Liberty's Game 1 collapse vs. Lynx extends brutal WNBA Finals trend (PO)

The New York Liberty lost Game 1 of the WNBA Finals to the Minnesota Lynx after a staggering collapse that saw the Lynx chip away at an 18-point lead to force overtime and take the game. Thanks to the three-pronged attack of Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride and the Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier, the Lynx stole the game on the road, and extended the Liberty’s brutal Finals streak that might come back to haunt them.

After this loss, the Liberty have now lost six straight Game 1s in the WNBA Finals, per this graphic posted by ESPN on X, formerly Twitter. Perhaps this streak has contributed to their failure to win a WNBA championship in five attempts.

Game 1 is important because it sets the tone for your team, and choking away a big lead to end up losing is not how you want to start a championship series.

WNBA Finals Game 1: Lynx def. Liberty, Lynx lead 1-0

© Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Moreover, a best-of-five series doesn’t offer the Liberty much of a margin for error, if at all.

The Liberty also did the Lynx a favor of giving them enough momentum to ride until Game 2, as Minnesota became the first team in WNBA history to win a playoff game after being down by at least 15 points with less than five minutes to go.

In fact, prior to this win, WNBA teams were 0-183. Now, the Lynx put the “1” in 1-183.

“Obviously, we finish games better when we’re down,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said, via this report from Michael Rosenberg for Sports Illustrated.

Giving up 20 points to Collier is bad enough, but giving up 23 points to Williams and 22 to McBride is not a recipe for success. Additionally, Collier also swatted six shots, the third-most in WNBA Finals history.

What’s worse is New York’s two stars, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, couldn’t match the Lynx trio’s production. After a scorching performance to avenge the Liberty’s 2023 WNBA Finals loss against the Las Vegas Aces, Ionescu cooled off dramatically, shooting only 8-26 in Game 1 against the Lynx.

Meanwhile, Stewart only shot 6-21. These are dismal numbers for a team hungry to win its first-ever championship, which Stewart should understand, as a two-time champion and Finals MVP with the Seattle Storm.

What happened?

Only Jonquel Jones shot well for the Liberty, going 9-14, while the rest of the team went 25-76. Coach Sandy Brondello chalked up to the Lynx taking the Liberty out of their game plan.
“They took us out of what we wanted to run,” she said. “They were blowing up stuff. We couldn’t get clear passes… We’re slowing our speed, [our] execution speed, and it was making it easier for them.”

Now that the Lynx have hit their first punch, the Liberty will have to ask themselves if they are as tough as their league-best regular season record says they are.

It only gets tougher next season, too, as the WNBA will make the Finals a best-of-seven.