Can you dig it?
If Thursday’s game set the tone for the rest of this series, we might be in for a WNBA Finals for the ages.
The opening game of the championship series between the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx had it all: A historic comeback, a final minute that took an hour, a show-stopping four-point play, drama, bad refereeing, elation, devastation, a perpetually disappointed Spike Lee.
Can you dig it?
It’s only right that in a historic year for the WNBA — one that demolished viewership numbers, rewrote record books and forced its way into the public eye — the first game of the finals, with the world watching, encapsulated everything thrilling about the sport.
The Minnesota Lynx came out on top 95-93, catching the Liberty on the chin off the back of an epic comeback and snatched away homecourt advantage, silencing a rowdy Brooklyn crowd.
It was an emotional and gritty showing, a reminder that the Lynx are the premier franchise in the WNBA and a shot to the heart for Liberty fans who thought their superstar-laden squad was enough to break a decades-long curse.
More than anything though, it was a shout at the top of the lungs that the WNBA Finals are here and, oh boy, are they looking special.
Here are some takeaways from a stellar opening night of what should be an all-time series.
COLLIER’S DPOY WAS NO PARTICIPATION AWARD
Yes, A’ja Wilson had a stellar year, arguably the greatest we’ve ever seen. But to think that Collier was solely given the defensive player of the year award because Wilson already had MVP locked up is an absolute slight on what has been an otherwordly campaign from a must-watch talent in the Association.
Collier was ridiculous in the regular season, averaging 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks per game. However, that’s nothing compared to who she’s been in the post-season.
Coming into this game, Collier was averaging 1.1 steals and 2.0 blocks per game and took it a step further on Thursday, finishing with three steals and six blocks. One of those was a perplexing turnaround block on Jonquel Jones — a centre five inches taller than her — while the two were tangled up in the post.
A make there from Jones would’ve put the Liberty up five with 24 seconds to go. Instead, the block forced a shot clock second violation, the second of the quarter for New York, and gave the Lynx the chance to tie it up on the next possession and send it to OT.
(Courtney Williams did a little more than tie it up, but we’ll touch on that later.)
Despite taking on the toughest assignments the Liberty threw at her, alternating between Jones and Stewart, Collier still had enough in the tank to get it done on the offensive end.
She finished with 21 points on 10-of-16 from the field and hit the game-winning shot in OT, hitting Jones with nasty moves in the post and drilling the turnaround 12-foot jumper in her face.
With her performance, she told the Liberty that you can have your Breanna Stewarts, your Sabrina Ionescus and Jonquel Joneses. She’s more than enough to help the Lynx get back to the top.
INEFFICIENCY HAUNTS THE LIBERTY
The New York Liberty found the recipe to success early on, funnelling the ball inside to Jones and Stewart to use their size advantage to score an easy look or force the double team and kick it out to shooters.
If they missed, they grabbed the rebound and tried again. Overall, the Liberty dominated the boards, beating the Lynx 44-32 in overall rebounding and had an astounding 20-5 gap in offensive rebounding.
But second chances only mean so much if you can’t capitalize on them.
While the Lynx put up a ridiculous team-wide 51/41/93 line, the Liberty’s inefficiency cost them, particularly from the superstar tandem of Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu. The two combined to shoot 14 of 47 from the field (29.8 per cent) and five for 15 from three-point range (33.3 per cent).
Ionescu hasn’t been an efficient scorer all year despite her packed box scores. She only shot 39.4 per cent from the field and 33.2 per cent from deep in the regular season. But she’s been different in the playoffs, hitting 48.9 per cent from the field and an astounding 46.5 per cent from three coming into this game against the Lynx.
Same with Stewart, who shot a career-low 29.5 per cent from three this season and 27.3 per cent in the playoffs.
It just hasn’t come back to haunt them until now.
The Lynx preyed on those misses, flipping a switch in the second half and beating New York down the court for easy finishes in transition. In the rare moments that they managed to scoop up an offensive board, they took full advantage, scoring 11 second-chance points off their five offensive rebounds.
Those missed shots and the Lynx’s inability to miss shots gave way to two separate 15-point comebacks, including an 18-3 run in the final five minutes of regulation to crown the Lynx as the first-ever team to win after coming back 15+ points with five minutes to go.
COURTNEY WILLIAMS IS THE X-FACTOR
Is it too soon to call Courtney Williams’ four-point play the greatest shot in WNBA history?
Speaking of offensive rebounds, the Lynx showed the Liberty just how to capitalize on second chances.
After Williams missed her first three-point attempt over Leonie Fiebich, Alanna Smith corralled the rebound, swung it back out to Williams and the five-foot-eight guard made the most of it, splashing the catch-and-shoot three-pointer and drawing the foul on Ionescu in the process.
Four-point play and the Lynx’s first lead of the game.
What might be forgotten is just how good she was in all facets of Thursday’s game.
She finished with a team-high 23 points on nine for 18 from the field with five rebounds and five assists. 15 of her points came in the fourth quarter and overtime.
Meanwhile, her defence forced Liberty ball-handlers into key mistakes. Her work at the point-of-attack on Courtney Vandersloot in particular was disruptive, stopping Liberty plays before they even started.
Though she didn’t register any steals, her effort in hounding New York’s guards was apparent, especially when considering her five-foot-eight stature. There might not be anyone who plays harder than her.
