Lynx, Fever highlight WNBA playoff field
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The 2011 WNBA Playoffs start Thursday night with one game from each conference.
The Minnesota Lynx posted the best record in the league at 27-7 and are the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference for the first time in franchise history.
Minnesota begins its quest for a championship with a best-of-three series against San Antonio (18-16) on Friday at 9 p.m. (et). The Lynx should cruise past the Silver Stars after taking all four games in the regular season.
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The Lynx have qualified for the playoffs in only three of their thirteen years in Minnesota. But 2011 was a record-setting year for Minnesota, as the team set franchise records for victories in a season (27), at home (14) and on the road (13).
The other matchup in the West semis pits second-seeded Seattle (21-13) against Phoenix (19-15), which begins Thursday at 10 p.m. The Storm beat Atlanta, 3-0, in last year's WNBA Finals.
Seattle, which also won the title in 2004, went 3-1 against the Mercury in the regular season. Phoenix won the championship in 2009 for its second title.
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In the Eastern Conference, the Indiana Fever (21-13) are the top seed. The Fever are in the playoffs for the eighth time in team history, but they have zero titles.
Indiana starts postseason play Thursday at 8 p.m. against the New York Liberty, who are making their 11th playoff appearance. But like the Fever, the Liberty have no championships.
The second-seeded Connecticut Sun (21-13) will welcome the Atlanta Dream (20-14) to town on Friday at 7 p.m. in the other East semifinal.
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The Sun snapped a two-year playoff drought, while the Dream have qualified for the postseason for a third straight year.
Neither Connecticut or Atlanta have won a WNBA title.