Taj says Lynx need to return to strengths: running and rebounding

Asked about what will happen tonight in Game 2, Taj McWilliams-Franklin laughed at first.

"I am going to have to look into my ESPN ball to see," the Lynx center said.

"It will be a lot different from both teams, actually. Indiana will be bracing for a harder game, more fast-paced," she said. "And we will play like we know how to play. Definitely. It's important."

McWilliams-Franklin said the key for the Lynx is not to overanalyze the loss in Game 1 too much.

"Focus in on what we do well," she said. "And that is run, rebound. And that is important for us, and important for what we do on the court. Just to remember who we are and not try to change that and be something we are not.

"We are not a set-up team. We can play that way but we would rather get out and run. We did pretty well the limited times we did in Game 1 and we are going to increase that."

Erlana Larkins, Indiana's 6-1 forward, kept the Lynx from running by either making baskets (she had 16 points) or grabbing offensive rebounds (seven).

How do you contain her? "I don't know," Mama Taj said. "We play and we rebound. So that's all we are going to do. We will see what happens.

"There are not drastic changes. Why would we do that? They only won by six. If it was like a beat-down 20, I think we would have to make drastic changes. We did a lot of bad things to ourselves that gthe Fever had nothing to do with.

"Then the Fever did a lot of great things themselves. For us if there is a drastic change, it wouldn't be Game 2."

 ETC.

* This is the first time the Lynx have trailed in the playoffs in either 2011 or this year.

* Seimone Augustus was named to the all-WNBA first team on Wednesday, Maya Moore and Lindsay Whalen to the second team.

* Taj breaks her own record for career playoffs appearances with every game she plays. Tonight will be her 62nd.

* Indiana had 38 points in the paint Sunday after ranking 11th out of 12 teams in that category during the regular season. The Lynx had only 24.

* Fever guard/forward Katie Douglas is out for tonight's game with a sprained left ankle. She averaged 16.5 points during the regular season and had 14 and 17 points for the Fever in their two mid-September losses to the Lynx.