First One In The Books

We couldn’t honestly expect this incredibly young Lynx team to start the 2007 season with a win on the road against Indiana. Although it may still be a buzz-kill to have the team start it off with a loss--as well as an injury to Seimone Augustus--we, as fans, must remember that this has been a perennially bad basketball team. They do have a few pieces in place, but still have a long way to go. So, as expected, there were some positives and negatives from the first game of the year.

As has been discussed the past couple seasons, Nicole Ohlde must step up and begin to play up to her potential. Although Ohlde started her season off quite well with 15 points and 9 rebounds--5 offensive rebounds--I will, as Brian Siemen stated throughout the game, reserve judgment on her until I see efforts like this consistently…or when I do not see these efforts regularly. Coach Zierden did start the season off on the right foot by going to Ohlde early and often in the post, in an effort to run the offense inside-out, as this always proves to be the most effective way to attack.

Throughout training camp, it has been a major concern that this team only has three legitimate post players in Ohlde, Raymond and Ress, with Kristen Mann filling in when needed. The concern, of course, is still there, but Minnesota won the rebounding battle with Indiana by a 7 board margin, led by Ohlde’s nine. For the Lynx to have any chance to stay competitive, they must continue to have all five crash the boards at all times in an effort to make up for their lack of posts.

The Lynx did show their youth in the first half, with 12 turnovers. Yet, they also showed their ability to take in the direction of their coaches and adjust, only turning the ball over three times in the second half. Personally, I will be curious to see the amount of turnovers that this team has tomorrow at home against Sacramento. Will they maintain that same focus (in this one area) tomorrow or will they relax because they are in the friendly confines of the Target Center, in front of the fans who support them wholeheartedly? Only time will tell.

After a slow start--in part due to Ohlde’s fast start--Seimone Augustus was able to pick up where she left off last season and, as expected, rookie Lindsey Harding had a solid first outing. The concern here is that outside of the 43 points by Augustus, Harding and Ohlde, the Lynx were only able to score 21 points between the other 8 players who saw court time. With only 10 bench points total in the game and 7 points from number 4 overall pick Noelle Quinn--all after Augustus’ injury--the supporting players showed that they are still searching for their roles on this team.

Simply outplayed by a superior team, the Lynx were only able to dish out a grand total of 7 assists. The older and more experienced Fever team was able to help each other achieve a grand total of 19. Augustus, at times, felt the weight of the franchise on her shoulders again, unable to trust her teammates as of yet, forcing up a few bad shots early in the shot clock. You can’t blame Augustus at this point. We are only one game in and it certainly is going to take time.

All-in-all, this was what was expected. The young pups outclassed by the veterans. One of the most important things a young team like the Lynx must learn to do is learning that they must protect their home court. To have any sort of chance at the Playoffs this season, this young Lynx team must start their “home-work” tomorrow.