– by Adesina O. Koiki
A Lot of Sports Talk editor-in-chief
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NEW YORK — In big, bold black lettering, each of the 17,000-plus towels that New York Liberty fans waved aloft and enthusiastically throughout what appeared to be a comprehensive victory to begin the WNBA Finals read “NEW YORK AIN’T FOR EVERYBODY.” In 2024, the Big Apple has suited the Minnesota Lynx just fine, though their latest victory, in the most high-profile game of the season to date, could easily be described with another title: “Escape From New York.”
In contrast, yet somewhat similar to the 1981 sci-fi thriller, what the Lynx pulled off in real life was nothing short of a Houdini act. Led by on-court magicians Courtney Williams and Napheesa Collier, the second-seeded Lynx came back from 15 points down in the final five minutes of regulation to stun the No. 1 Liberty 95-93 in overtime of Game 1 of the WNBA Finals inside Barclays Center on Thursday evening. Williams, the livewire combo guard who has excelled after moving to the point this season, converted a four-point play with 5.5 seconds remaining to give Minnesota its only lead in regulation.
Collier, the First Team All-WNBA selection, Defensive Player of the Year and MVP runner-up, nailed a free-throw-line jumper with 8.8 seconds remaining for the game-winner to complete the joint biggest comeback in WNBA Finals history after being down 18 points in the second quarter.
Numbers amplify why the Lynx’s win was so unbelievable: They were outrebounded 44-32 while conceding 20 offensive rebounds; the Liberty attempted 19 more shots from the field (90-71); oh, and once again, Minnesota was down 15 points with five minutes remaining — and this was after it had cut the Liberty’s once sizable lead down to two, only to see that lead balloon to double digits once more as the electric Barclays Center crowd continued to thunder down a cacophony of noise in anticipation of seeing New York move two steps away from finally securing their first WNBA championship.
But numbers, as much as the analytical mind of Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve cites them, can only go so far in explaining one of the most unexpected victories in WNBA Finals (and league) history, as the Lynx, according to ESPN Stats, became the first team in WNBA postseason history to win a game after being down at least 15 or more points in the final five minutes of regulation. (Before tonight, teams had been 0-183 in that scenario.)
“I think it defines our team in terms of being able to get through difficult times,” Reeve said. “That’s what we say … You have to be mentally tough and resilient. You have to look inward and not blame other people, and give each other confidence. And we were that team. Thrilled that we could hang in there.”
*Editor’s note: Above the byline is the photo gallery from Thursday evening’s game, with photos taken by ALOST staff photographer Roberto Carlo. After clicking on a photo to enlarge the picture, press the left and right arrow buttons on either side of the caption to scroll through the rest of the pictures that appear on the first page. Also, click on the numbers and/or arrow appearing immediately below the picture grid to load the next set of photos. There are 16 pictures in total.
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