They began as if painfully aware of Minnesota sports history, as if they spent the afternoon dreaming of Gary Anderson's too-easy-to-miss field goal attempt and Brett Favre's Big Easy interception.

The Lynx started the biggest game in franchise history as if flop sweat prevented them from gripping the basketball but not their throats.

Five minutes into the deciding game of their first-round playoff series against San Antonio, the Lynx were trailing 10-2 and their coach was angrily calling a timeout, and jaded observers if not the participants were imagining another upset to add to Minnesota's sordid sports lore.

Not to worry. From that timeout on, the Lynx turned nerves into nerve, playing in the manner that earned the top seed in the WNBA playoffs. Minnesota whipped San Antonio 85-67 to advance to the Western Conference finals by displaying a withering combination of brawn and finesse, as two Minnesota governors -- Mark Dayton and Jesse Ventura -- cheered from the stands.

After the postgame handshakes, a few Lynx players remained on court, as is their custom, and danced. If you haven't attended a Lynx game, that might sound silly. If you have, you'll recognize those moments as symbolic of the relaxed, open nature of the players and this team, as just about everybody in the announced crowd of 8,734 stayed and cheered, erupting when rookie forward Maya Moore yelled, "It's not over yet!"

Minutes later, Lynx post Taj McWilliams-Franklin was asked whether she felt a sense of accomplishment or relief after a tenser-than-it-should-have-been three-game series.

Star Tribune
The Lynx's Maya Moore drove to the net in the fourth quarter against the Stars' Danielle Robinson Tuesday night

"I think it's both," she said. "It's an accomplishment for the Minnesota Lynx, the organization and for [owner] Mr. Glen Taylor and the fans of Minnesota.

"And it's a relief because the Minnesota Lynx has never won a playoff series. So we're relieved.

"I'm actually happy we were tested in the first round. You want to have a sense of urgency throughout the playoffs and now we're prepared for the level of intensity."

The Lynx built the best record in the WNBA, and Minnesota was facing the team with the worst record among playoff qualifiers. A loss would have ruined the best season in franchise history and prompted comparisons with some of the worst collapses in Minnesota history.

Turns out the Lynx, unlike the Vikings in New Orleans, stuck with 11 players (the size of a WNBA active roster) in the huddle, and advanced to the Western Conference finals, which begin Thursday night against Phoenix at Target Center.

Point guard Lindsay Whalen played a controlled and controlling game, taking only three shots while concentrating on playing on-the-ball defense and running the offense.

She grew up in Hutchinson and was more acutely aware of Minnesota sports history than most of her teammates. She refused to be drawn into the kind of paranoia that infects local fans.

"Not really, because you're so focused in on this moment and what we're doing now that you don't really think back to when you were watching as a kid," she said. "Different teams. You don't really think about that because you're so wrapped up in shootarounds, and meetings, and practices, all that. You get so focused on that.

"I don't know if we were nervous. I don't know. They came out with a lot of intensity."

Winners, even in sports, get to write the history, so the Lynx can say today that they were poised and confident and blissfully unaware of Darrin Nelson's drop and 41-0 and Randall Cunningham taking a knee.

"We said, 'Win by 1 or 21,' so after the game we were happy," Whalen said. "But I'm sure people watching the game were pretty nervous. I know my parents were.

"I can imagine everyone was on the edge of their seat."

While the Twins were losing their 10th in a row next door at Target Field, the Timberwolves remained locked out and the Vikings are 0-2, the Lynx are rewarding the happiest fan base in the Twin Cities, one that can now pretend it never worried about this series, at all.

Jim Souhan can be heard Sundays from 10 a.m. to noon and weekdays at 2 p.m. on 1500ESPN. His Twitter name is SouhanStrib. • jsouhan@startribune.com