There is an undeniable hum around the Minnesota Lynx. It’s not the boisterous, often manic energy of a team fighting for its life. Instead, it’s a quiet, confident thrum of a team that knows exactly who it is and what it’s capable of. The kind of confidence that comes from being 27-5 and, with a month of the season still to go, already punching their ticket to the postseason.

The clinching itself was almost anticlimactic. A Dallas Wings victory over the Indiana Fever on Tuesday was all it took. The Lynx, not even playing, were the first team in the WNBA to secure a playoff berth. It’s a fitting metaphor for their season: They’ve been so far ahead of the curve that the rest of the league is playing catch-up, even when the Lynx are off the floor.

And perhaps the most remarkable part of this run is that they’ve done it without their MVP frontrunner, Napheesa Collier, for the better part of a month. Collier, who has been building a legitimate case for the league’s top individual honor, has been sidelined with an ankle injury since August 2. Her absence hasn’t slowed them down. In fact, it seems to have sharpened them. They’ve ripped off five consecutive wins and are a blistering 9-1 in their last 10 games. This isn’t just a team with a star; it’s a star with a team.

Cheryl Reeve, a coaching maestro with a knack for squeezing every ounce of potential out of her rosters, has done it again. The Lynx’s identity is suffocating defense and a relentless, balanced offense. They’ve leaned into that identity, proving their system is not only robust but also capable of thriving even when a key piece is missing. The ball movement is crisp, the rotations are seamless, and the collective confidence is infectious.

Now, with the postseason in sight, the focus shifts to a familiar foe. The Lynx’s next two games are against the team that ended their season in 2024—the New York Liberty. That WNBA Finals series was a five-game slugfest, a controversial and heartbreaking loss for Minnesota. The memory of that Game 5, and Cheryl Reeve’s defiant “this shit was stolen from us” press conference, still lingers.

This is a different team, though. A more seasoned, more dominant team. The 2025 playoffs will see a new format, with the Finals expanding to a best-of-seven series, a nod to the growing stature of the league and a fitting stage for a potential rematch. The Lynx, with their franchise’s 16th postseason appearance in their sights, are not just looking to get back to the Finals. They’re looking to rewrite the ending. And they’ve already started doing it, one dominant win at a time. The rest of the league, and the New York Liberty, are officially on notice.