History will be made in the 2024 WNBA Finals.
The New York Liberty, one of the WNBA’s original eight teams, will finally win its first championship 28 years after competing in the inaugural Finals, the franchise’s first of five Finals losses. Or, the Minnesota Lynx will become the first WNBA organization to win five championships, adding onto the dynastic run when the team made six Finals, and won four, from 2011 to 2017.
The Liberty, in short, are trying to reverse a history filled with disappointment, while the Lynx are trying to revive their days of glory. Ahead of their 2024 matchup, here’s a closer look at the two teams’ divergent WNBA Finals histories:
The sixth time’s a charm?
1997: Houston Comets over New York Liberty (1-0)
The WNBA’s first Finals was a single-game affair with the Comets, owners of a better regular-season record by one game, besting the Liberty 65-51 behind 25 points from Cynthia Cooper. Kym Hampton led the Liberty with a double-double of 13…
