Minnyme
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Lynx-Sparks has grown into one of best rivalries in women's basketball history Great read on story by Romona Shelburne worth the read. http://www.espn.com/wnba/story/_/id/20896940/minnesota-lynx-los-angeles-sparks-become-one-best-rivalries-wnba-history ....... LOS ANGELES -- Maya Moore sat at her locker and stared off into space. She wasn't playing on her phone or eating or talking to any of her teammates after helping Minnesota to an 80-69 win over Los Angeles on Sunday evening at Staples Center to stave off elimination in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals. She was tired after yet another bone-crushing, heavyweight bout in what has become one of the best rivalries in WNBA history. "I don't know if there's been another [rivalry] like this," Moore said. Teammate Renee Montgomery nodded as Moore spoke. "There hasn't," Montgomery said. For the second straight year, the WNBA Finals between these two teams is heading to a decisive Game 5. Last year the Sparks won on a last-second, game winner by Nneka Ogwumike. The first two games in this year's series were decided by a total of three points. In other words, these WNBA Finals have been exactly what the women's game needed after a decade of dominant teams at the college, professional and Olympic level which took some of the drama out of the sport's biggest moments. .... .................... We say "unfortunate" because winning is never supposed to be a bad thing. Brilliant individual play and dynastic teams are how stars are made and fans are won over for life. Yet far too often in the women's game, dominance has robbed the game of the drama needed to capture the attention and imagination of the casual sports fan. .... That's why the Lynx-Sparks rivalry is so important to the game and to the future Hall of Famers playing in it. Instead of wasting the drama of this series in a Western Conference final, the league last year smartly adjusted its playoff format so the top two teams would meet in the Finals, regardless of conference. In 2005, the league expanded the Finals to a five-game series, and the format lets the drama build as the two best teams adjust and scheme for each other. ... "I've never [had a rivalry] like this," Beard said. "I think it's a combination of talent, how well we know each other, and the competitiveness, which is at another level." .... .......
< Message edited by Minnyme -- 10/4/2017 1:18:27 AM >
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