NEW YORK – There’s no cheering in the press box—a cardinal sports journalism tenet that, if broken, will earn you scathing side eyes—but standing is permitted. And who in the world was sitting for the final five-plus minutes of Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals?
A raucous Barclays Center crowd of 17,732 was primed to release the eruption it had stored for hours, days, months… a year. In the early going on Thursday night, the New York Liberty appeased its superb fanbase’s highest hopes. Sandy Brondello’s bunch was clinical, focused, and fearsome, exploiting the significant size advantage it possessed over the Minnesota Lynx to the tune of a 39-21 second quarter lead.
The thing about second quarter leads? They only make it into the game story if squandered.
Decades from now when I reflect on Minnesota’s jaw-dropping 95-93 overtime victory, swaying back-and-forth in my orange rocking chair, where will I begin?
Perhaps the prevailing memory of October 10, 2024 revolves around Courtney Williams, a player whose belief is so unwavering, it makes you question reality. Has she ever failed to meet the moment? Surely not. Perhaps it’s Napheesa Collier’s all-around brilliance that will plant itself on the proverbial front page: the unfathomably good defense (six blocks! three steals!), the sturdy efficiency, the inevitability of her fadeaway jumper in the clutch.
Or perhaps a more somber tint will color the recounting of this classic. A shooting night Sabrina Ionescu has worked so hard to avoid (8-of-26 from the field), a missed free throw and layup that will haunt Breanna Stewart should the Lynx prevail in this series, a team-wide stagnation which turned New York from a cast of indomitable superheroes to an indecisive group wavering in the wind.
I’m going to make an executive decision here, as I’m the fool behind the keyboard. With distance, it’ll be Courtney Williams’ might, her verve, that gleeful aura emanating from No. 10 that defines this exhilarating 45 minutes of basketball in my memory.
“The fact that these girls are out here trying to get me the ball, I mean, I could cry,” said Williams postgame. “This is amazing. I love it.
“I say that all the time, and I don’t say that for fun. These people I’m around, we believe in each other so much. It’s crazy, man. I’m happy to be here.”
Down 15 midway through the fourth quarter, the Lynx needed their stars to take over. Brilliant performances from Kayla McBride (22 points on 4-of-7 from three), Natisha Hiedeman (game high plus-10 in 13 minutes), and Alanna Smith (now you know damn well box score statistics aren’t going to do an Alanna Smith game justice!) kept Minnesota in it, but a call was issued for Williams and Collier to head the final push.
That they did.
Trailing by 11 with just over three minutes remaining, the Lynx pounced, Williams and Collier peeling off a personal 8-0 run.
Then? Magic.
A Collier block on Jonquel Jones in which Collier’s arm was pinned, so she casually used her free arm to swat the shot. An ensuing Liberty shot clock violation.
We’ve been standing for minutes by this point, no reporter or fan even considering the deployment of those aforementioned side-eyes. The action was thrillingly good.
Down 83-80, Minnesota turns to Williams, 18 seconds left on the clock.
17 … 16 … 15 …
14 … 13 … 12 …
A miss.
Was Williams’ foot on the line? No time to tell, because Smith has snared an offensive rebound over Courtney Vandersloot, and in a blink the ball is back in Williams’ hands.
Courtney Williams doesn’t miss two gargantuan shots in a row. Simply not in her nature.
Williams cans the triple, falling to the ground upon an Ionescu contest gone awry.
Free throw for the four-point play and an 84-83 advantage with five seconds remaining? Simple.
COURTNEY. WILLIAMS. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/hM2ekaMKYN
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) October 11, 2024
A novel was written in these final five seconds, officiating chaos coinciding with the urgency of two teams starving for a win. I think Jason Sudeikis got caught Swag Surfin’ amid the mania. It was upsetting.
Following what felt like minutes of mess, Stewart found herself at the free throw line, just to split the pair (made the first, missed the second) and ensure five more minutes of ball.
Sign me up!
New York’s icy shooting continued for the first half of overtime, but the insertion of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton for Vandersloot and some Lynx sloppiness once again opened the door for New York redemption.
Tie game with 20 seconds left. So we meet again, old friend.
Only a few seconds separate shot and game clock now, but Minnesota doesn’t appear content to kill time. It’s Collier in the middle of the lane, doing what she does so spectacularly: sending defenders for a free ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl with exquisite footwork and balance to boot. The silky shotmaking is just icing on the cake.
Collier hits a stunning fadeaway over Jones, and we have our final score with 8 seconds remaining.
All that’s left before submitting this one to the canon of great WNBA Finals bouts is Stewart’s cleanest look of the day, a layup to force double overtime. She smokes it, feeling the looming presence of Lynx defenders in her wake, those same defenders that had disrupted her rhythm for the full 45.
And with that, Minnesota has a 1-0 lead in the 2024 WNBA Finals.
“You have to be mentally tough and resilient,” said Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve. “You have to look inward and not blame other people, and give each other confidence. We were that team. Thrilled that we could hang in there.”
The game may’ve been won by clutch-time heroics, but Minnesota found its footing midway through the second quarter, cutting its halftime deficit to eight and setting the stage for what was to come.
The Lynx got as close as two in the third, but New York kept Reeve’s charging battalion at bay.
New York extended its lead to 15 with 5:20 remaining in regulation before the Lynx made their epic (an overused descriptor that feels appropriate here, no?) push.
The shots from Williams and Collier compose the lasting imagery of this game, but Minnesota’s defense put the team in a position to make history.
This was a defensive clinic, the likes of which would make Maya Moore smile. This was five players operating as one, the ultimate basketball cliché in primetime under the brightest lights. Minnesota switched to its heart’s desire, stunting and recovering with urgency, helping from the weak side like its season depended on it.
“They took us out of what we wanted to run,” said Brondello. “They were really aggressive. They were blowing up stuff. We couldn’t get clear passes. We tried to go downhill and they would stunt and get back, and we just got a little bit stagnant.”
Collier was just about perfect. She muted Stewart (6-for-21 from the field), swarmed Ionescu on switches, and dared anyone else to enter her vortex.
“I think we had a great first quarter, and then they lifted up the energy and they outhustled us,” said Brondello. “We’re disappointed. We have to be better.”
And I’m sure New York will be better on Sunday in Game 2.
But right now I’m still standing, still buzzing with excitement, still flabbergasted by what we just witnessed, because when one team’s resolve meets its opponent’s biggest nightmare, an all-timer emerges from the soil.
A night of basketball we won’t soon forget.
