Minnesota Lynx to face New York Liberty in 3 straight games in scheduling quirk
A rematch of last season's WNBA Finals feels in some ways like a playoff series for the Lynx, who visit the Liberty on Sunday before traveling home. The team doesn't play again until hosting New York on Saturday. The Lynx then return back to Barclays Center to face the Liberty on Aug. 19, playing three times in nine days.
'It's exhausting talking about the scheduling, I have nothing to say,' Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said.
New York doesn't have the same luxury, heading out west for back-to-back games against Los Angeles and Las Vegas on Tuesday and Wednesday before traveling to play Minnesota for the home and home set.
'It would have been nice to have it be spread out a little bit,' New York coach Sandy Brondello said. 'It's a series with a few games extra for us, not for them.'
A number of factors go into scheduling such as arena availability.
The two teams will have played four times over a three-week stretch with Minnesota winning the first matchup at home on July 30.
New York star Breanna Stewart will most likely miss all of the games while recovering from a bone bruise in her right knee. Minnesota's Napheesa Collier, who is a front-runner for the MVP this season, was out for Sunday's matchup while dealing with a sprained right ankle. She might miss the next two meetings as well as she recovers.
'You never know what's going to happen with teams and like the league didn't know that Phee and I were both going to be out,' Stewart said. 'You want to see everybody full throttle. That's the first game of the seasons or the second or the third, not August.'
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Mets troll Braves' woeful pitching on Pete Alonso's record-breaking night, snap week-long skid
Mets troll Braves' woeful pitching on Pete Alonso's record-breaking night, snap week-long skid originally appeared on The Sporting News The New York Mets haven't been playing their best baseball heading into their mid-week series against division rival Atlanta Braves. In contrast, the Braves entered Game 1 with momentum, having won four out of five against the Marlins over the weekend. The Mets, meanwhile, came into the matchup on a seven-game losing streak. 'With the walk-off blast, the Mets suffered a sweep-clinching loss, 7-6, to the Brewers at American Family Field, their 11th defeat in 12 games and seventh in a row,' Ryan Herrera wrote. 'A lead in the National League East that reached 5 1/2 games in mid-June is now a 5 1/2-game deficit. Their hold on the final NL Wild Card spot is now down to just 1 1/2 games over the Reds.' The Mets and Braves have played some classic games this season, further fueling the rivalry. But on Tuesday night, it was all about the Mets. Longtime first baseman Pete Alonso broke the franchise home run record, hitting two homers on the night. 'The 'Polar Bear' launched his 253rd career home run on Tuesday night to break the tie he was in with Darryl Strawberry for most homers in Mets history. Alonso, the 30-year-old first baseman in his seventh season, accomplished the feat in his 965th game with the Mets. Strawberry played 1,109 games with the Mets over eight seasons,' wrote USA Today's Jace Evans. As a team, the Mets hit six home runs during the game, leading to some playful trolling of the Braves. The Mets jokingly apologized for being unable to shoot off any more fireworks due to the sheer number of home runs hit. It was certainly a night to forget for the Braves' pitching staff, who gave up 13 runs. Ace Spencer Strider was on the mound and uncharacteristically allowed eight runs. The Mets capitalized on nearly every opportunity at the plate, culminating in what felt like the ultimate troll job from New York. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp
