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With new energy and hype surrounding the WNBA, the 2024 Finals are set to be an exciting series.
Hopes that the 2024 competition would mirror the 2023 series went up in smoke after the Las Vegas Aces got the boot. But the the New York Liberty are back and will be taking on the other top team in the league, the Minnesota Lynx.
The WNBA has seen immense growth over the last season, and this may be some fans’ first time watching the women’s finals, so we’re breaking down how things work in the W.
A few differences from the NBA include the series having only five games, which in turn changes the format to 2-2-1. One thing that does remain is that the higher-ranking team gets to play at home in the hope of shifting the momentum early.
This year, the most successful team in the league has been the 32-8 Liberty, which secured the first two games at the Barclays Arena in Brooklyn.
The odds are in Liberty’s favor. They have a pretty stacked roster, and they already have Finals experience. They are out for revenge after losing last year. Still, as one of the league’s first franchises, they’re fighting for their first Finals win, which makes them even hungrier.
There’s legendary Oregon Duck and three-time All-Star Sabrina Ionescu, two-time WNBA Finals MVP (and champion) Breanna Stewart, former MVP Napheesa Collier, and NBA Champ and five-time All-Star Courtney Vandersloot. Add in Jonquel Jones, and you’ve got yourself a super team.
The battle-tested team will face the Minnesota Lynx, who, while having four titles, haven’t hoisted the trophy since 2017. But with one of the best-run franchises in the league, the front office put together a team that won’t make any win easy for the Liberty. But remember, the team wasn’t projected to have much success before the season began, coming off a lackluster 19-21 record in 2023.
But, fronting the team is two-time gold medal winner Napheesa Collier, who proved she can hold up under pressure, averaging 26 points against Connecticut in the semifinals. It was a career year for the Missouri native, who even earned respect as the MVP runner-up.
Collier is rounded out by point guard Courtney Williams, who can be dangerous on both sides of the ball, pure scorer and 3-point shooter Kayla McBride, and Alanna Smith, one of the best defenders in the league.
The Lynx also led the league in made 3-pointers, logging 38% from the beyond the arc in the regular season, and have done well in the postseason as well.
The Liberty are heavily favored in betting odds to bring the trophy back to Brooklyn, but the Lynx have won three out of four regular season meetups and eeked out a 94-89 win in the 2024 Commissioner’s Cup championship game in June. So, all signs point to a nail-biting Game 5.
Tune into the WNBA Finals beginning on Thursday, 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.