The Minnesota Lynx experienced a rollercoaster of emotions on Sunday. Minnesota got crushed by New York in Game 1 of their three-game playoff series. But the silver lining came in the form of two major awards won by significant figures within the Lynx organization.

Lynx guard Olivia Miles unanimously won the 2026 WNBA Rookie of the Year award. Miles received an incredible surprise as her parents brought out her trophy and flowers, breaking the news to the young superstar.

“Olivia, we are very proud of you. We're happy for this moment and we're glad that we're getting to share it with you, congratulations,” Olivia's father, Yakubu Miles, said in the video.

Miles also took the opportunity to thank her coaches and teammates after a special start to her WNBA career.

“First, thank you Cheryl for choosing me,” Miles said. “It was special to have you believe in me, someone who just needed one more year in college to be ready for the pros… It feels good to have a community, a support system of people who believe in you and how well you can play when you have a healthy environment to be in. And obviously, to my teammates, I love you guys to death. You seriously don't understand the impact that you've had on me. I literally owe it to all my vets, you guys have allowed me to be me since day one.”

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On top of that, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve won WNBA Coach of the Year. It is the fifth time that Reeve has won Coach of the Year, the most by any coach in WNBA history.

But those awards could not erase the team's poor effort in Game 1. Miles look like a rookie on Sunday, only managing 11 points while going 3-of-12 from the field.

Now the Lynx will have the entire season hanging in the balance during their next game. Minnesota needs to do whatever it takes to force a Game 3 back at Target Center.

Game 2 tips off at 8:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 29 from Barclays Center in New York.