2011 Minnesota Lynx season

The 2011 WNBA season is the 13th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Lynx qualified for the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2004 and won their first Western Conference championship.

2011 Minnesota Lynx season
CoachCheryl Reeve
ArenaTarget Center
Attendance8,447 per game
Results
Record277 (.794)
Place1st (Western)
Playoff finishWon WNBA Finals
Team Leaders
PointsAugustus (16.2)
ReboundsBrunson (8.9)
AssistsWhalen (5.9)
Media
RadioKLCI
TelevisionFS-N
ESPN2, NBATV

The Lynx finished the season with a 27–7 record, best in the WNBA and the best regular-season record in franchise history. They then defeated the San Antonio Silver Stars in three games and the Phoenix Mercury in two to reach the 2011 WNBA Finals.

The Lynx swept the Atlanta Dream to win their first WNBA championship.

Offseason

2011 WNBA draft

The Lynx held the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, and surprised nobody by selecting Maya Moore, a 6'0" forward out of Connecticut. Moore had won three consecutive Wade Trophies as the best player in women's college basketball, the only player to have done so. She had also won two championships with the Huskies.[1] The Lynx also held the fourth overall pick, which they used to select Amber Harris from Xavier. Both Moore and Harris would ultimately make the team out of training camp.

In the second round, the Lynx selected Jessica Breland, Felicia Chester, and Kachine Alexander. The Lynx ultimately released Alexander.

Round Pick Player Nationality School/team/country
1 1 Maya Moore  United States Connecticut
1 4 (from Conn.) Amber Harris  United States Xavier
2 13 (from Tul. via Conn.) Jessica Breland  United States North Carolina
2 14 Felicia Chester  United States DePaul
2 26 Kachine Alexander  United States Iowa

Free agency

The Lynx declined to re-sign Hamchetou Maiga-Ba and Kristen Mann. Instead, they signed veteran center Taj McWilliams-Franklin and center/forward Jessica Adair, who had played one game with the Lynx in the 2010 season.

Trades

The Lynx traded the draft rights to Jessica Breland to the New York Liberty for Angel Robinson and a second-round pick in the 2012 WNBA draft. They traded Felicia Chester to the Atlanta Dream for Rachel Jarry and a second-round pick in the 2012 draft. They traded Quanitra Hollingsworth to the Liberty for the rights to swap third-round picks in the 2012 draft, and they traded Nicky Anosike for a first-round pick in the 2012 draft. The Lynx ultimately waived Jarry and Robinson.

Date Trade
April 9, 2011 To Minnesota Lynx To Washington Mystics
first-round pick in 2012 draft Nicky Anosike
April 11, 2011 To Minnesota Lynx To New York Liberty
Angel Robinson and a second-round pick in 2012 draft Jessica Breland
April 11, 2011 To Minnesota Lynx To Atlanta Dream
Rachel Jarry and a second-round pick in 2012 draft Felicia Chester
May 27, 2011 To Minnesota Lynx To New York Liberty
right to swap third-round picks in 2012 draft Quanitra Hollingsworth

Transaction log

  • February 1: The Lynx signed Jessica Adair.
  • February 18: The Lynx signed Taj McWilliams-Franklin.
  • April 9: The Lynx traded Nicky Anosike to the Washington Mystics in exchange for their first-round pick in the 2012 draft.
  • April 11: The Lynx traded draft rights to Jessica Breland to the New York Liberty for the draft rights to Angel Robinson and New York's second-round pick in the 2012 draft.
  • April 11: The Lynx traded Felecia Chester to the Atlanta Dream for Rachel Jarry and a 2012 second-round draft pick.
  • May 12: The Lynx waived Hamchetou Maiga-Ba.
  • May 27: The Lynx waived Angel Robinson and Kachine Alexander.
  • May 27: The Lynx traded Quanitra Hollingsworth to the New York Liberty in exchange for the right to swap third-round picks in the 2012 draft.

