Olivia Miles had been one of the primary reasons behind Minnesota’s remarkable 33-11 finish as the No. 1 seed this season. The expectation heading into the playoffs was that she would be a standout against the New York Liberty. However, she struggled in the game. However, Candace Parker believed she knew what Cheryl Reeve should’ve done to win Game 2.

Game 1 ended in a 91-75 loss, with Miles managing just 11 points on 3-of-12 shooting and contributing only one assist. Things didn’t change in Game 2. Yet in an interesting move, Parker included her Game 1 discussion with Holly Rowe, revealing what she would do had she been in Reeve’s place, in the latest episode of her Post Moves podcast, which actually premiered after Minnesota’s postseason dream had ended.

“If I’m Cheryl Reeve, which I know Cheryl Reeve really well, she’s talking about defence, and to be honest with you, I think there’s got to be tweaks defensively,” Parker said on episode 50.

“They have to relieve the pressure, obviously, for Olivia Miles. And to me, relieving the pressure means her not having to zigzag and bring the ball up. Like, relieving the pressure means her being able to get the ball. Maybe there’s a screen, maybe there’s a pitch, I don’t know. Maybe it’s post-to-post entry,” she added.

Unfortunately, adjustments Parker envisioned weren’t effectively implemented by Reeve in Game 2. The Lynx lost again as their defensive lapses continued, and Miles actually struggled more than she had in Game 1.

She finished the game with just five points, missing seven of eight shot attempts, going 1-of-8 from the field including 1-of-4 from three-point range, and was once again limited to just one assist.

The Liberty’s length and elite rim protection completely disrupted her ability to operate. Every lane to the basket was cut off, and she was consistently forced into uncomfortable positions and heavily contested looks. The physical toll of navigating New York’s interior size without any meaningful relief was evident from the opening minutes.

Miles’ individual struggles were only one part of a team-wide defensive failure. The Lynx were thoroughly overmatched by the Liberty’s height and physicality inside. New York dominated the paint, controlled the glass, and used that physical edge to dictate the entire tone of the game.

Jonquel Jones was particularly devastating. The 6-foot-6 Liberty centre finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds, including six offensive boards, five of which came in the first half alone. That relentless offensive rebounding gave the Liberty constant second chances and allowed them to continuously reset their offence while sapping whatever defensive energy Minnesota managed to generate.

Also, after sturggling to contain Breanna Stewart, who scored 34 points in Game 1, the Lynx could not slow her sufficiently in the elimination game either. Stewart finished with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks. Sabrina Ionescu also added 18 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and three steals to complete a comprehensive performance from New York’s core contributors.

The rookie ended up playing just 17 minutes and did not see a single second of floor time in the fourth quarter while the Lynx attempted a desperate comeback. However, Minnesota was unable to contain the Liberty no matter what adjustments they made. New York opened on an unanswered 9-1 run, and the Lynx never once led throughout the entire contest.

It was a painful and abrupt end to what had been an extraordinary regular season. The Lynx were built to contend, and for 44 games, they looked every bit like a championship-calibre team. The playoffs, however, exposed their limitations against the New York Liberty, who have won four games against the Lynx this year across the regular and postseason.

Olivia Miles will carry the lessons of this postseason into next year. So, presumably, will Cheryl Reeve. The question of how they respond will define whether the Lynx’s next chapter finally breaks this increasingly frustrating pattern of postseason failure.