Minnesota Lynx playoffs: Can team shake off late season funk and bring home elusive fifth WNBA title? 

So I was sitting in a sports bar in my neighborhood last week when a Lynx fan who knows me approached my table with a question: How worried should he be about the Lynx going into the playoffs?

Context: This happened before Tuesday night’s substandard effort and blowout loss at Indiana that Napheesa Collier called “embarrassing;” before Rookie of the Year favorite Olivia Miles missed the final two games with a strained left calf; and after the New York Liberty hounded Miles baseline to baseline and beat the Lynx at home Sept. 18 in the first game after the two-week FIBA World Cup break. 

This fan isn’t alone. Many others posted similar concerns on social media the last few weeks as the Lynx struggled to lock up the No. 1 playoff seed, losing four of five, the first extended funk of the season. This followed a seven-week stretch where the Lynx appeared unbeatable, riding a superior offense (and a less impressive defense) to w...