Can Collier bring Lynx back from WNBA Finals elimination?

MINNEAPOLIS – When Cheryl Reeve reunited with her Minnesota Lynx less than 12 hours after their heartbreaking loss in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday, the coach noticed the same quality in star Napheesa Collier that she has always had since being drafted in 2019 had seen again.

“Here you can see how consistent and stable Phee is,” said Reeve.

The Lynx had every reason to be discouraged after giving up a 15-point lead at home and losing on a last-second 3-pointer from Sabrina Ionescu. But Collier didn't dwell on the game or panic about being eliminated before Game 4 on Friday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

“When she comes into a gym, instead of saying, 'Oh, woe is me' or 'Woe is us,' she comes in the same way she did after (the Lynx's comeback win in) Game 1,” Reeve said. “And therein lies the value from which one draws self-confidence. This is our leader. That’s something that’s contagious, and that’s Phee.”

Collier has been everything for the Lynx this season, both in her leadership and her performance on the court. Without A'ja Wilson's historically dominant regular season, Collier almost certainly would have won her first MVP (she finished second, receiving 66 of 67 second-place votes). And if it weren't for Collier — who set a record Wednesday for most points in a single postseason (249) — the Lynx wouldn't be in their first WNBA Finals since 2017, when the franchise won its fourth title in seven years.

The Lynx need Collier, the franchise cornerstone of their post-dynastic era, to fully embody the poised superstar she has become for Minnesota to keep the season alive.

“Even in tough times,” Lynx forward Bridget Carleton said, “she just doesn’t back down.”

COLLIER'S RISE TO Superstardom was not predetermined. She was an All-American at UConn, where she won the 2016 NCAA Championship as a freshman alongside then-senior Breanna Stewart. Collier was still available when Minnesota selected their No. 6 pick in the 2019 WNBA draft — what Reeve called Thursday a “very subjective draft” in which most teams selected players based on need. Collier's ceiling might then have been difficult for talent evaluators to predict; She was 6'3″ tall and hadn't shot many three-pointers in her college career.

This can no longer be ignored. Fans might look back on 2024, when she catapulted the Lynx to the Finals, as her breakout year. But her development as a professional has been steady, from being named WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2019 to her first All-WNBA nomination in 2020 to being named to her first Olympic team in 2021.

Collier missed most of the 2022 campaign after giving birth to her daughter Mila in May. Collier only returned for the Lynx's final four regular season games, allowing her to share the floor with Sylvia Fowles one final time before the Lynx legend's retirement.

Expediting her return this season — she played 74 days after giving birth — is something she “probably wouldn’t do a second time,” Collier said this week. She spent much of the 2023 offseason rehabilitating – “I came back so quickly. “It was really hard on my body” – but knew she had to take on a bigger role and a more aggressive offensive mentality after Fowles retired. Collier answered the call and finished fourth in the league in scoring (and fourth in MVP voting) last season. This was her first of what have now been two consecutive seasons in which she averaged 20 points per game on at least 48% shooting.

“Everyone always talks about how good I've been since having Mila, but I feel like I've always been the same player,” Collier said of her development. “I feel more mature, though. … I feel like my years of experience have allowed me to read the game a little bit more, see what opportunities I have and take advantage of them.”

This past offseason was her first since Mila's birth in which Collier was able to focus on improving her game: defensive skills, footwork, ball-handling, attacking from distance and 3-point shooting. All of that has been on display this season as Collier scores from almost anywhere on the court.

With only five players returning from the 2023 roster, the Lynx opted to build through free agency and surrounded Collier with the signings of Courtney Williams and Alanna Smith. But they needed Collier to take the next step defensively for Minnesota to really compete.

Reeve told Collier in the offseason that while many focused on the offensive performance of the Lynx championship teams, their defense allowed them to be great. She challenged Collier to not only play at an MVP level, but also win Defensive Player of the Year – something she accomplished this season as the anchor of Minnesota's two-best defenses in the league.

“I knew Phee would make a name for himself in the WNBA, and it seems that wasn't the case with some other franchises,” Stewart said. “Her skill set, the way she's able to continue to be a two-way player, she kind of trusts the process.”

“She reached out to Minny and trusted the process to get to the point where she is now. And I don’t think she plans on stopping.”

The rafters at Target centers are full of history. The Lynx's four WNBA championship banners. The retired numbers for Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Brunson and Fowles.

One day Collier's number could be there too. But she's more concerned with helping the Lynx become the first WNBA team to win five titles.

“I just think she handles herself with so much grace,” Smith said. “It's not a big show, like, 'Look at me, look at what I'm doing, I'm so great.' She's great and she could do it that way, but she's not very team-oriented, very team-oriented, and that's why we are the team we are because our leader, our superstar, is more central to that.”

Williams added: “She's a real superstar, but she's so humble and it's so crazy to be able to witness that every day.”

Collier's postseason performance cemented her status as one of the top three players in the world alongside Wilson and Stewart.

“People always say, 'She's good, but she's not quite A'ja Wilson or Breanna Stewart,'” Reeve said. “But she’s coming.”

Collier's rise would reach a new level if she could lead the Lynx to the championship in their first WNBA Finals. Stewart and Wilson have each won multiple championships and at least one Finals MVP.

“It's a huge stage, it's a huge moment, and some people can shy away from it and buckle under that pressure,” Collier said. “But it’s such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you never know what’s going to happen next year, have fun with it.”