The 2015 season of the WNBA is drawing near a close with the Minnesota Lynx and the Indiana Fever battling for the WNBA Championship.
Both teams met before in the 2012 WNBA finals, resulting in the Indiana Fever clinching the championship title, according to the Indiana Fever.
The Lynx have made six playoffs appearances during their franchise history. Their latest playoff run in 2013 concluded in a Championship win, and the Lynx never lost a game during that year’s postseason, according to the WNBA.
A key contributor was forward Maya Moore, who averaged 19.8 points and 6.0 rebounds during the playoffs last year, according to ESPN.
Moore has earned several accolades since being the first overall pick in the 2011 draft. She earned rookie of the year honors, a gold medal in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games and two WNBA Championships, according to the WNBA.
The Indiana Fever has competed in the postseason more often, reaching the playoffs every year since 2005. Forward Tamika Catchings is a decorated veteran of the team, spending the past 14 years with Indiana. She is the only player in the WNBA to spend her full career of 15 seasons or more with the same franchise, according to the Indiana Fever.
Catchings led the Fever to the 2012 WNBA championship and gained the title of Finals MVP, according to the Indiana Fever. During that season, Catchings averaged 17.4 points and 3.1 assists per game, according to ESPN. Catchings, a three time Olympic gold medalist, was inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year, according to the WNBA.
The two teams forced a game 5 during the 2015 finals. The Indiana Fever beat the Lynx 75-69 in game 1. Guard Briann January scored 19 points and 6 assists and forward Marissa Coleman 16 points while shooting field goals at 50 percent, according to the WNBA.
Minnesota rallied back in game 2 with a 77-71 victory. Center Sylvia Fowles contributed 21 points and nine rebounds while Moore earned 19 points and eight rebounds, according to the WNBA.
Moore dominated game 3, outscoring all players in both teams with 24 points and landed a buzzer beating shot and broke a 77-point tie at the end of the game, according to the WNBA.
The Fever retaliated in game 4 with a 75-69 win, guard Shenise Johnson led Indiana in scoring with 15 points, according to the WNBA.
