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Michael Voepel, ESPN Senior Author
NEW YORK — The franchise that received the primary sport in WNBA historical past lastly has received the final sport of the season.
Greater than 27 years after enjoying for league’s inaugural championship and following a number of close to misses, the New York Liberty turned WNBA champions with a 67-62 additional time victory Sunday over the Minnesota Lynx.
Breanna Stewart sealed the win with two free throws with 10.1 seconds left within the additional interval. After Leonie Fiebich stole a go, the Liberty dribbled out the clock on a victory that was as hard-fought and dramatic as any in a Recreation 5 of the WNBA Finals.
The Liberty prevailed 3-2 in a collection marked by large photographs and massive momentum shifts within the first three video games. Little separated the groups in Recreation 4, which the Lynx received on two free throws with two seconds left.
In Recreation 5, earlier than a packed home at Barclays Middle, the Liberty battled again from a seven-point halftime deficit to take a 47-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter. So a few years of ready would come right down to 10 minutes.
Or so it appeared.
As an alternative, these groups — which confronted off 9 occasions in the course of the season, together with the Commissioner’s Cup last that the Lynx claimed in June — labored into additional time.
With 6.3 seconds left in regulation, the Liberty had the ball, trailing 60-58. Stewart was fouled by Alanna Smith, a name the Lynx challenged. After the problem was dominated unsuccessful, Stewart hit each free throws to tie the sport at 60-60. Kayla McBride missed a 3-pointer for Minnesota, and the sport went to additional time.
Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve spent a substantial a part of her information convention criticizing the officiating in Recreation 5 and all the collection, saying, “This s— was stolen from us.”
Within the additional interval, the Liberty’s factors got here from Fiebich, Nyara Sabally and Stewart. Sabally had her largest sport but as a Liberty participant, with 13 factors and 7 rebounds. Fiebich, Sabally’s German nationwide workforce teammate within the Olympics, additionally had 13 factors and 7 rebounds.
The Liberty received regardless of capturing simply 30.6% from the sphere. Sabrina Ionescu made simply 1 of 19 photographs from the sphere, ending with 5 factors. Regardless of these struggles, she had eight assists and 7 rebounds.
Liberty ahead Jonquel Jones was named Finals MVP after main New York with 17 factors in Recreation 5. Jones, who was +1000 to win MVP firstly of the collection, tied Diana Taurasi for the third-most profession factors within the Finals with 320. She was enjoying in her fourth profession Finals, after beforehand dropping with the Connecticut Sun in 2019 and 2022 and with the Liberty final yr.
“I may by no means dream of this,” stated Jones. “You know the way many occasions I have been denied. It was delayed. I’m so blissful to do it right here.”
The title is additional particular to Stewart, the workforce’s lone native New Yorker who remembers attending Liberty video games as a child. A two-time champion whereas with the Seattle Storm, she joined the Liberty earlier than the 2023 season as the most important free agent signing in WNBA historical past.
“I have been manifesting this second for some time. There isn’t any feeling prefer it,” Stewart stated after the sport. “Credit score to Minnesota — they gave us a troublesome collection. The followers have been wonderful all over the place we have gone. To carry a championship to New York, first ever in franchise historical past, it is an unimaginable feeling. I am unable to wait to proceed to rejoice with the town. It’ll be bonkers.”
The Liberty’s ticker tape parade is scheduled for Monday.
The Liberty gave the Huge Apple its first main skilled basketball championship since 1973. That is when the New York Knicks received the NBA title, which got here 16 years earlier than the oldest participant on the Liberty’s roster, 35-year-old guard Courtney Vandersloot, was born. (The New York/New Jersey Nets received the ABA title in 1976, however that league was right down to seven groups then and would merge with the NBA for 1976-77). A metropolis that loves hoops and winners will get to mix each once more.
After 5 earlier tries to win the title — beginning in 1997, the WNBA’s inaugural yr — the Liberty now have a crown to go along with their iconic torch emblem.
Disillusioned after dropping 3-1 to the Las Vegas Aces in final yr’s Finals, Stewart did not have her finest sport offensively in Recreation 5, as she was 4-of-15 from the sphere and 5-of-8 from the foul line for 13 factors. However she was robust on protection and had 15 rebounds.
Stewart, Jones and Ionescu had been the Liberty’s high three scorers within the common season and the playoffs. Ionescu, the No. 1 draft decide in 2020, made a 28-foot 3-pointer with one second left in Recreation 3 that now surpasses Teresa Weatherspoon‘s half-court heave that received Recreation 2 of the 1999 Finals as the most important shot in Liberty historical past.
The day after Weatherspoon’s shot, the Liberty misplaced Recreation 3 and the title to the Houston Comets in what was then a best-of-three collection. Ionescu’s shot Wednesday sealed an 80-77 come-from-behind victory and gave the Liberty two probabilities at clinching the title. They fell brief on the primary try Friday however secured their championship Sunday.
After watching the Aces rejoice the title on New York’s court docket final yr, the Liberty all season talked concerning the scars they’d from that — but in addition the teachings they discovered.
The Liberty had been the No. 1 seed at a league-best 32-8, however within the playoffs needed to get previous the Atlanta Dream, final yr’s nemesis Las Vegas and Minnesota.
And the Liberty needed to overcome a gut-punch loss in Recreation 1 of the Finals in Brooklyn, the place they led by as a lot as 18 factors and by 15 with simply over 5 minutes left earlier than falling 95-93 in additional time. The Liberty knew they could not afford to wallow in that missed likelihood; they received Recreation 2 at dwelling 80-66.
Recreation 3 and its unbelievable end will go down as an epic story in Liberty lore, which has included many highs that had been overshadowed by disappointments. Recreation 4’s loss added extra drama to what many may take into account probably the most aggressive WNBA Finals ever. And Recreation 5 was a catharsis for the Liberty and their longtime followers.
The franchise that received the primary WNBA sport — June 21, 1997, at Los Angeles — has reached its pinnacle.
Simply 4 years in the past, Ionescu was the No. 1 decide however missed most of 2020 after struggling an ankle damage within the third sport of her rookie yr. The Liberty completed 2-20 within the pandemic-shortened season.
The Liberty went 12-20 and returned to the playoffs in 2021. Sandy Brondello took over as coach in 2022, and New York completed 16-20. The additions of Stewart, Jones and Vandersloot in 2023 had been large strikes that helped produce back-to-back 32-8 seasons and Finals appearances.
“To simply have the ability to see what we have achieved in such a brief period of time is loopy to think about,” stated Ionescu, the one participant on the 2020 roster who continues to be with the Liberty.
Stewart recalled having a second of second-guessing earlier than asserting her free company choice in 2023.
“I assumed, ‘Am I doing the best factor? I am leaving my protected house of Seattle,'” she stated. “But it surely’s been unimaginable. I am again the place I am rooted. It appears like dwelling.”
And now it is a spot to hold a championship banner.