MINNEAPOLIS — All week, Janel McCarville heard this moment downplayed in the Minnesota Lynx locker room.
Brittney Griner would surely attempt one of her high-flying, acrobatic self-identifiers never before seen in the game of women's basketball.
And it wouldn't mean a thing, they said. A brief twinge of embarrassment enveloped within a much larger objective.
But with the Target Center lights on and the sport's poster child loping through the giant Lynx logo at center court, McCarville shed all notions of self-preservation. The 30-year-old, once-sidelined veteran met the 22-year-old, No. 1 overall draft pick head-on, in midair.
Not here. Not tonight.
McCarville's hard foul midway through the third quarter sent her crashing to the floor and drew blood from inside of her mouth. But it also ensured Griner's production was limited to plays that were all fundamental, no flash.
"I got a busted face; my lip's a little jacked," said McCarville, who scored her first points of the season after two years away from the league. "We talked about the fact that it wasn't a big deal if she dunked. We knew it was a possibility — obviously, she can do it at will — but it could've been a momentum changer for them, get the momentum going in their favor, and we were rolling, so I didn't want to let that happen."
Said Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve: "I appreciate the heck out of that. Not in our house."
In Minnesota's 99-79 victory, the 6-foot-8 Griner scored 16 of the quietest points in her career. For the first time since she reached the pros, she didn't dunk successfully.
Moreover, she wasn't a factor. With McCarville and Amber Harris taking turns fronting and harassing her, Griner never served as a focal point of the Mercury's offense.
"We just tried to be aggressive with her, that's all," Harris said of Griner, who dunked twice in her debut and had another jam waved off in Phoenix's second game. "She's gonna be able to get better and bounce back next game. I'm sure she'll bounce back."
Instead of an individual show put on by perhaps the WNBA's most heralded rookie ever, the most efficient offensive onslaught in Lynx history handed trendy, up-and-coming Phoenix its third straight defeat to begin the season. A crowd of 8,511 came out expecting to see some sort of flash, a lightning strike that leaves rims shaking and kids guffawing.
Instead, they got a tidal wave.
Lindsay Whalen accounted for 10 of the Lynx's franchise-record 30 assists, as pass after pass after extra pass set up easy Minnesota looks. Maya Moore vindicated her early emergence as an MVP candidate with 22 points to lead four double-figures scorers. Rebekkah Brunson tore down the offensive glass in typical fashion, helping the Lynx to 17 offensive rebounds — 14 in the second half as they kept a 60-33 halftime lead inflated.
And the 6-foot-8 phenom that took over most of her college games at Baylor became an afterthought.
"I know I'm gonna watch the video and just enjoy the heck out of how hard we played," beamed Reeve. "We're just really embracing that notion that when you play hard, good things happen to you. That was a product of that tonight."
Only six of Minnesota's buckets fell through without an assist.
"That's a really fun way to play," Whalen said.
The Lynx turned the ball over only six times. Led by as many as 35 and never trailed. They pulled ahead in the second quarter and ran away in the third.
Minnesota's stifling, switching matchup defense had Phoenix misconnecting frequently and star point guard Diana Taurasi grimacing in frustration. When she and her teammates tried a momentum-quelling 3, there was often a hand in their face.
And when Griner received the ball in the post, there were only a few occasions where the nearest Lynx defender wasn't wedging herself between Griner and the basket.
"Every facet of the game, they dominated us," said Taurasi, who led her team with 21 points.
If there was any singular interior spectacle to behold Thursday, it came via Harris.
The reserve forward came off the bench and resiliently bodied up Griner when McCarville wasn't doing the same. She also stepped out and connected on a pair of first-half 3-pointers on the way to a career-high 18 points.
It wasn't a thing of beauty. One of Harris' first-half treys bounced off the rim before falling through, and another of her buckets came on an awkward leaner in the lane.
But the second-year pro's calm, cool performance overshadowed that of Griner. She converted a couple well-executed baby hooks from the low block but also was stripped once by McCarville and swatted twice by Harris. She failed on another contest dunk try with about 3 minutes left in the third.
After a first-half block of Griner right in front of the Lynx bench, Harris turned and looked at Reeve in an apparent appeal for approval.
"Just like that," a fired-up Reeve responded.
What got into Harris, the bashful, third-year pro out of Xavier?
"Nothing," she said. "I just came out and played hard. I started knocking down shots in the beginning, so I got a rhythm, and I just took it from there."
Thursday was a phenomenon the Lynx and the rest of the league likely will have to enjoy while it lasts. Griner's still growing accustomed to a talent disparity that prevents her from simply catching, turning and shooting over a helpless defender or waiting in the lane to smack away an adventurous slasher's futile attempt.
Those days are over, and Minnesota provided the latest reminder.
"It's not fun if you don't struggle," Griner said before the game. "I already knew coming in it was gonna be different. It wasn't gonna be like college. Towards the end of your college career, you start to dominate more and stuff comes real easy to you, and then you go pro and it's time to learn all over again, which I like doing."
NOTES: Franchise leading scorer Seimone Augustus and guard/forward Monica Wright scored 18 and 11 points. … The Lynx shot a scorching 64.9 percent from the field in the first half, but saw that number drop to 44.4 percent by the game's conclusion. … Minnesota outrebounded Phoenix 41-30 thanks to Brunson's 10 boards … DeWanna Bonner added 18 points for the Mercury. … Phoenix (0-3) has played without 11-year veteran forward Penny Taylor all season. The Australian native suffered a season-ending knee injury last April. … The Lynx (2-0) travel to Washington on Saturday for their first road test of the year.
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