Mission accomplished. For the first time in franchise history, the New York Liberty have finally won a WNBA championship.
New York needed a decisive Game 5 — and the first overtime winner-take-all in WNBA Finals history — but on Sunday, the Liberty beat the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in extra time to capture their first title after 28 seasons. A franchise full of near-misses and heartache, losing in five previous attempts at a title, New York at last added WNBA champion to the Liberty legacy.
It didn’t come easy. New York trailed by as many as 12 points and didn’t hit a 3-pointer until late in regulation. Sabrina Ionescu shot 1-for-19 and didn’t score until the third quarter. And Breanna Stewart was 4-for-15 from the field.
So how did the Liberty do it? Which players stepped up along side WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones? ESPN takes a look at four keys to how New York put the finishing touches on its title run and the only WNBA Finals with multiple overtime games.
On a night when Stewart and Ionsecu struggled mightily with their shooting, the Liberty needed someone to step up. Nyara Sabally was averaging 3.4 points heading into Sunday, but the 6-foot-5 reserve center scored 13 points in a playoff-high 17 minutes, contributions that made all the difference.
It wasn’t just her production; Sabally brought an energy and fearlessness that had been missing. The Liberty trailed by seven points at halftime but swung the game in the third quarter to take a 3-point lead entering the fourth. Sabally scored the basket that tied the score at 38 with 3:33 left in the third period, and the layup 26 seconds later that gave New York its first lead. Sabally scored nine of her 13 points in the third. She also got the defensive rebound, one of her 8 boards, that essentially iced the game with 13 seconds left in overtime.
Had New York not won Game 5, the shooting of Stewart and Ionescu — who were a combined 5-for-34 — would have been discussed the entire offseason. The title is that much more remarkable given New York was able to win despite those struggles. Ionescu missed her first 13 shots — the most consecutive misses in a winner-take-all game in WNBA history — and made one of New York’s two 3-pointers. But her 8 assists were a big part of the win. She had 4 in the pivotal third quarter, three of which went to Sabally on the pick-and-roll, a connection formed when the two were teammates at Oregon.
And while Stewart never found her jump shot, she got redemption from the free throw line. Her miss at the end of regulation in Game 1 could have won that contest for New York. She even missed two big foul shots with 38 seconds left Sunday in the fourth quarter that could have tied the score. But she made two bigger free throws with five seconds left in regulation that tied the score and sent the game to overtime.
Stewart and Ionescu struggled Sunday and in Game 4. And both times, Jones carried the Liberty. Her 17 points led New York on Sunday, as did her 21 in Game 4. She averaged 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds in the five games, and it seemed like whenever New York really needed a basket, especially on Sunday, Jones delivered down low.
And she was efficient. Jones, who was the 2021 regular-season MVP, needed 20 total field goal attempts in the final two games of the series to score those 38 points.
For most of the game the talk was how good Minnesota’s defense was playing. The Lynx completely locked up Stewart and Ionescu. They held New York to 28.5% from the field in the first half, the Liberty’s worst shooting half all season, and a season-low 27 points after two quarters.
But New York’s defense won this championship. Minnesota scored 28 points over the final 25 minutes, and the best 3-point shooting team in the league was held to 3-for-19 from deep. Of the Lynx’s 16 turnovers, New York forced 5 in overtime.
Stewart will have an easier time forgetting her tough shooting night after contributing 15 rebounds (12 defensive) and 3 blocks. Her length cut off driving lanes and contested shots at the rim throughout the second half.