Rather than run from the controversy that has swirled around the Lynx for much of the past week, coach Cheryl Reeve and forward Rebekkah Brunson took an opportunity Thursday to embrace it.
Speaking to a large media gathering following practice, Reeve and Brunson offered an upbeat message of solidarity despite a smattering of criticism that included some pointed shots from Lt. Bob Kroll, the president of the Minneapolis Police Federation.
Lynx players Saturday wore black warmup shirts to show support for police shooting victims and Dallas police, prompting four off-duty Minneapolis officers working security for the team to walk off the job.
"The silver lining is that it got people talking and that's the important thing right now," said Brunson, one of the team's four captains. "It kept a conversation that may have gotten stunted going. And in talking about it, we have the opportunity to create change."
Reeve and Brunson agreed that the publicity the team has received for off-the-court issues has not been a distraction on the court.
The proof is in the past two games, perhaps the most complete performances of the season for the Lynx. They routed routing Dallas 93-56 and San Antonio 81-57, dominating the stat sheet in the process.
In the two games combined, the Lynx shot 50 percent from the field (75-for-150), held a 94-51 rebounding advantage and committed only 15 turnovers.
"It's no distraction," Brunson said. "We've always been a team that wants to get out into the community and do the best we can to leave them better than they were before we got there.
