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Dates | October 10 – 20 | |||||||||
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MVP | Jonquel Jones | |||||||||
Eastern finals | New York Liberty defeated Las Vegas Aces 3–1 | |||||||||
Western finals | Minnesota Lynx defeated Connecticut Sun 3–2 | |||||||||
The 2024 WNBA Finals, officially the WNBA Finals 2024 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-five championship series for the 2024 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The finals featured the first-seeded New York Liberty, who advanced to their second straight finals, and the second-seeded Minnesota Lynx. The Liberty defeated the Lynx in five games, winning their first WNBA Championship in franchise history. [1]
This was the last WNBA finals to use the best-of-five format as it will expand to a best-of-seven format in 2025. [2]
# | 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 |
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 | 3 | ||||||||||||
2 | Minnesota Lynx | 2 | ||||||||||||
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. [3]
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.
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.
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 an 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 15+ points in the final five minutes and come back to win the game. [4] [5]
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. [6]
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. [7]
October 10 8:00 p.m. |
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 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. [8] [9]
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 led 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. [10]
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. [11] This audience is 93% higher than last year's finals average for ABC. It was the most viewed WNBA Finals game in 23 years. [11]
October 13 3:00 p.m. |
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 |
The series moved to Minnesota for game three and the Lynx took advantage of having the home court, winning the first quarter 28–18. The Liberty's defense improved in the second quarter, and they limited the Lynx to fifteen points in the quarter, and the Liberty scored seventeen to win the quarter. The Lynx lead by as many as fifteen in the first half and took an eight-point lead into halftime. The Liberty stormed out of the halftime break and won the third quarter 26–19 to cut the lead to one-point. The game continued to be back and forth during the fourth quarter and Sabrina Ionescu hit a three-point shot with one second remaining to secure the quarter and the game for the Liberty. The Liberty won the fourth quarter 19–15 and game three by three points. The Liberty drew within one game of winning their first WNBA title in front of a record crowd of 19,521 at the Target Center. [12] [13]
The Liberty had four players score in double figures, and were lead by Breanna Stewart who scored thirty points. Leonie Fiebich, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones all scored thirteen points. Stewart grabbed eleven rebounds to earn her first double-double of the finals. The Lynx also had four players score in double figures, and were lead by Napheesa Collier with twenty-two points. Kayla McBride added nineteen points, Bridget Carleton scored fourteen points, and Courtney Williams scored twelve points. Game three saw the points in the paint tied at twenty eight, the Lynx lead in fast break points 11–5, the Liberty win bench points 9–8 and the Lynx win the turnover battle 10–16. The rebounding battle was much closer as well, with the Liberty winning 33–32. [14]
ESPN, TSN1/3/4 [lower-alpha 1] |
October 16 8:00 p.m. |
Minnesota Lynx 77, New York Liberty80 | ||
Scoring by quarter:28–18, 15–17, 19–26, 15–19 | ||
Pts: Napheesa Collier (22) Rebs: Napheesa Collier (9) Asts: Courtney Williams (8) | Pts: Breanna Stewart (30) Rebs: Breanna Stewart (11) Asts: Sabrina Ionescu (6) |
Game four began with the Lynx facing elimination at home. The first quarter was a very back and forth affair and the quarter ended tied at 23. The second quarter did little to separate the teams and the Lynx won the quarter 23–22 to take just a one point lead into halftime. The third quarter was a lower scoring affair, but did nothing to separate the teams, as it ended tied at 18. Defense continued to dominate a tight fourth quarter, and the Lynx prevailed in the quarter 18–17. The Lynx won game four by two points and forced a game five in New York. Defense was key for the Lynx as they held the Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu to a combined 10–36 shooting. The two were also 0–9 on three point attempts. Bridget Carleton was fouled with two seconds remaining, and made both shots. The Liberty had possession to end the game, but Ionescu was unable to make another game winning shot. [15] [16]
