer. This was the second consecutive Finals series to feature the most recent Coach of the Year; Reeve won the award in 2011 (Seattle's Brian Agler won in 2010). Atlanta's Marynell Meadors, the 2009 Coach of the Year, was one of the league's original eight head coaches, leading the Charlotte Sting to a 15–13 record in their inaugural season.
The 2011 WNBA Finals were the first since 2005 to feature two teams that had not previously won a WNBA championship.
The Lynx won the opening game of the series 88–74, using a 13–0 run at the start of the fourth quarter to break open a close game. They then won their second home game 101-95 behind 36 points from Seimone Augustus. Dream forward Angel McCoughtry scored 35 points in Game 1 and 38 in Game 2, matching and surpassing her finals scoring record from 2010.
In Game 3, the Lynx trailed the Dream at halftime again, but shut down the Dream in the third quarter, holding them to eight points and taking a seven-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Dream closed to within one point in the fourth quarter, but never retook the lead; the Lynx won the game 73–67, clinching their first title. It was the first professional sports championship for the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota Twins won the 1991 World Series.
Eastern Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
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Indiana Fever x | 21 | 13 | .618 | – | 13–4 | 8–9 | 13–9 |
Connecticut Sun x | 21 | 13 | .618 | – | 15–2 | 6–11 | 14–8 |
Atlanta Dream x | 20 | 14 | .588 | 1.0 | 11–6 | 9–8 | 14–8 |
New York Liberty x | 19 | 15 | .559 | 2.0 | 12-5 | 7–10 | 11–11 |
Chicago Sky o | 14 | 20 | .412 | 7.0 | 10–7 | 4–13 | 10–12 |
Washington Mystics o | 6 | 28 | .176 | 15.0 | 4–13 | 2–15 | 4–18 |
Western Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
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Minnesota Lynx x | 27 | 7 | .794 | – | 14–3 | 13–4 | 18–4 |
Seattle Storm x | 21 | 13 | .618 | 6.0 | 15–2 | 6–11 | 15–7 |
Phoenix Mercury x | 19 | 15 | .559 | 8.0 | 11–6 | 8–9 | 11–11 |
San Antonio Silver Stars x | 18 | 16 | .529 | 9.0 | 9–8 | 9–8 | 11–11 |
Los Angeles Sparks o | 15 | 19 | .441 | 12.0 | 10–7 | 5–12 | 10–12 |
Tulsa Shock o | 3 | 31 | .088 | 24.0 | 2–15 | 1–16 | 1–21 |
Minnesota Lynx | Atlanta Dream | ||
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27–7 (.794) 1st West, 1st overall | Seeding | 20–14 (.588) 3rd East, 5th overall | |
Defeated the (4) San Antonio Silver Stars, 2-1 | Conference Semifinals | Defeated the (2) Connecticut Sun, 2-0 | |
Defeated the (3) Phoenix Mercury, 2–0 | Conference Finals | Defeated the (1) Indiana Fever, 2–1 |
The Lynx won the regular season series:
No TV |
June 17, 2011 |
Atlanta Dream 85, Minnesota Lynx 96 | ||
Pts: McCoughtry (27) Rebs: de Souza (11) Asts: Castro Marques (4) | Pts: Augustus (25) Rebs: Brunson (14) Asts: Whalen (8) |
June 19, 2011 |
Minnesota Lynx 77, Atlanta Dream 64 | ||
Pts: Augustus (19) Rebs: McWilliams-Franklin (12) Asts: Moore, Whalen (5) | Pts: Harding (14) Rebs: de Souza (12) Asts: Harding, Miller (3) |
Again, the Dream advanced to the WNBA Finals for the second straight year by overcoming not having homecourt advantage in the first two rounds of the playoffs. The Atlanta Dream faced adversity early in the season due to Sancho Lyttle's overseas commitments and an injury to Angel McCoughtry. To the advantage of the Dream, the core group of players returned from the team's 2010 run to the Finals. The addition of former first-overall draft pick Lindsey Harding as starting point guard helped the team even further. After starting the season with a dreadful 3–9 record, the Dream caught fire to go 17–5 to finish the season and entered the playoffs with the same momentum. As the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, the Dream eliminated the No. 2 seeded Connecticut Sun in a two-game sweep during the conference playoff semifinals. In the Eastern Conference finals, the Dream went on to eliminate the top-seeded Indiana Fever in three games.
