In terms of the regular season standings, the match between the Lynx and the Liberty the other day counts for squat. Make no mistake, however; all the players that saw action did their best in an effort to win. The desire to emerge victorious stemmed from the stakes involved — in part from the Commissioner’s Cup Trophy, and in larger measure because of the $500,000 prize, that awaited them. And, in terms of entertainment value, the set-to did not disappoint. The outcome hung on the balance until the dying seconds, with the final score effectively preserving a streak that coincided with the tournament’s inception four years ago.
Indeed, the Lynx ensured yet another Commissioner’s Cup triumph for visitors. To be sure, the Liberty were handicapped, compelled to “host” the title encounter at the UBS Arena, some 20-odd miles from the Barclays Center, their actual home. To contend that it was a missed opportunity for the WNBA would be an understatement; they could have made sure the schedule did not conflict with the rookie draft of the National Basketball Association, their principal stakeholder, were they armed with foresight. Instead, they had fans of the defending champions make the trip east, leading to plenty of empty seats and an announced crowd of 7,015.
In any case, those who took the time to travel — or had access to Amazon Prime — were rewarded with a humdinger. For 40 minutes, the protagonists did battle on both ends of the court. The journey wasn’t pretty at times, with the third quarter especially indicative of less-than-stellar shooting. That said, their intentions were clear. And, yes, the payoff period wound up being the best by far. When the battlesmoke cleared, the Lynx had done enough to take the crown.
For all intents, winning head coach Cheryl Reeve’s post-mortem was telling. She wasted no time using it to rail against the “superteam” narrative that she felt enveloped the league at the expense of the Lynx. And while her point of view can be argued one way or another, there can be no discounting her right to highlight the competitiveness of her charges. Including a homestand last May, they’ve already beaten the Liberty twice. And of their three losses all told, one was decided by the thinnest of margins in overtime.
Reeve is right. Fans now have “no choice” but to give major props to the Lynx. They haven’t been counted among the elite since all-time-great Maya Moore left in 2018 to work on the wrongful conviction of eventual husband Jonathan Irons. In the intervening years, they’ve missed the playoffs once, lost in the first round twice, lost in the second round once, and lost in the semifinals once. This time around, they figure to go deep in the postseason. And if the Commissioner’s Cup is any indication, they have ample cause to harbor great expectations.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
