Jump to content

2011 Minnesota Lynx season

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2011 Minnesota Lynx season
CoachCheryl Reeve
ArenaTarget Center
Attendance8,447 per game
Results
Record27–7 (.794)
Place1st (Western)
Playoff finishWon WNBA Finals
Team Leaders
PointsAugustus (16.2)
ReboundsBrunson (8.9)
AssistsWhalen (5.9)
Media
RadioKLCI
TelevisionFS-N
ESPN2, NBATV

The 2011 WNBA season is the 13th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Lynx qualified for the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2004 and won their first Western Conference championship.

The Lynx finished the season with a 27–7 record, best in the WNBA and the best regular-season record in franchise history. They then defeated the San Antonio Silver Stars in three games and the Phoenix Mercury in two to reach the 2011 WNBA Finals.

The Lynx swept the Atlanta Dream to win their first WNBA championship.

Offseason

[edit]

2011 WNBA draft

[edit]

The Lynx held the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, and surprised nobody by selecting Maya Moore, a 6'0" forward out of Connecticut. Moore had won three consecutive Wade Trophies as the best player in women's college basketball, the only player to have done so. She had also won two championships with the Huskies.[1] The Lynx also held the fourth overall pick, which they used to select Amber Harris from Xavier. Both Moore and Harris would ultimately make the team out of training camp.

In the second round, the Lynx selected Jessica Breland, Felicia Chester, and Kachine Alexander. The Lynx ultimately released Alexander.

Round Pick Player Nationality School/team/country
1 1 Maya Moore  United States Connecticut
1 4 (from Conn.) Amber Harris  United States Xavier
2 13 (from Tul. via Conn.) Jessica Breland  United States North Carolina
2 14 Felicia Chester  United States DePaul
2 26 Kachine Alexander  United States Iowa

Free agency

[edit]

The Lynx declined to re-sign Hamchetou Maiga-Ba and Kristen Mann. Instead, they signed veteran center Taj McWilliams-Franklin and center/forward Jessica Adair, who had played one game with the Lynx in the 2010 season.

Trades

[edit]

The Lynx traded the draft rights to Jessica Breland to the New York Liberty for Angel Robinson and a second-round pick in the 2012 WNBA draft. They traded Felicia Chester to the Atlanta Dream for Rachel Jarry and a second-round pick in the 2012 draft. They traded Quanitra Hollingsworth to the Liberty for the rights to swap third-round picks in the 2012 draft, and they traded Nicky Anosike for a first-round pick in the 2012 draft. The Lynx ultimately waived Jarry and Robinson.

Date Trade
April 9, 2011 To Minnesota Lynx To Washington Mystics
first-round pick in 2012 draft Nicky Anosike
April 11, 2011 To Minnesota Lynx To New York Liberty
Angel Robinson and a second-round pick in 2012 draft Jessica Breland
April 11, 2011 To Minnesota Lynx To Atlanta Dream
Rachel Jarry and a second-round pick in 2012 draft Felicia Chester
May 27, 2011 To Minnesota Lynx To New York Liberty
right to swap third-round picks in 2012 draft Quanitra Hollingsworth

Transaction log

[edit]
  • February 1: The Lynx signed Jessica Adair.
  • February 18: The Lynx signed Taj McWilliams-Franklin.
  • April 9: The Lynx traded Nicky Anosike to the Washington Mystics in exchange for their first-round pick in the 2012 draft.
  • April 11: The Lynx traded draft rights to Jessica Breland to the New York Liberty for the draft rights to Angel Robinson and New York's second-round pick in the 2012 draft.
  • April 11: The Lynx traded Felecia Chester to the Atlanta Dream for Rachel Jarry and a 2012 second-round draft pick.
  • May 12: The Lynx waived Hamchetou Maiga-Ba.
  • May 27: The Lynx waived Angel Robinson and Kachine Alexander.
  • May 27: The Lynx traded Quanitra Hollingsworth to the New York Liberty in exchange for the right to swap third-round picks in the 2012 draft.

