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ST. PAUL, Minn. -- The Mercury reviewed video of their 113-95 loss to the Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA semifinals before a light practice Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center. Brittney Griner hardly needed the visual reminder of something that bugged her.In 27 minutes Wednesday in Game 1, the 6-foot-8 Griner, the tallest player on the floor, grabbed two rebounds, both on the defensive end. Her 16 points on 7-for-8 shooting meant nothing to her, because scoring isnt her primary gig. Her inside presence keys Phoenixs defense, which came up woefully short in Game 1.Four days after her dominant second-round performance in New York -- 22 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and four blocks -- lifted Phoenix into the WNBA semifinals, Griners lack of aggression annoyed her so much that she brought it up without being asked. She knows she needs to be better Friday night in Game 2 (ESPNEWS, 8 p.m. ET).Two rebounds in a playoff game? Thats ridiculous, said Griner, a two-time WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. Its unacceptable. I have to make a better effort at boxing out Syl (Sylvia Fowles), or whoever it is, and getting more boards.Rebounds usually arent plentiful when one team shoots 63.9 percent, as the Lynx did. Yet Fowles grabbed 10, keying Minnesotas 38-20 edge on the glass and 16-2 dominance in fast-break points.I saw a Minnesota team playing one of the best games Ive seen them play, and I saw a Phoenix team that didnt play anywhere near as good as they could play, Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said. We just didnt give them any resilience or defense. We didnt execute much. Hopefully we play better in the next game.The Mercurys poor defense and inability to slow the Lynx even a little enabled Minnesota to set the league record for points in a regulation-length playoff game. Brondello sat Griner, Diana Taurasi, Penny Taylor and Candice Dupree for the entire fourth quarter, unwilling to overtax them with the game out of hand. In the final minutes, Taurasi turned to jaw with a heckler. It was that kind of night.Our overall schemes were a little bit too passive, Dupree said. Because our offense was going early, our defense slacked. We cant let our defense be predicated on our offense. Regardless of whether were scoring the ball or not, weve got to be able to get stops. Weve got to be more aggressive.The new best-of-five semifinal format, instead of a best-of-three series, means one clunker doesnt decide a series. That takes the elimination edge off Friday night. Brondello said the Mercury prefer playing up-tempo to prevent Minnesota from setting its defense. But that requires Phoenix to play some defense itself.There wasnt much on either side Wednesday, except late in the first quarter, when Minnesotas three-guard tandem of Anna Cruz, Jia Perkins and Renee Montgomery disrupted Phoenixs offense by slowing the hot-shooting Taurasi.The Lynx countered with 14 consecutive points in the second quarter to go up 39-25. Phoenix never recovered. The Mercurys 34-point third quarter made little difference because they gave up 36. Phoenix shot 53.5 percent and still lost big.The first quarter we had a pretty good rhythm, doing things that were hurting them, Taurasi said. In the second quarter it all went away. In the third quarter, we were trading baskets. That doesnt help when youre down double digits.Added Griner: A lot of times they just drove down the middle. Weve got to clog up the paint, make it harder for them to get to the basket. ...In a playoff like this, when you let a team go on a run like that, theyre going to make it hard for you to get it back. We got into a little bit more of rhythm, though, with our offense later on in the game. Now its coming out the next game, applying that at the beginning of the game and all the way to halftime.Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve wasnt thrilled with her teams defense, either, making that a point of emphasis Thursday. Her bench might be thinner for Game 2 if Janel McCarville, who missed Game 1 with back spasms, and Cruz (buttocks contusion) cant go.Brondello also termed backup center Kelsey Bone (left elbow strain) questionable for Game 2. She hurt it in the fourth quarter trying to wrest her arm free from Fowles grasp. Air Force 1 Wholesale .S. hockey team after paying his dues as an NHL general manager for more than three decades and giving up a lot of his free time to help USA Hockey. 