TALK » Cheryl Reeve said after Game 4. ..

MINNEAPOLIS -- One team in Thursdays Game 5 of the WNBA Finals is trying to keep a dynasty alive. The other is trying to start one.The Minnesota Lynx are looking for their second straight WNBA crown and what would be their fourth title in the last six years. That would match an all-time record for most team titles in league history.The Los Angeles Sparks, meanwhile, are looking for their first championship since 2002, when they won the second of their back-to-back titles. The Sparks had run into the Lynx in the playoffs in recent years and havent played in a Finals since 2003.After trading wins through four games, everything hinges on Thursdays finale at Target Center.We each won on each others home court, and thats not easy to do, when you look at the home court that we have and our fans and you look at what exists here, Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve said after Game 4. ... Now its Game 5, which is what everybody was asking for, hoping for, and here we are.Two of the four games so far in the series have been very one-sided. The Lynx handily won Game 2 by a 19-point margin, while the Sparks dominated in Game 3 to take a 2-1 lead after a 17-point victory.Los Angeles escaped Game 1 with a two-point win thanks to a buzzer beater by Alana Beard and some tough defense down the stretch. Minnesota forced a Game 5 with a win Sunday, fueled by a 31-point effort from Maya Moore.Moore, a former WNBA MVP, has averaged 22.3 points through these playoffs. As she has gone, so too have the Lynx.Obviously Maya Moore hit some big shots, made some big plays, both ends of the floor, Sparks coach Brian Agler said following Los Angeles loss in Game 4. Got a lot of respect for them. Theyre a championship team. Theyre well-coached.Rebounding was key for Minnesota in Game 4. The Lynx out-rebounded the Sparks 41-25, including 14 offensive boards. Minnesota was the third-best rebounding team in the league all season, while Los Angeles ranked third-to-last in that category. The Sparks will have to find a way in Game 5 to account for Sylvia Fowles, who alone had 13 boards -- six on offense -- for the Lynx.A bonus for both teams is that they should be plenty fresh for Thursdays showdown. Game 5 takes place four days after Sundays Game 4 in Los Angeles, giving each ample opportunity to rest and prepare.Both teams will have had a chance to get their legs back underneath them, Agler said. I think itll be competitive again on Thursday. Thats what I anticipate.The two Western Conference foes have gone back and forth all series, from quarter to quarter and game to game. So far, the series has lived up to the hype as the top two seeds in the playoffs have had the opportunity to go toe-to-toe.Now its a matter of which team can land the last punch.Obviously its been a great series, lots of ups and downs, and two great teams battling it out, said Lynx veteran guard Lindsay Whalen. There will definitely be a lot of energy for both sides on Thursday. Custom Giants Jerseys . The Redskins announced Monday that the quarterback who led the team to the Super Bowl championship in the 1987 season will serve as a personnel executive. Custom Giants Jersey China . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. http://www.customsfgiantsjersey.com/ . The move comes after the Canadiens were approached by the Buffalo Sabres for permission to speak to Dudley - a former Sabres player and head coach. "The Sabres called for permission and I appreciate that, Im flattered, Dudley told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN. Cheap Custom Giants Jersey .25 million option on reliever Jose Veras. Giants Jerseys China . - The Oakland Raiders re-signed offensive lineman Khalif Barnes on Friday. DAVIE, Fla. -- Steel Tannehill doesnt care whether the Miami Dolphins win or lose, which makes his dad glad.The Dolphins are 1-4 and fans have been booing their quarterback, but at the end of the day, Ryan Tannehill can count on a warm welcome from his 2+-month-old son.Hes like a better version of a dog, Tannehill said with a laugh Wednesday. Everyone knows there have been some tough times here. Its always nice to be able to go home, even if its late, and get a smile before bed. It caps the day in a nice way.While 2016 is far from a total loss for Tannehill, thanks to the birth of his first child, things have gone downhill lately. He was expected to have a breakout year under a new coach, quarterback guru Adam Gase, but instead the offense has been awful and the Dolphins appear destined to miss the playoffs for the eighth season in a row.Tannehill has been the QB since his rookie year in 2012, and with his record at 30-39, fans are losing patience. They chanted for backup Matt Moore during Sundays dismal loss to Tennessee .Moore predicted Tannehill will weather the situation.Our guy is strong inside and out, Moore said. We understand how it is, and how it needs to be.While teammates remain supportive of Tannehill, the locker room mood is strained. If not for a missed field goal by Cleveland on the final play of regulation in Week 3, the Dolphins would be the NFLs only winless team, and theyre a touchdown underdog at home Sunday against Pittsburgh.Its tough, Tannehill said. Were nowhere near where we thought we were going to be. Thats the reality. We have one real option -- to keep working and find a way to win games.Gase is willing to shake things up. On Tuesday he released offensive linemen Billy Turner and Dallas Thomas after they played poorly as emergency starters against the Titans.But Gase has publiccly said Tannehill is his quarterback for the rest of the season, and has been encouraging in private.ddddddddddddHe says to stay the course, keep doing everything I can to play the way Im supposed to play, and good things will happen, Tannehill said.If the season goes south, this might be Tannehills final season in Miami, because his salary is scheduled to nearly double to $18 million in 2017.Thats so far away right now, Gase said. I know everybody wants to rush to judgment. I mean, were five games in.Its difficult to envision a turnaround, however, unless the Dolphins solve their perennial problem with blocking. The running game has been nonexistent, and Tannehill endured six sacks by the Titans to increase his career total to 201, most in the NFL since 2012.He was hit several other times but didnt rank the pounding as the worst he has taken in a game.Ive had a few rough ones, he said. Hopefully we can get the ball out and not have as many hits.Critics say Tannehill holds the ball too long and is slow to react when the pocket starts to crumble.If youre getting hit from behind, its tough to move at that point, he said. But I need to be able to escape the pocket some.So far this season, his only refuge is at home.Game notes Back at practice after missing the Titans game were RB Arian Foster (hamstring and groin), G Laremy Tunsil (ankle), T Branden Albert (illness) and LB Jelani Jenkins (groin). TE Jordan Cameron (concussion), S Xavien Howard (knee) and S Reshad Jones (groin) were out.---AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Steven Wine on Twitter: http://twitter.com/Steve-Wine. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/steven-wine ' ' '