When Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve talks about Maya Moore, she mentions ... posture?
Moore is an athletic marvel who can fill a boxscore with crooked numbers and double digits, yet Reeve is more likely to note the set of Moore's shoulders than the purity of her shots.
Basketball stars develop their own look. Some slouch, some scowl. Some walk with a syncopation that hints at the herky-jerky moves that can make a defender's ankles melt.
Moore doesn't do any of that.
"She always has her head up and her shoulders back," Reeve said recently. "She's not only always positive — she always looks positive."
There were negatives to dwell in the Lynx's Game 1 loss of the WNBA Finals, including Moore's scoreless first half. You wouldn't have known that by Moore's posture during Game 2. Eyes up, shoulders back, Moore offered another reminder of why she is one of the world's best players during the Lynx's 79-60 victory over Los Angeles, which evened the series as it heads West.
In Game 1, Moore produced 18 points, six rebounds and three assists. All-Stars have averaged less. Because the Lynx lost, her scoreless first half held more weight than her strong second half.
Tuesday, Moore scored four points in the first quarter. The score was 22-22 early in the second.