The New York Liberty needed a frantic comeback and extra time to defeat the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 to earn their first WNBA Championship on Sunday at Barclays Center.
Led by a 17-point performance from Liberty center Jonquel Jones, who was voted the 2024 WNBA Finals MVP, the team's victory brought the first professional basketball championship to New York City since 1973.
The first half was a slog as neither team shot the ball efficiently or seemed incentivized by a championship trophy. The Liberty feature three All-WNBA players in Jones, guard Sabrina Ionescu and forward Breanna Stewart, but only Lynx forward Napheesa Collier showed up big time in the first half.
Ionescu put donuts across the board, missing every shot attempt and scoring zero points before intermission. Stewart struggled as well in the first half, scoring five points on 2-9 shooting. Stewart didn't let the lid on the rim stop her from impacting the game in other areas, as she grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds, blocked three shots and dove on the floor for loose balls.
The visitors opened up a 12-point lead at the 3:22 mark of the second quarter, raising the specter of a second straight finals disappointment.
The Lynx led 34-27 at the half as the Liberty got the deficit to single digits, a rare New York positive from the first 20 minutes of action. The third quarter saw the score tied three times as the Liberty were led by reserve forward Nyara Sabally. The German national checked into the game for forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, and from the 3:33 mark of the third quarter, she scored nine points and grabbed two rebounds which turned the contest around for New York.
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair that Stewart, after muffing two foul shots from the line, got back to sink two baskets with 5.2 seconds remaining to tie the game. The Lynx missed on their ensuing possession, sending the game into overtime with the score tied 60-60.
Then it was all Liberty, when the team took the lead on its first possession of the extra period and never relinquished it.
It was the first overtime winner-take-all in WNBA Finals history and it happened in front of a sold-out arena of 18,000-plus fans thirsty for a victory after the Liberty lost in last year's finals to the Las Vegas Aces.
The game wasn't without controversy, as Lynx coach Cheryl Reeves said that the game was stolen from her team by the referees. A play in particular that coach Reeves and other WNBA fans, including Lebron James, said was upsetting was a foul call on Lynx center Alanna Smith in the final seconds of the fourth quarter.
Replays showed Smith in a legal guarding position, who made minimal contact with Liberty forward Stewart. The foul call on Smith sent Stewart to the line where she nailed both free throws to send the game to overtime. Coach Reeves challenged the foul call, but it was overruled by the officials.
Coach Reeves also lamented the lack of foul calls against the Liberty in general, noting the home team got to the free throw line 25 times, compared to the eight trips for the Lynx.
Jones had a solid finals series, averaging 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 54.2% from the field and a perfect 19-for-19 from the free-throw line. In Game 5, Jones led the Liberty in points with 17 (5-for-10 FG, 7-for-7 FT). She has been the league's Most Improved Player, the Sixth Woman of the Year, an All-Star and the Most Valuable Player, and now, Finals MVP.
Information about a parade will be announced soon.
