A Brief Glimpse At The Lynx's Repeat Obstacles, Part One: The Other Teams

      This and the next blog post will be a two part blog, which will examine the obstacles preventing the Lynx from repeating in their title defense. This post will be about the other teams who could possibly dethrone the Lynx and the next blog post will be about what problems the Lynx themselves could have to prevent their repeat, obviously if they do not repeat it will probably be a combination of both. Now back on track here is the other WNBA teams and where they stand.

The Teams With Pretty Much No Chance

Tulsa

Washington

New York

      Tulsa is very unlikely to make the playoffs out of the West, and it is beginning to look like Washington and New York will not make the playoffs from the East, let alone make it all the way to the Finals from the East.

The Dark Horse Team

Phoenix

     The reason they are a dark horse team, and not a team with no chance, despite being five games back in the playoff race is because Diana Taurasi has only played in two games so far. She is expected to be ready to go for the second half and has looked good in the Olympics. If she can bring them back and get them in the playoffs, they could be a very strong four seed.

The Teams With A Chance, But Not Likely

Chicago

Seattle

     Chicago has a chance, because as of right now they look like they will make the playoffs from the East, but barring a surprise run through the Eastern Conference, they will probably never get a chance at the Lynx. Seattle right now would be the fourth seed in the Western Conference, and with Sue Bird you can never count them out. The problem with Seattle is they just appear to old and not enough depth to be a serious threat to the Lynx, but bigger upsets have happened before.

Two Teams From The East Who It Is Too Early To Tell If They Pose A Risk Or Not

Indiana

Atlanta

      Atlanta was the runner-up to the Lynx last year, so you never want to count them out, but this year they have a record under .500 and as of right now don't look like they could pose a threat to the Lynx this year. Indiana is the second team in the East, but if they played in the West they would probably be in the four or five seed range. Both these teams seem to have inflated records due to playing in the East, but in a five game series, maybe either of these teams could put together a run to beat the Lynx.

The Main Threats

Los Angeles 

San Antonio

Connecticut

      Connecticut is the best team in the East so far, having the same record as the Lynx. They look poised to make a run to the WNBA Finals, and have looked as good as any team so far. San Antonio has the second best record in the West besides the Lynx, with Los Angeles having the third best record. Both of these teams provide threats for different reasons. San Antonio's size with the combination on Becky Hamilton could get to the Lynx. Los Angeles has Candace Parker, and with her healthy and the rest of the roster healthy, they are showing what they are capable of.

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