After topping the Connecticut Sun in the semifinals, the Minnesota Lynx are returning to the WNBA Finals for the first time in seven years and now shifts their focus to the top-seeded New York Liberty in the championship series.
On October 4, 2017, the Minnesota Lynx heard the final buzzer sound in Game 5 of the 2017 WNBA Finals at the University of Minnesota, topping the Los Angeles Sparks in a series-deciding game that secured the Lynx their fourth championship in franchise history. As the Lynx faithful cheered, streamers fell from the Williams Arena rafters and the champagne bottles popped in celebration of yet another WNBA title, little did Minnesota know that would be the last time it would step on the court in the WNBA Finals.
Until now.
Nearly seven years later to date, the Lynx are returning to the championship series for the first time since that memorable 2017 season. After taking down the Connecticut Sun in Game 5 of the semifinals on Tuesday at Target Center, Minnesota makes its return to the WNBA Finals and will now take on the top-seeded New York Liberty for the league crown.
“This group, it has been a really special group,” Lynx head coach and president of basketball operations Cheryl Reeve said after Tuesday’s Game 5 win. “I overwhelmingly felt proud. I’m proud of how we played. We played Lynx basketball tonight.”
FINALS BOUND. pic.twitter.com/P0E7aL5n6S
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) October 9, 2024
The matchup between the top two seeds in the WNBA this season will officially take place in Brooklyn and Minneapolis, with the best-of-five contest tipping off Thursday night. “Their belief in themselves and each other is off the charts. And it never wavers,” Reeve said of the Lynx. “They don’t care who gets the credit. It’s really, really special. I’m so happy they get to experience being in the Finals. But we’re not just happy to be there.”
Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images
The Stage Is Set
Minnesota. New York.
The stage is now set, with the final two teams left standing in the fight for a WNBA championship.
The best-of-five battle kicks off without much break between the conclusion of the semifinals, with Game 1 tipping off Thursday night at 7PM CT on ESPN from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. With New York as the top seed, it will host Games 1 and 2 while Game 3 (and potentially Game 4) will take place in Minnesota. If the series goes a full five games, Game 5 will return to Brooklyn.
“I think it’s gonna be a fun series. Minnesota has been able to give New York some problems,” Connecticut head coach Stephanie White said after the semifinals series against Minnesota. “I’m excited, I think it’s going to go the length and go five games. I think it will be a great series.”
During the regular season, the Lynx and Liberty faced off in three games, with Minnesota owning a 2-1 advantage in the series while winning by an average of 13 points and losing the lone contest to New York by nine points. Minnesota also topped New York in the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship in June, but that game did not count as a normal regular season result.
Photo by David Berding/Getty Images
Though New York was the better overall team in terms of seeding at the end of the regular season, Minnesota was the better squad in the three meetings this summer. Four, if you include the Commissioner’s Cup title game. As seen below, the Lynx held an advantage in every statistical category except for rebounds and turnovers against the Liberty this season.
In the three contests, Minnesota did what it has done well all regular season and postseason long: shooting well from the floor, owning an advantage in three-point percentage, and distributing the ball and defending. Not only did the Lynx impress offensively, notably from deep and moving the ball, but they held a talented Liberty squad in check on their own offensive side of the floor. That is no easy task, especially since New York recorded the best offensive rating (107.0) in the WNBA over the regular season.
In the postseason, both teams have turned their games up a notch, with Minnesota carrying an advantage in both offensive and defensive rating entering the Finals. Rest assured, this series will be a back-and-forth battle, however many games it ends up going. The Lynx are back in the WNBA Finals. And this team has what it takes to replicate what it did seven years ago, the last time it appeared in the championship series and ultimately won it all.
WNBA Finals Schedule
Here’s the full schedule and broadcast information for the Finals:
- Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 10 — 7PM CT at Barclays Center (ESPN)
- Game 2: Sunday, Oct. 13 — 2PM CT at Barclays Center (ABC)
- Game 3: Wednesday, Oct. 16 — 7PM CT at Target Center (ESPN)
- Game 4: Friday, Oct. 18 — 7PM CT at Target Center (ESPN)*
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Game 5: Sunday, Oct. 20 — 7PM CT at Barclays Center (ESPN)*
*If necessary
What are you most looking forward to in this series? Will you be in attendance at Target Center?