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Wes Morgan and Robert Huth will anchor the Foxes defence, as they have for the vast majority of the season, and will encounter the youthful forward threat of Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford.This clash pits speed and attacking flair against defensive nous, strength and experience. Rashford and Martial will be the fastest attacking combination the Leicester defenders have faced this season and both players will look to their pace to gain an advantage on Sunday. The running stats PL 2015/16 Martial Rashford Morgan Huth Top speed 35.4km/h 34.59km/h 34.76km/h 33.75km/h Sprints per 90 mins 47.7 50.9 31.1 27.6 Distance run per 90 mins 9.26km 10.16km 8.78km 9.06km Martials top sprint speed of 35.4km/h is the second-fastest recorded in the Premier League this season behind Leicesters Jamie Vardy, while Rashford isnt too far behind. And with Morgan clocking in as one of the Premier Leagues fastest defenders, Huth may well find himself targeted by Uniteds forwards. Huth and Morgan are not required to sprint or cover as much ground as most players due to Leicesters deep defensive line. Of the 486 outfield players to play in the Premier League this season, only two average less distance run per 90 minutes than Morgan and nine than Huth, while both players also rank in the bottom 25 for sprints.If United can their lure them up the pitch a little more often, they can create extra holes for their speedy attackers to exploit. Anthony Martial has impressed for Manchester United in recent weeks Of course, Martial and Rashford bring far more than sheer pace. Generally cutting in from the left, Martial has quickly forged a reputation as one of the Premier Leagues keenest dribblers, eager to take on an opponent at every turn. Only two players average more dribbles per 90 minutes and, as he develops, his success rate will continue to rise. Most dribbles PL 2015/16 Dribbles attempted per 90 mins Dribbles attempted Successful dribbles per 90 mins Wilfried Zaha 9.9 274 4.6 Jefferson Montero 7.3 97 3.0 Anthony Martial 7.3 191 2.9 Riyad Mahrez 7.1 221 3.6 Ahead of him, Rashford has already shown a ruthless streak in front of goal, scoring seven times in 14 appearances. Impressively, only one player with seven or more goals (Man Citys Kelechi Iheanacho) boasts a better conversion rate than the 18-year-olds 35 per cent this season. Rashfords senior career All comps 2015/16 Mins played Shots on target Goals Rashford 1,090 13 7 Such clinical finishing, aggressive dribbling and speed is a combination to worry any defence, though Huth and Morgan have been imperious for Leicester, frustrating all varieties of attacks this season.ddddddddddddWhile Vardy, Riyad Mahrez and NGolo Kante regularly grab the headlines, much of Leicesters success has been due to the defensive foundation laid by their centre-backs. PL rank - defensive categories (of 532 players) PL 2015/16 Clearances Blocks Aerials win Interceptions Total defensive actions Huth 4th =4th 6th 31st 5th Morgan 8th 3rd =17th 11th 9th Of the 532 players to play in the Premier League season, Huth and Morgan have been two of the busiest defenders, ranking among the top 10 in most defensive categories.Leicester often deliberately draw opponents onto them before springing counter-attacks, placing paramount importance on their defenders resilience, and both centre-backs have led the way all season. Wes Morgan will be aiming to clinch the Premier League title at Old Trafford Huth and Morgan have also needed to hold their nerve far more than their rivals this season. In total, 14 of Leicesters 22 wins (64 per cent) have been by one-goal margins, putting sustained pressure on their defenders to help secure the win.No title rival comes close in this department, with Tottenham and Man City winning six of 19 (32 per cent) games by a one-goal margin, and Arsenal six of 18 (33 per cent). Where has the title been won? Over the years, where has the Premier League title been decided? High defensive stats can often just showcase a busy defence as opposed to exemplary defenders, but when the numbers are tied in with such regular clean sheets, as they are with Leicester, its a clearer indication of effective play. Most clean sheets by centre-back partnerships PL 2015/16 Team Full games at CB together Clean sheets Huth and Morgan Leicester 34 15 Smalling and Blind Man Utd 22 11 Fonte and Van Dijk Southampton 26 9 Alderweireld and Vertonghen Spurs 25 9 No centre-back combination has recorded more clean sheets than the Leicester pair this season and Manchester Uniteds Chris Smalling (16), is the only defender to tally more individually.Huth and Morgan will look to nullify their opponents speed and may well hold an even deeper line than usual, forcing United to challenge their strengths.By making their opponents compete in the air or in a condensed final third, Leicester can slow Uniteds attack and potentially grab a title-winning goal on the break. Watch Manchester United v Leicester live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 1pm on Sunday Also See: The German Leicester Why bookies are fearing Foxes Mahrez: The ultimate bargain? Mourinho the man for United ' ' '