The Lynx have matched the best start in the 14-year history of the franchise.

After beating Washington 79-77 on Wednesday, the Lynx are 5-0 like the 2008 team was. But this team doesn't want to finish like that team did four years ago. It lost its sixth game, won the next game to go 6-1 and then lost fife in a row to fall to .500 at 6-6.

The 2008 team finished in a tie for fifth place in the Western Conference with a 16-18 record. It was 9-8 at home, 7-10 on the road.

Seimone Augustus, in her third year out of LSU, led the Lynx in scoring. She averaged 19.1 points. But she did not have much help. The only other player who averaged in double figures was rookie guard Candice Wiggins. She averaged 15.7 points coming off the bench.and was named the league's sixth woman of the year.

Nicky Anosike, as a rookie, was the starting center and averaged 9.2 points.

Not much firepower there.

The starters were Augustus, Nicole Ohlde (retired after 2010 season with Tulsa), Anosike (with L.A. but not playing after knee surgery Wednesday, out six weeks), Anna DeForge (last played for Detroit in 2009) and Noelle Quinn (plays for Washington Mystics).

Linday Harding was a promising second-year guard but injuries limited her to 24 games, 11 starts.

Nine WNBA have started the season 5-0 and -- to top it all off -- that 2008 Lynx team was the only one that didn't make the playoffs. Ouch.

WHALEN'S CZECH TEAM REBUILDING

USK Praha, Lindsay Whalen's team in the Czech Republic the past several WNBA offseason, is undergoing a big roster shake-up. It is going to sign six new foreign players.

DeForge, 36, is the latest to sign. The ex-Lynx played for a team in Turkey last winter called Kayseri KASKI. And she now has dual citizenship with the U.S. and Montenegro. Signing before her with USK Praha was Rebekkah Brunson, Whalen's Lynx teammate.