To sweep the Phoenix Mercury in their first-round playoff series, the Minnesota Lynx will need a huge effort from their only Olympian, Nafessa Collier.
The sixth-year forward from the University of Connecticut delivered.
Collier scored a career-high 38 points in Game 1 with a 7-point margin, then scored 42 points in a decisive 13-point win in Game 2 to eclipse her all-time record. Personal best. Collier is the first player in WNBA history to score at least 35 points or more in two consecutive playoff games.
Think about it — WNBA history.
Collier did something impressive that had never been done before. Not Cheryl Swoopes or Lisa Leslie. Not Diana Taurasi or Sue Bird. Not Lauren Jackson or Cynthia Cooper.
Collier is in a league of his own at this unique club.
She scored 80 points in the Bobcats' victory over the Mercury, marking the club's first playoff series victory since the 2020 return to action. She did this in an incredibly efficient manner, shooting 25-for-39 from the field for a 64% shooting percentage, while also shooting 25-for-28 from the free throw line and 5-for-8 from 3-point range. In a total of 77 minutes of playing time, she had only 4 turnovers but dished out 8 assists.
Collier is playing the best basketball of her career.
The question is: Will it be enough to lead the Bobcats to a WNBA championship?
Think about it, if A'ja Wilson didn't exist, Collier might be the league MVP this season. Wilson won the award unanimously — and deservedly so — but Collier came in second with 467 voting points, well ahead of third-place Breanna Stewart's 295 points. In addition to her insane scoring output over the Mercury, Collier is considered by many to be the top defensive player in the WNBA, as evidenced by the Associated Press voting for her Defensive Player of the Year.
“I definitely think Faye deserves a lot more attention than she's getting,” said Stewart, Collier's teammate at UConn. told the Washington Post. “Especially this year, she was on top from start to finish. People need to appreciate her game.
In addition to averaging 20.4 points per game (fifth in the WNBA), Collier is averaging career highs in rebounds (9.7), assists (3.4) and blocks (1.4). Some believe the 6-foot-1 forward from Missouri has a better view of the game than ever before.
Back on the defensive end, Collier ranked second in the WNBA in defensive win shares (2.9) and defensive rating (89.2), both of which were career bests.
Under Collier, Minnesota went 30-10 in the regular season, its best winning percentage since 27-7 in 2017. Want to guess how that season ended for the Bobcats? They won the grand final, their fourth title under Cheryl Reeve.
The Bobcats have been looking for new faces on the team since the days of Maya Moore, Sylvia Falls, Simone Augustus and Rebecca Brunson ended. When they drafted Collier with the sixth pick in the draft in 2019, it wasn't clear if Collier would be that person, but now it's clear that's what she is. This summer, in addition to winning a gold medal with Team USA coached by Reeve, Collier was named to his fourth All-Star team and locked up his second straight WNBA All-Pro selection.
Collier has also led the Bobcats in capturing some hard bodies. The Bobcats posted a 4-1 record in the Commissioner's Cup earlier this season before Collier had 21 points, six assists and six rebounds in a 94-89 victory over the New York Liberty to capture the trophy. , and Collier was also named the midseason tournament winner.
“She's like an amoeba” Reeve said of Collier.. “If they get her in the paint, then she's going to find herself in the paint. She can screen; she can roll. She knows how to move, how to be outside, how to shoot. She shoots the three very well. She just gets the ball rolling. Rules find different ways to impact the game.
The Liberty were the top seed in the WNBA playoffs, but counting the Commissioner's Cup championship game, the Bobcats defeated them 3-1 in the regular season. The Bobcats also defeated the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces 3-1.
It appears that the biggest remaining obstacle for Collier and the Bobcats is their semifinal opponent, the Connecticut Sun. The Bobcats went 1-2 against the Suns in the regular season, but the margin of victory in those games was 2.6 points per game, and Collier played just 24 minutes in a July 4 loss to Connecticut.
With strong support from Collier and all-star Kayla McBride, plus Bridget Carlton, Alanna Smith, Courtney Williams and Mysha Hines-Ai Lun, the sky seems to be the limit for the Bobcats. If they can beat the Suns in the semifinals, Reeve's championship collection looks increasingly likely.