{
  "id": 10854103,
  "title": "Cheryl Reeve, Lynx not feeling championship pressure after latest WNBA playoff exit: 'It is what it is'",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/cheryl-reeve-lynx-not-feeling-championship-pressure-after-latest-wnba",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-30T04:16:50.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/wnba/article/cheryl-reeve-lynx-not-feeling-championship-pressure-after-latest-wnba-playoff-exit-it-is-what-it-is-041650084.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve is not feeling the weight of championship pressure following the team's recent playoff exit. \"Yeah, it sucks,\" she admitted, \"We're not going to focus on s**t like that. It is what it is.\" The Lynx were swept by the New York Liberty in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, with the Liberty winning the best-of-three series 87-71. This marked the first time a No. 8 seed had defeated a No. 1 seed in WNBA playoff history. Despite a 33-11 regular season record, the Lynx struggled in the postseason, leading for less than 3.5 minutes in all of their playoff games. Reeve acknowledged that the team has yet to figure out why they can't win a championship, but the team itself does not feel the same pressure. \"There wasn’t an expectation internally that, ‘Hey, championship or bust,'\" she stated. \"We became a great regular season team this year, and we ran into the wrong team.\"",
  "summary": "The Liberty are the first No. 8 seed to ever upset a No. 1 seed in WNBA playoff history.",
  "key_points": [
    "Cheryl Reeve, Lynx coach, not feeling championship pressure",
    "Lynx swept by New York Liberty in first-round playoff exit",
    "First time No. 8 seed defeated No. 1 seed in WNBA playoffs"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Lynx's playoff exit reveals a disconnect between external championship expectations and the team's internal mindset, which Reeve says never felt pressure to win a title this season.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "Liberty become first-ever eighth seed to take down No. 1 seed in WNBA postseason after dominating Lynx in decisive Game 2",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/liberty-become-first-ever-eighth-seed-to-take-down-no-1-seed-in-wnba",
        "published": "2026-09-30T02:46:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}