Life, the Liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
New York can finally smile, their pursuit for happiness and their first-ever WNBA title is over. After 28 years of falling short of expectations, settling for second place and watching others celebrate, New York can finally reclaim basketball as theirs, once and for all.
When you’ve got Spike Lee on the sidelines falling to his knees like he’s Michael Irvin at a Miami Hurricanes game, when cheers can be heard from all five boroughs and when the simultaneous exaltation and release of 8.3 million people echoes along the eastern seaboard, you’ll know that basketball has returned to where it belongs.
The city that never sleeps is more awake than ever before. A spot on a trophy case that has been empty since the Brooklyn Nets won the ABA title in 1976 is at last filled. The New York Liberty have won the WNBA title.
For the first time since the league began in 1997 with the Liberty as an inaugural member, New York stands alone. They took down the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in an overtime thriller, do-or-die Game 5 that perfectly encapsulated the edge-of-your-seat, show-stopping WNBA Finals that it was.
There are a million different storylines and takeaways to look at after a series as great as this and after a game as dramatic as this, but after careful consideration, here’s what you need to know after an all-time WNBA Finals Game 5.
Jonquel steadies the ship
The New York Liberty became the face of the Eastern Conference ahead of the 2023 season, swinging league-shifting deals for MVPs Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones to pair with emerging star guard Sabrina Ionescu.
One of those names stood far above the rest in Game 5 and was probably the most unlikely of the three to be the decisive force propelling them to their first WNBA title.
But Jones was exactly what the Liberty needed her to be.
Like Miami Heat-era Chris Bosh, Draymond Green with the Warriors or Dennis Rodman with the Chicago Bulls, there’s always going to be one player in the big three who might have to adjust a bit more to the other stars and take a lesser role.
Jones had no trouble doing that whatsoever, grabbing rebounds when they were needed, playing a physical style in the post and giving her all to protect the inside — putting in the dirty work so others could shine. But more importantly, in Game 5, when the team needed a guiding star, she turned right back into the player she was during her years with the Connecticut Sun.
Off the mark is an understatement for how Ionescu and Stewart played in Game 5, particularly in the first half. Heading into the break, the two combined for five points on a lethargic two for 17 from the field (12 per cent) and zero for four from deep.
But Jones was there to clean it up and keep New York in the game, scoring 10 in the half on three of five from the field.
Like when Ionescu hit her game-winner in Game 3 or when Courtney Williams drained a four-point play to tie it up in the dying seconds of Game 1, the moment makes the player. When the Liberty needed those buckets to keep their heads above water, or when they needed someone to strike the fear of god into the Lynx’s physical defence, the moment wasn’t too big for Jonquel Jones.
Beyond just her consistency in Game 5, she’s been the force keeping the Liberty stable all series. She finished the Finals averaging 17.8 points per game with 50/40/90 shooting splits, the gold standard for efficiency. Add onto that her 7.8 rebounds (2.0 offensive boards), 1.0 steals and 0.8 blocks per game, and it’s apparent that the award was hers to lose.
Enjoy the free drinks and meals in New York for the rest of your life Jonquel.
Collier is due
Napheesa Collier will walk away from this loss with as big a chip on her shoulder as you can imagine.
She established herself as the best player on the court over the course of this series and has a serious argument to go into next season as the best player in the WNBA. (A’ja Wilson will certainly have something to say about that.)
The 28-year-old finished Sunday with a game-high 22 points to go along with seven rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block. But she’ll certainly feel like she could’ve done a lot more, considering her 11 for 23 line from the field.
Efficiency in Game 5 aside, she was the engine for the Lynx’s offence and defence this entire year, and especially in the playoffs. In the Finals, she averaged 19 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 3.4 steals and 1.8 blocks. Moreover, she was the league leader in points, rebounds, steals and blocks throughout the post-season.
Her work down low on offence was impeccable, constantly finding cutting lanes and finishing around the much taller Jones, Stewart and Nyara Sabally. Her mid-range shots might’ve been off the mark in Game 5, but when you play every minute of both Game 3 and 4 and tack on another 44 in this one, fatigue certainly starts to creep in.
But that didn’t mean she let up. On defence, she guarded one through five, working as the primary defender on Stewart. When asked to switch, was able to keep pace with smaller, faster guards and was adept at deflecting passes or jumping lanes. She won Defensive Player of the Year for a reason.
Collier will walk away from her first taste of the WNBA Finals knowing she’ll be back. She now knows what it’s like to not only make it to the big dance, but to shine in them. The next few years are hers.
Ionescu escapes infamy
When people look back on these WNBA Finals, chances are they’ll remember Sabrina Ionescu’s game-winner from Game 3 above all else.
She played a huge part in winning the Liberty this series, and that’s beyond doubt. Her work setting the table and hitting clutch shots in Games 1-4 won’t be forgotten.
But had the Liberty not come out on top on Sunday, kiss that game-winner goodbye. Her legacy would be rooted in the horrific one-for-19 shooting performance in the do-or-die Game 5.
She didn’t hit her first shot until there was 3:10 left in regulation, nailing not only her first three-pointer, but the Liberty’s first three-pointer of the game. You can’t say she didn’t pick the right time to get it done, at least.
However, thinking she had suddenly found her rhythm, she went on to shoot three more tough three-pointers in the final three minutes of the fourth, missing all of them. Had the Liberty lost in those closing seconds, the blame would weigh heavy on her.
It was a historically bad night for the superstar guard, as her 13 consecutive misses without a make were the most in a winner-take-all game in WNBA history, according to ESPN Stats and Info.
Ionescu desperately wanted the first ring of what should be a decorated WNBA career, but her propensity to hunt for shots that weren’t there in this game was a hurdle the rest of the Liberty had to overcome.
Yes, she managed to contribute in other ways, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out eight assists, but this was an absurdly low-scoring game and makes weren’t coming easily. Ionescu playing hero-ball when the rest of her team — particularly Jones and Nyara Sabally in the paint — had better opportunities could’ve been the difference between glory and infamy.
Reeve makes herself heard
Discourse about the officiating has been prevalent following the conclusions of Games 3 and 4. It came to a head on Sunday.
Minnesota Lynx head coach didn’t hold back after her team’s loss, throwing attention to the controversial foul call with five seconds left in regulation that sent Stewart to the line.
“I know all the headlines will be ‘Reeve cries foul,'” the Lynx coach said. “Bring it on. Bring it on because this s— was stolen from us. Bring it on.”
A good chunk of the internet will agree with her after this one.
The foul call on that play decided the outcome of the game. Of course, there was still an overtime period to be played after Stewart hit both shots from the charity stripe, but the title was all but secured for the Lynx after Stewart missed two free throws not 40 seconds earlier.
The Lynx had utterly shut down the Liberty in the first half, survived a third-quarter push and managed to retake a slim lead in the dying seconds of the fourth. All that had to happen for them to win their franchise’s fifth title would’ve been a steady defensive possession with five seconds left.
And that’s exactly what Minnesota got. Alanna Smith played her as well as she could. Fouls weren’t getting called earlier in the game — especially not ones as questionable as this one — and the contact there felt more a product of Stewart forcing the issue.
“You shouldn’t have to overcome to that extent,” Reeve said after the game. “This s— ain’t that hard. Officiating is not that hard. When someone is held, be consistent. If you don’t want to call a hold at one end, don’t call it at the other. Be consistent.”
An inconsistent call proved to be Minnesota’s undoing in Game 5. A series this good shouldn’t come down to a whistle. It’s hard to blame Reeve for getting upset.