MINNEAPOLIS – Game 1 of the 2017 WNBA Finals gave fans yet another photo finish
from the Lynx and Sparks, whose games you now almost expect to be decided by who
has the ball in their hands for the final possession.
Making the action all the more thrilling was the fact that the stars came to
play for both squads.
27 points from Maya Moore. 15 points, 12 rebounds and four assists for Candace
Parker. Sylvia Fowles kept her proclivity for double-doubles going with 22
points and 13 boards. Seimone Augustus dropped 12 of her 19 points in quick
succession in the second half while Nneka Ogwumike’s 10th and 11th point came in
dramatic fashion with 26 seconds left in the 4th quarter to give L.A. a late
lead.
These performances were expected though. While you need your top players to
continue their high-level of play, so often in series’ when the teams are as
even as the Sparks and Lynx, the games are decided by the players whose jerseys
you may not see scattered throughout the crowd, and who do not play big minutes
on a regular basis.
For the Lynx, Jia Perkins made it clear she was going to be this player in the
2017 Finals.
Perkins’ story begins all the way back in 2004 as the fourth to last player
drafted in the ’04 class. As the 35th pick she was selected long after players
she now shares the Finals floor with in Alana Beard (2nd), Lindsay Whalen (4th)
and Rebekkah Brunson (10th).
The Texas Tech product took until her fourth year to score in double figures and
her sixth until she was selected to an All-Star team. Through the first 12 years
of her WNBA career Perkins had played in just seven postseason games, and had
yet to win a postseason series. That all changed when she was dealt to the Lynx
prior to the 2016 season.
Via The Pioneer Press:
In her first year donning the Lynx jersey, a then 34-year-old Perkins found her
do-it-all mentality could mesh nicely with the championship roster already in
place in Minnesota.
She finally advanced past the first round last season and experienced the Lynx’s
heartbreaking loss in Game 5 firsthand in her first taste of the WNBA Finals.
Now, after waiting 12 years to even get past the first round she’s back playing
in her second consecutive WNBA Finals. Sunday night, she made a serious case for
why she may be the key to a fourth Lynx title in franchise history.
Playing the role of sixth woman, Perkins played 28 key minutes for Minnesota as
they came storming back from what was a 26-point deficit at one point to take
the lead with 6.5 seconds left in the 4th quarter and almost stealing a historic
comeback win if not for Chelsea Gray.
While players like Moore, Fowles and Augustus did most of the scoring during the
comeback, it was Perkins’ relentless effort on both sides of the ball that
provided the emotional spark the Lynx needed to claw their way back into
proceedings on Sunday.
“Jia came in and played great,” Augustus said Monday. “That was something I
think coach just wanted to find a sparkplug and she did a great job of just
coming in, playing solid defense and giving us points on the other end as far as
pushing the ball, pushing the tempo transition-wise.”
Perkins played the role of sparkplug to perfection. When she entered the contest
at 3:59 in the first quarter she immediately started to bother Chelsea Gray and
Odyssey Sims who up to that point were getting clean looks and attacking the rim
at will for L.A.
“Being a bench player that’s what you’re supposed to do,” Perkins said during
media availability on Monday. “I just tried to make an impact and bring some
energy off the bench. That’s the kind of mentality I’ve had whenever I’m coming
off the bench this season.”
Her impact was gritty and hard-fought throughout. Perkins had only played an
average of 14 minutes a game in Minnesota’s 3-0 semifinal series defeat of the
Mystics. Her impact on Sunday forced head coach Cheryl Reeve to keep Jia in the
game for 28, the most she’s played since August 3rd.
Although the Lynx didn’t get the win, Perkins, more than any other of the Lynx’s
role players, left her mark on Game 1. She finished with six points, five
rebounds, three assists, and two steals. It’s the kind of stat line that if one
bounce goes Minnesota’s way you look back and say that she was the subtle
difference that allowed the Lynx to win this game.
While her six points were crucial, it was the five rebounds, all of them
defensive, and two steals that proved Perkins contribution on the defensive end
is something that L.A. cannot take for granted this series.
“I’ve been playing defense since second grade,” Perkins said Monday. “It’s one
of the things I take pride in even when I’m scoring because I don’t really like
to get scored on myself. If it means coming in and picking up full court or
whatever I can do to help, I’m just going to be a pest out there.”
It certainly looked like something she’s taken pride and perfected since second
grade, more importantly it was exactly the kind of edge the Lynx need in this
series. The scores are going to be tight and the superstars are going to show
up, it’s going to be less heralded little moments here or there that either give
Minnesota their fourth title in seven years or allows the Sparks to be the first
team to go back-to-back since they did it in 2001-2002.
There’s a lot of uncertainty surrounding just what Perkins’ role will be on
Tuesday in Game 2, but no matter how many minutes number seven is on the floor,
she’ll be doing what she’s always done, giving that extra effort that’s allowed
her to play 14 years in the WNBA.
“She was great, she was really unbelievable,” Lindsay Whalen said when asked
about Perkins’ impact on Sunday. “She provided a spark, she hit jumpers in the
second half that really got us started momentum-wise and was incredible
defensively in the first half. Jia’s just Jia – she’s always going to do that,
we know that she’ll be ready to go tomorrow night.”
With a win tomorrow Perkins and the Lynx can tie the series at one apiece as the
teams head back to L.A. For Perkins, a player who may be facing her last chance
at hoisting a WNBA championship trophy, Tuesday means everything.
“We need this tomorrow,” she said. “Tomorrow we have to be that desperate team
that comes out from the start and keeps on punching and doesn’t give in.”
If Perkins’ passion on Sunday was any indication of what’s to come, the Lynx may
have found a player who can ignite the necessary fuse that burns within every
championship team.
