It’s great to have a defensive identity, particularly in the playoffs. You want to have a controllable factor you can hang your hat on when the pressure and competition mounts. The Lynx have established that foundation upon which they can lean this postseason.

But sometimes opponents are simply going to make shots. In Game 1 of the WNBA playoffs on Sunday, Phoenix hit 52 percent of its triple tries as Diana Taurasi, Natasha Cloud and Kaleah Copper each pulled out their personal flamethrowers to shoot the Mercury back into a game it looked as though Minnesota won in the first half at Target Center.

Once talented players heat up, dousing them can be a nearly impossible task. So, there are times in a series when you simply may have to answer back on the offensive end.

And, as the Lynx proved again down the stretch Sunday, they’re more than capable this season of fighting fire with fire.

Minnesota scored on 10 of its final 12 possessions over the final 6-plus minutes of Sunday’s game to stave off the Mercury and close out the Lynx’s 102-95 victory.

During the stretch of offensive success, the Lynx utilized Napheesa Collier’s excellence, a bevy of pick-and-roll actions, a tough shot from Bridget Carleton and some timely free-throw shooting. But it all centered on one key factor: Spacing.

Certainly in past seasons, Minnesota’s lack of a floor general was glaring. It always seemed like that was the missing link amid the Lynx’s offensive struggles. And Courtney Williams’ playmaking has aided in the team’s efforts. The Lynx led the WNBA in assists per game this season (23), up from 19.4 in 2023.

“We just play so well together,” Collier said. “We have so many assists on all of our baskets, and I got a lot of easy shots (Sunday) because of our unselfishness on our team.”

But it’s also easier to playmake when there’s room to operate. And Minnesota’s shooting has given it plenty of that.

The Lynx saw a dramatic increase in 3-point shot attempts this season — up to 25 from 20.8 a year ago — with hyper efficiency. Minnesota knocked down 38 percent of those shots, the highest hit rate on deep balls across the league in a non-bubble WBA season since 2012, when the Lynx and Fever both shot 40 percent from deep (on fewer attempts) en route to meeting one another in the Finals.

The Lynx looked like they would be about the least likely candidate to take charge of the revolution from beyond the arc. But Carleton’s evolution to a starter who is leaned upon for heavy minutes means Minnesota usually has two, high-volume sharpshooters sharing the floor in Carleton and Kayla McBride. And everyone else is willing to let it fly when the opportunity arises, from the bigs in Collier and Alanna Smith to the other guards like Williams and Natisha Hiedeman. Everyone is presented as a shooting threat.

Which means opposing defenses are not packing the paint or freely doubling onto Collier without at least a moment of hesitation. Because if that double team, or even split second of extra attention hits, Collier will hit an open Carleton for a big triple, such as the one that beat Connecticut last week at the end of regulation to secure the No. 2 seed.

And if you can’t double Collier, she will dominate, as one of the WNBA’s top talents is wont to do. The All-WNBA forward, who scored 38 points Sunday and finished as the runner-up in the MVP race, operating in space presents one of the toughest matchups a defense can face.

And she’s not the only one taking advantage. Williams flawlessly executed a few key pick and rolls down the stretch Sunday — both in the middle of the floor and on an empty-side action that led to an easy bucket for Collier — which the Mercury tried and failed to guard with two defenders, likely in fear of getting burned by the kickout triple.

Against Minnesota, defenses now must pick the poison by which they choose to die. Sure enough, now down 1-0 in the best-of-3-games series after the Lynx’s net-scorching finish on Sunday, Phoenix’s season is indeed on life support.

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