The Minnesota Lynx took a 1-0 lead in the 2024 WNBA Finals on Thursday night with a 95-93 overtime win over the New York Liberty in perhaps the greatest Finals game ever played.
Early on, it was all Liberty. With the crowd giving them extra energy, they shot out of the gates and had a double-digit lead before the Lynx knew what was going on. They led by 13 at the end of the first quarter and by as many as 18 in the second.
The Lynx eventually settled down, and their defense brought them back into the game. They used a 10-0 run late in the first half to cut the deficit to single digits, and picked up right where they left off after the break. By the middle of the third quarter, they had the deficit down to just two.
From there, it was back and forth until the Liberty hit another gear in the fourth quarter. They started getting stops, making shots and pushed their lead up to 15 with 5:20 to play. At that point, Game 1 seemed over, especially considering the Lynx were on short rest, having just concluded their semifinal series on Tuesday night.
"I think it defines our team in terms of being able to get through difficult times," Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said. "That's what we are talking about: You have to be mentally tough and resilient. You have to look inward and not blame other people, and give each other confidence. And we were that team. Thrilled that we could hang in there."
Somehow, the Lynx found a second wind, and were aided by the Liberty's passive approach. While the Liberty tried to run out the clock, the Lynx kept making shots. The biggest of the bunch was a four-point play by Courtney Williams with 5.5 seconds remaining, which put the Lynx in front for the first time.
That would have been enough drama for the night, but it was only the beginning. Down on the other end, Stewart was fouled with 0.8 seconds remaining and went to the line with a chance to win the game. She only made one of two free throws, however, which meant overtime.
It was all Lynx in the first few minutes of the extra frame, and they still had a four-point lead with less than a minute to play until a pair of turnovers allowed the Liberty to tie things back up. First, a layup by Sabrina Ionescu, and then another by Jonquel Jones.
"[My father] believes in us like we believe in ourselves," Williams said. "We've got such a tight circle, with our families involved as well, that we know what we can do and that we never give up. The basketball gods was on our side tonight."
Down on the other end, Napheesa Collier settled things down and hit a ridiculous fadeaway jumper to put the Lynx back in front with 8.8 seconds left. The Lynx then used their foul to give with 2.6 seconds left, limiting the Liberty's options. Somehow, Stewart still managed to break free and had a lane to the rim. Her potential game-tying layup was no good, however, and the Lynx survived.
Williams (23), Kayla McBride (22) and Collier (21) all scored at least 20 points for the Lynx, who shot 50.7% from the field as a team. Collier added eight rebounds, two assists, three steals and six blocks in a stunning all-around effort that included the game-winning shot.