Roster

2011 Minnesota Lynx roster
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#Nat.NameHeightWeightDOBFromYrs
C 1 United States Adair, Jessica 6' 4" (1.93m) 206 lb (93kg) 12-19-1986 George Washington 1
G/F 33 United States Augustus, Seimone 6' 0" (1.83m) 179 lb (81kg) 04-30-1984 LSU 5
F 32 United States Brunson, Rebekkah 6' 2" (1.88m) 175 lb (79kg) 12-11-1981 Georgetown 7
F 6 United States Harris, Amber 6' 5" (1.96m) 215 lb (98kg) 01-16-1988 Xavier R
G 14 United States Hornbuckle, Alexis 5' 10" (1.78m) 155 lb (70kg) 10-16-1985 Tennessee 3
F 24 United States Houston, Charde 6' 0" (1.83m) 189 lb (86kg) 04-10-1986 Connecticut 3
F/C 8 United States McWilliams-Franklin, Taj 6' 2" (1.88m) 188 lb (85kg) 08-20-1970 St. Edward's 12
F 23 United States Moore, Maya 6' 0" (1.83m) 175 lb (79kg) 06-11-1989 Connecticut R
G 13 United States Whalen, Lindsay 5' 9" (1.75m) 150 lb (68kg) 05-09-1982 Minnesota 7
G 11 United States Wiggins, Candice 5' 11" (1.8m) 154 lb (70kg) 02-14-1987 Stanford 3
G/F 22 United States Wright, Monica 5' 10" (1.78m) 178 lb (81kg) 07-15-1988 Virginia 1
Head coach
United States Cheryl Reeve (La Salle)
Assistant coaches
United States Shelley Patterson (Washington State)
United States Jim Petersen (Minnesota)
Athletic trainer
United States Chuck Barta (Wisconsin-La Crosse)
Assistant trainer
United States Keith Uzpen (Minnesota State-Mankato)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (FA) Free agent
  • (IN) Inactive
  • (S) Suspended
  • Injured Injured

Depth

Pos. Starter Bench
C Taj McWilliams-Franklin Jessica Adair
PF Rebekkah Brunson Amber Harris
Charde Houston
SF Maya Moore Monica Wright
SG Seimone Augustus Candice Wiggins
PG Lindsay Whalen Alexis Hornbuckle

Season standings

Western Conference W L PCT GB Home Road Conf.
Minnesota Lynx x277.79414–313–418–4
Seattle Storm x2113.6186.015–26–1115–7
Phoenix Mercury x1915.5598.011–68–911–11
San Antonio Silver Stars x1816.5299.09–89–811–11
Los Angeles Sparks o1519.44112.010–75–1210–12
Tulsa Shock o331.08824.02–151–161–21

Schedule

Preseason

2011 Game Log: Preseason
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
1May 241:00pmIndiana71–66Brunson (11)Harris (10)Wright (4)Concordia University
2,055
1–0
2May 317:00pm@ Indiana76–70Whalen (12)McWilliams-Franklin (8)Wiggins (4)Conseco Fieldhouse
3,817
2–0

