The Lynx were the dominant team the last decade, winning four titles in a seven-year span from 2011-2017. But they haven’t reached the Finals since 2017.

Connecticut has reached the championship round twice since the Lynx’s run, but lost each time.

Now, the two teams meet in the playoffs for a second consecutive year. The Sun won the 2023 first round matchup, 2-1. Game 1 of the best-of-5 series is Sunday night at 7:30 p.m. at Target Center.

KSTP Sports was at Lynx practice on Friday and spoke with head coach Cheryl Reeve and point guards Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman.

***Click the video box above to hear Reeve, Williams, and Hiedeman preview series vs. Sun***

Season Series: The Sun won two of the three games although each matchup was competitive. Connecticut won in overtime in May and then by five in July. Minnesota walked away with a key two-point win during the last week of the regular season to secure the two-seed.

Marquee Matchup: Napheesa Collier and Alyssa Thomas. Collier raised her play in the first round of the playoffs, averaging 40 points in the two wins over Phoenix. She tied the WNBA record with a 42-point effort in the clincher on Wednesday night. She anchors the Lynx’s defense and was The AP Defensive Player of the Year. Thomas has always lifted her play in the playoffs and this year was no different. She had her fourth postseason triple-double in the opening win over Indiana and then had 19 points and 13 assists in the clincher.

X-Factors: The victor of the series may come down to which former Notre Dame guard plays the best, Kayla McBride or Marina Mabrey. The Sun added Mabrey via trade right before the Olympic break. She provides the team with another consistent outside shooter. McBride has been a steady for the Lynx since coming to the team in 2021.

Key Stat: The Lynx have been the best team in the league when it comes to sharing the basketball. They led the WNBA with 23 assists per game during the regular season. They averaged 29 a contest in their sweep of the Mercury.

The Associated Press contributed to this story