2024 WNBA Finals

2024 WNBA Finals

Team Coach Wins Minnesota Lynx Cheryl Reeve 1 New York Liberty Sandy Brondello 1
Dates	October 10 – 20 [lower-alpha 1]
Eastern finals	New York Liberty defeated Las Vegas Aces 3–1
Western finals	Minnesota Lynx defeated Connecticut Sun 3–2
←  2023 WNBA finals

The 2024 WNBA Finals, officially the WNBA Finals 2024 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, is the best-of-five championship series for the 2024 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The finals features the first-seeded New York Liberty, who advanced to their second straight finals, and the second-seeded Minnesota Lynx.

This is the last WNBA finals to use the best-of-five format as it will expand to a best-of-seven format in 2025. ^[1]

Road to the Finals

Standings

#	Team	W	L	PCT	GB	Conf.	Home	Road	Cup
1	yx – New York Liberty	32	8	.800	—	16–4	16–4	16–4	5–0
2	cx – Minnesota Lynx	30	10	.750	2	14–6	16–4	14–6	4–1
3	x – Connecticut Sun	28	12	.700	4	14–6	14–6	14–6	4–1
4	x – Las Vegas Aces	27	13	.675	5	12–8	13–7	14–6	2–3
5	x – Seattle Storm	25	15	.625	7	13–7	14–6	11–9	4–1
6	x – Indiana Fever	20	20	.500	12	11–9	12–8	8–12	3–2
7	x – Phoenix Mercury	19	21	.475	13	10–10	10–10	9–11	3–2
8	x – Atlanta Dream	15	25	.375	17	7–13	8–12	7–13	1–4
9	e – Washington Mystics	14	26	.350	18	7–13	5–15	9–11	1–4
10	e – Chicago Sky	13	27	.325	19	5–15	6–14	7–13	1–4
11	e – Dallas Wings	9	31	.225	23	6–14	7–13	2–18	0–5
12	e – Los Angeles Sparks	8	32	.200	24	5–15	5–15	3–17	2–3

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Playoffs

Main article: 2024 WNBA Playoffs

	Round One: Best-of-3					Semifinals: Best-of-5					Finals: Best-of-5
	1	New York Liberty	2
	8	Atlanta Dream	0
						1	New York Liberty	3
						4	Las Vegas Aces	1
	4	Las Vegas Aces	2
	5	Seattle Storm	0
											1	New York Liberty	1
											2	Minnesota Lynx	1
	2	Minnesota Lynx	2
	7	Phoenix Mercury	0
						2	Minnesota Lynx	3
						3	Connecticut Sun	2
	3	Connecticut Sun	2
	6	Indiana Fever	0

Bold Series winner

In November 2021, the WNBA Board of Governors formalized a new playoff system that will structure the 2022 playoffs onward. The new playoff format scraps the single-elimination games of the first two rounds in favor of a best-of-3 quarterfinal round. As a result, all eight playoff teams, seeded according to overall regular season record regardless of conference (1 vs. 8, 2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5), will begin postseason play in the first round. Since 2016, seeds 3 and 4 received a bye to the second round (single game) and seeds 1 and 2 received a bye to the semifinals (best-of-5). In the first round series, the higher seeded team will host games 1 and 2, and the lower seeded team will host game 3 if necessary. In the semifinal round, no reseeding will take place, which means the winners of the 1 vs. 8 series will be paired with the winner of the 4 vs. 5 series as will the winners of the 2 vs. 7 and 3 vs. 6 series. The semifinal and final rounds will remain best-of-5 series in which the higher seeded team hosts games 1, 2 and (if necessary) 5 while the lower seeded team hosts games 3 and (if necessary) 4. ^[2]

The New York Liberty qualified for the finals after finishing first in the regular season standings with a 32–8 regular season record. They defeated the Atlanta Dream 2–0 in the first round and the Las Vegas Aces 3–1 in the Semifinals. This was the Liberty's second appearance in the finals since 2002, and sixth overall.

