They played overseas, ended their seasons, flew to Minnesota, went through COVID protocols and only then — fatigued and jet-lagged — started practicing with the remade Minnesota Lynx.
Kayla McBride, the Lynx's top free-agent signing, arrived just in time to play in the regular-season opener, but not in time to know the plays.
Napheesa Collier, their rising star, missed three games, and on Sunday night her coach, Cheryl Reeve, said she still doesn't know the plays. "Hopefully, the more she plays, the more knowledgeable she'll get," Reeve said. "I asked her, 'Could you act like you've been here for a couple of years?' "
Pointed humor works pretty well after you've won three straight with your most efficient and dominant performance of the season.
Facing a remarkably difficult opening stretch of games, the Lynx held what Reeve called a "terrible" training camp, then started 0-4. They were playing poorly against excellent teams.
On Sunday night at Target Center, McBride and Collier turned in dominating performances as the Lynx won their third straight with their best first half and total game performance of the season in a fast-paced 100-80 victory over Atlanta.
McBride unleashed her quick-release shot accurately enough to score a season-high 19 points.
Collier showed off the versatility that makes her a difficult matchup for almost any opponent.