The WNBA finals consisted of five enthralling games all filled with action and nail-biting moments. The first game of the finals took place on Thursday, Oct. 10 and the last game took place on Sunday, Oct. 20. The two teams in the finals, the New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx, went back and forth in victories throughout the five games of the finals with the winner of the WNBA championships coming down to the final game. In a close and controversial finish, the New York Liberty took the victory in the fifth game in overtime winning the WNBA championship for the first time.
The WNBA playoffs consist of the top eight teams and began on Sept. 22. The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-three series, while the semi-finals and finals are best-of-five series. However, next season the finals will take a different approach and will change to a best-of-seven series format.
The first game of the series ended in a Lynx win with a close score of 95-93. The Lynx did not look like the clear winner of the game as they were down 15 points with less than five minutes left on the clock. The game was brought to overtime and while Liberty faltered, Courtney Williams dominated to bring the Lynx a victory.
The second game of the series ended with a Liberty win by a wider margin with a score of 80-66. Liberty dominated through the game, setting a franchise finals record of 10 assists in a single quarter.
The third game of the series ended with a Liberty win with a close score of 80-77. Liberty was not seen as the clear winner as they trailed by as much as 15 points throughout the game. Sabrina Ionescu won the game for Liberty by making a game-winning three pointer.
The fourth game of the series ended with a Lynx win and another close score of 82-80. Both teams kept within a few points of each other throughout the game with the Lynx fighting hard to bring the finals to a fifth game. The contest was ultimately won by Bridget Carleton’s free throw with only two seconds left on the clock. With that, the finals were officially brought to a fifth game.
Going into the fifth game both teams were fighting to leave a legacy. A Lynx win would make history by giving them five championships and breaking the tie with Seattle and Houston for the most titles in WNBA history. On the other hand, a Liberty win would make history by giving them their first WNBA championship in franchise history. For fans of UConn women’s basketball, the final was seen as a win-win as UConn was represented by both teams. Napheesa Collier of the Lynx played at UConn from 2015-2016. She won an NCAA championship with UConn in 2016 and scored a total of 2,401 points during her time as a Husky. Breanna Stewart, on Liberty, played at UConn from 2012-2016. She won four NCAA championships with UConn and was named the Most Outstanding Player in all four championship runs.
Throughout the fifth and final game, Liberty did not look like the clear winner. They trailed as many as 12 points behind and suffered falters from many of their star players. Surprisingly, Ionescu and Stewart struggled throughout the game. Ionescu did not score until the third quarter and Stewart went 4-for-15 shooting. However, Ionescu contributed eight assists and Stewart contributed free throws and rebounds. Instead, Nyara Sabally stepped up to score the most points of any players in the third quarter. Jonquel Jones also stepped up as a leader for Liberty, scoring 17 points and winning WNBA finals MVP. Collier led the Lynx throughout the game, scoring 22 points. She led the Lynx in scoring, blocks and minutes played before fouling out in overtime.
The game was brought to overtime by Stewart being fouled by Alanna Smith, which the Lynx challenged. The challenge was overturned, which was a call that was criticized by the Lynx coach, leading to Stewart’s two free throws tying the game at 60-60. In overtime Sabally, Stewart and Leonie Fiebich led Liberty to a 67-62 victory.