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Cheryl Reeve didn't get a good look at the shot in real time. Downcourt from the Lynx's bench in San Antonio, deep in the corner, Lindsay Whalen hit a fallaway jumper over 6-foot-4 Jayne Appel to give her team a one-point lead over the Silver Stars with 1.5 seconds left.
Reeve would have to check the video to see how that unfolded, but the Lynx coach had a front-row seat for what happened next in that game nine days ago.
"[Whalen] came back to the bench, and the players were surrounding her and hitting her," Reeve said. "She got mad at them. She told them to stop it, that they had to lock in and make a defensive play or that moment was going to be ruined. Then, when it was over, she said, 'OK. Now it's time."'
Reeve still smiled at the memory several days later, because it revealed a part of Whalen's character that is just as important as her ability to carry her team. With the Lynx on a franchise-record nine-game winning streak -- and with her own stats on pace to set career highs in scoring and assists -- Whalen is not whooping or yelling or puffing out her chest. The WNBA season is about the long haul, and in her mind, these regular-season achievements won't be worth a thing unless the Lynx remain locked in through the playoffs.
A year removed from her Minnesota homecoming, the former Gopher can admit she struggled a bit with the unrelenting demands on her time last season. True to her nature, though, Whalen didn't complain. Nor is she taking too much satisfaction in regaining her mojo on the court, lest the moment be ruined.
"I was out doing a lot of things last year, and I wasn't able to focus on basketball as much as I wanted to," said Whalen, whose season-high 24 points in Sunday's victory at Los Angeles leave her seven shy of 3,000 for her career. "But that's the way it goes. That's part of the deal, and you just have to be a professional.
"This year, I've been more ready for that and more ready for games. It's been good, but it's a long season. We have to stay grounded, stay professional. We haven't accomplished anything yet. The goal now is to keep it going, because we have bigger goals we want to achieve."
Reeve is delighted to see Whalen, now 29 and in her eighth WNBA season, taking charge of the game in the same way she did during her iconic Gophers career. The coach watched her point guard become worn down last season by a packed schedule of personal appearances and other duties meant to take advantage of her unparalleled marketing power in Minnesota.
Adjusting to a new coach and new teammates, plus injuries to fellow guards Seimone Augustus and Candice Wiggins, complicated matters further. Though Whalen finished the 2010 season with a career-high 5.6 assists per game, a Lynx record, the challenging circumstances held her back.
During a postseason meeting last fall, Reeve could sense that Whalen's second year would be much different. The coach's system is set up to create opportunities for Whalen to score -- either by driving to the basket or by pulling up for midrange jumpers -- and Reeve urged her to adopt a more aggressive approach. She also would be part of a much stronger team, with the return of Augustus and Wiggins to full strength and the addition of talents such as Maya Moore and Taj McWilliams-Franklin.
Whalen said she worked on her shooting before coming to training camp, and she took Reeve's instructions to heart right from the beginning. With so many capable scorers on the roster, she understood chances would open up for her.
She has not been reluctant to take them; Whalen is averaging 14.3 points and 6.0 assists per game, both career highs, and is playing with the confidence and attitude that Minnesota fans know so well.
"She was pulled in so many directions in her first year home, it was maybe a little harder than she realized," Reeve said. "She's so much more comfortable doing this for the second time. But one of the things I like about her is that she knows we haven't done anything yet. You're defined by what you do in the playoffs, and she'll be happiest when we get to that time."
Whalen's next seven points will make her the sixth player in WNBA history with 3,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 1,000 assists. She will reach that milestone as part of an extraordinarily close team, one that has thrived largely because of its mutual trust and affection.
But just like that night in San Antonio, Whalen won't allow any celebration while the clock is still running on a season that is gathering steam.
"All of us want to keep it going," she said. "But I feel good, really good. I'm having fun. And any time you have that, good stuff happens."
Rachel Blount • rblount@startribune.com
