History will be made in the 2024 WNBA Finals.
The New York Liberty, one of the WNBA’s original eight teams, will finally win its first championship 28 years after competing in the inaugural Finals, the franchise’s first of five Finals losses. Or, the Minnesota Lynx will become the first WNBA organization to win five championships, adding onto the dynastic run when the team made six Finals, and won four, from 2011 to 2017.
The Liberty, in short, are trying to reverse a history filled with disappointment, while the Lynx are trying to revive their days of glory. Ahead of their 2024 matchup, here’s a closer look at the two teams’ divergent WNBA Finals histories:
The sixth time’s a charm?
1997: Houston Comets over New York Liberty (1-0)
The WNBA’s first Finals was a single-game affair with the Comets, owners of a better regular-season record by one game, besting the Liberty 65-51 behind 25 points from Cynthia Cooper. Kym Hampton led the Liberty with a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds.
Past as prologue?
The Liberty’s 0-5 Finals record could be excused by their underdog status. In their five previous trips to the WNBA’s championship stage, they’ve never been the favored team, as their opponents always had a superior regular-season record.
In 2024, that excuse is moot. The Liberty are the No. 1 seed, leading the league with 32-8 record and 11.7 net rating. Yet, New York fans must be feeling tremors of anxiety, afraid that some sort of championship curse might afflict the franchise. For all the Liberty’s regular season excellence, they could not quite solve the Lynx. Not only did they fall to Minnesota in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship, but went 1-2 against the No. 2 seed in the regular season, outscored by 17 points across the three games.
