# 2011 Minnesota Lynx season

The 2011 WNBA season is the 13th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association. The Lynx qualified for the WNBA Playoffs for the first time since 2004 and won their first Western Conference championship.
The Lynx finished the season with a 27–7 record, best in the WNBA and the best regular-season record in franchise history. They then defeated the San Antonio Silver Stars in three games and the Phoenix Mercury in two to reach the 2011 WNBA Finals.
The Lynx swept the Atlanta Dream to win their first WNBA championship.

## Offseason
### 2011 WNBA draft

The Lynx held the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, and surprised nobody by selecting Maya Moore, a 6'0" forward out of Connecticut. Moore had won three consecutive Wade Trophies as the best player in women's college basketball, the only player to have done so. She had also won two championships with the Huskies. The Lynx also held the fourth overall pick, which they used to select Amber Harris from Xavier. Both Moore and Harris would ultimately make the team out of training camp.
In the second round, the Lynx selected Jessica Breland, Felicia Chester, and Kachine Alexander. The Lynx ultimately released Alexander.
| Round | Pick | Player | Nationality | School/team/country |
| 1 | 1 | Maya Moore | United States | Connecticut |
| 1 | 4 (from Conn.) | Amber Harris | United States | Xavier |
| 2 | 13 (from Tul. via Conn.) | Jessica Breland | United States | North Carolina |
| 2 | 14 | Felicia Chester | United States | DePaul |
| 2 | 26 | Kachine Alexander | United States | Iowa |

### Free agency

The Lynx declined to re-sign Hamchetou Maiga-Ba and Kristen Mann. Instead, they signed veteran center Taj McWilliams-Franklin and center/forward Jessica Adair, who had played one game with the Lynx in the 2010 season.

### Trades

The Lynx traded the draft rights to Jessica Breland to the New York Liberty for Angel Robinson and a second-round pick in the 2012 WNBA draft. They traded Felicia Chester to the Atlanta Dream for Rachel Jarry and a second-round pick in the 2012 draft. They traded Quanitra Hollingsworth to the Liberty for the rights to swap third-round picks in the 2012 draft, and they traded Nicky Anosike for a first-round pick in the 2012 draft. The Lynx ultimately waived Jarry and Robinson.
| Date | Trade | Trade |
| April 9, 2011 | To Minnesota Lynx | To Washington Mystics |
| April 9, 2011 | first-round pick in 2012 draft | Nicky Anosike |
| April 11, 2011 | To Minnesota Lynx | To New York Liberty |
| April 11, 2011 | Angel Robinson and a second-round pick in 2012 draft | Jessica Breland |
| April 11, 2011 | To Minnesota Lynx | To Atlanta Dream |
| April 11, 2011 | Rachel Jarry and a second-round pick in 2012 draft | Felicia Chester |
| May 27, 2011 | To Minnesota Lynx | To New York Liberty |
| May 27, 2011 | right to swap third-round picks in 2012 draft | Quanitra Hollingsworth |

### Transaction log

* February 1: The Lynx signed Jessica Adair.
* February 18: The Lynx signed Taj McWilliams-Franklin.
* April 9: The Lynx traded Nicky Anosike to the Washington Mystics in exchange for their first-round pick in the 2012 draft.
* April 11: The Lynx traded draft rights to Jessica Breland to the New York Liberty for the draft rights to Angel Robinson and New York's second-round pick in the 2012 draft.
* April 11: The Lynx traded Felecia Chester to the Atlanta Dream for Rachel Jarry and a 2012 second-round draft pick.
* May 12: The Lynx waived Hamchetou Maiga-Ba.
* May 27: The Lynx waived Angel Robinson and Kachine Alexander.
* May 27: The Lynx traded Quanitra Hollingsworth to the New York Liberty in exchange for the right to swap third-round picks in the 2012 draft.

