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Minnesota Lynx superstar Napheesa Collier is having one of the most dominant playoff runs in WNBA history as she fights to win her first WNBA Championship. During a pivotal Game 3 against the New York Liberty, Collier continued to make history. A second half bucket gave Collier 20 points for the night and 247 for the entire playoffs, which set a new WNBA record for total points in a single playoff run.
Collier finished the game with 22 points, bringing her total for the playoffs to 249. She will get at least one more chance to add onto her record in Game 4 on Friday night, and will hope for another if Minnesota can force a Game 5 back in New York.
Collier has arguably been playing the best basketball in the WNBA in these playoffs. She started her postseason campaign with a 38-point game against the Phoenix Mercury, followed up by a 42-point closeout effort to tie the WNBA playoff record for a single game.
The WNBA Defensive Player of the Year has been getting it done on the defensive end in these playoffs as well. Collier has recorded at least one steal and one block in all but two games in these playoffs, and she has 12 steals and seven blocks in three games in the finals.
Napheesa Collier, Lynx have uphill battle in WNBA Finals
The Lynx and the Liberty have played three instant classics to start these WNBA Finals, as every single game has come down to the wire. The Lynx pulled off an improbable comeback in Game 1 to steal home court advantage right from under New York's feet, but the Liberty responded with a resilient win in Game 2.
Game 3 came right down to the wire after the Lynx held a 15-point lead in the first half, but Breanna Stewart shot the Liberty back into the game with an explosive third quarter. Down the stretch, Sabrina Ionescu took over. The star guard nailed two three-pointers, including a deep stepback with just one second remaining, to give the Liberty a 2-1 series lead and put them within a game of the title.
The Lynx have been right there in all three games, but they haven't been able to execute to the best of their ability down the stretch over the last two games. However, this series is far from over. Minnesota has shown that it can disrupt the Liberty, especially on defense, when they've been on in this series, and it will need to bring its best for two consecutive games to steal the championship.
