Napheesa Collier becomes WNBA DPOY; Cheryl Reeve wins coaching award

The Minnesota Lynx received several awards Sunday: Napheesa Collier was named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year and Cheryl Reeve, who led the U.S. women’s national team to a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, was named both Coach of the Year and Coach the league named Executive of the Year.

The awards highlight a great run for the No. 2 seed Lynx in the WNBA playoffs, who host the Connecticut Sun in Game 1 of their semifinal matchup on Sunday (8:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).

Collier, who finished second in the MVP race to Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, received 36 votes from a national jury of 67 media members and won the award for the first time.

“I think it’s just the general aggressiveness on both sides of the ball,” Collier said. “We always say the defense leads the offense because it gets you in transition and increases the tempo. It allows you to keep the other team on their heels, so we take a lot of pride in our defense and that’s obviously something. “I’ve worked hard to improve because I know it’s what’s best for the team. “

Wilson, the league’s DPOY the past two seasons, finished second with 26 votes. The Seattle Storm’s Ezi Magbegor finished third with three votes, and the Suns’ DiJonai Carrington and Lynx’s Courtney Williams each received one vote.

Collier completed the longest two-game stretch in WNBA playoff history, scoring a combined 80 points in two wins over the Phoenix Mercury in the first round. The Lynx also led the WNBA by averaging 101.5 points in two playoff games.

As great as she was on offense, Collier was the leader of a defense that ranked second in defensive rating and first in opponents’ effective field goal percentage. According to ESPN Research, Collier held opponents as the closest defender with a field goal shooting percentage of 36.2% this season, the best mark in the league.

Collier ranked second in the WNBA in steals (1.91 per game), third in rebounds (9.7 per game), and seventh in blocks (1.41 per game), scoring in all of them three categories average values ​​at the highest career level. She joins former Lynx star Sylvia Fowles, a four-time winner, as the only franchise players to win the award.

“I’m just focused on getting to the next round and playing our next game,” Collier said Wednesday after setting a WNBA postseason record with 42 points in a win over the Mercury. “I think that just comes from really great teammates. We had so many assists. I think all my baskets were supported. My teammates did a great job of finding me and just taking advantage of what the defense gave us.”

Aces coach Becky Hammon said she thought Wilson deserved the award, and the team wore No. 22 Wilson jerseys to Sunday’s playoff game to show their support.

“If you have to go down a rabbit hole of analysis to engage someone in the same conversation, I think you already have the answer to your question,” Hammon said Sunday.

Wilson led the WNBA in blocks (2.6 per game), was second in rebounds (11.9) and ranked fourth in steals (1.8). She also ranked first in defensive win shares (3.8) and second behind Collier in defensive rating.

Reeve, who set a record fourth WNBA Coach of the Year award, didn’t miss a beat after leading the national team to a gold medal in Paris. After the Olympic break, she led the Lynx to a 14-2 record, the record in the WNBA. But her personnel decisions were just as crucial as her coaching.

In February, it signed free agents Williams and Alanna Smith, both of whom were key players in that run. Williams ranked sixth in assists this season and Smith hit on 40% of her 3-point attempts, helping opposing teams as a 6-foot-4 outfield threat who also averaged 1.5 blocks. caused problems in the matchup.

In August, Reeve traded for Myisha Hines-Allen, who has become a catalyst for the Lynx off the bench.

“I can’t tell you that we said, ‘Okay, if we sign Alanna Smith and if we sign Courtney Williams and if we trade for Natisha Hiedeman and if we wait until the trade deadline to trade for (Allen), It will all fit perfectly.’ “This is just ridiculous. And it’s not true,” Reeve said Sunday.

“You work hard. You do the things you think are the best way for your team. Sometimes you get lucky and get lightning in a bottle, as the saying goes. And that’s exactly what this team is.”

Reeve joins Curt Miller as the only people to win Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year awards in the same season. Reeve received 62 of 67 votes for the coaching award, while New York Liberty’s Sandy Brondello, whose team is the No. 1 seed in the playoffs, received four votes. Indiana Fever coach Christie Sides, whose team reached the playoffs for the first time since 2016, received one vote.

The WNBA also released its All-Defensive Team, with the Liberty’s Collier, Wilson, Magbegor, Carrington and Breanna Stewart named to the first team. Smith of Minnesota, Alyssa Thomas of Connecticut, Nneka Ogwumike of Seattle, Jonquel Jones of New York and Natasha Cloud of Phoenix were named to the second team.

ESPN’s Michael Voepel contributed to this report.