2024 WNBA Finals recap: How the Liberty brought a basketball championship back to New York

The 2024 WNBA Finals were one for the ages, featuring two overtime games, late-game daggers, comeback wins and only one double-digit victory.

The finals featured the No.1 seeded New York Liberty and the No. 2 seeded Minnesota Lynx in a best-of-five series. All five games were needed and the Liberty came out on top, earning their first title in franchise history.

New York had previously fallen five times in the finals, including last year to the Las Vegas Aces.

This marked the first WNBA finals appearance for the Minnesota Lynx since 2017, a span in which they won four titles in seven years.

The series wrapped up the same way it opened, an overtime thriller.

The Lynx stole Game 1 in the Barclays Center after overcoming an 18-point deficit. Napheesa Collier hit a jumper with 8.8 seconds left in overtime to give Minnesota the 95-93 win.

Courtney Williams led the Lynx with 23 points, including a four-point play with five seconds left in regulation to give Minnesota a one-point lead.

Minnesota went on a 12-0 run in the final three minutes of regulation that was topped off by Williams’ four-point play.

Jonquel Jones led New York in scoring with 24 points.

The Liberty bounced back in Game 2 with a convincing 80-66 win, although fans almost got some serious déjà vu.

Minnesota cut the score to 66-64 with just under six minutes left, but the Liberty broke away, closing out the game on a 14-2 run.

Breanna Stewart led the way for New York with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a WNBA Finals-record seven steals.

Napheesa Collier, Stewart’s college teammate at UConn, led the Lynx with 16 points and eight rebounds.

Game 3 played out in a similar way to Game 1, except it was the Liberty who erased a 15-point deficit.

The Liberty’s star players Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu stepped up big for the team in Game 3. New York was on the road for the first time in the series and won 80-77 after an Ionescu three-point dagger with one second remaining.

Breanna Stewart once again led the way for New York with 30 points and 11 rebounds. The 2023 WNBA MVP scored 22 of the team's 45 second-half points.

Minnesota led 60-50 late in the third quarter, but the Liberty closed it out on an 11-2 run.

Collier continued her stellar championship performance posting a team-high 22 points.

After dropping two games in a row, the Lynx bounced back in Game 4. Minnesota won 82-80 after Bridget Carleton sank two free throws with two seconds left.

This was the tightest game of the series with 14 lead changes and 13 ties. With 35 seconds left and the game tied at 80, the Liberty had multiple opportunities at the basket, but could not convert, resulting in a shot clock violation.

Ionescu missed a shot at the buzzer, sending the series back to New York for a winner-take-all finale.

The game leaders were Jonquel Jones for the Liberty with 21 points and Kayla McBride for Minnesota with 19 points.

The first Game 5 since 2019 was an instant classic. The Liberty won 67-62, bringing a basketball championship back to New York for the first time in 48 years.

However, the game might be more remembered for the controversial foul call at the end of regulation.

Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve challenged the call but was unsuccessful. Stewart hit both shots sending the game to overtime tied at 60.

Kayla McBride had an open shot to win the game for Minnesota at the end of regulation, but the shot bounced off the rim.

The Liberty’s supporting cast stepped up big as star-shooter Sabrina Ionescu struggled to find the basket, going 1-for-19 with only five points.

The Lynx hit a bump when star player Napheesa Collier fouled out in overtime. Collier finished Game 5 with 22 points.

Jonquel Jones led New York with 17 points, earning WNBA finals MVP.

Gianna Dowling is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email gmd5738@psu.edu.