The Minnesota Lynx qualified for the finals after finishing second in the regular season standings with a 30–10 regular season record. They defeated the Indiana Fever 2–0 in the first round and the Connecticut Sun 3–2 in the Semifinals. This was the Lynx seventh overall appearance in the finals, which is the most all time.

Summary

The Liberty and the Lynx faced-off in the finals as the first and second overall seeds. This is the second year in a row where the top two seeds qualified for the finals. The Lynx won the regular season series between the two teams two games to one, and defeated New York in the 2024 WNBA Commissioner's Cup. The Liberty entered the series with two extra days of rest as they wrapped their Semifinal series on October 6, while the Lynx had to play a Game Five on October 8.

Game 1

Courtney Williams's four-point play with 5.5 seconds remaining

The Finals started in New York with the Liberty dominating the first quarter, winning 32–19. Minnesota trailed by as many as eighteen-points in the second quarter, but won the quarter 17–12. The Liberty took and eight-point lead into halftime. The Lynx cut the lead to seven after winning a close third quarter 25–24. The Lynx turned it up in the fourth quarter, winning 23–16 in order to force overtime. Courtney Williams had a four point play with 5.5 seconds left to put the Lynx up by one, but Breanna Stewart could only make one of two free throws with the final play of regulation. This was the first game since game two of the 2021 Finals to go into overtime. In a close frame, the Lynx stole an away win by winning overtime 11–9. The Lynx were the first team in playoff history to be down fifteen points in the final five minutes and come back to win the game. ^{[3] [4]}

Right before tip-off of Game 1.

The Lynx were lead by Courtney Williams, who scored twenty-three points and they had four players score in double-figures. Kayla McBride scored twenty-two points, Napheesa Collier scored twenty-one points, and Natisha Hiedeman scored ten points, in just thirteen minutes of playing time. The Liberty also had four players score in double-figures, and were lead by Jonquel Jones who scored twenty-four points. Sabrina Ionescu scored nineteen points, Breanna Stewart scored eighteen points, and Leonie Fiebich scored seventeen points. Jones recorded ten rebounds to have the first double-double of the finals. Other stats revealed how close the game was with the Lynx winning points in the paint 42–36, bench points 15–10, and the turnover battle 12–15. However, the Liberty were ahead in fast break points 19–17 and rebounds 44–32. ^[5]

The game had the largest television viewing audience of any WNBA Finals Game 1 with 1.1 million viewers and 1.5 million at the peak. ^[6]

ESPN, TSN3

October 10 8:00 p.m.

Box Score

New York Liberty 93, Minnesota Lynx 95 (OT)
Scoring by quarter:32–19, 12–17, 24–25, 16–23,  Overtime: 9–11
Pts: Jonquel Jones (24) Rebs: Jonquel Jones (10) Asts: Fiebich/Laney-Hamilton/Vandersloot (4)		Pts: Courtney Williams (23) Rebs: Alanna Smith (9) Asts: Courtney Williams (5)

Barclays Center Attendance: 17,732 Referees: Eric Brewton Isaac Barnett Fatou Cissoko-Stephens Jenna Reneau

Game 2

Game two in New York began with the Liberty coming out strong and going on a 12–0 run. They would end up winning the first quarter 31–21. The Lynx came back in the second quarter and it finished even at 18–18. The Liberty lead by as many as seventeen in the first half, and took a ten-point lead into halftime. The third quarter was low-scoring and the Lynx prevailed 14–12 to cut the Liberty's lead to eight heading into the final frame. The Lynx cut the lead to three points during the fourth quarter, but ultimately the Liberty pulled away and won the fourth quarter 19–13 and took the game by fourteen points. The Liberty evened the series at one game a piece in front of the largest crowd to ever attend a Liberty game at the Barclays Center, with 18,046 fans. ^{[7] [8]}

The Liberty had four players score in double figures and were lead by Breanna Stewart who scored twenty-one points. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored twenty, Sabrina Ionescu added fifteen, and Jonquel Jones had fourteen points. Stewart recorded seven steals to set the record for steals in a WNBA Finals game. The Lynx had three players score in double figures, and were lady by Napheesa Collier who scored sixteen points. Courtney Williams scored fifteen points, and Alanna Smith scored fourteen points. As in game one, the Lynx won the points in the paint battle 34–28. Both benches contributed little as the Liberty's bench score more points 7–5. The Liberty scored twenty-six points off the Lynx' twenty turnovers, and the Lynx scored seventeen points off the Liberty's sixteen turnovers. The Liberty won the rebounding battle 34–27. ^[9]