Regular season

2011 Game Log: Regular Season
June
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
1June 311:00pm@ Los AngelesNBATV
PRIME
74–82Moore (21)Brunson (12)Whalen (5)Staples Center
13,589
0–1
2June 53:30pmLos AngelesFS-N
PRIME
86–69Augustus (17)Brunson (15)Whalen (7)Target Center
10,123
1–1
3June 78:00pmTulsa75–65Brunson (17)Brunson (15)Whalen (4)Target Center
7,713
2–1
4June 910:00pm@ Seattle81–74Brunson (22)Brunson (14)Whalen (10)KeyArena
6,291
3–1
5June 178:00pmAtlanta96–85Augustus (25)Brunson (14)Whalen (8)Target Center
7,556
4–1
6June 193:00pm@ AtlantaSSO77–64Augustus (19)McWilliams-Franklin (12)Moore
Whalen (5)
Philips Arena
7,274
5–1
7June 2410:00pm@ SeattleKONG55–65Augustus (17)McWilliams-Franklin (8)Whalen (3)KeyArena
7,914
5–2
8June 267:00pmIndianaNBATV
FS-N
75–78Moore (21)Brunson (11)Whalen (4)Target Center
7,117
5–3
9June 308:00pm@ Tulsa101–73Whalen (21)McWilliams-Franklin (9)Whalen (5)BOK Center
3,970
6–3
July
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
10July 98:00pmConnecticutNBATV
FS-N
90–67Moore (26)Brunson
McWilliams-Franklin (10)
Whalen (8)Target Center
8,205
7–3
11July 131:00pmPhoenixNBATV
FS-N
FS-A
105–112Augustus (22)Brunson (16)Whalen (6)Target Center
11,820
7–4
12July 157:00pm@ Indiana80–70Brunson (20)McWilliams-Franklin (9)Whalen (7)Conseco Fieldhouse
7,538
8–4
13July 168:00pmSeattle69–62Augustus (19)Moore (9)McWilliams-Franklin (4)Target Center
7,733
9–4
14July 203:30pm@ PhoenixNBATV
FS-A
106–98Augustus (25)Augustus
Brunson (6)
Whalen (8)US Airways Center
12,118
10–4
All-Star break
15July 268:00pmLos Angeles85–72Augustus (22)McWilliams-Franklin (9)Whalen (7)Target Center
8,044
11–4
16July 298:00pmSeattle92–67Augustus
Wiggins (16)
Augustus (5)Moore (6)Target Center
7,856
12–4
17July 313:00pm@ San AntonioNBATV70–69Whalen (23)Brunson (13)Whalen (6)AT&T Center
7,260
13–4
August
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
18August 28:00pmPhoenixESPN290–73Moore (22)McWilliams-Franklin (10)Whalen (5)Target Center
7,126
14–4
19August 48:00pmSan AntonioNBATV
FS-SW
62–60McWilliams-Franklin (18)Brunson (13)Whalen (6)Target Center
8,123
15–4
20August 78:30pm@ Los AngelesNBATV84–78Whalen (24)Augustus
Brunson (7)
Whalen (8)Staples Center
13,528
16–4
21August 910:00pm@ Phoenix80–85Moore (28)Brunson (11)Whalen (6)US Airways Center
6,726
16–5
22August 128:30pm@ ChicagoCN10079–76Whalen (16)Brunson (11)Whalen (6)Allstate Arena
6,289
17–5
23August 147:00pmTulsaNBATV
FS-N
COX
82–54Augustus (16)Brunson (6)Whalen (9)Target Center
8,388
18–5
24August 167:30pm@ ConnecticutCSN-NE79–108Whalen (20)Brunson
Moore (5)
McWilliams-Franklin (3)Mohegan Sun Arena
9,323
18–6
25August 187:00pm@ Washington81–62Augustus (18)McWilliams-Franklin (7)Whalen (7)Verizon Center
9,483
19–6
26August 208:00pmLos Angeles87–68Augustus (17)McWilliams-Franklin (8)Whalen (5)Target Center
8,816
20–6
27August 238:00pm@ Tulsa78–72McWilliams-Franklin (18)Brunson (10)McWilliams-Franklin
Whalen (4)
BOK Center
3,750
21–6
28August 268:00pmSan AntonioNBATV85–75Augustus (19)Brunson (8)Whalen (9)Target Center
9,212
22–6
29August 283:00pm@ San Antonio72–61Augustus (20)Brunson (14)4 players (3)AT&T Center
7,924
23–6
30August 308:00pmWashington73–56Whalen (21)Brunson (7)Whalen (5)Target Center
8,065
24–6
September
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
31September 28:00pmNew York62–78Augustus (17)Brunson (8)Augustus (6)Target Center
8,929
24–7
32September 44:00pm@ New York86–68Moore (19)Brunson
McWilliams-Franklin
Moore (6)
Whalen (7)Prudential Center
8,247
25–7
33September 88:00pmChicagoNBATV
FS-N
CN100
78–69Augustus (22)Moore
Whalen (7)
Whalen (10)Target Center
8,781
26–7
34September 116:00pm@ PhoenixFS-A96–90Augustus
Moore
Wright (15)
Adair (13)Wright (6)US Airways Center
12,666
27–7
All games are viewable on WNBA LiveAccess or ESPN3.com

