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Is Minnesota, which has won the West the past two seasons, again the favorite in the division in 2013?

Connecticut's Tina Charles was the leading vote-getter for the All-WNBA team, and Indiana's Tamika Catchings earned her seventh first-team selection.

Maya Moore scored 13 of her 21 points in the first half as the Minnesota Lynx cruised to an 89-66 victory over the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night.

Maya Moore's No. 23 again tops the list of the WNBA's most popular jerseys.

WNBA commissioner Laurel Richie hopes the U.S. women's basketball team winning gold means more eyes will be on her league in the second half of the season and into the playoffs.

On the same day the Lynx received their 2011 championship rings, Minnesota looked just as good -- if not better -- than last season, with six players in double figures in a 105-83 season-opening victory against Phoenix.

Defending WNBA champion Minnesota is expected to rule again. But where do the rest of the West teams fall behind the Lynx?

The start of any WNBA season hinges on how quickly teams jell with new combinations and how players perform after their overseas experiences. But which teams deal best after the monthlong break for the Olympics might have the biggest impact this season.

In a game between two of UConn's finest, Maya Moore and the Lynx bested Diana Taurasi and the Mercury.

Minnesota showed naysayers its stellar regular-season record was a sign of things to come.

Lynx 95, Mercury 67

Minnesota had 27 wins in the regular season and was 3-2 against Phoenix, but the Mercury know how to win when it counts -- in the postseason.

The Minnesota Lynx piled up the victories during the regular season. Now the awards are starting to come in bunches as well.

Maya Moore, Monica Wright and Seimone Augustus all scored 15 points and the Minnesota Lynx beat the Phoenix Mercury 96-90 on Sunday in the regular-season finale for both teams.

Maya Moore scored 22 points and the Lynx opened the fourth quarter with a big run to put away the Mercury in a 90-73 victory.

After chronic underachievement, Minnesota might finally be looking like a potential champ. Winners of six straight, the Lynx host a former champ, Phoenix, on Tuesday in a game between two teams that can come through in the clutch.