Normally NBA teams would be getting ready for their opening exhibition games, but due to the lockout all 114 pre-season games were cancelled on Tuesday.

Fortunately the Minnesota Lynx and the Atlanta Dream have given us an opportunity to enjoy some outstanding basketball as the 2011 WNBA Finals got underway this week.

We’ve seen incredible individual performances from both teams so far in this best of five series. Rebekkah Brunson and Seimone Augustus combined for 48 points to lead the Lynx to an 88-74 victory over the Dream in Game 1. Atlanta fell short again in Game 2, 101-95, despite a dominant 38-point performance from Angel McCoughtry.

Minnesota’s roster boasts four All-Stars including WNBA Rookie of the Year forward Maya Moore. After winning two NCAA titles playing under Coach Geno Auriemma at the University of Connecticut, Moore is back in familiar championship-series territory and in search of her first WNBA title.

For the second year in a row the Atlanta Dream find themselves down 2-0 in the finals. Last time around the Dream were swept by Seattle, but they’re hoping this season they will become the first team in WNBA history to bounce back from a 2-0 deficit to win the WNBA title. The Atlanta Dream return home to host the Minnesota Lynx in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. Live coverage begins at 8:00 PM EST on ESPN 2.