The Lynx had all five starters score in double figures, and were lead by Kayla McBride who scored nineteen points. Courtney Williams scored fifteen points, Napheesa Collier scored fourteen points, and both Bridget Carleton and Alanna Smith contributed twelve points. All five Liberty starters also scored in double figures and they were lead by Jonquel Jones who scored twenty-one points. Rookie Leonie Fiebich scored nineteen points, Breanna Stewart scored eleven points, and both Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored ten points. Stewart recorded eleven rebounds for her second double-double of the finals. The Liberty again won the rebounding battle 40–31, they also won fast break points 12–11, and points in the paint 38–26. The Lynx won the turnover battle 12–15, bench points 10–9, and scored more points off turnovers 19–10. [17]
ESPN, TSN2 |
October 18 8:00 p.m. |
Minnesota Lynx82, New York Liberty 80 | ||
Scoring by quarter: 23–23, 23–22, 18–18, 18–17 | ||
Pts: Kayla McBride (19) Rebs: Napheesa Collier (9) Asts: Courtney Williams (7) | Pts: Jonquel Jones (21) Rebs: Breanna Stewart (11) Asts: Fiebich/Ionescu (5) |
Target Center Attendance: 19,210 Referees: Eric Brewton Tiara Cruse Isaac Barnett Randy Richardson |
The deciding game five in New York began with the Lynx dominating the first quarter, winning 19–10. New York clawed back in the second quarter and won the quarter 17–15. The generally low-scoring half saw the Lynx take a seven-point lead into halftime. The Liberty recovered after the break and won the third quarter 20–10 to take a three-point lead into the final frame. However, the Lynx would not give up and won the fourth quarter 16–13, leaving the game tied at sixty. The Lynx led by as many as twelve points in the first half, and led in the final minute of regulation but could not hold off the Liberty. Liberty stars Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu again struggled, going a combined 5–34 from the field. The Liberty won the overtime period 7–2, during which Collier fouled out. The Liberty led the league in three pointers during the regular season, but only managed to make two in game 5, one by Ionescu in the fourth quarter, and one by Fiebich to start overtime. The Liberty won game five by five points to claim their first WNBA title in their sixth finals appearance, which also marked the first championship for a professional basketball team in the New York area since the New York Nets won their second championship in the ABA in 1976. [18] [19]
The Liberty had four players score in double figures and were led by Finals MVP Jonquel Jones who scored seventeen points. Leonie Fiebich, Nyara Sabally, and Breanna Stewart all added thirteen points. Stewart also had fifteen rebounds to record her third double-double of the Finals. The Lynx only had two players score in double figures and were led by Napheesa Collier, who scored twenty-two points. Kayla McBride scored twenty-one points. The Liberty led in points in the paint, 44–38. They won fast break points 4–2, bench points 15–6, and won the turnover battle 12–16. Just as in very other game in the finals, the Liberty won the rebounding battle 44–33. [20] The Liberty got a major boost in game five from their bench, as Nyara Sabally played seventeen minutes, a playoff high. She and Kayla Thornton contributed defensively as well. [21]
The game's officiating came under heavy scrutiny, particularly the amount of free throw attempts the Liberty got compared to the Lynx and the foul call on Lynx center Alanna Smith with 5.2 seconds left in regulation, which led to Breanna Stewart making two free throw attempts that led the game into overtime. In the post-game's news conference, Reeve claims the game was stolen from them and called for a third party that should be included in challenges going forward. [22] Several prominent sports media figures as well as NBA and WNBA players such as LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Isaiah Thomas, Shakira Austin, and Rex Chapman all criticized the way the referees handled the game, with some pointing out on Smith's foul call that she had minimal contact and that Stewart traveled the ball up to her. [23] Sabreena Merchant for The Athletic wrote the officiating will "leave a stain on what was otherwise an incredible series". [24]
ESPN, SN1 |
October 20 8:00 p.m. |
New York Liberty67, Minnesota Lynx 62 (OT) | ||
Scoring by quarter: 10–19, 17–15, 20–10, 13–16, Overtime:7–2 | ||
Pts: Jonquel Jones (17) Rebs: Breanna Stewart (15) Asts: Sabrina Ionescu (8) | Pts: Napheesa Collier (22) Rebs: Alanna Smith (8) Asts: Kayla McBride (5) |
Barclays Center Attendance: 18,090 Referees: Roy Gulbeyan Maj Forsberg Tim Greene Isaac Barnett |
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The New York Liberty are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The Liberty compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as part of the league's Eastern Conference. The team was founded in 1997 and is one of the eight original franchises of the league. The team is owned by Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, the majority owners of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets. The team's home games are played at Barclays Center.
