Can this year’s Lynx follow same path to title as 2014 Spurs?

LYNX REGULAR SEASON OPENER >> AT DALLAS WINGS, 6:30 P.M. TODAY, ION

Lynx forward Napheesa Collier, 24, and teammates celebrate their victory over the New York Liberty with Target Center fans after Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on Oct. 18 in Minneapolis. ABBIE PARR — ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Minnesota opens its season Friday in Dallas against a foe who’s incredibly familiar to local basketball fans.

Paige Bueckers’ arrival signals a new era of Dallas basketball after the Hopkins native was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in this spring’s WNBA draft.

The Wings experienced one of many retoolings in the WNBA over the offseason. Indiana added a number of talented, veteran pieces around Caitlin Clark. Las Vegas brought Jewell Lloyd into the fold to replace Kelsey Plum. Atlanta bolstered its front court with the additions of Brittney Griner and Brionna Jones, while Phoenix added Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally.

Yet even with all that, who did the majority of WNBA general managers select to win the 2025 title? The Lynx.

Sixty percent of respondents to the WNBA.com survey selected Minnesota to reclaim the crown after finishing as a controversial runner-up last fall.

The reasons are clear. Napheesa Collier is slowly cementing herself as the best player in the world, and was the choice of 67% of voting general managers to be named this season’s MVP.

Minnesota has incredible stability within its roster, with all five starters back from last year’s team. The Lynx have Cheryl Reeve, who has a strong argument to be the best coach in women’s basketball.

And, of course, motivation will be abundant. While losing in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals will always be painful, the manner in which Minnesota suffered defeat — with a questionable foul called at the end of regulation to allow the Liberty to force overtime — resulted in anger that could fuel the beast this summer.

In 2013, the Spurs fell in Game 7 of the NBA Finals to Miami after a chaotic final 10 seconds in Game 6 prevented San Antonio from securing the championship. A year later, the Spurs delivered a dominant campaign, capped by a dismantling of the Heat in a Finals rematch to ultimately get San Antonio the title it felt it deserved the year prior.

Can Minnesota write a similar story? The Lynx were a lovable collection that came together and played a beautiful brand of basketball in 2024. The Finals felt like a sour ending to another dream-like screenplay.

But perhaps that wasn’t the ending at all, but rather the adversity the protagonist must endure before ultimately emerging as the victor.

It sure sounds good, but there’s so much basketball to be played between now and the postseason, the stage at which Minnesota could gain its true vengeance. Last year’s team made the hard things look easy. It willfully shared the ball on offense and played with a defensive tenacity that’s difficult to replicate. It’s why last season was so special.

Even with the same players, there will be a challenge to repeat the formula that led to such success in 2024.

But if the Lynx can, 2025 could be a season to remember. Roster retooling is great, but stability is king in basketball. Perhaps another year of familiarity will only increase the chemistry that made Minnesota largely unstoppable last summer.

If that’s the case, the rest of the league could be in trouble.

Judging from the poll results, teams know it.