Roster

[edit]
2011 Minnesota Lynx roster
Players Coaches
Pos. # Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs
C 1 United States Adair, Jessica 6' 4" (1.93m) 206 lb (93kg) 12-19-1986 George Washington 1
G/F 33 United States Augustus, Seimone 6' 0" (1.83m) 179 lb (81kg) 04-30-1984 LSU 5
F 32 United States Brunson, Rebekkah 6' 2" (1.88m) 175 lb (79kg) 12-11-1981 Georgetown 7
F 6 United States Harris, Amber 6' 5" (1.96m) 215 lb (98kg) 01-16-1988 Xavier R
G 14 United States Hornbuckle, Alexis 5' 10" (1.78m) 155 lb (70kg) 10-16-1985 Tennessee 3
F 24 United States Houston, Charde 6' 0" (1.83m) 189 lb (86kg) 04-10-1986 Connecticut 3
F/C 8 United States McWilliams-Franklin, Taj 6' 2" (1.88m) 188 lb (85kg) 08-20-1970 St. Edward's 12
F 23 United States Moore, Maya 6' 0" (1.83m) 175 lb (79kg) 06-11-1989 Connecticut R
G 13 United States Whalen, Lindsay 5' 9" (1.75m) 150 lb (68kg) 05-09-1982 Minnesota 7
G 11 United States Wiggins, Candice 5' 11" (1.8m) 154 lb (70kg) 02-14-1987 Stanford 3
G/F 22 United States Wright, Monica 5' 10" (1.78m) 178 lb (81kg) 07-15-1988 Virginia 1
Head coach
United States Cheryl Reeve (La Salle)
Assistant coaches
United States Shelley Patterson (Washington State)
United States Jim Petersen (Minnesota)
Athletic trainer
United States Chuck Barta (Wisconsin-La Crosse)
Assistant trainer
United States Keith Uzpen (Minnesota State-Mankato)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Depth

[edit]
Pos. Starter Bench
C Taj McWilliams-Franklin Jessica Adair
PF Rebekkah Brunson Amber Harris
Charde Houston
SF Maya Moore Monica Wright
SG Seimone Augustus Candice Wiggins
PG Lindsay Whalen Alexis Hornbuckle

Season standings

[edit]
Western Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
Minnesota Lynx x 27 7 .794 14–3 13–4 18–4
Seattle Storm x 21 13 .618 6.0 15–2 6–11 15–7
Phoenix Mercury x 19 15 .559 8.0 11–6 8–9 11–11
San Antonio Silver Stars x 18 16 .529 9.0 9–8 9–8 11–11
Los Angeles Sparks o 15 19 .441 12.0 10–7 5–12 10–12
Tulsa Shock o 3 31 .088 24.0 2–15 1–16 1–21

Schedule

[edit]

Preseason

[edit]
2011 Game Log: Preseason
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
1 May 24 1:00pm Indiana 71–66 Brunson (11) Harris (10) Wright (4) Concordia University
2,055
1–0
2 May 31 7:00pm @ Indiana 76–70 Whalen (12) McWilliams-Franklin (8) Wiggins (4) Conseco Fieldhouse
3,817
2–0

