Around the W: Liberty Win 1st Title
New York wins 67-62 in OT in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals.
It took an extra overtime period in the decisive Game 5 of the WNBA Finals but the New York Liberty can finally call themselves “Champions” after 28 years of existence. They rallied from down 12 points in the first half to win the game by five points (67-62) in OT.
This was a total defensive battle throughout. New York was limited to just 10 points in the opening frame and was outscored by Minnesota 19-10. The Liberty reversed that in the third quarter where they had a 20-10 advantage. The momentum swung in New York’s favor but Minnesota battled back late in the fourth. The Lynx used a 6-0 run in the final two minutes to regain a two-point lead. Napheesa Collier had a great drive to the rim for a layup that would have secured Minnesota’s 5th Championship but she couldn’t convert the basket. That allowed New York to call a timeout with just five seconds left in the game.
The inbounds pass in the half-court was awkward and Stewart bobbled the ball a couple of times while taking multiple steps before securing the ball and making her move. Stewart took an off-balanced shot that missed but Minnesota was whistled for the foul. The Lynx bench and players couldn’t believe it. Upon further review there did not appear to be much contact on the play but the call was upheld. Stewart, who had previously missed two free throws late in the game, made both of these to tie the game at 60-60.
Kayla McBride had a great look at an open three-pointer at the end of regulation but she wasn’t able to hit it. In the OT period, Leonie Fiebich hit a corner three. Minnesota was rattled and frustrated as they committed five turnovers and scored just two points on 11 possessions in the OT period. Nyara Sabally had a huge steal and score down the lane near midcourt that sent the New York Liberty fans into a frenzy. Sabally finished with 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
New York exorcised their demons from last season and didn’t let this Championship slip away. Breanna Stewart celebrated dribbling up the court as the final buzzer sounded and the Liberty had claimed their first WNBA Title.
A Legitimate Gripe?
Minnesota Lynx Coach Cheryl Reeve was pissed off during the post-game press conference. She complained about the officiating with a number of grievances. Mainly, the last foul call on Alanna Smith that allowed Stewart to send the game into overtime.
On SportsCenter, they were talking about how a lot of fans online felt Minnesota got short-changed on some calls in this game. I thought Stewart got away with two travels late in the game. First, on that final Liberty play in regulation before the foul was called. And again in overtime where she faked going one way and then awkwardly stepped in the other direction. That has been called a travel in the WNBA numerous times throughout this season. But it was surprisingly not whistled there.
Napheesa Collier seemed to get hit with contact throughout the game without a lot of calls going her way. It felt like a few of those were really critical moments where free throws may have turned the tide for Minnesota. And while I’m all for swallowing the whistle and letting players play. I imagine it was extremely frustrating for Coach Reeve and her staff to see the whistle getting called primarily on only one side of the court. That was backed up by the free throw disparity in this game. Both teams played physical defense but New York went to the free throw line for 25 free throw attempts. They made 21 of their foul shots. Minnesota went to the line just four times for eight free throw attempts and made seven. The Liberty were a +14 from the free throw line in this game.
“I know all the headlines will be ‘Reeve cries foul’. Bring it on! Bring it on! Because this shit was stolen from us.” Coach Cheryl Reeve said after the game.
A Deserving MVP
In her 4th WNBA Finals appearance, Jonquel Jones finally won her first WNBA Championship. But that’s not all. She was also named Finals MVP after averaging nearly 18 PPG and 8 RPG.
While one could argue that both Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu may have each had better singular moments during the Finals, JJ was the most consistent player for the New York Liberty. Jonquel averaged 56% Field Goal shooting throughout the WNBA Finals.
JJ hit several key shots during the series. And whenever the Liberty absolutely needed a basket, she would often get them one. She was the most difficult matchup for Minnesota. She also played a large role (alongside Stewart) as a pivotal rim protector.
Jonquel absolutely deserved WNBA Finals MVP and I’m glad the voters got that one right.
Stewie and Sab Make Good
Neither Breanna Stewart nor Sabrina Ionescu had a great Game 5. Stewart finished the game with 13 points on 4-15 FG shooting. She also missed two crucial free throws late in the game before making another pair to send the game into overtime. If things had turned out just a bit differently and Minnesota had claimed their 5th Championship, much of the discussion in New York would be about Stewart’s inability to come through in the clutch after she missed critical free throws that cost the team a game in Game 1 and nearly cost them the Title in Game 5.
To Stewart’s credit, she willed her team to victory in Game 3 after they trailed for most of that game. In Game 3, Stewie finished with 30 points, 11 rebounds, and four blocked shots. She was everywhere. And despite her poor shooting in Game 5, she did have a game-high 15 rebounds; Including a couple of offensive rebounds where she just wanted it more than everyone else out on the court.
Stewie left the Seattle Storm because she wanted to go back home to New York. And most importantly, she wanted to bring the first WNBA Championship to her childhood team. After winning four National Championships at UConn and two WNBA Championships with the Seattle Storm, Stewart can now claim a third WNBA Championship in New York as she continues to be one of the most successful players in women’s basketball history.
Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionescu had one of the worst shooting performances of her career in the final Championship game. Ionescu finished 1-19 FG on her shots including 1-10 FG from beyond the arc. Despite a disappointing final game, Ionescu finishes with her first WNBA Title and the most epic shot in New York Liberty History. Her near 30-foot three-pointer with one second left to win Game 3 and put New York up 2-1 in the WNBA Finals. That shot is an all-timer in WNBA History.
Ionescu never got to win an NCAA Championship despite making a Final Four in 2019. Her Oregon Ducks were poised to get back to the Final Four and possibly win the NCAA Championship until COVID canceled the 2020 March Madness tournament outright. Sabrina has always been disappointed that she had that opportunity taken away from her and the Oregon women’s basketball team.
Despite that, Ionescu was drafted #1 overall by the New York Liberty. A few years later, Ionescu would finish short again, this time to the Las Vegas Aces in last year’s WNBA Finals. But in 2024, Sabrina was able to topple the two-time defending WNBA Champions in the semi-finals and win her first WNBA Championship against the Minnesota Lynx.
WNBA Playoff Bracket Recap
WNBA Finals:
New York Liberty 3 - Minnesota Lynx 2
WNBA Semi-Finals:
New York Liberty 3 - Las Vegas Aces 1
Minnesota Lynx 3 - Connecticut Sun 2
WNBA First-Round:
New York Liberty 2 - Atlanta Dream 0
Minnesota Lynx 2 - Phoenix Mercury 0
Connecticut Sun 2 - Indiana Fever 0
Las Vegas Aces 2 - Seattle Storm 0
Notes:
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