Though they had not previously won a playoff series in franchise history, the Minnesota Lynx entered the season with a significant amount of buzz after drafting Maya Moore first overall in the 2011 WNBA draft. [1] The addition of Moore, along with the full recovery of Seimone Augustus from abdominal surgery, was seen as the final piece that could propel the Lynx from perennial also-ran status to a potential playoff run. [2] The Lynx ultimately finished with the best record in the WNBA and in franchise history, finishing the regular season with a 27–7 record. As the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, the Lynx eliminated the No. 4 seeded San Antonio Silver Stars in three games during the conference playoff semifinals. In the Western Conference finals, the Lynx went on to eliminate the Phoenix Mercury in two games.
Game | Date | Home team | Result | Road team |
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Game 1 | Sunday, October 2 | Minnesota Lynx | 88–74 (1–0) | Atlanta Dream |
Game 2 | Wednesday, October 5 | Minnesota Lynx | 101–95 (2–0) | Atlanta Dream |
Game 3 | Friday, October 7 | Atlanta Dream | 67–73 (0–3) | Minnesota Lynx |
October 2 8:30pm ET |
Atlanta Dream 74, Minnesota Lynx 88 | ||
Scoring by quarter:18-14, 21-22, 23-26, 13-26 | ||
Pts: McCoughtry (33) Rebs: Bales (9) Asts: Harding (5) Stls: McCoughtry (3) | Pts: Brunson (26) Rebs: Brunson (11) Asts: Augustus (7) FG: Brunson (10–15) | |
Minnesota leads the series, 1–0 |
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 15,258 Referees: #55 Eric Brewton #9 Denise Brooks #42 Roy Gulbeyan |
Rebekkah Brunson had 26 points and 11 rebounds and Seimone Augustus added 22 points to lead the Lynx to an 88–74 victory over the Dream.
Lindsay Whalen added 15 points and six assists and the Lynx turned a close game into a runaway with a 13–0 run to open the fourth quarter. Taj McWilliams-Franklin added eight points and 10 boards while battling an illness.
Angel McCoughtry scored 19 of her 33 points in the third quarter and Lindsey Harding scored 20 points for the Dream.
Atlanta led by 12 points midway through the second quarter and three at halftime. The Lynx evened the score after three quarters at 62 each. With starting center Erika de Souza missing the game while playing for Brazil in an Olympic qualifying tournament, the Dream were outrebounded 40–28 and outscored in the paint 52–30.
The Lynx blocked a WNBA finals record 11 shots and held Atlanta to 37 percent shooting in their first finals game in franchise history.
The crowd of 15,258 was the second-largest in franchise history.
October 5 8:00 PM ET |
Atlanta Dream 95, Minnesota Lynx 101 | ||
Scoring by quarter:28-22, 30-28, 16-19, 21-32 | ||
Pts: McCoughtry (38) Rebs: de Souza (10) Asts: Harding (7) FT: McCoughtry (16–21) | Pts: Augustus (36) Rebs: Augustus (8) Asts: Whalen (4) FG: Augustus (11–14) | |
Minnesota leads the series, 2–0 |
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN Attendance: 15,124 Referees: #4 Sue Blauch #18 Kurt Walker #38 Lamont Simpson |
Seimone Augustus scored 36 points to lead Minnesota's second-half surge, and the Lynx beat the Atlanta Dream 101–95 in Game 2 of the league championship series.
Jessica Adair added 13 points in 18 minutes in a reserve role for the Lynx, who took a 2–0 lead in the best-of-five matchup by overcoming 38 points by the Dream's Angel McCoughtry, who broke her own finals scoring record of 35, set against the Seattle Storm in 2010.
