Opinion: Liberty vs. Lynx is WNBA Finals matchup basketball fans deserve
In the end, we’re getting the WNBA Finals matchup we deserve.
The 2024 championship series will be between the two best teams all season, the top-seeded New York Liberty vs. the second-seeded Minnesota Lynx. The matchup was finalized on Tuesday, when Minnesota topped the third-seeded Connecticut Sun, 88-77, in a decisive Game 5. The Lynx will meet the Liberty in Brooklyn on Thursday for Game 1 of the Finals.
In beating Connecticut, Minnesota snapped an interesting WNBA playoff trend: Before Tuesday, the last seven winner-take-all games in the WNBA playoffs had gone to the visiting team.
But the Lynx, who torched the Sun for 53 first-half points — the most Connecticut had given up all season — and at one point held Connecticut without a bucket for more than six minutes in the second quarter, were having none of it.
Minnesota is an interesting case study, summed up perfectly by Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon during the other semifinal between New York and Vegas (New York won in four games). Hammon said the Lynx had “good talent” but a “great team,” compared to the Aces who had “great talent” but just a “good team.”
Hammon’s right. The Lynx only have one true superstar, forward Napheesa Collier (20.4 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.9 steals, 49.2% FG). The 28-year-old, who won Defensive Player of the Year honors and finished second in MVP voting, is a menace in the paint, able to score in a variety of ways going to and fading away from the basket. As good as Collier’s been all season, astonishingly she’s been even better in the playoffs, upping her scoring average to 27.1.
But outside of Collier, the Lynx’s biggest selling point is a group that plays incredibly well together. Yes, sharpshooter Kayla McBride (15.0 points, 40.7% 3FG) is terrific from the perimeter and guard Courtney Williams (11.1 points, 5.5 assists) is lethal from midrange. But the Lynx pride themselves on playing selfless, defense-first basketball. (In Game 5 vs. Connecticut, the Lynx pestered the Sun into 19 turnovers, turning them into 22 points.) They are the epitome of a team.
They’ve also been the only one to consistently solve the Liberty this season. Minnesota beat New York in the Commissioner’s Cup back on June 25, and twice during the regular season, including on the Liberty’s home floor just last month. New York’s only win over Minnesota came July 2 in Brooklyn — and Minnesota has improved since adding Myisha Hines-Allen in August via trade.
Minnesota might be the No. 2 seed, but the Lynx have been the best-looking team since the league reconvened after the Paris Olympics. In many ways, this is the matchup we were destined for.
A potentially interesting X-factor is coaching. Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve has led the Lynx to four previous titles (2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017), but none with this group. Her extended championship experience — coupled with leading Team USA to an Olympic gold medal this summer — could be a difference-maker. She is considered an excellent tactician. The Liberty’s Sandy Brondello has one title, won in 2014 in her first season in Phoenix. She coached Phoenix and New York to the 2021 and 2023 Finals appearances, respectively, finishing as runner up.
The “too long, didn’t read” version: The 2024 WNBA Finals are set up to a be a terrific series. And hopefully we are lucky enough to get all five games.