Regular season

[edit]
2011 Game Log: Regular Season
June
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
1 June 3 11:00pm @ Los Angeles NBATV
PRIME
74–82 Moore (21) Brunson (12) Whalen (5) Staples Center
13,589
0–1
2 June 5 3:30pm Los Angeles FS-N
PRIME
86–69 Augustus (17) Brunson (15) Whalen (7) Target Center
10,123
1–1
3 June 7 8:00pm Tulsa 75–65 Brunson (17) Brunson (15) Whalen (4) Target Center
7,713
2–1
4 June 9 10:00pm @ Seattle 81–74 Brunson (22) Brunson (14) Whalen (10) KeyArena
6,291
3–1
5 June 17 8:00pm Atlanta 96–85 Augustus (25) Brunson (14) Whalen (8) Target Center
7,556
4–1
6 June 19 3:00pm @ Atlanta SSO 77–64 Augustus (19) McWilliams-Franklin (12) Moore
Whalen (5)
Philips Arena
7,274
5–1
7 June 24 10:00pm @ Seattle KONG 55–65 Augustus (17) McWilliams-Franklin (8) Whalen (3) KeyArena
7,914
5–2
8 June 26 7:00pm Indiana NBATV
FS-N
75–78 Moore (21) Brunson (11) Whalen (4) Target Center
7,117
5–3
9 June 30 8:00pm @ Tulsa 101–73 Whalen (21) McWilliams-Franklin (9) Whalen (5) BOK Center
3,970
6–3
July
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
10 July 9 8:00pm Connecticut NBATV
FS-N
90–67 Moore (26) Brunson
McWilliams-Franklin (10)
Whalen (8) Target Center
8,205
7–3
11 July 13 1:00pm Phoenix NBATV
FS-N
FS-A
105–112 Augustus (22) Brunson (16) Whalen (6) Target Center
11,820
7–4
12 July 15 7:00pm @ Indiana 80–70 Brunson (20) McWilliams-Franklin (9) Whalen (7) Conseco Fieldhouse
7,538
8–4
13 July 16 8:00pm Seattle 69–62 Augustus (19) Moore (9) McWilliams-Franklin (4) Target Center
7,733
9–4
14 July 20 3:30pm @ Phoenix NBATV
FS-A
106–98 Augustus (25) Augustus
Brunson (6)
Whalen (8) US Airways Center
12,118
10–4
All-Star break
15 July 26 8:00pm Los Angeles 85–72 Augustus (22) McWilliams-Franklin (9) Whalen (7) Target Center
8,044
11–4
16 July 29 8:00pm Seattle 92–67 Augustus
Wiggins (16)
Augustus (5) Moore (6) Target Center
7,856
12–4
17 July 31 3:00pm @ San Antonio NBATV 70–69 Whalen (23) Brunson (13) Whalen (6) AT&T Center
7,260
13–4
August
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
18 August 2 8:00pm Phoenix ESPN2 90–73 Moore (22) McWilliams-Franklin (10) Whalen (5) Target Center
7,126
14–4
19 August 4 8:00pm San Antonio NBATV
FS-SW
62–60 McWilliams-Franklin (18) Brunson (13) Whalen (6) Target Center
8,123
15–4
20 August 7 8:30pm @ Los Angeles NBATV 84–78 Whalen (24) Augustus
Brunson (7)
Whalen (8) Staples Center
13,528
16–4
21 August 9 10:00pm @ Phoenix 80–85 Moore (28) Brunson (11) Whalen (6) US Airways Center
6,726
16–5
22 August 12 8:30pm @ Chicago CN100 79–76 Whalen (16) Brunson (11) Whalen (6) Allstate Arena
6,289
17–5
23 August 14 7:00pm Tulsa NBATV
FS-N
COX
82–54 Augustus (16) Brunson (6) Whalen (9) Target Center
8,388
18–5
24 August 16 7:30pm @ Connecticut CSN-NE 79–108 Whalen (20) Brunson
Moore (5)
McWilliams-Franklin (3) Mohegan Sun Arena
9,323
18–6
25 August 18 7:00pm @ Washington 81–62 Augustus (18) McWilliams-Franklin (7) Whalen (7) Verizon Center
9,483
19–6
26 August 20 8:00pm Los Angeles 87–68 Augustus (17) McWilliams-Franklin (8) Whalen (5) Target Center
8,816
20–6
27 August 23 8:00pm @ Tulsa 78–72 McWilliams-Franklin (18) Brunson (10) McWilliams-Franklin
Whalen (4)
BOK Center
3,750
21–6
28 August 26 8:00pm San Antonio NBATV 85–75 Augustus (19) Brunson (8) Whalen (9) Target Center
9,212
22–6
29 August 28 3:00pm @ San Antonio 72–61 Augustus (20) Brunson (14) 4 players (3) AT&T Center
7,924
23–6
30 August 30 8:00pm Washington 73–56 Whalen (21) Brunson (7) Whalen (5) Target Center
8,065
24–6
September
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Record
31 September 2 8:00pm New York 62–78 Augustus (17) Brunson (8) Augustus (6) Target Center
8,929
24–7
32 September 4 4:00pm @ New York 86–68 Moore (19) Brunson
McWilliams-Franklin
Moore (6)
Whalen (7) Prudential Center
8,247
25–7
33 September 8 8:00pm Chicago NBATV
FS-N
CN100
78–69 Augustus (22) Moore
Whalen (7)
Whalen (10) Target Center
8,781
26–7
34 September 11 6:00pm @ Phoenix FS-A 96–90 Augustus
Moore
Wright (15)
Adair (13) Wright (6) US Airways Center
12,666
27–7
All games are viewable on WNBA LiveAccess or ESPN3.com

