8 things to know from a sensational Game 1 of the WNBA Finals

You messed up. I just want you to know that. If you’re reading this to catch up on the WNBA Finals, you messed up by not watching Game 1.

I get it! There was a lot going on. NFL games galore and anthem protests. Maybe you finally went and got that check engine light fixed on your car. Maybe your friend invited you to that street taco place and, damn, they make killer barbacoa. But Sunday’s Game 1 between the Minnesota Lynx and Los Angeles Sparks was as good as sports get.

Don’t worry — I’m here to help. If you read this post, you should be able to pretend you were there for every minute of it. Sure, I’ll judge you a little bit, but who else is going to know? Anyway, here’s your recap.

The WNBA is as socially conscious as any sports league right now. It’s long been at the forefront of these protests, with many of its stars speaking out in the past year (and even before that!).

Specifically, the Los Angeles Sparks stayed in the locker room during the national anthem, while the Minnesota Lynx locked arms while standing during it.

Los Angeles won the first quarter 32-11, and Candace Parker was a huge part of that. Minnesota never led in the first half, and though the Lynx briefly cut it to single digits, the game was still a double-digit one for most of the first half. With a few more buckets from the Sparks, it could have been — but they followed up their torrid first quarter by scoring just 11 themselves in the second.

After Parker hurt the Lynx early, Minnesota shifted Maya Moore onto her defensively. Moore, an All-WNBA second-team defensive player, held Parker to just six points for the final three frames after a nine-point first quarter.

I’d bet the Lynx start with Moore on Parker next game. They probably should’ve done that from the very start.

Los Angeles led by 10 points with slightly less than four minutes remaining! I mean, come on. Ninety percent of the time, that’s game over.

It happened in literally less than two minutes, when the Lynx ate into that 10-point deficit and turned it into a tie game. It was their first tie since ... 0-0. Yeah. It really happened out of nowhere.

And that set up ...

Here’s the play-by-play detail of the final minute:

Yes, that’s four lead changes. Yes, that two leads for Minnesota, which had trailed literally the entire game. Yes, that’s clutch shot-making and just great back-and-forth ball. That Ogwumike hook shot, especially, came at the end of the shot clock when it looked like there was no way the Sparks would salvage the game.

Last year in Game 1 of the finals, Gray had the game-winning assist on a last second jumper from Alana Beard. In a rematch between these two teams, Gray took the shot herself this time — and not even an easy one! Look at this make:

Gray finished with a team-high 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting, including the last one. Last year, she was coming off the bench for this team as an important piece of the team but not a starting cog. That all changed this season — she started every game, doubled her minutes, and averaged nearly 15 points per game.

Now she has a game-winner in the WNBA Finals to her name, too.

Last year, the Lynx and the Sparks played a sensational five-game series that ended with the wildest finish to a championship game I’ve ever seen.

This one’s going to be good. The Lynx and the Sparks playing each other is always good. Let’s buckle in for another one.