With veteran center Taj McWilliams-Franklin on the bench with a sprained right knee, WNBA Rookie of the Year Maya Moore sitting for most of the game in foul trouble and fellow All-Star Rebekkah Brunson having a quiet game, Augustus took over.
The Lynx took a 77–76 lead early in the fourth, their first edge since 20–19, and used a 10–0 spurt to turn an 85–81 deficit with five minutes to go into a comfortable lead in the closing minutes.
McCoughtry had 24 points in the first half on 8 for 9 shooting, but she shot just 2 for 13 after halftime. Atlanta criticized the officiating of Sue Blauch, Lamont Simpson and Kurt Walker, noting that the Lynx had received 33 foul calls to 23 for Atlanta. [3]
Iziane Castro Marques was twice fouled while taking a 3-pointer and made only one of those six free-throw attempts. Lindsey Harding had 10 of her 14 points in the first half for the Dream. Erika de Souza finished with eight points and 10 rebounds.
October 7 8:00pm ET |
Minnesota Lynx 73, Atlanta Dream 67 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 17–20, 16–17, 19–8, 21–22 | ||
Pts: Augustus (16) Rebs: Brunson (9) Asts: Augustus, McWilliams-Franklin (4) 3PFG: Wiggins (3–6) | Pts: McCoughtry (22) Rebs: de Souza (15) Asts: Harding (7) Stls: Price (5) | |
Minnesota won the series, 3–0 |
Philips Arena, Atlanta, GA Attendance: 11,543 Referees: #39 Michael Price #8 Daryl Humphrey #13 Cameron Inouye |
Seimone Augustus and the Minnesota Lynx turned up the defensive pressure on Angel McCoughtry and the Atlanta Dream.
Augustus had 16 points and Maya Moore, returning to her Atlanta home, had 15–including a key 3-pointer late in the game–to lead a balanced scoring attack as the Lynx won their first WNBA title.
McCoughtry had a game-high 22 points, including nine in the fourth quarter. McCoughtry made only 9 of 25 shots as the Dream were held to 34.6 percent shooting from the field.
Erika de Souza, who had 11 points, was Atlanta's only other scorer in double figures.
Minnesota had four scorers in double figures as Rebekkah Brunson had 13 points and nine rebounds and Candice Wiggins had 10 points.
Poor shooting from the field forced Atlanta to foul in the final minute.
Two free throws by Taj McWilliams-Franklin and another by Lindsay Whalen pushed the lead to 67–63. Following a miss by Izi Castro Marques, McWilliams-Franklin added two more free throws with 35 seconds remaining.
McCoughtry had two late layups, but the Dream could come no closer than four points in the final 30 seconds.
Seimone Augustus was named Finals MVP, averaging 24.7 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.7 assists per game in the series and shooting 58.7% (27–46) from the floor.
2011 Minnesota Lynx Finals roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Minnesota Lynx are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis, playing in the Western Conference in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team won the WNBA title in 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2017.
Lindsay Marie Whalen is a former professional basketball player and coach. She most recently served as the head coach at Minnesota.
Seimone Delicia Augustus is an American former professional basketball player who is one of the most recognizable faces in the WNBA. After retiring as a player in 2020, she was an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for two seasons. She was drafted first overall by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2006 draft; and played for the Lynx for most of her WNBA career except for her final season in 2020 with the Los Angeles Sparks. An eight-time All-Star and the 2011 finals MVP, Augustus led the Lynx to four WNBA championships. She also won three gold medals in the Olympics on the U.S. national team.
Rebekkah Brunson is an American basketball coach and broadcast analyst. She is currently an assistant coach with the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). Brunson is a former forward for the Lynx and is the only player to win five WNBA championships. She held the WNBA record for rebounding, which she ceded to Lynx center Sylvia Fowles in 2020.