## Roster
### Depth

| Pos. | Starter | Bench |
| C | Taj McWilliams-Franklin | Jessica Adair |
| PF | Rebekkah Brunson | Amber Harris Charde Houston |
| SF | Maya Moore | Monica Wright |
| SG | Seimone Augustus | Candice Wiggins |
| PG | Lindsay Whalen | Alexis Hornbuckle |

## Season standings

| Western Conference | W | L | PCT | GB | Home | Road | Conf. |
| Minnesota Lynx $^x$ | 27 | 7 | .794 | – | 14–3 | 13–4 | 18–4 |
| Seattle Storm $^x$ | 21 | 13 | .618 | 6.0 | 15–2 | 6–11 | 15–7 |
| Phoenix Mercury $^x$ | 19 | 15 | .559 | 8.0 | 11–6 | 8–9 | 11–11 |
| San Antonio Silver Stars $^x$ | 18 | 16 | .529 | 9.0 | 9–8 | 9–8 | 11–11 |
| Los Angeles Sparks $^o$ | 15 | 19 | .441 | 12.0 | 10–7 | 5–12 | 10–12 |
| Tulsa Shock $^o$ | 3 | 31 | .088 | 24.0 | 2–15 | 1–16 | 1–21 |

## Schedule
### Preseason

2011 Game Log: Preseason
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
1May 241:00pmIndiana71–66Brunson (11)Harris (10)Wright (4)Concordia University 2,0551–0
2May 317:00pm@ Indiana76–70Whalen (12)McWilliams-Franklin (8)Wiggins (4)Conseco Fieldhouse 3,8172–0 :

### Regular season

2011 Game Log: Regular Season :
June
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
1June 311:00pm@ Los AngelesNBATV PRIME74–82Moore (21)Brunson (12)Whalen (5)Staples Center 13,5890–1
2June 53:30pmLos AngelesFS-N PRIME86–69Augustus (17)Brunson (15)Whalen (7)Target Center 10,1231–1
3June 78:00pmTulsa75–65Brunson (17)Brunson (15)Whalen (4)Target Center 7,7132–1
4June 910:00pm@ Seattle81–74Brunson (22)Brunson (14)Whalen (10)KeyArena 6,2913–1
5June 178:00pmAtlanta96–85Augustus (25)Brunson (14)Whalen (8)Target Center 7,5564–1
6June 193:00pm@ AtlantaSSO77–64Augustus (19)McWilliams-Franklin (12)Moore Whalen (5)Philips Arena 7,2745–1
7June 2410:00pm@ SeattleKONG55–65Augustus (17)McWilliams-Franklin (8)Whalen (3)KeyArena 7,9145–2
8June 267:00pmIndianaNBATV FS-N75–78Moore (21)Brunson (11)Whalen (4)Target Center 7,1175–3
9June 308:00pm@ Tulsa101–73Whalen (21)McWilliams-Franklin (9)Whalen (5)BOK Center 3,9706–3 :
July
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
10July 98:00pmConnecticutNBATV FS-N90–67Moore (26)Brunson McWilliams-Franklin (10)Whalen (8)Target Center 8,2057–3
11July 131:00pmPhoenixNBATV FS-N FS-A105–112Augustus (22)Brunson (16)Whalen (6)Target Center 11,8207–4
12July 157:00pm@ Indiana80–70Brunson (20)McWilliams-Franklin (9)Whalen (7)Conseco Fieldhouse 7,5388–4
13July 168:00pmSeattle69–62Augustus (19)Moore (9)McWilliams-Franklin (4)Target Center 7,7339–4
14July 203:30pm@ PhoenixNBATV FS-A106–98Augustus (25)Augustus Brunson (6)Whalen (8)US Airways Center 12,11810–4
All-Star break
15July 268:00pmLos Angeles85–72Augustus (22)McWilliams-Franklin (9)Whalen (7)Target Center 8,04411–4
16July 298:00pmSeattle92–67Augustus Wiggins (16)Augustus (5)Moore (6)Target Center 7,85612–4
17July 313:00pm@ San AntonioNBATV70–69Whalen (23)Brunson (13)Whalen (6)AT&T Center 7,26013–4 :
August
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
18August 28:00pmPhoenixESPN290–73Moore (22)McWilliams-Franklin (10)Whalen (5)Target Center 7,12614–4
19August 48:00pmSan AntonioNBATV FS-SW62–60McWilliams-Franklin (18)Brunson (13)Whalen (6)Target Center 8,12315–4
20August 78:30pm@ Los AngelesNBATV84–78Whalen (24)Augustus Brunson (7)Whalen (8)Staples Center 13,52816–4
21August 910:00pm@ Phoenix80–85Moore (28)Brunson (11)Whalen (6)US Airways Center 6,72616–5
22August 128:30pm@ ChicagoCN10079–76Whalen (16)Brunson (11)Whalen (6)Allstate Arena 6,28917–5
23August 147:00pmTulsaNBATV FS-N COX82–54Augustus (16)Brunson (6)Whalen (9)Target Center 8,38818–5
24August 167:30pm@ ConnecticutCSN-NE79–108Whalen (20)Brunson Moore (5)McWilliams-Franklin (3)Mohegan Sun Arena 9,32318–6
25August 187:00pm@ Washington81–62Augustus (18)McWilliams-Franklin (7)Whalen (7)Verizon Center 9,48319–6
26August 208:00pmLos Angeles87–68Augustus (17)McWilliams-Franklin (8)Whalen (5)Target Center 8,81620–6
27August 238:00pm@ Tulsa78–72McWilliams-Franklin (18)Brunson (10)McWilliams-Franklin Whalen (4)BOK Center 3,75021–6
28August 268:00pmSan AntonioNBATV85–75Augustus (19)Brunson (8)Whalen (9)Target Center 9,21222–6
29August 283:00pm@ San Antonio72–61Augustus (20)Brunson (14)4 players (3)AT&T Center 7,92423–6
30August 308:00pmWashington73–56Whalen (21)Brunson (7)Whalen (5)Target Center 8,06524–6 :
September
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceRecord
31September 28:00pmNew York62–78Augustus (17)Brunson (8)Augustus (6)Target Center 8,92924–7
32September 44:00pm@ New York86–68Moore (19)Brunson McWilliams-Franklin Moore (6)Whalen (7)Prudential Center 8,24725–7
33September 88:00pmChicagoNBATV FS-N CN10078–69Augustus (22)Moore Whalen (7)Whalen (10)Target Center 8,78126–7
34September 116:00pm@ PhoenixFS-A96–90Augustus Moore Wright (15)Adair (13)Wright (6)US Airways Center 12,66627–7 :
All games are viewable on WNBA LiveAccess or ESPN3.com :

