New York Liberty Eye Elusive First WNBA Championship

The New York Liberty have a star-crossed playoff history.

One of the WNBA’s original franchises, they have reached the playoffs 18 previous times and advanced to the Finals five times. Yet despite New York’s status as one of the league’s flagship franchises, the Libs have never won a championship. This season, the 28th for the WNBA and the Liberty, might be their best chance since the glory days of Teresa Weatherspoon and Becky Hammon.

In 2023, the Liberty put together a superteam with eyes on capturing their first title. But despite claiming the Commissioner’s Cup and Breanna Stewart’s winning the MVP award, the Liberty lost the Finals to the Las Vegas Aces, 3-1.

This season, New York boasts the WNBA’s best Big Three, and the Liberty (31-7) will rely on their trio of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu to power them through the postseason. Stewart’s scoring (23.0 per game in 2023 to 20.7 in ’24) and rebounding (9.3 in 2023 to 8.6 in ’24) stats are down slightly from last season’s MVP numbers, but her interior defense remains impeccable.

Meantime, Jones has boosted her game and seamlessly filled the statistical gap, raising her scoring (11.3 in 2023 to 14.5 in ’24) and rebounding (8.4 in 2023 to 9.0 in ’24) averages accordingly. Similarly, Ionescu has increased her scoring (17.0 in 2023 to a career-high 19.0 in ’24) and assists (5.4 in 2023 to 6.1 in ’24) average from last season. New York also leveled up its bench last offseason, adding veteran wing Kennedy Burke and German rookie forward Leonie Fiebich to the roster.

Now, the Liberty are on the cusp of clinching the No. 1 seed and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. But the WNBA is arguably as deep as ever in terms of talent, and the overall path will be challenging.

Initially, they should breeze through a first-round matchup against the Chicago Sky, Atlanta Dream or Washington Mystics. Then things get interesting.

The second round would present a matchup against the two-time defending-champion Aces (25-13) or the gritty Seattle Storm (24-14). The Storm have crafty stars in Jewell Loyd, Skylar Diggins-Smith and Nneka Ogwumike. The Aces have superstar center A’ja Wilson, who just became the first WNBA player to score 1,000 points in a season , and Chelsea Gray, who comes alive in the postseason.

The Liberty swept their season series 3-0 against both the Storm and Aces, but the playoffs are a different animal. Still, with so much veteran leadership, the Liberty are unlikely to be overconfident heading into a best-of-three set where anything can happen.

On the other side of the bracket, the Connecticut Sun (27-11) and Minnesota Lynx (29-9) are shaping up as semifinal opponents. The sizzling Lynx have gone a league-best 13-1 since the Olympic break and might be the biggest threat to the Liberty’s championship hopes. Minnesota is the only team that won its season series over New York, 2-1, including Sunday’s 88-79 win in Brooklyn. The Lynx also beat the Libs for the Commissioner’s Cup title.

One thing Minnesota can do extremely well is shoot the ball from distance, evidenced by their league-high 38.1% mark from beyond the arc. Conversely, New York often thrives playing near the basket through Stewart and Jones. But although Ionescu can shoot the lights out and sits at 57% in true shooting this season, her shooting touch can run hot and cold. Importantly, the Lynx have Napheesa Collier (20.3 points, 9.8 rebounds per game), who likely would be the MVP frontrunner if not for Wilson’s historic season.

Not to look too far ahead, but a potential Liberty-Lynx matchup could have the makings of a dynamic five-game series for the ages.

Despite losing the season series to Minnesota, the Liberty have proved they are strong, deep and able to escape tough late-game situations. Stewart boasts championship experience, having won two titles with the Storm.

The Liberty also have the extra motivation to secure the franchise’s first championship in what promises to be a compelling postseason.

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