the minnesota lynx beat the los angeles sparks in a game five thriller 85-76 to win the 2017 wnba championship. lynx all-star center and league mvp sylvia fowles was named finals mvp. fowles led a balanced scoring attack with 17 points and 20 rebounds - breaking the finals record of 18 she set earlier in the series.
the lynx are now tied with the houston comets as the only wnba franchises to win four titles. this is their fourth crown in seven years, winning in 2011, 2013, and 2015. additionally, minnesota has been to the finals six times in the last seven years, and many pundits are calling them a dynasty.
fowles said, "last year in game five within the last two minutes we lost two rebounds, and that hurt me for a long, long time. we came in at the beginning of the season and were like, look, we lost off rebounds so that was at the top of our mindset going into game five. i said to myself if you don't do anything else, you have to rebound."
the lynx have a winning percentage over .700 since 2011. they've placed four of their members (fowles, seimone augustus, maya moore and lindsey whalen) on the u.s. olympic squad. forward rebekkah brunson, 35, the leading rebounder in wnba finals history, became the first wnba player to win five championships.
but their magnanimous accomplishments go largely unnoticed by the larger media. last year, lynx head coach cheryl reeve said, "it's a microcosm of society and where we place women's sport. this group deserves to be celebrated for its sustained excellence."
minnesota has succeeded consistently year in and year out, despite having four starters over 31. in fact, the lynx have four of the five oldest players in the league - all current or former all-stars. their window might be closing soon, but moore says, "i think it will be hard to find another group as talented, as deep but as selfless as this group."
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