With this season being the final one of the five-game WNBA Finals format, it was only fitting that this year’s Finals go the distance.
As captivating as this season’s championship round has been between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty, many a WNBA fan is wishing that this year’s Finals would be seven games.
Even though the Liberty entered Friday evening’s matchup at the Target Center with a two-games-to-one advantage, one also had to expect Minnesota to not go down sans a fight. That was certainly the case in Game 4.
By virtue of an 82-80 victory over New York, the Lynx managed to force a Game 5 for all the marbles. That Game 5 will occur this Sunday at Barclays Center.
The deciding baskets happened late in the fourth quarter when Bridget Carleton drew a foul against Game 3 Liberty hero Sabrina Ionescu. Carleton connected on both of her attempts from the stripe to put Minnesota ahead by a tally of 82-80.
Brondello was likely thinking about one particular statistic when she made those comments. The Lynx attempted 20 free throws to only nine for the Liberty. A number of Liberty fans on social media have already called into question Game 4’s officiating, but of course the WNBA would rather a Game 5 rather than the series end in Minnesota.
The referees, though, are not why New York was unsuccessful in Game 4. A big part of that was the Lynx defense which did just enough to hold off the offensive firepower of the Liberty.
Carleton was the Lynx hero, but Kayla McBride was who put Minnesota in position to claim Game 4. In nearly 35 minutes of play, she scored 19 points, sent out four assists and was three out of six in terms of her specialty – three-point shooting.
McBride was one of five for the Lynx who was in double-digits for points. Another was Courtney Williams. In addition to the 15 points she placed on the scoreboard in nearly 30 minutes of play, Williams also dished out seven assists plus a steal.
MVP candidate Napheesa Collier once again played all 40 minutes – and once again made the most of them. She was one rebound shy of a double-double by scoring 14 points and hauling in nine rebounds. Collier also contributed four assists and four steals in a winning Minnesota effort.
Those game-winning free throws meant that Carleton would finish Friday night’s contest having gone a perfect four out of four at the free throw line. For the game, Carleton contributed 12 points and four rebounds in over 29 minutes of play.
The Lynx also got a boost from the return of Alanna Smith. Not only did she return, she was back in the starting lineup for Minnesota. She too was three rebounds shy of a double-double as she had 12 points and seven rebounds.
Game 4 was a contest where the lion’s share of production came from the starting fives – and the same was true for the Liberty. Its leading point-getter was Jonquel Jones who herself was two rebounds shy of a double-double. Jones’ efforts included 21 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots. She was also four of five from behind the 3-point arc.
Speaking of 3-point specialists, rookie Leonie Fiebich has also been that all season for the Liberty. In 36 minutes of play, she added 19 points to the New York cause in addition to five assists and a pair of steals.
This made a major difference in the Game 4 Lynx win – holding Breanna Stewart to only 11 points. That is an off night by her standards. She did grab 11 rebounds and contribute four assists – but the 11 points is a credit to the defense played by Minnesota. Expect that to change in Game 5.
Also making a huge difference was holding Ionescu to only 10 points. She also found alternative ways to contribute to her team as well by getting six rebounds and dishing out five assists. But the 10 points is something that one can also expect to change on Sunday night with a championship on the line.
As for Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, she also finished with 10 points and three rebounds in nearly 34 minutes of play.
We originally predicted a five-game Finals – and that the Liberty would be victorious in that Game 5. There was a reason why Sandy Brondello’s team wanted the home court advantage throughout these playoffs – to get a Game 5 back at Barclays Center.
Playoff history is on the Lynx side but the vibes will obviously be on the Liberty’s side.
Something will have to give.
