The top two teams in the WNBA’s regular season already played for one title this year, when the Minnesota Lynx beat the New York Liberty in the Commissioner’s Cup in June. Now, they meet in the best-of-five WNBA Finals that start in the Big Apple on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).
The No. 1 seed Liberty first played for the title in the league’s inaugural season in 1997, when it was decided by a championship game instead of a series. The Liberty subsequently played in the WNBA Finals in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2023. They are seeking their first WNBA championship.
The Lynx franchise launched in 2000 and started a dynasty period when Maya Moore was the No. 1 draft pick in 2011, with Minnesota winning four championships in seven years.
The Liberty have two former MVPs in Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones. The Lynx have this season’s MVP runner-up in Napheesa Collier, who has averaged 27.1 points and 9.6 rebounds in Minnesota’s seven playoff games.
ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Charlie Creme and Michael Voepel break down the matchup.
By seed, the Liberty are the favorites. How will they deal with the pressure of trying to finally capture the franchise’s first WNBA title?
Philippou: The message was clear in Las Vegas after the Liberty knocked off the Aces to advance to the Finals: “We haven’t done…
