Napheesa Collier is one of the best players in the WNBA. This is not up for debate among ball connoisseurs. She was just named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. The 28-year-old averaged just over 20 points per game for the second straight season, almost achieving a double-double (9.7 rebounds).

She finished second in the Most Valuable Player race, losing only to Las Vegas forward A’ja Wilson in a historic season. Collier was the driving force of a Lynx team that took the league by storm, shocking many en route to 30 regular-season wins and a No. 2 seed.

And yet, Collier can sometimes fly a little under the radar – everyone knows she’s a great player, but she’s yet to be named the WNBA’s *best* player in the same discussions as Wilson or Breanna Stewart.

Aside from Minnesota being overshadowed by larger markets and rookies Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese getting attention this season, it’s easy for the unassuming Collier to miss her due honors as the WNBA’s best two-way player.

That could change on Tuesday evening. The eyes of the WNBA world will be on Minneapolis when the Lynx and Sun face off in Game 5 for a finals victory to determine the winner of an intense WNBA semifinal series. New York prevailed against Las Vegas on Sunday. So there you have it – the lone game that will have all the attention on it.

This is Collier’s time to deliver a moment – the kind of performance where her excellence shines brightly on a national stage, is appreciated and respected by all, and in turn sends Minnesota to the Finals for the first time in Collier’s career. That – and a resulting title that could be won in the next round – is all that’s missing from her resume.

Imagine Kevin Garnett carrying the Timberwolves to a Game 7 victory over Sacramento. The stage is set for a performance that Lynx fans will be able to discuss and enjoy for decades to come.

Honestly, you shouldn’t expect anything less from Collier by now. She delivered that in every playoff. From averaging 40 points in a first-round win over Phoenix to 26 points and 11 rebounds in Game 3 and 29 points and 13 rebounds in Game 4, she applied tremendous pressure in every single game.

And now the stage gets even bigger and brighter. It should shine accordingly.

It’s certainly not all about Collier on Tuesday. Minnesota’s great strength this season and even this series has been its depth. Courtney Williams, Alanna Smith, Bridget Carleton and Kayla McBride are all capable of taking down a big opponent that could influence the outcome. But in such a big spot, the star has to at least set the standard. Minnesota realized after Game 4 that it needed to be better defensively in Game 5.

Who better to lead this charge than the newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year?

Connecticut and Minnesota are so evenly matched on paper – both in production and style of play – and the first four games of this hard-fought semifinal back up the numbers. Every contest between these two teams looks like a coin toss.

But there’s one thing the Lynx and Sun don’t have: the best player on the field. In these situations that must matter.

Collier is everything a professional sports franchise wants in its star player. She is a humble face of the franchise who is fully committed to the organization’s vision and puts the team above all else.

But on Tuesday, it’s high time to remind the nation what else one of – if not the – best women’s basketball players in the world is: Unstoppable.