Reeve laments Lynx 'don't quite have right group' after latest playoff flop - ESPN

NEW YORK — As the clock dwindled to zero in Tuesday night's first-round matchup against the New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx standouts Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams found each other on the Barclays Center court and shared a collective embrace, cementing yet another heartbreaking Lynx playoff exit for the third straight year.

Minnesota became the first No. 1 seed in WNBA playoff history to be swept in its opening series, losing 87-71 in a must-win Game 2 to New York. With the Liberty also comfortably winning Game 1, the games marked the first time in franchise history that the Lynx lost consecutive playoff contests by 15 or more points.

«We became a great regular-season team this year,» coach Cheryl Reeve said, «and we ran into the wrong team.»

Minnesota looked the part of title contenders for much of the season, improving to 31-7 in late August behind the stellar play of Olivia Miles, the unanimous Rookie of the Year, and Reeve's latest coaching masterclass, which earned her Coach of the Year honors for the fifth time.

But after a rocky past few weeks in which they almost fell to the No. 2 seed, the Lynx were for the second straight year unable to reach the WNBA Finals despite being the best team in the league during the regular season.

«I thought the playoffs would be hard for our team, regardless of who we were playing in the first round,» Reeve said. «We probably needed a little better matchup to do some of the things that we did all season long, but that's not how it works.»

Earlier this season, Reeve became the winningest coach in WNBA history and was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame. She has led the Lynx franchise to four championships — in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017 — and