WNBA: New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx ready to make history in Game 5

For the first time since 2019, the WNBA Finals are going to a Game 5. On Sunday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) in Brooklyn, NY, the No. 1-seed New York Liberty host the No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx for the right to raise the WNBA championship trophy.

Twists, turns and thrills from the previous four games got us to Sunday’s winner-take-all affair. But when the two teams take the court, all that is rendered irrelevant, as only the ensuing 40 minutes will matter. And when the buzzer sounds, either New York will have earned the franchise’s first title or Minnesota will own a WNBA-record five championships.

Here’s what’s at stake for the Liberty and the Lynx:

All the pressure is on New York

This is supposed to be the year for the Liberty. Right?

Following a year of superteam seasoning, New York, from start to finish, established themselves as the league’s best team. Along the way, they also vanquished their biggest rival, sweeping the Las Vegas Aces in the regular season before eliminating them in the semifinals. The stage seemingly is set for a coronation 28 years in the making.

Or, the result will be another empty-handed exit, with this one more devastating than the previous five combined.

Fair or not, the most pressure falls on Breanna Stewart. Celebrated as the ultimate winner for capturing four national titles at UConn and a pair of WNBA championships with the Seattle Storm, Stewart donned a Liberty jersey intent upon delivering a title to her home state’s franchise. Yet, while Stewart raised her game during the Storm’s runs to the 2018 and 2020 championships, her postseason performances for the Liberty have yet to reach those lofty levels, with her production and percentages falling below her regular-season output in 2023 and 2024. Although her efforts in 2024 have been superior to the 3-for-17 stinker in Game 4 of last season’s Finals, only her Game 3 stat line has approached the Stewie standard she established in Seattle. In Game 5, she must put together a GOAT tier performance.

And she’ll still need help. Unless the Liberty win it all, Sabrina Ionescu’s Game 3 logo game-winner will sit alongside the other famous postseason shot in Liberty history as a cruel reminder of what almost was. Throughout the postseason, Ionescu’s performances have served as a barometer for the Liberty. In wins, she’s averaging over 21 points per game, shooting 51 percent from the field and almost 45 percent from 3. In losses, she sinks to just 11 points per game, with a field goal percentage of 29.2 and 3-point percentage of 25.

Quite curiously, Jonquel Jones has played best in the Liberty’s two Finals losses. That’s a departure from the majority of her playoff career, when a strong game from Jones usually resulted in a win for her squad. However, in Game 5, how Jones gets her points, rather than how many she gets, might be most important. Although she has a sweet jumper, Jones needs to take advantage of her 6-foot-6 frame and go to work inside, demanding that an undersized Lynx team marshal extra resources to try to stop her. If she adopts that mindset, she should rack up the trips to the foul line that head coach Sandy Brondello believes her squad has been denied.

The rest of the Liberty rotation likewise must play with aggression. They cannot cede the floor to Stewart, Ionescu or Jones, waiting for the stars to make something happen. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Leonie Fiebich and Courtney Vandersloot have to provide proactive play. The same goes for any reserves who might see a sliver of court time. Whether Brondello calls on Kayla Thornton, Nyara Sabally or Kennedy Burke, they cannot fade into hardwood, operating as a mere place holder while another player catches a breather. This so-called “super team” has to be super team, with an emphasis on team over super, to claim the long-sought championship.

Is this Minnesota’s magical year?

Only opportunity awaits the Lynx in Game 5. The opportunity to vastly exceed preseason expectations. The opportunity to upend the WNBA’s “superteam” era as an egalitarian upstart. The opportunity to become the first WNBA franchise to win five championships. The opportunity to put their names alongside those that hang in the rafters of the Target Center: Moore. Fowles. Augustus. Whalen. Brunson. And even if they are unable to seize the opportunity, they’ll exit the Finals stage to cheers, applauded for an incredible, exciting effort.

Of course, that’s not the message that head coach Cheryl Reeve will send to her team before Game 5. The owner of six championship rings, four as head coach in Minnesota and two as an assistant with the Detroit Shock, is not going to settle for some “happy to be here” BS. The Lynx have advanced this far due to the killer instinct that undergirds their camaraderie.

Courtney Williams embodies the Lynx ethos, with a combination of cocksure confidence and composed cool. She’s unafraid to take the big shot, but also more than willing to set up her teammates for scores. Perfecting that balance will be critical in Game 5. And those that find themselves on the other end of a Williams pass must convert, whether that be Kayla McBride, Bridget Carleton or Cecilia Zandalasini from behind the arc or Alanna Smith slipping to the basket. Smith, in particular, is crucial. Although hobbled by back and knee troubles, she still sports the team’s highest plus/minus in the postseason, as her size and versatile, two-way skillset unlocks the best version of the Lynx.

Reeve has pressed the right buttons when allocating minutes to her reserves. Natisha Heideman plays fearlessly, undeterred when she drives to the basket or defends in the post. After seeing limited time throughout the postseason, Dorka Juhász provided 10 solid minutes in Game 4. Myisha Hines-Allen has yet to find a groove in the playoffs. But just last season, playing for the Washington Mystics against the Liberty in the first round of the playoffs, she turned in an efficient 21-point and eight-rebound effort. On Sunday, she has the potential for a game-swinging stretch of plays.

All that action, however, works in support of Napheesa Collier, who has stamped her status as a superstar with her postseason performance. She’s authoring one of the most productive playoffs in WNBA history, all while illustrating the completeness of her game. On the offensive side of the ball, she has set the record for the most points in a single postseason, tying the record for most points in a playoff game along the way. Defensively, she has the most steals in a WNBA Finals, and the third-most steals in a postseason. But even those statistical accomplishments fail to capture the totality of Collier’s impact. She’s stifled Stewart. She’s shown off majestic footwork. She’s hit clutch buckets. She’s made improbable defensive plays. And on and on. All that is left is a virtuoso Game 5 that delivers the title to Minnesota.

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