Lynx, Sparks knotted at 1-1 as series shifts to L.A. (Sep 28, 2017)
The 2017 WNBA Finals head into Game 3 of a contentious battle between Los Angeles and the Minnesota Lynx as the Sparks play host for the first time in the series on Friday at Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles.
The best-of-five series is tied 1-1.
In Game 1 on Sunday night in Williams Arena, the Sparks narrowly prevailed 85-84 after giving up a first quarter lead of 28-2.
On Monday, the Lynx battled back for a tight 70-68 victory after earlier having a 20-point lead.
With both teams so equally matched, the outcome of Game 3 is anything but a given and both teams will be battling hard in the first quarter to establish dominance.
"It'll be a test of wills," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said.
Earlier in the week, she had harsh words for her team after falling behind in the first eight minutes of Sunday's game, a correction they made in Game 2 when they were ahead by 15 points in the first eight minutes.
"Each team is trying to establish themselves early," Reeve said. "It's a possession game. You've got play hard. You've got to play with passion in everything that you're doing, and we didn't do that in Game 1."
Sparks star Candace Parker said much the same about her team's game plan for Game 3.
"It's having a sense of urgency," said the two-time WNBA MVP. "Who started out with the first punch? We were able to work our way back into Game 2 and they were able to work their way back into Game 1 but it's starting out with a sense of urgency."
Starting strong is key for the Sparks. It's about, she said, "whoever is dictating the game."
That much was noticeable in Game 2 as the Sparks' slow start meant they shot 28 percent in the first two quarters.
"If we're hesitant," Parker said, "it affects us."
The games so far have been marked by intense, physical battles.
"It is intense," said Sylvia Fowles, who set a WNBA Finals record of 17 rebounds for the Lynx in Game 2, breaking an earlier record set in 2005. "That's what it comes down to. A lot of physicality."
Both teams, she said, are gritty. "That's what you expect," Fowles said, "You see a lot of similarities in both teams."
The battle will continue at Staples Center, where both teams are preparing for another intense match up, with both agreeing home court advantage has almost no meaning in a series so evenly matched.
"If you look at last year's series," Sparks coach Brian Agler said, "this year, head-to-head, last year head-to-head, we won on each other's court. So I don't know how much home court means."
What it comes down to was summed up by Reeve in one word: "Talent."
"That's what makes it so good," Reeve said. "There's really, really good players on both teams. That's what you see."