Breanna Mackenzie Stewart, nicknamed "Stewie", is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She is one of the most accomplished players in basketball history.
Napheesa Collier, nicknamed "Phee", is an American professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA). After playing college basketball for the University of Connecticut Huskies, Collier was drafted by the Lynx with the 6th overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft. She has won two Olympic gold medals playing on the United States women's national basketball team in the Tokyo 2020 and the Paris 2024 games. She is also currently a vice president on the Women's National Basketball Players Association executive committee.
Jonquel Orthea Jones is a Bahamian professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted with the sixth overall pick in the 2016 WNBA draft. Since May 2019, she also holds the citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, allowing her to play for the national team.
Sabrina Elaine Ionescu is an American professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Oregon Ducks and is considered one of the greatest collegiate players of all time.
The 2019 WNBA Playoffs were the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2019 season. The Washington Mystics won the team's first WNBA title in their 22-year franchise history.
Leonie Fiebich is a German professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She was drafted by the Los Angeles Sparks in the second round of the 2020 WNBA draft and has played for the German national basketball team.
The 2020 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2020 season being played in Bradenton, Florida at the IMG Academy, known for the season as the "wubble." The Seattle Storm defeated the Las Vegas Aces three games to zero in the finals to claim the franchise's fourth WNBA title.
The 2020 WNBA Finals, officially WNBA Finals 2020 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-five championship series for the 2020 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The Finals feature the top seeded Las Vegas Aces facing off against the second seed Seattle Storm. Despite losing both regular season meetings against Las Vegas, the Storm dominated the series, sweeping the Aces in three straight games. Led by Finals MVP Breanna Stewart, Seattle won all three games by double-digits, claiming their second title in three years and fourth in franchise history.
The 2021 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2021 season. The Chicago Sky won their first WNBA championship.
Nyara Sabally is a German professional basketball player for the New York Liberty of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She also served as an assistant coach for Sacramento State. She played college basketball at Oregon. She represented Germany at the 2018 FIBA U18 Women's European Championship and won a gold medal. She also represented Germany at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The 2022 WNBA All-Star Game was an exhibition basketball game that was played on July 10, 2022, at Wintrust Arena. The Chicago Sky hosted the game and related events for the first time.
The 2022 WNBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2022 season. This postseason ended with the Las Vegas Aces winning their first championship.
The 2023 New York Liberty season was the 27th season for the New York Liberty franchise of the WNBA, and their second season under head coach Sandy Brondello.
The 2023 WNBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the WNBA's 2023 season. The playoffs began on September 13, 2023, and culminated with the Las Vegas Aces successfully defending their WNBA title by defeating the New York Liberty three games to one in the finals.
The 2023 WNBA Finals, officially the WNBA Finals 2023 presented by YouTube TV for sponsorship reasons, was the best-of-five championship series for the 2023 season of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The finals featured the first-seeded Las Vegas Aces facing off against the second-seeded New York Liberty. The Aces defeated the Liberty in 4 games, winning their second WNBA Championship in a row. The Aces became the first team in twenty one years, and only the third in history to repeat as WNBA Champions.
The 2024 Minnesota Lynx season is the 26th season for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association, and the fifteenth season under head coach Cheryl Reeve.
The 2024 New York Liberty season is the 28th season for the New York Liberty franchise of the WNBA, and their third season under head coach, Sandy Brondello. The season culminated with a win during the WNBA Finals, their first championship in franchise history.
The 2024 WNBA playoffs was the postseason tournament of the Women's National Basketball Association's 2024 season. The playoffs began on September 22, 2024, and ended on October 20, 2024 with the New York Liberty winning their first championship.