If you start 3-13 in the NFL, your name might be Les Steckel, your season might be over already, and your coaching tenure might be zapped after just one year.
Even in leagues with longer schedules, a start that dreadful is usually predictive of a lost season. (One local caveat: The 1991 Twins, who started 2-9 and won the World Series).
In the WNBA, with fewer than half the number of games as the NHL or NBA and less than a fourth of the games in MLB, a 3-13 start should be enough to completely wreck a season.
That's what makes this Lynx season so remarkable.
For as uncharacteristic as their lousy 3-13 start was, their recent turnaround might be even more amazing. Now that they have won six of their last eight, including an important double overtime win over Phoenix on Tuesday, they have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs.
How is that possible? Well, several things are working in their favor.
*First and foremost, they are playing much better. It's no fluke they are 6-2 since that dreadful opening, given that they beat the two best teams in the league (Chicago and Vegas) in the process.
*Second, the WNBA season is longer than in years past. At 36 games instead of 32 last year or 34 in other years, the Lynx simply have more time to make up ground.