### Postseason

2011 Game Log: Postseason :
Western Conference Semifinals
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceSeries
1September 169:00pmSan AntonioNBATV66–65Whalen (20)Brunson (14)Whalen (5)Target Center 11,8911–0
2September 185:00pm@ San AntonioESPN275-84Augustus (24)Brunson (16)Whalen (3)AT&T Center 7,0231–1
3September 208:00pmSan AntonioESPN285–67Augustus (22)Brunson (9)Augustus McWilliams-Franklin Moore (4)Target Center 8,7342–1 :
Western Conference Finals
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceSeries
1September 229:00pmPhoenixESPN295–67Augustus (21)Brunson (13)Augustus (7)Target Center 8,9121–0
2September 255:00pm@ PhoenixESPN2103–86McWilliams-Franklin Moore (21)Brunson (9)McWilliams-Franklin (7)US Airways Center 8,6172–0 :
WNBA Finals
GameDateTime (ET)OpponentTVScoreHigh pointsHigh reboundsHigh assistsLocation/AttendanceSeries
1October 28:30pmAtlantaESPN88–74Brunson (26)Brunson (11)Augustus (7)Target Center 15,2581–0
2October 58:00pmAtlantaESPN2101–95Augustus (36)Augustus (8)Whalen (4)Target Center 15,1242–0
3October 78:00pm@ AtlantaESPN273–67Augustus (16)Brunson (9)Augustus McWilliams-Franklin (4)Philips Arena 11,5433–0 :

