Lynx’s Title Hopes Shattered in Semifinals Loss to Mercury

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PHOENIX — The Minnesota Lynx spent nearly five months building a season they believed would end with a fifth championship banner. Instead, it ended in tears. The top-seeded Lynx, owners of a franchise-record 34 wins and the league’s best regular-season mark, fell 86-81 to the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday in Game 4 of the WNBA semifinals. Minnesota, once again denied a Finals berth, saw its yearlong pursuit of redemption unravel in a stunning collapse. Veteran guard Kayla McBride poured in 31 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Lynx blew multiple double-digit leads, including a 13-point advantage entering the fourth quarter. Afterward, McBride struggled to contain her emotions. “To be close two years in a row … it just hurts,” she said. Minnesota’s downfall came under extraordinary circumstances. Head coach Cheryl Reeve was absent, serving a one-game suspension after being ejected and criticizing officiating in Game 3. Meanwhile, MVP finalist Napheesa Collier, the team’s anchor on both ends of the court, watched from the bench with an ankle injury suffered late in Friday’s loss. Without their leader and their superstar, the Lynx faltered. Phoenix capitalized, storming back to win three straight after dropping the series opener in Minneapolis.

The finish was painfully familiar for Minnesota. Last year, the Lynx fell in five games to New York in the Finals, vowing to return stronger. They brought back their entire starting five, added depth with DiJonai Carrington and Maria Kliundikova, and surged to a 9-0 start that established them as clear favorites.

But injuries to Carrington (foot) in the first round and Collier in the semifinals left Minnesota vulnerable. For the first time in franchise history, the Lynx lost a playoff game in which they led by at least 16 points, dropping Game 2 in overtime. That collapse marked the beginning of the end. Reeve, the WNBA’s longest-tenured head coach, has long carried scars from controversial calls in past postseasons. After Collier’s injury in Game 3, her frustration boiled over again. “This s--- was stolen from us,” she said a year ago after the Liberty series. This time, Minnesota never even reached the Finals stage. The offseason brings uncertainty. A new collective bargaining agreement looms, and much of the roster could hit free agency. McBride, now 33, acknowledged the pain of not knowing how many more chances this group will have. “I just care,” McBride said. “I would feel this heartbreak 100 times over to be with the people I’ve been with. You just want it to keep going.”

For a team that dominated from opening night through the end of August, Sunday’s loss felt cruel. The Lynx had built a script for a championship season. Instead, their story ended with another unfinished chapter.