WNBA Finals 2015: Indiana Fever vs. Minnesota Lynx Schedule and Predictions

The Indiana Fever were in a 1-0 Eastern Conference Finals hole against the New York Liberty, but back-to-back wins over the WNBA's No. 1 overall seed set up a date with the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals. 

The WNBA's official Twitter account confirmed the matchup following Indiana's 66-51 Game 3 win Tuesday night: 

With the victory, Indiana clinched a berth in the franchise's third WNBA Finals and set up a rematch of the 2012 championship clash. In that heated showdown, the Fever emerged with a 3-1 series triumph. 

Now that the final matchup has been set, here's a look at when and where you can catch the best-of-five series:      

Game	Date	Time (ET)	TV
Game 1	Sunday, Oct. 4	3 p.m.	ABC
Game 2	Tuesday, Oct. 6	8 p.m	ESPN2
Game 3	Friday, Oct. 9	8 p.m	ESPN2
Game 4	Sunday, Oct. 11	8 p.m	ESPN2
Game 5	Wednesday, Oct. 14	8 p.m	ESPN2

The big theme of this year's WNBA Finals is revenge. Minnesota has a championship pedigree after capturing titles during the 2011 and 2013 seasons, but the Fever squashed its hopes of a three-peat with a stellar 2012 showing.  

But in order to replicate its 2012 performance, Indiana needs to try to solve a Lynx defense that ranked third in the WNBA this season in opponents' points per game. Over 34 regular-season games, Minnesota allowed just 71.7 points a night. Furthermore, opponents converted just 31.1 percent of their triples against the Western Conference champions. 

"A lot of that happens off our team defense, so when we can lock in defense-wise, most of the time I’m getting out on the break, which is where I love to be," Lynx star Maya Moore said, per the Star Tribune's Jack Magruder. "When we can get out in transition, it really favors me offensively.”

Indiana, on the other hand, has been more of an offensive powerhouse. While the Lynx averaged 75.5 points during the regular season, Indiana clocked in at 77.7 with the league's top three-point conversion rate (36 percent). 

The Fever also ranked in the middle of the pack on defense, surrendering a sixth-ranked 75.8 points. But as NBA.com's John Schuhmann noted, the Fever locked the Liberty down facing elimination: 

While Indiana has displayed improvement on defense of late, the Lynx took advantage of a shakier unit during the regular season.

Minnesota won the teams' first meeting, 78-69, on June 6, and it repeated the feat a few months later with an 81-65 victory at home.  

An average margin of victory of 12.5 points per game was impressive, but the degree to which the Lynx held the Fever's offense in check continues to stand out. 

Over the course of those two games, Moore and Co. allowed Indiana to shoot a paltry 25.9 percent from three while averaging 67 points per contest. That scoring mark was the second-lowest among all teams who squared off against the Lynx this season. 

Tamika Catchings and Shenise Johnson will keep Indiana levelheaded and competitive throughout the series, but Minnesota's a clear front-runner with Moore and Lindsay Whalen leading the charge. 

Look for Moore to cement her status as one of the game's most clutch players as she seeks to capture her third title against a foe that previously denied her a shot at glory. 

Prediction: Minnesota Lynx def. Indiana Fever in four games.

All stats courtesy of WNBA.com.