Our (W)NBA Tuesday journey continues today with a look at another season of women’s professional basketball history. The Minnesota Lynx won their first NBA title—and they would go on to win three more for a total of four in a seven-season span. What does that mean for our awards analysis? Well, you know how it goes with these things: some of the same names, some new names … but always a lot of fun to read.

2011 WNBA MVP: Tamika Catchings, F, Indiana Fever (original, confirmed)

Indiana Fever star Tamika Catchings won the MVP vote after finishing second in Win Shares (6.5) and fifth in Player Efficiency Rating (24.6). But perhaps the top candidate was Sylvia Fowles (first in WS at 7.4, second in PER at 26.4), center for the Chicago Sky. We’re also going to look at Penny Taylor, the Phoenix Mercury forward (fourth in WS at 5.4, fourth in PER at 25.5). This could get complicated, so let’s deep dive.

The Sky missed the playoffs, which means Fowles may have been the best player in the league, but her value was lesser due to the overall team not succeeding. Phoenix had a four-game cushion in making the postseason, while Indiana had a seven-game margin for error; this would appear to give Taylor the edge, yet she had a teammate in the Top 8 for both WS and PER (guard Diana Taurasi). What about Catchings?

The Fever tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference on the back of Catchings alone, without any Top 10 teammate support. The top four teams in the East finished within two wins of each other, making it a very competitive race where Catchings’ contributions had tremendous value in the grand scheme. This leads us to confirm it, her first vote win but our third time giving her this award. We are on to you, Tamika!

2011 WNBA ROTY: Maya Moore, F, Minnesota (original, confirmed)

Probably the greatest player in recent women’s college basketball history, Minnesota Lynx F Maya Moore (5.3 WS) arrived in the WNBA without the fanfare of the overrated Caitlin Clark. She was one of three Lynx players in the Top 6 for Win Shares, but in terms of rookie value, she left the field in the dust, as no other rookie even posted 2.0 WS. Thus, we will confirm her ROTY vote win without much more convo.

2011 WNBA DPOY: Sylvia Fowles, C, Chicago (original); Sophia Young-Malcolm, F, San Antonio Stars (revised)

Fowles (2.7 DWS) won the DPOY vote; yet seven players reached at least 2.0 DWS. How do we separate them all? Fowles posted the highest mark, but her team just didn’t do much with the effort, sadly. There’s also the issue of teammates, so the best candidates here are Connecticut Sun C Tina Charles (2.6 DWS), San Antonio Stars F Sophia Young-Malcolm (2.4), and Catchings (2.3). We’re doing with SYM here, of course.

Why? Because the Sun and the Fever topped the Eastern Conference, while the Stars claimed the final postseason berth in the Western Conference by three games—close enough to SYM’s defensive value. She didn’t get a single vote for this award, by the way. Go figure. We don’t think we’re wrong, obviously.

2011 WNBA FINALS MVP: Seimone Augustus, G/F, Minnesota (original, confirmed)

The Lynx went 7-1 in the playoffs to win the title, and the top player on the squad in the postseason was G/F Seimone Augustus (2.0 WS), the 2006 ROTY vote winner. For the record, Moore was third on the team with 1.2 WS in 8 games; think about how Clark had only 3.0 WS in a full, 40-game season this year. That says a lot about value, yet again, even if it is a big of a false equivalency. Augustus was truly dominant.