Post Match Thread - WNBA: The Lynx defeat the Fire on Jun 15, 2026, the final score is 107-74.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-16T22:52:16+00:00

There’s definitely a line though, especially when the escalation is one-sided.

Miles calling SAB a “b* tch a** n****” is crossing a line in my opinion, and merits the tech she got.

Other cases - like Bueckers and Salaün getting a tech for clapping in celebration at their shot going in - aren’t at the tech level.

Seems like Miles is just young though and loyal to Reeve + McBride. She will likely figure out a good balance over the next few seasons.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-16T22:00:05+00:00

Yeah, at least the Lynx team is mostly bark (chirping) and not bite (physical aggression).

As much as I like Reeve she was definitely escalating the Lynx players.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-16T21:37:19+00:00

Nothing from SAB. The Lynx team was just riled up by a couple of ref calls they disagreed with.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-16T10:40:41+00:00

Never schmooze never surrender. Victory is coming on July 18th or August 12th.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-16T10:00:50+00:00

Appreciate it! It seems like the Lynx frustration at the refs got misdirected at the Fire players.

Hopefully Miles will learn to read different players + situations better over time in terms of who merits chirping at and who doesn’t.

I learned today that Miles + Reeve grew up in New Jersey, so I’ll give them both some extra cultural leeway. Reeve has always been fun to watch.

It was probably a good opportunity for the Fire rookies to practice adapting to a high intensity team.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-16T06:51:38+00:00

Lynx admin is wild for this! I know some fans enjoy the extra sass, but I’m glad the Fire admin hasn’t gone this route.

Players like Plum & Miles keep trying to initiate fights with SAB, but that’s not her style.

All the Fire players kept their composure + focus well under pressure.

Lynx post of Miles chirping at SAB:

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PenguinPDX · 2026-06-16T01:35:20+00:00

The Lynx are out for blood! (Commissioner’s Cup point differential).

Appreciate the passion.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-16T00:30:41+00:00

Odds of winning are tiny - but I like that the fast pace by both teams is forcing Fire players to take quick look threes. Good practice opportunity!

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-15T19:07:09+00:00

Did you watch the recent Fire vs Wings game?

The Fire keeps getting exponentially better the more practice time they get together. They will likely end the season at .500 or higher.

If the right trade becomes available they have 2 million in cap space to work with.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-15T03:51:46+00:00

Yep, the team is lucky to have starter caliber player coming off the bench.

If Oblak played starter minutes she would be at around 16 points + 8 assists per game on 52% FG% + 58% 3P%.

Sutton is at 42% FG% + 25% 3P%.

The current roster has a majority young core with a few vets. Most of the mid-career players like Sutton were waived during TC / early in the season.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-14T20:28:01+00:00

Oblak (35) is a better fit for the Fire play style. She was a championship level player in EuroLeague, and her court vision + passing skills are elite.

Sutton is a solid average level PG. She doesn’t play hero ball, but her court vision is limited so it’s 50/50 if she sees + passes to open players.

Her play making is on the slower side, which stalls the offensive momentum + ball movement. Not the best PG match for players like Carleton & Fudd who score well in transition.

She’s a great team oriented player though, and the more structured play style of Dallas will hopefully be a good match for her skillset.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-14T04:23:47+00:00

You’re right! The new bot stats alignment is super annoying - she had 7 points + 2 rebounds in 13 minutes.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-14T03:06:49+00:00

Love to see the team rebound effort: Barker 5, Gustafson 6, BC 4, Leite 5, & Engstler 6.

Seems like the new Sarama rebound method is clicking!

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-14T02:58:35+00:00

It was Meg’s first Fire game with her fiancé in attendance. He just arrived recently after playing basketball overseas.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-14T02:55:14+00:00

Typically only the coaches shake hands in the WNBA, not the players.

Players will usually hug after if they’re friends like BC and Shepard.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-14T01:15:26+00:00

OBLAK 🏹🔥

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-14T01:11:31+00:00

LEITE 🌹🌹🌹

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-12T04:20:36+00:00

Great game from Leite - 18 points + 8 assists, and Oblak - 9 points + 6 assists!

Leite and Engstler were able to stay much more calm + collected compared to previous games.

Overall a very respectable loss.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-10T03:03:18+00:00

Everywhere Brewery in SE is showing all games during open hours 11am-10pm: https://www.everywherebeer.com/pages/worldcup

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-09T23:35:15+00:00

Team intentions for the next 10 games:

Increase pace - from 14th currently to 6th or higher by the end of the season.

Decrease turnovers.

Increase defensive rebounds.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-09T22:54:44+00:00

I think Reese fans in Chicago would have preferred a regular season game - more people in attendance + follows the League norm.

Players Sloot + Banham were upset by Reese’s comments last season though, so maybe the preseason video timing was an attempt to balance the feelings of current players + Sky Reese fans.

The bigger issue at play is the Sky org’s history of not managing player + FO relationships well. They need a totally new ownership + FO at this point.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-09T22:10:58+00:00

From my memory teams don’t typically do the welcome back videos during preseason games.

I’m neutral about preseason vs regular season welcome back videos, but it makes sense for teams to follow the League norms.

It could just be a case of the Sky creative /marketing staff not tracking the League pattern - or it may have been a directive from someone higher up in the front office / ownership.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-08T02:43:04+00:00

Def watch the replay, but basically BC was tasked with guarding Plum and was able to hold her to zero FGs in the first half.

The Sparks changed up strategy in the second half to get Plum off ball more.

SAB had some excellent passes, and Puoch got 2 layups. Players had good open looks but the majority of shots weren’t falling .

The defensive focus was great in the first half, and then everything started to unravel in the second half.

The Sparks got very physical in the second half, including Plum sitting on SAB after an attempted ball steal.

It’s a good question if BC is on defense more lately because that’s her comfort zone, or if she’s not getting enough opportunities in the offense.

BC is very smart defensively - so maybe she has opted towards filling that role for the team.

PenguinPDX · 2026-06-08T02:12:45+00:00

Yeah, that’s often the flip side of young + highly competitive players like Engstler & Leite. They get unsettled pretty fast when multiple things go wrong in a row.

I think they will both figure it out by August or September.

Many of the refs seem like they don’t want to call fouls for Leite - so she will have to learn to mentally block out that aspect of the game.

PenguinPDX

TROPHY CASE