The Minnesota Lynx and the WNBA announced the 2014 schedule today, and it appears the league is finally giving the Lynx their proper respect, as six of their games will be televised nationally.

The defending league champion Lynx will open the 2014 season on the road at Washington on Friday, May 16 at 7 p.m. against a Mystics team that handed Minnesota two of its eight losses last season.

The home opener will be two days later, Sunday, May 18 vs. Connecticut at 4 p.m. On that day the Lynx – winners of two of the last three WNBA championships – will be awarded their 2013 championship rings and a banner will be raised at Target Center.

The 34-game regular season will run through Aug. 17, with the All Star game being held in Phoenix, Ariz., July 18.

The Lynx will play fellow Western Conference opponents San Antonio and Tulsa five times each. They will play Los Angeles, Phoenix and Seattle four times and play all six Eastern Conference teams twice. The team's 17-game home schedule includes 10 weekend games (three on Friday, one on Saturday and six on Sunday), two on a Tuesday, two on a Wednesday and three Thursday games.

Some schedule highlights include a rematch of last season's WNBA finals when the Atlanta Dream visit July 22; and a rematch of last season's Western Conference finals when the Phoenix Mercury play here June 15 and July 31.

Six games will be televised nationally on ESPN2, including the game at Chicago May 26, vs. Phoenix June 15, at New York July 6, vs. Los Angeles July 8, vs. Seattle July 13 and vs. Chicago Aug. 7.

Here is the full schedule, with all times local:

Month

Day

Date

Home/Away

Opponent

Time

May

Fri.

16

AT

Washington

7:00 PM

Sun.

18

Connecticut

4:00 PM

Fri.

23

AT

Tulsa

7:00 PM

Sat.

24

New York

7:00 PM

Mon.

26

AT

Chicago

2:30 pm*

Fri.

30

San Antonio

7:00 PM

June

Sun.

1

AT

San Antonio

3:30 PM

Fri.

6

AT

Seattle

7:00 PM

Sun.

8

AT

Los Angeles

12:30 PM

Fri.

13

AT

Atlanta

7:30 PM

Sun.

15

Phoenix

12:00 pm*

Tue.

17

AT

Los Angeles

7:30 PM

Wed.

18

AT

Phoenix

7:00 PM

Fri.

20

Washington

7:00 PM

Sun.

22

Indiana

6:00 PM

Fri.

27

AT

Seattle

7:00 PM

Sun.

29

Seattle

6:00 PM

July

Thu.

3

San Antonio

7:00 PM

Sun.

6

AT

New York

2:00 pm*

Tue.

8

Los Angeles

8:00 pm*

Thu.

10

AT

Tulsa

7:00 PM

Sun.

13

Seattle

2:00 pm*

Wed.

16

Tulsa

12:00 PM

Tue.

22

Atlanta

7:00 PM

Fri.

25

San Antonio

7:00 PM

Sun.

27

AT

Connecticut

3:00 PM

Thu.

31

Phoenix

7:00 PM

Aug.

Sat.

2

AT

Tulsa

7:00 PM

Tue.

5

AT

Indiana

7:00 PM

Thu.

7

Chicago

7:00 pm*

Sat.

9

AT

Phoenix

7:00 PM

Tue.

12

Los Angeles

7:00 PM

Fri.

15

AT

San Antonio

7:00 PM

Sun.

17

Tulsa

6:00 PM

* Nationally telecast on ESPN2