New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx to Meet in WNBA Finals

New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu reacts during the second half of a first-round WNBA basketball playoff game against the Atlanta Dream in New York on Sept. 24, 2024. Adam Hunger/AP Photo

The two teams from the regular season—the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx—will square off in the best-of-five WNBA Finals beginning Oct. 10 in Brooklyn.

The top-seeded Liberty are looking to win its first WNBA title. Meanwhile, the second-seeded Lynx are a four-time champion but have not won the title since 2017.

Minnesota won the regular-season series against New York, 3–1. However, the Liberty had the best regular-season record in the WNBA, at 32–8, followed by the Lynx, at 30–10.

The Liberty advanced to the WNBA Finals by beating the two-time defending Las Vegas Aces three games to one in the semifinals on Oct. 6. New York advanced to the finals for the second consecutive season and sixth overall, so the players are hoping they can finally hoist that championship trophy.

“We haven’t done anything yet,” New York forward Breanna Stewart said at the press conference following the 76–62 victory over Las Vegas to advance to the finals. “This was a tough series, an emotional series, for a number of different reasons. But we’re going to the finals, and we’re hosting Game 1 and Game 2. We’re ready to go. Just the feeling of not being satisfied.”

Stewart has been the leader for the Liberty and was named to the WNBA’s All-Defensive First Team this past season. She was eighth in the league with 8.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. She also averaged 1.3 blocks and was named WNBA’s MVP last season.

New York center Jonquel Jones has also been a force, averaging 9.0 rebounds per game and ranking sixth in the league.

The Liberty had the WNBA’s third-best defensive rating at 95.3 and limited opponents to a league-low 8.9 second-chance points per game in 2024.

The Lynx needed five games to beat the Connecticut Sun and advance to the finals for the first time since 2017. Minnesota has been one of the league’s most successful teams, appearing in the postseason 13 times in 14 seasons. Minnesota will look to win their fifth WNBA Championship, the most by any franchise in the league.

Lynx are led by forward Napheesa Collier, who had 27 points in the 88–77 victory over the Sun in Game 5 on Oct. 8. Collier made a 10-for-16 shooting of her field-goal attempts and grabbed 11 rebounds.

“She’s improved every season,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said about Collier at the press conference following Game 5 against the Sun. “She’s just been incredible. Every game, it’s more than scoring how she helps our team. When she plays like the MVP, we’re tough to beat.”

Collier was also named the WNBA’s 2024 Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 20.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.91 steals per game during the regular season. She also helped the Lynx finish with the league’s second-best defensive rating (94.8) while holding teams to the WNBA’s lowest field goal percentage (41.0 percent).

Alanna Smith also had a solid year for Minnesota and had a career-high 1.46 per game. She ranked fifth in the WNBA, and her 57 blocks are the fourth-highest single-season total in Lynx history.

Reeve was named the 2024 WNBA Coach of the Year and the Basketball Executive of the Year. She is the first coach in league history to receive the Coach of the Year Award a record four times.