Postseason

2011 Game Log: Postseason
Western Conference Semifinals
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceSeries
1September 169:00pmSan AntonioNBATV66–65Whalen (20)Brunson (14)Whalen (5)Target Center
11,891
1–0
2September 185:00pm@ San AntonioESPN275-84Augustus (24)Brunson (16)Whalen (3)AT&T Center
7,023
1–1
3September 208:00pmSan AntonioESPN285–67Augustus (22)Brunson (9)Augustus
McWilliams-Franklin
Moore (4)
Target Center
8,734
2–1
Western Conference Finals
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceSeries
1September 229:00pmPhoenixESPN295–67Augustus (21)Brunson (13)Augustus (7)Target Center
8,912
1–0
2September 255:00pm@ PhoenixESPN2103–86McWilliams-Franklin
Moore (21)
Brunson (9)McWilliams-Franklin (7)US Airways Center
8,617
2–0
WNBA Finals
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceSeries
1October 28:30pmAtlantaESPN88–74Brunson (26)Brunson (11)Augustus (7)Target Center
15,258
1–0
2October 58:00pmAtlantaESPN2101–95Augustus (36)Augustus (8)Whalen (4)Target Center
15,124
2–0
3October 78:00pm@ AtlantaESPN273–67Augustus (16)Brunson (9)Augustus
McWilliams-Franklin (4)
Philips Arena
11,543
3–0

Statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage  TO  Turnovers per game
 PF  Fouls per game Team leader League leader

Regular season

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Jessica Adair 31110.4.485.000.6532.90.30.260.584.3
Seimone Augustus 343429.3.504.417.8653.52.20.880.4416.2
Rebekkah Brunson 343427.6.511.000.6678.91.20.820.5310.2
Amber Harris 27010.3.398.000.7422.20.40.110.413.3
Alexis Hornbuckle 2907.2.375.294.5001.10.60.340.101.1
Charde Houston 2707.8.365.261.7501.70.50.330.072.9
Taj McWilliams-Franklin 343328.4.444.222.7706.02.41.030.718.3
Maya Moore 343428.0.439.369.7884.62.61.410.4713.2
Lindsay Whalen 343428.1.511.405.7303.55.91.090.1513.6
Candice Wiggins 34017.1.386.395.6251.91.50.530.215.9
Monica Wright 29013.6.379.259.7501.61.10.790.175.1

Postseason

Player GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
Jessica Adair 8012.3.469.000.6673.600.30.630.635.8
Seimone Augustus 8833.0.527.438.8864.503.80.880.6322.0
Rebekkah Brunson 8830.6.473.000.78110.801.50.880.6311.9
Amber Harris 605.2.4001.000.0001.200.20.170.001.5
Alexis Hornbuckle 403.8.600.0001.0001.301.30.000.502.8
Charde Houston 206.0.375.000.0002.000.50.500.003.0
Taj McWilliams-Franklin 8830.3.455.000.8335.303.30.601.2510.6
Maya Moore 8827.9.458.400.6905.902.31.000.6313.8
Lindsay Whalen 8832.0.463.286.8183.603.81.500.5012.0
Candice Wiggins 8016.0.345.348.6671.601.30.250.134.0
Monica Wright 8010.6.360.250.3331.300.60.750.252.5

Awards and honors

References

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