September 12, 2021
Minnesota Lynx can finish at the second seed, here’s how
The final week of games can still impact the team’s final seeding
With a week left in the regular season, the Minnesota Lynx are sitting in the top four of the overall league standings and heading to the playoffs for their 11th consecutive season. Although their ticket to the playoffs has been punched for a while, the final week of games can still impact the team’s final seeding.
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Let’s take a look at some possible scenarios of how the Lynx could finish the regular season and what teams/games to watch.
Staying in the fourth seed
If the Seattle Storm go 2-0, this prevents the Lynx from any chance of finishing higher than the fourth seed. For the Lynx to finish lower than fourth, they would have to lose all of their final regular-season games, two against the last-place Indiana Fever. And one against the Washington Mystics, who are hungry to secure the last playoff spot.
If the Minnesota Lynx did lose their final three games, they would need the Mercury to also lose their final two games of the season to the Storm and the Aces for the Lynx to stay in the fourth seed.
Games to watch:
- SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Seattle Storm vs. Los Angeles Sparks 9PM ET on NBATV
- FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 – Phoenix Mercury vs. Seattle Storm @ 10PM ET on NBATV
- SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 Las Vegas Aces vs. Phoenix Mercury @ 3PM ET on ABC
Rise to the third seed
To slide into the third seed, the Lynx can only afford to drop one of their last three games and they would need the Storm to lose at least one game.
The Storm are 4-5 since the Olympic break and are without Breanna Stewart the rest of the regular season. The Sparks are hungry for wins as they fight to nab the last playoff spot.
The Mercury saw their 10-game win streak end with their Sept. 11 loss to the first-place Connecticut Sun but looked like a playoff-ready team. Phoenix is 1-1 in their series against Seattle, both games played before the Olympic break. And both were without Diana Taurasi, who is currently out with a left ankle injury. If Phoenix pulls out a win in Seattle, that’ll be good news for Lynx fans.
Games to watch:
- SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 Seattle Storm vs. Los Angeles Sparks 9PM ET on NBATV
- FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 – Phoenix Mercury vs. Seattle Storm @ 10PM ET on NBATV
Can Minnesota nab the second seed?
There’s a chance the Minnesota Lynx could move up into the second seed, securing that double-bye to avoid the single-elimination rounds. For that to happen, Minnesota would need to win all of their last three games of the season, the Phoenix Mercury would need to win their last two games. And the Las Vegas Aces would need to lose at least two of their last three games.
The Aces are 1-1 in both of their series against the Chicago Sky and the Phoenix Mercury. The Sky have had stretches of being on and off throughout the season. Even though they clinched their playoff spot with their Sept. 5 win over the Aces, Sky general manager and head coach James Wade has said that “making the playoffs is not the goal.” Expect the Sky to come out hard against their Vegas rival.
The Friday, Sept. 17 contest between the Mercury and the Storm plays a part here again. This is a game Lynx fans will want to be sure to tune into.
Games to watch:
- MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 – Dallas Wings vs. Las Vegas Aces @ 3PM ET on NBATV
- FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 – Las Vegas Aces vs. Chicago Sky @ 8PM ET on NBATV
- FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 – Phoenix Mercury vs. Seattle Storm @ 10PM ET on NBATV
- SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 Las Vegas Aces vs. Phoenix Mercury @ 3PM ET on ABC
With the final week of the regular WNBA season upon us, there are plenty of opportunities for final seedings to fluctuate and plenty of games Lynx fans will want to keep their eyes on. A full schedule of the final week of games can be found on wnba.com.
