The Minnesota Lynx Clinched Homecourt Advantage Throughout The WNBA Playoffs
Let’s cut through the noise here. While most of the WNBA world has been obsessing over Caitlin Clark’s every move and A’ja Wilson’s MVP chase, the Lynx have been quietly doing what championship teams do – winning games when it matters most. Saturday night in Connecticut wasn’t just another W for Minnesota. It was the exclamation point on a season that’s rewritten the franchise record books. The Lynx demolished the Sun 94-70, clinching not only home-court advantage throughout the playoffs but also their 31st win of the season, a new franchise record.
How the Lynx Rewrote Their Own History Books
Think about this for a second. The Lynx just broke their own franchise record for wins in a season with this victory. In a league where every game feels like a playoff battle, racking up 31 wins in 39 games isn’t just impressive, it’s borderline ridiculous. After the game, head coach Cheryl Reeve said, “We have a scenario now that if we win our home games, we win a WNBA championship.”
The Target Center has been a house of horrors for visiting teams this season. The Lynx sport an 18-2 home record that makes their building feel more like a fortress than a basketball arena. When you’re sitting at a plus-15.5 net rating at home, you’re not just winning. You’re demolishing teams.
Why This Matters More Than You Think
Sure, clinching the top seed is nice. However, let’s discuss what this truly means in the context of WNBA history. The Lynx are currently sitting at a 79.5% winning percentage with five games left to play. That’s franchise-best territory, and it puts them in rarified air across the entire league. Remember last year’s Finals? The Lynx fell to New York in five games, with the Liberty having home-court advantage throughout. This time around, every potential playoff series will run through Minneapolis. And given how the Lynx have performed at home this season, that’s not just an advantage. It’s practically a cheat code.
The Road Ahead Gets Interesting
Now here’s where things get spicy. Four of Minnesota’s final five games are against playoff-bound teams, including a September 4th showdown with the Las Vegas Aces. The same team that the Lynx embarrassed by 53 points back in August. The Aces have won 12 straight games since that humiliation, and you can bet they’ll have something to prove when they visit Minneapolis. It’s the final regular-season meeting between MVP candidates Collier and A’ja Wilson, and it should provide a preview of what could be an epic playoff showdown.
The Championship Window Is Wide Open
Coach Cheryl Reeve has been around long enough to know what championship teams look like. She’s guided the Lynx to four WNBA titles and has seen this franchise at its peak. When she says this group is “really special,” it carries weight. The Lynx haven’t been the No. 1 overall seed since 2017. The last time they won it all. The parallels are impossible to ignore, and the confidence radiating from this team suggests they know precisely what they’re capable of achieving.
With the expanded Finals format now a best-of-seven series, having home-court advantage throughout the playoffs becomes even more valuable. The Lynx have positioned themselves perfectly for a championship run, and frankly, it would be shocking if they don’t at least make it back to the Finals. The rest of the WNBA better take notice. The Minnesota Lynx aren’t just having a good season – they’re having a historically great one.