This game had the most viewers of any WNBA Finals game on ABC with 1.34 million viewers and a peak of 1.82 million viewers. ^[10] This audience is 93% higher than last year's finals average for ABC. It was the most viewed WNBA Finals game in 23 years. ^[10]

ABC, SN

October 13 3:00 p.m.

Box Score

New York Liberty80, Minnesota Lynx 66
Scoring by quarter:31–21, 18–18, 12–14, 19–13
Pts: Breanna Stewart (21) Rebs: Jonquel Jones (9) Asts: Ionescu/Stewart (5)		Pts: Napheesa Collier (16) Rebs: Napheesa Collier (8) Asts: Courtney Williams (8)

Barclays Center Attendance: 18,046 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan Tiara Cruse Fatou Cissoko-Stephens Randy Richardson

Game 3

ESPN, TSN1/3/4 [lower-alpha 2]

October 16 8:00 p.m.

Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty

Target Center

Game 4

ESPN, TSN2

October 18 8:00 p.m.

Minnesota Lynx vs. New York Liberty

Target Center

Game 5 (if necessary)

ESPN, TSN5

October 20 8:00 p.m.

New York Liberty vs. Minnesota Lynx

Barclays Center

Team rosters

Minnesota Lynx roster v t e
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs G/F 6 Carleton, Bridget 6' 1" (1.85m) 190 lb (86kg) 1997-05-22 Iowa State 5 F 24 Collier, Napheesa 6' 2" (1.88m) 185 lb (84kg) 1996-09-23 Connecticut 5 G 0 Époupa, Olivia 5' 5" (1.65m) 119 lb (54kg) 1994-04-30 France R G 2 Hiedeman, Natisha 5' 8" (1.73m) 135 lb (61kg) 1997-02-10 Marquette 5 F 2 Hines-Allen, Myisha 6' 1" (1.85m) 200 lb (91kg) 1996-05-30 Louisville 6 G/F 14 Juhász, Dorka 6' 5" (1.96m) 192 lb (87kg) 1999-12-18 Connecticut 1 G 21 McBride, Kayla 5' 10" (1.78m) 186 lb (84kg) 1992-06-25 Notre Dame 10 G 1 Miller, Diamond 6' 3" (1.91m) 163 lb (74kg) 2001-02-11 Maryland 1 F 35 Pili, Alissa 6' 2" (1.88m) 235 lb (107kg) 2001-06-08 Utah R F 8 Smith, Alanna 6' 4" (1.93m) 180 lb (82kg) 1996-09-10 Stanford 5 G 10 Williams, Courtney 5' 8" (1.73m) 133 lb (60kg) 1994-05-11 South Florida 8 F 9 Zandalasini, Cecilia 6' 2" (1.88m) 175 lb (79kg) 1996-03-16 Italy 2	Head coach Cheryl Reeve (La Salle) Assistant coaches Katie Smith (Ohio State) Rebekkah Brunson (Georgetown) Elaine Powell (LSU) Athletic trainer Chuck Barta (UW–La Crosse) Assistant trainer Brandi BlueArm (Minnesota State) Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured   WNBA roster page
East ATL CHI CON IND NY WAS West DAL LV LA MIN PHO SEA

Depth

Pos.	Starter	Bench
PG	Courtney Williams	Natisha Hiedeman Olivia Époupa
SG	Kayla McBride	Diamond Miller
SF	Bridget Carleton	Cecilia Zandalasini
PF	Napheesa Collier	Myisha Hines-Allen Alissa Pili
C	Alanna Smith	Dorka Juhász

