Lynx roar into WNBA playoffs with Napheesa Collier leading the way

Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith went to dinner in Turkey last winter.

Collier was the Lynx’s star, a first-team All-WNBA player headed to her second Olympics. Smith was a free agent, coming off a breakthrough season in Chicago.

She was also a post player Collier hated going against.

Join me in Minnesota, Collier said.

It started as a simple recruitment. But, hours in, it became more. It was the beginning, as they say in the movies, of a beautiful friendship.

“She is able to receive,” Smith said.

So what does that mean? Collier is a Hall of Fame-caliber player who listens. Lynx guard Courtney Williams, who has played in two WNBA Finals, said Collier is the most humble star she has known.

“She is the most selfless superstar in the league,” Kayla McBride said. “She lets people feel comfortable in their own skin.”

The Lynx will open the WNBA playoffs Sunday against Phoenix at Target Center, the first game of a best-of-three series.

Projected by many to be fighting just to get into the playoffs, they are the No. 2 seed. Described by some as a nice little team that could surprise, they have stunned — 30-10, winners of 14 of their past 16 games. Lynx President of Basketball Operations and coach Cheryl Reeve has assembled a team that complements what Collier does; after the Lynx won at No. 1 New York last week, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said the Lynx were a team perfectly constructed to play with Collier.

Her teammates, her coaches, would of course agree. But they mean it in a sense that goes beyond the basketball court.

“Being around her, you’d never know she was a superstar,” Williams said. “That, in itself, speaks volumes.”

The hallmark of this Lynx team is connected by the way they play. They are unselfish, they make the extra pass. They lead the league in assists (23.0), getting them on nearly 76.4% of their baskets. They also have the second-best defensive rating in the league. It is not possible to defend, consistently, without connection.

Reeve has assembled a roster that can shoot; they have four of the top 10 three-point shooters in the league in Cecilia Zandalasini, Bridget Carleton, McBride and Smith. All are capable of making any team pay for doubling up on Collier. And they have seven players averaging 2.4 or more assists.

And it starts with Collier. “We wouldn’t have this selfless style without a superstar like Phee,” Smith said. “Because she’s the first to be selfless. When your best player is like that, you have no choice but to follow.”

After winning in New York, Reeve reiterated the season’s theme: The Lynx aren’t a super team, they are a collective.

Teams often assume the personality of their best player. If that player is selfish, the team — especially under pressure — could be the same. If the best player points fingers, her teammates might deflect blame. But if the team’s best player is about winning, no matter the stats?

“It takes a special person to lead the way she leads,” Williams said. “She gives us space to be ourselves. So we play for each other.”

To Collier, it’s a no-brainer.

“We play well as a team,” she said. “We all highlight each other’s strengths. That’s our super power. We’re not a super team, but that’s our super power.”

But someone has to wear the cape.

Collier averaged 20.4 points (fifth in the league), 9.7 rebounds (third), 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals (third) and 1.4 blocks (seventh). She is No. 1 in the league in defensive rating; A’ja Wilson of Las Vegas is favored to win her third MVP trophy, but Collier will very likely be the runner-up.

Where she isn’t in the top 10 is usage. Collier might stir the drink, but there are a lot of ingredients.

Still, there are times when Williams will watch Collier play, think she’s having an average game, then look up to see 25 points and 10 rebounds.

That’s kind of Collier’s super power. Other than, of course, her ability to score at all levels. Reeve said nobody works harder than Collier, practice or game.

“It’s fascinating what gets covered, what gets you paid these days,” Reeve said. “Steady isn’t sexy. But consistently doing ordinary things well is what makes a great player. A great team. It’s not extraordinary acts, it’s doing normal things well.”

Collier should win WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. But if it’s possible, her season has played out under the radar.

“We go as she goes,” McBride said. “She understands the value of what we bring as a collective. She knows what it takes to win. But she knows what she needs to be for us.”

As Reeve said, Collier is not loud.

She’s working on it.

Prodded by her coaches, Collier has pushed the volume with officials when she feels she’s not getting calls. In one game against Seattle this season, Collier was wrestled to the floor by the Storm’s Nneka Ogwumike in the fourth quarter. They got in each other’s faces before Collier waved “bye-bye” with both hands in a game the Lynx would win by 19 points. As part of their promotion for Collier with awards season approaching, the Lynx sent out a set of hot sauces, with “Nicey and Spicy” on the box.

For the record, her teammates like spicy Collier. But they love nice.

“Napheesa shows up,” McBride said. “Dinner? She’s there. Someone having a barbecue? She’s there.”

McBride and Smith both say being a mom to daughter, Mila, has only made Collier more giving as a teammate.

Why would it be different?

“I could be more selfish,” Collier said. “But I don’t want to be. The hardest way to guard us is when everyone is a threat. As a team we have to capitalize on everyone’s strengths. And that’s what we’re doing.”

Williams suggests fans take a close look at the Lynx huddle when things aren’t going well. Like in New York, when a 26-point third-quarter lead was down to eight in the fourth. Or in Connecticut, when a nine-point fourth-quarter lead had disappeared.

“How well do you lead then?” Williams said. “What kind of superstar are you when things aren’t going well? She’s the same. Some stars you get attitude. Some stars demean. Phee? Solid.”

That has translated into wins, lots of them. Including both of the above.

Carleton’s three-pointer won Tuesday’s game in Connecticut, and Collier was the first to meet her at half-court.

“It’s fun to be a part of this team,” Collier said. “This is honestly the most fun I’ve had. Obviously winning contributes to that, but it’s also the chemistry we have on this team. So many personalities, but we mesh. We all want to hang out with each other. In the WNBA you don’t have that a lot.”

Smith said she will look back on this season as the most unproblematic one she’s had.

“It’s hard not to have drama on a team,” Smith said. “To go through an entire season, zero drama? Unheard of.”

She credits Collier for a lot of that.

“And I’m hoping we’ll also remember this as a championship season,” Smith said.