A week after the Lynx lost their first game of the young season, Minnesota bounced back by beating the Las Vegas Aces (missing star A’ja Wilson) to advance to the Commissioner’s Cup Final. They finished group play at 5-1, the only loss coming at the hands of the Seattle Storm. For the second straight year, Minnesota will play for the first trophy of the year, and a chance at $500,000 for the players. Their opponent will be the Indiana Fever, who recently got superstar sophomore Caitlin Clark back from injury. The Fever are playing in their first Commissioner’s Cup Final. The Lynx look to become the first team with two Commissioner Cups under their belt.
Lynx Earn Chance at Second Straight Commissioner’s Cup Title
MVP Front Runners Lead the Way
The final will feature the two betting favorites for MVP according to FanDuel Sportsbook, Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier (-320) and Indiana’s Clark (+250). The two are outpacing the field by a significant margin as New York’s Breanna Stewart (+5000) lags behind in third place. Collier and Clark also lead the league in scoring at 24.4 and 21.3 points per game, respectively. Collier went down with a back injury in the third quarter against the Aces. However, Minnesota’s supporting cast that features experience and Commissioner’s Cup pedigree stepped up in a big way. On the other side, Indiana brings a blend of exciting youth and veteran leadership. It will be the first matchup of this season between the two teams. Last season, Minnesota took the season series 2-1.
Commissioner’s Cup Prize Money Motivates Lynx
In a league where the average salary is around $150,000, the opportunity to earn an additional $40,000+ in a single game is a major motivator. While the NBA has struggled to implement monetary prizes, such as winnings for All-Star games or the In-Season Tournament, WNBA players tout the potential payday as a definite positive. For stars like Collier or Clark, who have large shoe deals with Jordan and Nike among other endorsements, the extra cash isn’t as significant. However, each roster includes players making near the minimum, $66,000. By winning the Commissioner’s Cup, they would nearly double their earnings for the season.
Playoff Preview?
The 2024 Commissioner’s Cup Final featured the Lynx taking down the Liberty. Later in the fall, these two teams again matched up with another trophy on the line, the big one. Minnesota and New York played an epic Finals. Both teams hit incredibly clutch shots, battling to a 2-2 split through four outings. The winner of Game 5 would take the title, but the teams still could not be separated. At the end with seconds remaining, Stewart got fouled. She splashed two free throws to send the game to overtime. New York eked out a win in the extra frame for their first championship in franchise history.
Could this year be another Finals preview? The Lynx and Liberty again look to be the cream of the crop, but Indiana handed New York their lone loss of the season. If Clark stays healthy, there’s no reason to believe that Minnesota and Indiana won’t be matched up again with a WNBA title on the line.
Photo credit: © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
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