Greetings from Target Center, where the Lynx will have their home opener at 4 p.m.
But, before that, at 3:30, there will be a formal ring ceremony. It happens at 3:30, when members of last season's WNBA championship team will get rings in front of the fans, and a banner will be raised here at Target Center.
Frankly, coach Cheryl Reeve isn't a huge fan of these things. She prefers her team look forward and doesn't want distractions. But you can't not have a ring ceremony, right?
Well, to combat that, Reeve made sure the players got a chance to see the rings in the locker room prior to the game.
"I think our team is mature enough to do both,'' Reeve said. "Which is, warm up hard, be focused. Enjoy the ceremony, enjoy the fans, and turn it back on and play the game at a high level. I'm confident they can do that."
Meanwhile, Reeve is looking for more out of her bench tonight than she got in Friday's season-opening victory at Washington, where Lynx reserves totaled just six points.
In particular, Reeve needs more from top reserve guard Tan White, who was scoreless Friday. "Tan has to play better," Reeve said. "And she'll tell you that. She had a nice preseason. But then, I thought (Friday) she tried to force some things."
One highlight of Friday's opener was the play of rookie center Damiris Dantas, who scored six points and had 12 rebounds. The language barrier – Dantas, from Brazil, speaks Portuguese and very little English – has been a challenge. The coaches had to try to translate the game plan a bit Friday. But Dantas played well, in particular on defense.
