WNBA Playoffs 2011 – Top ten games of the post season: Part 1
On October 7, 2011, the 2011WNBA season concluded with the Minnesota Lynx winning their first ever title. The WNBA post season this year featured some game which went right down to the wire. Yet, there were some games, especially
in the Western Conference Finals between Lynx and Phoenix Mercury, which failed to live up to their expectations. In this piece, we will look back at ten of the best games in this year’s playoffs.
Western Conference Semi-finals Game-1:
Minnesota Lynx 66 – San Antonio Silver Stars 65
The game-1 of the best-of-three Western Conference Semi-final series between the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx and fourth-seeded San Antonio Silver Stars was one of the closest games in the playoffs.
In a game that went right down to the wire Seimone Augustus hit a go-ahead jumper with 53 seconds remaining and Lindsay Whalen made a steal with 3.9 seconds left as Minnesota beat San Antonio 66-65 in their playoff opener on September
16 at the Target Center.
Whalen led all scorers with 20 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished out five assists and stole the ball three times. Augustus also had an impressive game for Minnesota with 19 points while rookie Maya Moore ended with 10 points
in the victory.
Danielle Adams and Becky Hammon led the Silver Stars with 16 points each while Sophia Young and Jia Perkins posted 10 points apiece in the losing effort.
San Antonio came out strong in the first game of the series, keeping up with the league-best Minnesota, and held a 35-32 lead at halftime.
Minnesota however made inroads in the third and outscored San Antonio by five points to carry a 53-51 lead, heading into the fourth.
The Silver Stars overcame the deficit quickly in the fourth quarter and kept the game close for most of the quarter. With 01:10 to go in the final buzzer, the Silver Star got a 65-64 lead. However, Minnesota put the clamps on the
Silver Stars offense in the last minute as Lynx squeaked through down the stretch.
Eastern Conference Semi-finals Game-1:
Indiana Fever 74 – New York Liberty 72
Yet another thrilling game in the playoffs was witnessed in the opening game of Eastern Conference semi-final series between Indiana Fever and New York Liberty.
Both the team battled hard throughout the game and were tied at 72 with 1.5 seconds to go in the final buzzer. However, at that point, Indiana guard Erin Phillips knocked down a game-winning turnaround jumper right into the hearts
of Liberty to carve out 74-72 win on September 15 at the Conseco Fieldhouse.
“I really did not think too much of it or put myself under pressure,'' Phillips said of her career’s first game-winning shot.
Indiana’s guard forward Katie Douglas racked up a game-high 25 points on 4 for 7 shooting from three-point range and grabbed six rebounds. Tamika Catchings added 15 points, pulled down six rebounds and also had three steals. Tammy
Sutton-Brown also had 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks for Indiana.
Cappie Pondexter led New York Liberty with 18 points, six assists, five rebounds and two blocks while Nicole Powell and Kia Vaughn tallied 12 and 10 points, respectively that night.
Although Indiana only hit on 43.6 percent from the field, the defence was able to hold the visiting team to just 40.6 percent.
Indiana got off to a superb start, taking a 28-16 lead after first quarter and a 44-34 advantage at halftime. Liberty however stepped up to the occasion in the third quarter, outscoring Fever 24-18 to trim their deficit to four,
62-58.
Indiana could not sustain the advantage in the fourth quarter as New York found its way to knot the game at 72 late. What followed a feat of brilliance from Erin that sealed the game.
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