The New York Liberty understands that winning their first championship won’t be an easy task. After defeating the rival Las Vegas Aces in the semifinals, the No. 1 seed will now face a tough challenge against a WNBA powerhouse that gave them trouble in the regular season.
Minnesota is aiming for a record fifth WNBA title, hoping to break their tie with the Seattle Storm and Houston Comets. The No. 2 seed is the only team with a winning record against the Liberty in the regular season and also claimed the Commissioner’s Cup title over New York in June.
The two contrasting franchises will clash in Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. New York has the advantage of home-court and extra rest after wrapping up their semifinals in Game 4 on Sunday. The Liberty had three full days to prepare for the Finals.
“This playoff schedule is extremely condensed,” said Liberty forward Breanna Stewart. “If you go to a Game 5, you have one day to prepare for Game 1 of the Finals. That’s, like, insane.”
The Lynx earned their spot in the Finals less than 48 hours before Game 1, having gone to five games against the Sun. The team traveled to New York for the first two games before hosting Game 3 and a potential Game 4. If necessary, Game 5 would return to Barclays Center on October 20.
New York is making its sixth Finals appearance, aiming to bring home a championship after falling short last year. The team added key players like Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Courtney Vandersloot to bolster their lineup and improve defensively.
On the other hand, the Lynx come into the Finals as underdogs, but head coach Cheryl Reeve believes in her team’s collective strength rather than relying on star power alone.
Stewart and Jones will be key players for the Liberty in the paint, facing off against Collier, the standout scorer for the Lynx. Both teams rely heavily on their 3-point shooting and ball movement, making for an exciting matchup in Game 1.