Postseason

[edit]
2011 Game Log: Postseason
Western Conference Semifinals
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Series
1 September 16 9:00pm San Antonio NBATV 66–65 Whalen (20) Brunson (14) Whalen (5) Target Center
11,891
1–0
2 September 18 5:00pm @ San Antonio ESPN2 75-84 Augustus (24) Brunson (16) Whalen (3) AT&T Center
7,023
1–1
3 September 20 8:00pm San Antonio ESPN2 85–67 Augustus (22) Brunson (9) Augustus
McWilliams-Franklin
Moore (4)
Target Center
8,734
2–1
Western Conference Finals
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Series
1 September 22 9:00pm Phoenix ESPN2 95–67 Augustus (21) Brunson (13) Augustus (7) Target Center
8,912
1–0
2 September 25 5:00pm @ Phoenix ESPN2 103–86 McWilliams-Franklin
Moore (21)
Brunson (9) McWilliams-Franklin (7) US Airways Center
8,617
2–0
WNBA Finals
Game Date Time (ET) Opponent TV Score High points High rebounds High assists Location/Attendance Series
1 October 2 8:30pm Atlanta ESPN 88–74 Brunson (26) Brunson (11) Augustus (7) Target Center
15,258
1–0
2 October 5 8:00pm Atlanta ESPN2 101–95 Augustus (36) Augustus (8) Whalen (4) Target Center
15,124
2–0
3 October 7 8:00pm @ Atlanta ESPN2 73–67 Augustus (16) Brunson (9) Augustus
McWilliams-Franklin (4)
Philips Arena
11,543
3–0

Statistics

[edit]
Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage  TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per game Team leader League leader

Regular season

[edit]
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Jessica Adair 31 1 10.4 .485 .000 .653 2.9 0.3 0.26 0.58 4.3
Seimone Augustus 34 34 29.3 .504 .417 .865 3.5 2.2 0.88 0.44 16.2
Rebekkah Brunson 34 34 27.6 .511 .000 .667 8.9 1.2 0.82 0.53 10.2
Amber Harris 27 0 10.3 .398 .000 .742 2.2 0.4 0.11 0.41 3.3
Alexis Hornbuckle 29 0 7.2 .375 .294 .500 1.1 0.6 0.34 0.10 1.1
Charde Houston 27 0 7.8 .365 .261 .750 1.7 0.5 0.33 0.07 2.9
Taj McWilliams-Franklin 34 33 28.4 .444 .222 .770 6.0 2.4 1.03 0.71 8.3
Maya Moore 34 34 28.0 .439 .369 .788 4.6 2.6 1.41 0.47 13.2
Lindsay Whalen 34 34 28.1 .511 .405 .730 3.5 5.9 1.09 0.15 13.6
Candice Wiggins 34 0 17.1 .386 .395 .625 1.9 1.5 0.53 0.21 5.9
Monica Wright 29 0 13.6 .379 .259 .750 1.6 1.1 0.79 0.17 5.1

Postseason

[edit]
Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Jessica Adair 8 0 12.3 .469 .000 .667 3.60 0.3 0.63 0.63 5.8
Seimone Augustus 8 8 33.0 .527 .438 .886 4.50 3.8 0.88 0.63 22.0
Rebekkah Brunson 8 8 30.6 .473 .000 .781 10.80 1.5 0.88 0.63 11.9
Amber Harris 6 0 5.2 .400 1.000 .000 1.20 0.2 0.17 0.00 1.5
Alexis Hornbuckle 4 0 3.8 .600 .000 1.000 1.30 1.3 0.00 0.50 2.8
Charde Houston 2 0 6.0 .375 .000 .000 2.00 0.5 0.50 0.00 3.0
Taj McWilliams-Franklin 8 8 30.3 .455 .000 .833 5.30 3.3 0.60 1.25 10.6
Maya Moore 8 8 27.9 .458 .400 .690 5.90 2.3 1.00 0.63 13.8
Lindsay Whalen 8 8 32.0 .463 .286 .818 3.60 3.8 1.50 0.50 12.0
Candice Wiggins 8 0 16.0 .345 .348 .667 1.60 1.3 0.25 0.13 4.0
Monica Wright 8 0 10.6 .360 .250 .333 1.30 0.6 0.75 0.25 2.5

Awards and honors

[edit]

References

[edit]
[edit]