Lindsay Whalen, at 32, can see the big picture.
Both on the court, as the player recently named the best point guard in the league by WNBA general managers, and off.
She knows she and her Lynx teammates are about to get a second crack at an opportunity many never get. She knows there is history out there, ready to be made.
"There are reasons you do this," Whalen said after a recent practice, talking about the game of basketball she plays nearly year-round.
The Lynx open the WNBA season Friday in Washington, looking to become the first back-to-back champions since Los Angeles in 2002.
"You do it for the next generation, you try to advance the game," she said. "But you're also working hard for the people who paved the way for you. So, to be mentioned with those teams would be amazing. But that's a big-picture thing. It's the short term that counts."
In 2012 the Lynx, defending league champs, stormed their way into a second consecutive finals only to lose to Indiana. That loss proved to be the rallying point of last year's title team.
So here they are again. With essentially the same core group, with U.S.Olympians Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus and Whalen leading the way, this group gets a second chance to repeat. And the memory of that 2012 season is now the fuel.