Between the aurora green (and midnight blue) of the Minnesota Lynx…
…and the seafoam green of the New York Liberty…
…one can probably color this WNBA Finals green given the varying hues of verde.
Liberty vs. Lynx was our WNBA Finals prediction at the outset of these playoffs given the fact that these have been the two best teams in the league this season from wire to wire. While New York has been the league’s best team, Minnesota has been up there with the W’s elites as well – in addition, they have given the Liberty problems all season.
In fact, the Lynx actually won the season series. And a huge reason why they won that season series – as well as earned victories over a number of other opponents has been because of Napheesa Collier.
There was a reason why she has been in the MVP conversation all season alongside A’ja Wilson. If she was not already among the league’s best players, she certainly is now. In fact, she became the first WNBA player ever to record 25 points and 10 rebounds in three consecutive playoff games.
That is the development that is possible when Cheryl Reeve is one’s coach. At the outset of this season, most basketball pundits did not have the Lynx getting to this point once again. After all, Minnesota had not been at this point since 2017 when their core of Maya Moore, Seimone Augustus, Lindsay Whalen, Rebekkah Brunson and Sylvia Fowles defeated the Los Angeles Sparks in a classic Finals.
It helps to have the 3-point shooting of a Kayla McBride. It helps to have the veteran presence of a Courtney Williams. It helps to have the depth provided by an Alanna Smith. Blend all of those together and one has a team that is more than capable of winning this series.
Then…there is the Liberty.
While New York’s adversaries from the Land of 10,000 Lakes have history on their side, the same does not apply from the team whose basketball home is at Atlantic & Flatbush.
The Liberty have participated in five WNBA Finals – including last year’s against the Aces. New York has been on the receiving end of defeats on all five occasions.
Unfinished business has been the theme for coach Sandy Brondello’s team all season long especially considering how the 2023 season concluded – on the Libs’ home floor nonetheless.
And just as the focal point for all things Lynx has been a UConn great, the same applies for the seafoam, black and copper.
The 2024 WNBA Finals marks the fourth Finals that Breanna Stewart has participated in. Stewie has participated in two Finals with the Seattle Storm – both of which resulted in Finals victories and Finals MVPs. Last year certainly had to sting – and the last 12 months have been all about getting to this point.
Winning a championship with the Liberty may arguably mean more to No. 30 than either of the championships and MVPs she won while sporting Storm green and gold – that is why she signed with New York in free agency prior to the 2023 season. After all she is a native of New York State (Syracuse, specifically) and the Liberty are the only one of the remaining Original Eight franchises to have yet won a championship.
One should expect a better Sabrina Ionescu and Courtney Vandersloot in this year’s Finals. One knows Jonquel Jones will show up once again – she was the most consistent from the Liberty in last season’s Finals. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton has not been at 100 percent but she is still getting her minutes. Leonie Fiebich has emerged as a formidable Sixth Woman and made the All-Rookie team.
May 25 – Target Center – Lynx win 84-67
It did not take long after the 2024 season had commenced for us to see our first get-together between the Liberty and Lynx.
The scene was Target Center – and in an early indication that this Minnesota assembling would resemble a dangerous bunch, the Lynx scored an 84-67 win over New York.
Four for the Lynx finished in double-digits points-wise – including Smith and Collier both with 15 and McBride and Bridget Carleton each tallying 14. Phee’s outing that game also included 12 points and Minnesota also benefitted from five assists apiece from McBride and Williams.
Stewart led the charge for the Liberty with 20 points, 11 rebounds and a pair of blocked shots. Ionescu contributed a 13-point performance and Vandersloot’s outing that game included 12 points plus six assists
June 25 – UBS Arena – Lynx win 94-89 (Commissioner’s Cup Final)
Because of the NBA Draft being staged at Barclays Center around that same time, the Liberty had to relocate from The Clays to UBS Arena in Nassau County for the Commissioner’s Cup Final with Minnesota.
The contest was hard-fought but once again saw a Lynx victory as the final tally for this one read 94 for the visiting Minnesota and 89 for New York.
Carleton was the leading scorer in this contest with 23 points and was true on six of her eight tries from 3-point range. She also added five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Collier was once again her MVPhee self with a 21-point, six-rebound, three-steal performance. Minnesota also benefitted from 15 points in 11 minutes from Cecilia Zandalasini.
McBride added 12 points and Williams contributed 11 points plus eight assists plus four rebounds plus three steals.
The 24 points and 11 rebounds of Stewie plus the 23 points and 10 rebounds of Ionescu kept the Liberty in that contest from start to finish. As did the boost New York got from Kayla Thornton who added 17 points to the Liberty’s offensive output. Laney-Hamilton contributed 13 points and six assists to the New York cause.
July 2 – Barclays Center – Liberty win 76-67
A week after Minnesota’s triumph in the Commissioner’s Cup Final, New York finally got sweet revenge in the form of its first win over the Lynx all season.
How did the Liberty get it done? A strong close. New York outscored Minnesota 18-8 in the fourth quarter to clinch a 76-67 victory in front of its home fans.
When three of your marquee players finish in double-digits for points, that will get a team in the win column more often than not. Those three were Jones (21 points, 12 rebounds), Stewart (17 points and 17 rebounds) plus Ionescu (17 points, five rebounds).
Outside of McBride (17 points), Collier (15 points and 10 rebounds) and Zandalasini (12 points), the rest of the Lynx team was held in check.
September 15 – Barclays Center – Lynx win 88-79
We would have to wait until after the Olympic break to witness another matchup between Minnesota and New York – and the Lynx once again resembled the Lynx team that we have seen throughout much of 2024.
The Lynx outscored the Liberty by a margin of 30-17 in the first quarter – and 22-11 in the third frame. The Liberty did manage a furious comeback in the fourth quarter (29-14) but the final result would see Minnesota up its regular season mark over the Liberty (including the Commissioner’s Cup) to 3-1 with a 88-79 win in Brooklyn.
Carleton keyed the Lynx offensive attack with 19 points. In the near 33 minutes that Collier played, she put on 18 on the scoreboard, brought down 13 rebounds and dished out four assists. Williams did plenty of Williams things by scoring 15 and sending out five assists. Myisha Hines-Allen also gave the team plenty of production in the near 20 minutes she played that game with 12 points and six rebounds. McBride connected on three of her five three-point attempts for an 11-point performance.
Minnesota came out victorious despite the heroics of Stewart who led all scorers with 38 points (as well as all rebound-getters with 18). Ionescu finished that contest with 13 points and eight assists.
Prediction:
Liberty in 5.
