Maya Moore’s way or the highway

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Game 1 of the WNBA Finals set the bar high, but Game 2 certainly didn’t disappoint either on the Lynx’s home court.

Game 1: Sparks took a 1-0 lead. Alana Beard tallied just the third buzzer-beater in WNBA Finals history. ABC notched record numbers in viewership – the most-ever in WNBA Finals history – with an average audience of 597,000. Maya Moore became the all-time leading scorer in the WNBA Finals.

Game 2: Maya Moore put up 12 points in the first half and 21 on the night. Lynx tabbed the largest lead (17 points) of the series after 20 minutes of action. Los Angeles pieced together an epic run to pull within three points. Seimone Augustus erupted in the fourth quarter. Minnesota evened the series.

The storyline of Game 2 for the Lynx, you ask? Mostly that Maya Moore is a wizard – nothing short of a master of her craft. A pro’s pro, a selfless leader and one of the best to wear a Lynx jersey and all of these things were evident in Game 2.

The Lynx go as Moore goes. It’s no coincidence they led 39-25 at halftime after Moore hit Minnesota’s first three-pointer – after the team started 0-7 – and shortly after dropped a full-court dime to Lindsay Whalen for the and-1.

But whom does Moore credit at the break when Holly Rowe asks about the incredible pass? Whalen and her ability to finish; it’s never been about Maya.

As Moore would likely explain, it was a total team effort for the Lynx in Game 2 (despite her timely buckets and uncanny knack to get her teammates going). After just eight bench points in Game 1, Minnesota had 14 in Game 2.

After not having much of a presence in Game 1 and for much of the first half, Minnesota’s Augustus went off in the second half – most prominently the fourth quarter – when the Lynx truly needed a boost. Augustus finished with 14 points, but let’s not forget about Sylvia Fowles, either: 13 points, 15 rebounds.

You either have the will to win or you don’t.

You’ve either got it, or you don’t.

Moore has it. Cheryl Reeve has it. The Lynx no doubt had it tonight (Oct. 11).