As in all things in life, the good is often mixed in with the bad; Seimone Augustus and Lindsay Whalen both reached the 3,000-point milestone in the loss. It's the second WNBA game in history where two players reached the mark, but the first one where teammates did; on July 20, 2007, DeLisha Milton-Jones and Tamecka Dixon eclipsed 3,000 when Los Angeles played Houston.
There are even more phenomenal statistics associated with Augustus's and Whalen's records. Augustus ties the Mercury's Diana Taurasi for reaching that scoring plateau in the smallest number of games (151). And Whalen became only the sixth player in WNBA history to get at least 3,000 points, 1,000 assists, and 1,000 rebounds. Such a feat seems, dare I say it, Hall of Fame-worthy.
However, the Lynx did pull out wins from the other two games on this screening week road trip, over L.A. by six points and Chicago by three. They have a record of 17-5, ten out of their last 11 games, lead second-place San Antonio in the Western Conference by four whole games, and still have the best record in the WNBA. And you know what? That loss could prove to be a blessing in disguise. With them not losing in such a long time, a team can get spoiled and forget what a defeat tastes like. That loss will refocus this team (especially considering that if the playoffs were to begin right now, the Lynx would draw Phoenix as their first-round opponent) and give them something that'll make them want to avoid experiencing again.
They should tie the franchise record for most wins in a season Sunday against 1-21 Tulsa (they've lost 16 games in a row!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!). They then have their final multi-game road trip of the season, a twofer at Connecticut and Washington, to close out the week.
#-2: Twins (Last Week: -2). Twinks fans are usually over-optimistic. But after their 1-5 week, I think most of them have come to the conclusion that this team just doesn't have what it takes, and that they won't be making the postseason.
I think the home sweep last weekend by the White Sox, a team the Twins usually dominate, will be seen in retrospectives as the coup de grace. What has been unsettling is that in their last three losses, the squad has lost by just 2, 1, and 1 run. (Of course, they were blown out in their last two defeats to the Pale Hose by a combined score of 13-1.) Nevertheless, like my glassy-eyed, passive-aggressive advanced math teacher in high school was fond of saying, close only counts in horseshoes, grenades and dancing. They now have a record of 52-66 and are 11 games in back of first place in the American League Central.
Justin Morneau is now back from his gimpy neck. Alexi Casilla is back, too. That means, presumably, that this is the lineup Ron Gardenhire wanted all season. Is the result what he wanted -- a come-from-ahead collapse at Cleveland by Glen Perkins, a guy who looked sharp enough these past few weeks to be a legitimate closer? Whatever, we got the Lynx, and football season is coming up!
This week: Finishing at Cleveland, then three at Detroit, then immediately coming home and starting a four-game set against the Yankees on Thursday. Shit. Before this season I'd be looking at this week as quite possibly the most important one on the schedule. Now I look at it and think the team could lose all seven games.
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