"We know what style to prepare for, we know what our playbook looks like versus if you are playing Connecticut," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after Friday's practice. "And so we got to lock in on some of those things today. And some of the schemes we anticipate Indiana will play."
On Friday, the Lynx finally knew who their opponent in the WNBA Finals was going to be. Indiana beat Connecticut on the Sun's home court on Thursday night to advance.
"We know it is going to be a hard series and we have to be ready to do battle," Reeve said. Wonder if any coach has ever said he or she expected an easy series in the Finals.
Reeve said that the Fever, throughout the season, have been missing players and had other players step up. "It is a team that is very, very gritty," Reeve said. "That is a credit to what Lin Dunn does. And who she is. They have made the most of opportunities when players have been out."
Dunn, of course, is the respect Fever coach. She is from Tennessee and speaks her mind. This is her fourth season as head coach of the Fever. She had Indiana in the Finals her first year, but the Fever lost to Phoenix.
Reeve said the Fever could win an elimination game on the road was quite a feat: "That was just really an impressive win."
Indiana has already survived four elimination games, two against Atlanta in the first round, and two against the Sun in the second.
"They certainly took the hard road to get here," Reeve said. "But then it is what I expect from this team. If you look at their personnel, at minimum, they play hard. At minimum. They may not always execute. ... But they are making hustle plays. It is not surprising that this is the team that is in the Finals, that came out of the East.