Prior to Game 4 of the 2016 Finals, the WNBA championship trophy was brought out
and displayed on the court as the Los Angeles Sparks and Minnesota Lynx went
through their final warm ups.
Once the game was set to tip off, the trophy was taken off the floor and
remained in the bowels of the arena, ready to be brought back out to the court
for a trophy presentation and championship celebration should the Sparks win the
game and earn a 3-1 series victory.
The trophy never made it back to the Staples Center floor. Instead, it was
packed up and traveled from Los Angeles to Minnesota – along with both teams –
as the Lynx won Game 4 to stave off elimination and push the series to a
decisive Game 5 back in Minneapolis.
This Sunday, the championship trophy will be back inside the Staples Center.
Once again, the Sparks hold a 2-1 series lead heading into Game 4 with a chance
to win the title on their home floor. Can the Sparks finish the job at home this
year after failing to do so a year ago?
With this year’s Finals being a rematch of last year’s championship series,
players and coaches from both teams have fielded plenty of questions over the
past week asking them to compare this year’s series to last year’s series.
Especially since the series has played out in similar fashion. The Sparks stole
Game 1 on the road thanks to a game-winning jump shot in the closing seconds.
The Lynx bounced back to win Game 2 to send the series to L.A. tied at 1-1. The
Sparks responded by defending their home court and winning Game 3 to take a 2-1
series lead.
Most of those questions have been met with responses about how this is a new
year and last year was last year. However, after Game 3, the Sparks discussed
the lessons they learned from last year’s missed opportunity in Game 4 and how
they look to remedy the situation this time around.
“I don’t think they’re going to give us anything, they’re competitors, they’re a
great team, its going to be a fight just like it was [Friday], but we can’t
focus on it being a championship, I don’t think that should be our focus,” said
Candace Parker. “Its more so us doing what got us here. Trusting the process,
trusting the journey, trusting what we do. I think – I hope – everybody’s ready
for Sunday.”
Parker admits that the team “kind of got a little ahead of ourselves” when they
were in this same position a year ago. Sparks coach Brian Agler summed it up
best when he told his team that last year they were trying to win a championship
rather than just trying to win a game.
“That was the quote of the series last year,” said Nneka Ogwumike. “You have to
take it moment by moment. Right now we’re focused on getting rest and then
coming in [Saturday] and having a good practice and watching some video. It’s
really just a moment-by-moment type of thing. We’re just trusting the process.”
The Sparks just need to win the game, and the championship and everything that
goes along with that, will come along with the win. But they know it won’t come
easy against a battle-tested team like Minnesota.
“We know it’s going to be a dogfight,” said Parker. “The reason why they’ve been
here before is because they’ve been able to play with their backs against the
wall. This is about maturity and being able to play as a game. We’ve got to take
it one play at a time. We can’t get ahead of ourselves. That’s our focus going
into Game 4.”
“We talk a lot about surrendering the outcome and just staying in the moment,”
added Alana Beard. “So hopefully that’s what each individual can do and whatever
happens, happens.”
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This series has been dictated by the team that shows the highest sense of
urgency in each game, particularly at the start of the game as the winner of the
first quarter has gone on to win 12 of the last 14 meetings between these
squads.
The Lynx will have a sense of desperation on their side as their season is on
the line in Game 4. The Sparks must combat that by showing a killer instinct to
try to finish off this veteran Lynx squad and not give them any hope of
extending the series.
“Honestly this is what’s so ironic about our team; you look across the board.
[Odyssey Sims] was traded, I’ve had injuries and been counted out, Nneka and
myself with what happened last year, [Beard] with injuries, Chelsea [Gray] with
injuries,” said Parker. “All of us have a kind of story like where we weren’t
wanted, so I think that kind of develops that killer attitude. That develops
that killer mentality.
“You know they have it too. They’ve been to six Finals in seven years; you can’t
do that without a killer mentality, but its kind of nice to have someone who can
match that.”
The Sparks know the Lynx will give them everything they can handle on Sunday as
they try to stay alive. Parker reflected back to her college days and a lesson
from legendary coach Pat Summitt to describe this Lynx opponent that they must
knock off to win the title.
“I’m going take a line from my coach. Coach Summitt used to tell me you know
it’s hard to get on top but it’s harder to stay on top,” said Parker. “So they
[Lynx] have to have something; they’re doing something right, but we’re trying
to learn and figure it out.”
What the Sparks hope to figure out on Sunday is how to win back-to-back games
against the Lynx in the Finals. In last year’s series, the teams traded wins
over the five games, with the Sparks winning the first and last games in
Minnesota to take the title. So far, this year’s series has played out the same
way, with the Sparks stealing Game 1 on the road, dropping Game 2 and getting
the first win back in L.A.
It’s a testament to how evenly matched these teams are and how the coaches and
players from both squads make necessary adjustments from game to game. Can the
Sparks be the team to break through and not only win back-to-back games in the
Finals against Minnesota, but also become the first team to win back-to-back
championships since 2002?
“Nothing is guaranteed,” said Parker. “And I think that’s the way that we’re
going to approach their team that plays well when their backs are against the
wall. And we play well when our backs are against the wall, so how do we play
when we’re ahead? I guess that’s the question.”
