Scoggins: Are the Lynx contenders or pretenders?

Frustration was evident in their voices, some anger too, but more than anything, the Lynx sounded bewildered by their performance in the second half of Game 2 on Tuesday night.

It’s one thing to lose, but to lose like that? This team?

“Very uncharacteristic,” coach Cheryl Reeve said.

What comes next will reveal a lot about the Lynx.

Playoff wins are gold currency. The Lynx just let one slip out of their hands and roll into a storm drain.

How will they respond?

“Nobody said this stuff was going to be easy,” Reeve said.

The Lynx blew a chance to a take a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-five series against Phoenix by unspooling a 20-point lead in a maddening display of turnovers, poor decisions and lack of resolve once the Mercury cranked up their competitive fight.

The Mercury gained new life and confidence — not to mention homecourt advantage — with an 89-83 overtime win. Their 20-point rally tied for the third-largest comeback in WNBA playoff history.

The Lynx suffered their first defeat in franchise history in which they led by at least 16 points at halftime, according to ESPN research. They had been 61-0 in those games.

This wasn’t just any loss. It was historic.

The Lynx were the best team in the WNBA’s regular season by record and just about every important statistical marker. Their dominance and cohesion fostered belief in this season culminating with another championship parade.

Championship teams pick themselves up, understand why it happened, learn from it, and push forward.

“It’s a resilient team, a team that responds,” Reeve said after the game. “Obviously, they don’t feel great right now. But they’re problem solvers.”

This one shouldn’t be too complicated to solve.

Start with turnovers. The Lynx opened the door by becoming way too careless with the ball. Yes, the Mercury raised their defensive intensity and pressure, which the Lynx didn’t handle well, but too many turnovers were unforced.

Once the Lynx lost rhythm on offense, it disappeared for the rest of the game.

The loss of DiJonai Carrington was felt in a major way.

The Lynx got just three points from the bench in Game 2. Carrington, sidelined by a foot injury for the remainder of the playoffs, brought toughness, rebounding, a scoring spark and defensive energy when she stepped on the court. The Lynx must find a solution to her absence.

Reeve noted that Phoenix “ripped the game from us,” and that’s how it looked. The Mercury were down big at halftime and playing their fourth game in seven days but refused to cave to negative circumstances. Their physicality in the second half changed the outcome.

Phoenix coach Nate Tibbetts described it succinctly at the start of his news conference: “Pride and toughness and grit,” he said.

Said Reeve of her team’s response: “We weren’t strong enough. We weren’t tough enough.”

Reeve felt her team “lost our way” in the second half.

The response is what matters now.

The Lynx are a veteran team. A prideful team. And a talented team. Losing in that fashion should inspire a forceful response Friday night.