Lynx owner Glen Taylor hopes playoff run grows fan base

Lynx celebrate win
Minnesota Lynx's Rebekkah Brunson (32) and Candice Wiggins applaud their fans who attended their win over the Phoenix Mercury after Game 2 of the WNBA basketball Western Conference finals on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2011, in Phoenix. The Lynx defeated the Mercury 103-86 and advance to the WNBA Finals.
Ross D. Franklin/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Minnesota Lynx owner Glen Taylor has stuck with his WNBA franchise through some tough seasons, and now that the team has reached the league finals for the first time in its history, he hopes fans become as loyal as he has been - and more numerous.

Having dispatched the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday in the Western Conference playoffs, the Lynx will play their first final game in Minneapolis on Oct. 2 against the winner of the Atlanta-Indiana series.

"A winning team can draw fans and a lot of excitement for the state. I'm hopeful that by winning, it will continue to attract fans," Taylor said. "Women's sport can be very entertaining and fun."

It doesn't hurt that his is the only pro Minnesota franchise worth getting excited about right now. The Vikings are enduring a 0-3 season, the Twins have imploded, and Taylor's own NBA Timberwolves ended last season with the worst record in the NBA.

That may explain why Taylor says more men seem to be showing up at Target Center.

"Once men come to the game they find out it is a very competitive game," with the likes of Lindsay Whalen, Maya Moore and Taj McWilliams-Franklin. "The gals are very experienced."