New York Liberty roster v t e
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Height Weight DOB From Yrs G/F 2 Burke, Kennedy 6' 1" (1.85m) 182 lb (83kg) 1997-02-14 UCLA 4 G 1 Davis, Marquesha 6' 0" (1.83m) 2001-05-29 Mississippi R G 18 Dojkić, Ivana 5' 11" (1.8m) 154 lb (70kg) 1997-12-24 Croatia 1 F 13 Fiebich, Leonie 6' 4" (1.93m) 2000-01-10 Germany R G 20 Ionescu, Sabrina 5' 11" (1.8m) 165 lb (75kg) 1997-12-06 Oregon 4 C 35 Jones, Jonquel 6' 6" (1.98m) 215 lb (98kg) 1994-01-05 George Washington 7 G/F 44 Laney-Hamilton, Betnijah 6' 0" (1.83m) 166 lb (75kg) 1993-10-29 Rutgers 8 C 8 Sabally, Nyara 6' 5" (1.96m) 204 lb (93kg) 2000-02-26 Oregon 1 G 0 Sherrod, Jaylyn 5' 7" (1.7m) 2001-10-21 Colorado R F 30 Stewart, Breanna 6' 4" (1.93m) 170 lb (77kg) 1994-08-27 Connecticut 7 F 5 Thornton, Kayla 6' 1" (1.85m) 188 lb (85kg) 1992-10-20 UTEP 8 G 22 Vandersloot, Courtney 5' 8" (1.73m) 137 lb (62kg) 1989-02-08 Gonzaga 13	Head coach Sandy Brondello Assistant coaches Olaf Lange Roneeka Hodges (Florida State) Zach O'Brien (Saint Joseph's College of Maine) Athletic trainer Terri Acosta Strength and conditioning coach Emily Zaler Legend (C) Team captain (DP) Unsigned draft pick (FA) Free agent (S) Suspended Injured   WNBA roster page
East ATL CHI CON IND NY WAS West DAL LV LA MIN PHO SEA

Depth

Pos.	Starter	Bench
PG	Courtney Vandersloot	Ivana Dojkić Jaylyn Sherrod
SG	Sabrina Ionescu	Kennedy Burke Marquesha Davis
SF	Betnijah Laney-Hamilton	Kayla Thornton
PF	Breanna Stewart	Leonie Fiebich
C	Jonquel Jones	Nyara Sabally

Footnotes

1. The series could end as early as October 16 if Minnesota are to win 3–0, or as late as October 20 if the series goes the maximum five games.
2. TSN3 will join in progress at 9:00 p.m.

References

1. Ben Pickman; Jenna West (October 10, 2024). "WNBA Finals moving to best-of-seven format in 2025; playoff first round to have 1-1-1 setup". The Athletic . Retrieved October 15, 2024.
2. "WNBA Approves New Playoff Format". WNBA. NBA Media Ventures. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
3. Feinberg, Doug (October 11, 2024). "Minnesota Lynx stun New York Liberty with 95-93 overtime win in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals". Associated Press . Retrieved October 11, 2024.
4. Feinberg, Doug (October 11, 2024). "Minnesota Lynx win wild Game 1 of the WNBA Finals". Associated Press . Retrieved October 11, 2024.
5. "Minnesota Lynx stun New York Liberty with 95-93 overtime win in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals". ESPN . October 10, 2024. Retrieved October 11, 2024.
6. "Liberty and Lynx WNBA Finals Was Most Watched Game 1 Ever". Women's Fastbreak On SI. 2024-10-11. Retrieved 2024-10-13.
7. Feinberg, Doug (October 13, 2024). "Laney-Hamilton was difference maker for the Liberty in win over Lynx that evened WNBA Finals 1-1". Associated Press . Retrieved October 13, 2024.
8. Feinberg, Doug (October 13, 2024). "Breanna Stewart helps New York even WNBA Finals series as Liberty beat Lynx 80-66 in Game 2". Associated Press . Retrieved October 13, 2024.
9. "Liberty 80-66 Lynx (Oct 13, 2024)". ESPN . October 13, 2024. Retrieved October 13, 2024.
10. Rajan, Ronce (2024-10-15). "Most-Viewed WNBA Finals Game on ABC Ever". ESPN Press Room U.S. Retrieved 2024-10-15.

External links

• WNBA Playoffs Home