Angel Lajuane McCoughtry is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and a two-time Olympic gold medalist. McCoughtry completed her college career at the University of Louisville in 2009. She was selected first overall by the Atlanta Dream in the 2009 WNBA draft and was considered its franchise player during her tenure with the team. McCoughtry has also played overseas in Turkey, Slovakia, Lebanon, Hungary and Russia.
The 2010 WNBA Finals was the championship series of the 2010 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The champions of the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Dream, faced the champions of the Western Conference, the Seattle Storm.
Cheryl Reeve is an American basketball head coach and President of Basketball Operations for the Minnesota Lynx of the WNBA. Reeve has coached the Lynx to four league championships. In WNBA history, she has the highest winning percentage, she has won the most games of any female coach, and she has won the most postseason games of any coach. Reeve was named the WNBA Coach of the Year in 2011, 2016, and 2020 and WNBA Basketball Executive of the Year in 2019.
The 2011 WNBA season is the 4th season for the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Dream finished the regular season with a 20-14 record, good for third-best in the Eastern Conference. The Dream then won their second consecutive Eastern Conference Championship. The Dream made their way to the WNBA Finals before being swept by the Minnesota Lynx.
The 2011 WNBA season is the 13th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Lynx qualified for the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2004 and won their first Western Conference championship.
The 2012 WNBA season is the 14th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Lynx were the defending WNBA Champions, having won the 2011 WNBA Finals over the Atlanta Dream. The Lynx qualified for the playoffs, and finished with the best record in the WNBA. On October 7, 2012, the Lynx won their second straight WNBA Western Conference championship, earning a spot in the 2012 WNBA finals.
The 2013 WNBA season was the 17th season of the Women's National Basketball Association. The regular season began on May 24, and playoffs concluded on October 10. The Minnesota Lynx won their second league championship, defeating the Atlanta Dream three games to none in the 2013 WNBA Finals. The year represented a positive turning point for the long-struggling league. Both attendance and television viewership were up, driven by an influx of talented rookies, multiple teams reported that they were near a break-even point, and at least one franchise announced that it was profitable.
The 2013 WNBA Finals was the playoff series for the 2013 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. The Minnesota Lynx, champions of the Western Conference, defeated the Atlanta Dream, champions of the Eastern Conference.
The 2013 WNBA season was the 15th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Lynx won their second WNBA Championship in three years, and led the league in wins for the third straight season.
The 2013 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on July 27, 2013, at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT, the current home of the Connecticut Sun. This was the 11th edition of the WNBA All-Star Game, and was played during the 2013 WNBA season. This was the third time the event had been held in Connecticut, the others being the 2005 and 2009 games.
The 2014 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 19, 2014 at the venue then known as US Airways Center in Phoenix, Arizona, the current home of the Phoenix Mercury. This was the 12th edition of the WNBA All-Star Game, and was played during the 2014 WNBA season. This was the second time the event had been held in Phoenix, the other being the 2000 game.
The 2016 WNBA season of the Minnesota Lynx is the 18th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Lynx were the defending WNBA champions. The Lynx finished with a record of 28–6, finishing first in the Western Conference and qualifying for the playoffs. Minnesota advanced to their second straight Finals. Their 2016 roster included five competitors in the 2016 Rio Olympics as well as seven current or previous all-stars with an astonishing 22 total past selections to the all-star game between them.
The 2017 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game played on July 22, 2017. The Seattle Storm hosted a WNBA All-Star Game for the first time.
The 2017 WNBA season of the Minnesota Lynx is their 19th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Lynx finished the 2016 season with a record of 28–6, finishing first in the Western Conference and qualifying for the playoffs, before ultimately beating Los Angeles in the WNBA Finals to win their league-tying best fourth championship.
The 2018 WNBA season of the Minnesota Lynx was their 20th season in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Lynx finished the 2017 season with a record of 27–7, finishing first in the Western Conference and qualifying for the playoffs, before ultimately beating Los Angeles in the WNBA Finals to win their league-tying best fourth championship.
This page details the all-time statistics, records, and other achievements pertaining to the Minnesota Lynx.