## Statistics
### Regular season

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Jessica Adair | 31 | 1 | 10.4 | .485 | .000 | .653 | 2.9 | 0.3 | 0.26 | 0.58 | 4.3 |
| Seimone Augustus | 34 | 34 | 29.3 | .504 | .417 | .865 | 3.5 | 2.2 | 0.88 | 0.44 | 16.2 |
| Rebekkah Brunson | 34 | 34 | 27.6 | .511 | .000 | .667 | 8.9 | 1.2 | 0.82 | 0.53 | 10.2 |
| Amber Harris | 27 | 0 | 10.3 | .398 | .000 | .742 | 2.2 | 0.4 | 0.11 | 0.41 | 3.3 |
| Alexis Hornbuckle | 29 | 0 | 7.2 | .375 | .294 | .500 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 0.34 | 0.10 | 1.1 |
| Charde Houston | 27 | 0 | 7.8 | .365 | .261 | .750 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.33 | 0.07 | 2.9 |
| Taj McWilliams-Franklin | 34 | 33 | 28.4 | .444 | .222 | .770 | 6.0 | 2.4 | 1.03 | 0.71 | 8.3 |
| Maya Moore | 34 | 34 | 28.0 | .439 | .369 | .788 | 4.6 | 2.6 | 1.41 | 0.47 | 13.2 |
| Lindsay Whalen | 34 | 34 | 28.1 | .511 | .405 | .730 | 3.5 | 5.9 | 1.09 | 0.15 | 13.6 |
| Candice Wiggins | 34 | 0 | 17.1 | .386 | .395 | .625 | 1.9 | 1.5 | 0.53 | 0.21 | 5.9 |
| Monica Wright | 29 | 0 | 13.6 | .379 | .259 | .750 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.79 | 0.17 | 5.1 |

### Postseason

| Player | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
| Jessica Adair | 8 | 0 | 12.3 | .469 | .000 | .667 | 3.60 | 0.3 | 0.63 | 0.63 | 5.8 |
| Seimone Augustus | 8 | 8 | 33.0 | .527 | .438 | .886 | 4.50 | 3.8 | 0.88 | 0.63 | 22.0 |
| Rebekkah Brunson | 8 | 8 | 30.6 | .473 | .000 | .781 | 10.80 | 1.5 | 0.88 | 0.63 | 11.9 |
| Amber Harris | 6 | 0 | 5.2 | .400 | 1.000 | .000 | 1.20 | 0.2 | 0.17 | 0.00 | 1.5 |
| Alexis Hornbuckle | 4 | 0 | 3.8 | .600 | .000 | 1.000 | 1.30 | 1.3 | 0.00 | 0.50 | 2.8 |
| Charde Houston | 2 | 0 | 6.0 | .375 | .000 | .000 | 2.00 | 0.5 | 0.50 | 0.00 | 3.0 |
| Taj McWilliams-Franklin | 8 | 8 | 30.3 | .455 | .000 | .833 | 5.30 | 3.3 | 0.60 | 1.25 | 10.6 |
| Maya Moore | 8 | 8 | 27.9 | .458 | .400 | .690 | 5.90 | 2.3 | 1.00 | 0.63 | 13.8 |
| Lindsay Whalen | 8 | 8 | 32.0 | .463 | .286 | .818 | 3.60 | 3.8 | 1.50 | 0.50 | 12.0 |
| Candice Wiggins | 8 | 0 | 16.0 | .345 | .348 | .667 | 1.60 | 1.3 | 0.25 | 0.13 | 4.0 |
| Monica Wright | 8 | 0 | 10.6 | .360 | .250 | .333 | 1.30 | 0.6 | 0.75 | 0.25 | 2.5 |

## Awards and honors

* Rebekkah Brunson was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week for the week of June 3, 2011.
* Rebekkah Brunson was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week for the week of July 11, 2011.
* Seimone Augustus was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week for the week of July 18, 2011.
* Seimone Augustus was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week for the week of August 1, 2011.
* Seimone Augustus was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Week for the week of August 22, 2011.
* Rebekkah Brunson was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month for the month of June.
* Seimone Augustus was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month for the month of July.
* Lindsay Whalen was named WNBA Western Conference Player of the Month for the month of August.
* Maya Moore was named WNBA Rookie of the Month for the month of July.
* Maya Moore was named WNBA Rookie of the Month for the month of August.
* Seimone Augustus was named to the 2011 WNBA All-Star Team as a reserve.
* Rebekkah Brunson was named to the 2011 WNBA All-Star Team as a reserve.
* Maya Moore was named to the 2011 WNBA All-Star Team as a starter.
* Lindsay Whalen was named to the 2011 WNBA All-Star Team as a reserve.
* Lindsay Whalen finished as a Peak Performer, averaging 5.9 assists per game.
* Rebekkah Brunson was named to the All-Defensive First Team.
* Maya Moore was named Rookie of the Year.
* Maya Moore was named to the All-Rookie Team.
* Lindsay Whalen was named to the All-WNBA First Team.
* Seimone Augustus was named to the All-WNBA Second Team.
* Cheryl Reeve was named Coach of the Year.
* Seimone Augustus was named Finals Most Valuable Player.