The Lynx are in the WNBA finals: How to join the bandwagon

The Lynx are heading into their first WNBA Finals series in seven years.

The team topped the Connecticut Sun during the semifinals to punch a ticket to Brooklyn against the No. 1-seeded New York Liberty. This matchup was far from a sure bet at the beginning of the season.

The Lynx won a combined 33 games in 2022 and 2023, posting losing records in both seasons. This year? The team took first place in the Western Conference with 30 wins and 10 losses. Of all the teams in the WNBA, only the Liberty posted more victories with 32 wins.

The stakes are high for both teams. The Lynx are looking for their first championship in seven years — their fifth overall. And the Liberty will compete for their first franchise championship one season after losing in the finals against the Las Vegas Aces.

Here are some key players and facts that’ll make it easy for aspiring Lynx fans to hop on the bandwagon:

Three Lynx players took part in this summer’s Paris Olympics — all of them for different teams. Napheesa Collier helped lead Team USA to its eighth consecutive gold medal alongside Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury and A’Ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu of the New York Liberty.

Alanna Smith played for her native Australia and won bronze this year. Bridget Carleton played for Team Canada.

Collier was named the WNBA’s defensive player of the year after the end of the regular season. She’s also one of the league’s leading scorers: Collier averaged 20.4 points per game during the regular season and 37.4 during the playoffs.

Collier came to the Lynx from UConn as the sixth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA Draft. She won Rookie of the Year that season.

She’s also known as a generous teammate. In fact, Coach Cheryl Reeve had to tell Collier to be more selfish during the 2022 season when she kept deferring to other players on the court.

“It helped me break through a wall, mentally,” Collier said. “To be more aggressive. I know what I’m capable of.”

She’s undoubtedly a franchise mascot of sorts these days. Fans who visited Target Center for the semifinals against the Sun found small towels featuring Collier draped over their seats. Last month, the Lynx hosted a Collier bobblehead giveaway.

Williams approaches the court with a little more swagger than any other player who routinely hits the paint at Target Center. The Lynx celebrate wins at home in a very specific way — more on that later — and Williams adds a bit of gusto to her part of the proceedings.

Simply put, she might have the most drip of any pro basketball in Minnesota.

Williams played for the University of South Florida and played for the Phoenix Mercury after the team selected her as the eighth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft. She bounced around the league before landing with the Lynx this season.

Near the end of the pre-season, Williams ruptured a ligament in her right thumb as she was playing defense during practice. Rather than head to the hospital, she wrapped tape around the wound and kept playing.

“I was supposed to get surgery,” Williams said. “And be out for 10 weeks. I played through it.”

Never one to shy away from a challenge, Smith has consistently been tasked with defending some of the tallest players in the WNBA. Reeve said the Lynx have put Smith into “some tough situations” but that the center from Australia makes life difficult for anyone she’s playing against.

Smith’s comeback story mirrors that of the Lynx.

She was cut from the Indiana Fever two years ago and rebounded with a breakthrough year with the Chicago Sky. The Lynx scooped her up this season and she was named one of the league’s most improved players.

The Lynx celebrate each victory on their home court with a line dance. Once the final buzzer sounds off, you’ll want to stick around to watch the team gather for the Electric Slide.