When does motivation peak? When everything is at stake? According to a 2018 report by ‘The Science of Running’ uncovered back in 2018, “The stakes, risks, and importance are what makes playoff basketball so much better than the regular season”. So, the playoffs raise the rewards, but they also magnify the risk that a single mistake could erase months of effort. It’s this very sense of urgency that Cheryl Reeve tapped into, using it to push her players to give everything they had in their recent playoff matchup.

The Minnesota Lynx punched their ticket to the Semi-Finals after notching a second straight win over the Golden State Valkyries. Following the game, ESPN’s Kendra Andrews shared Cheryl Reeve’s perspective on what fueled her team’s approach. Reeve explained that watching the previous night’s playoff matchups served as a reminder of “how hungry opponents on the brink of elimination are.” For her, “it was a good reality check heading into tonight’s Game 2 where the Valkyries are fighting for their lives“.

And it worked. The Lynx recognized the fight in the Valkyries and didn’t walk into the game pompously. On the back of that mental preparation, just in time, the Lynx shifted gears—erasing a 17-point, third-quarter deficit to pull off the comeback win.

Before the Minnesota Lynx-Golden State Valkyries matchup, the Indiana Fever and the Atlanta Dream battled it out. Meanwhile, the Seattle Storm also had a matchup against the Las Vegas Aces. Both Fever and Storm had lost Game 1 and were just one more loss away from elimination. So, both teams had the hunger Reeve was to confront in the Valks.

The Indiana Fever never trailed on Tuesday. Through a 10-2 run in the second quarter, the team opened up a 30-19 lead. The Dream climbed back within three early in the third quarter, but Indiana blew the game open by the end of the third quarter. Both Aliyah Boston and Shey Peddy kept things interesting during the final seconds. Indiana extended its lead to as many as 24 points in the final frame and secured the franchise’s first playoff victory since the 2015 WNBA Finals.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Storm were down 14 points in the 3rd quarter of their game. However, Skylar Diggins and Nneka Ogwumike combined for 50 points to give the Storm an edge. 35 seconds remained in the game, and the Storm were down 83–81. Ogwumike secured a rebound, threw it to Diggins, who in turn threw it to a streaking Dominique Malonga, who scored. With just 4.2 seconds left on the clock, Diggins isolated Jackie Young and drilled a jumper from just inside the foul line. Lo and behold, the Storm lived to fight another day, while ending the Aces’ 17-game win streak.

Cheryl Reeve’s approach ultimately helped the Minnesota Lynx close out the series without needing a Game 3. Still, that late reminder about playoff hunger would have meant little if the head coach hadn’t already been determined not to underestimate the Golden State Valkyries.

Cheryl Reeve Saw Valkyries As Title Contenders To Prepare the Lynx

The Golden State Valkyries entered the 2025-26 season as the underdogs. After all, it was their first WNBA season since becoming an expansion team. Plus, going into the playoffs, the team had only the 8th-best record, having won only 23 of their 44 games. In comparison, the Minnesota Lynx finished with a 34-10 record and had won all 4 previous games against the Valkyries. Despite this, Cheryl Reeve wasn’t willing to get too into her head about her team’s chances when going into the playoff series.

During an interview with Terry Horstman, the Lynx head coach said, “I don’t think there’s any titles that would be fair to put on Golden State. Make no mistake about it, we don’t see ourselves as an underdog. We see them as a team that can beat literally any team in this league in a series. Any thoughts different than that would be inappropriate.” As Sports Illustrated’s Jack Haslett highlighted, the Valkyries have had “a historic year”.

Despite having a first-year head coach and a roster gathered mostly from other teams in the expansion draft, the Valks got to the playoffs. They, too, were motivated, but by a different factor. As forward Janelle Salaün revealed, “A lot of people didn’t believe in us. That lit a fire for us. It’s a good thing. It’s better to start as an underdog and prove to everyone. I feel like a lot of girls in this team have been in this position, so we did this as a group.”

A lot of people underestimated them. However, Cheryl Reeve wasn’t amongst them, and she will continue holding on to that thought process during the Semi-Finals, too.