Lynx's Maya Moore unfazed by big moments, high stakes in finals

LOS ANGELES – The question seemed to catch Maya Moore by surprise, causing her to pause a moment to think it over. In a news conference after the Lynx's 85-79 victory over Los Angeles, a reporter asked Moore to name something that rattled her.

That marked the first time Sunday that the Lynx forward did not offer a swift and decisive response. Her numbers quantified her impact on Game 4 of the WNBA Finals: 31 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three steals, two blocked shots. But the real measure of her magnificence was less about the raw statistics than her ability to answer every Sparks surge, in a victory that pushed the series to a deciding Game 5 at Target Center.

Despite the weight and intensity of Game 4, Moore didn't appear to be rattled at all. Afterward, when she was asked what it took to shake her, the best she could come up with was the occasional hard collision on a screen. Even with the WNBA championship on the line, she doesn't expect anything different in Thursday's Game 5.

"That's the name of the game," Moore said. "You have to be able to just mentally lock in and let things go. The strength of our team is something I try to lead: Next play, next play, don't get rattled.

"At the end of the day, I just want to leave it all out on the floor. No regrets. That's probably when I feel the worst, if I feel like there was something left that I didn't give, or something we didn't quite do that we know we can do."

The Lynx did most everything to the best of their ability in Game 4. Lindsay Whalen, who had been held in check for two games, got back to driving the lane and finished with 13 points. Seimone Augustus hit some timely shots and dispensed five assists. Sylvia Fowles got 13 rebounds — leading the Lynx to a 41-25 advantage on the boards — and Rebekkah Brunson scored four critical points in the final two minutes, including two free throws with 12.5 seconds left after she stole the ball and drew a foul.

Moore, though, stole the show. Her back-to-back buckets started a 9-0 run in the second quarter that gave the Lynx a 31-24 lead; from that point, they never trailed again. Her seven rebounds in the first half helped fuel her team's transition game.

When Brunson got into early foul trouble, Moore picked up the slack on defense by guarding Sparks star Candace Parker, blocking two of her shots and helping limit her to 4-of-14 shooting.

Not even the raucous Staples Center crowd — which included former Lakers stars Kobe Bryant and Magic Johnson — bothered her.

"Maya Moore hit some big shots and made some big plays at both ends of the floor," Sparks coach Brian Agler said. "It doesn't matter if she's taking it to the rim or if she's off the dribble, she's good. And then, she has the ability to get you in bad spots and draw fouls. She's difficult to defend."

Moore's most memorable contributions came late in the game. In the final 1:43 of the third quarter, the Sparks twice cut the deficit to one, with three-pointers by Chelsea Gray and Kristi Toliver. Both times, Moore responded with three-pointers on the next possession. In the final 7.6 seconds of a tight, tense game, she made four free throws and stole the ball from Parker.

"Maya just makes plays," said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve, who made the most of Moore's versatility by moving her around in the lineup. "I thought Maya was more persistent in finding opportunities to score.

"It was in a variety of ways. It was in multiple positions, it was in transition, it was hustle plays. It was executing some stuff out of timeouts. It was getting fouled at times. Obviously, it was huge."

Reeve joked that the only thing that rattles Moore is when she gets taken out of the game. Not even a handful of mistakes could slow her in Game 4.

"The greatest thing about Maya is, she's always in that next-play mode," Reeve said. "She believes at all times that she's going to make a play."

By making so many of them Sunday, Moore put her team in position to make a run at a second consecutive league title.

"This is the Finals," Moore said. "You have to just stay in the moment and be aggressive. And that's what I tried to do."

Rachel Blount • 612-673-4389