Greetings from Target Center where, in about an hour, the Lynx will play the Los Angeles Sparks, determined to atone for last Friday's one-sided loss in L.A.
As coach Cheryl Reeve said, the team has had a few days to stew about it, and a couple practices to prepare for it. The Lynx (6-2) enter the game having won a franchise-record 12 consecutive home regular season games. But the Sparks (5-2) winners of three straight, are right behind the Lynx, in position to push them out of first place.
But a few things are different than a week ago.
Last week the game was at L.A., which has traditionally been a difficult place to play for the Lynx. Minnesota was playing its second game in three nights, and so didn't practice the day before the game.
"We never got to simulate L.A.'s defense, and their ball pressure is pretty good,'' Reeve said. "We certainly pointed it out on video, but video doesn't do it justice.''
The Sparks turned Lynx turnovers into 20 points while building a huge halftime lead, and Reeve basically sat her starters in the second half.
This time the Lynx spent two days prepping for the Sparks defense. And L.A. has yet to win on the road this season (0-2). We'll see shortly if that means a reversal of fortune from a week ago.
A couple other pre-game notes: