WNBA Finals: New York Liberty Chase History
Photo by Sports Press Photo
The New York Liberty will attempt to win their first-ever WNBA title tonight in front of their home crowd. After an electric game on Friday, in which the Lynx tied the series with an 82-80 victory, the title will now be decided in Game 5 at the Barclays Center. With the stage set for what is sure to be a memorable game, let’s take a look at the previous WNBA Finals and how this one could go down in history.
This will be the eighth time in WNBA history that Game 5 is necessary to determine a champion, the last time being in the 2019 season. When looking at those previous occasions, the home team has an advantage as they won five out of seven times. Does that mean that all the advantage (historically speaking) lies with the Liberty? Interestingly, it could also be true that the momentum heading into Game 5 could play a role. When looking back at those Game 5 scenarios, the team that won Game 4 went ahead to win the final matchup four out of seven times. In that case, the momentum carrying over from the Game 4 victory could aid the Lynx in pulling it off. As Game 1 proved, the Lynx are more than capable of stealing a win on enemy territory and will attempt to do so once more. Nonetheless, the consensus seems to be that the No. 1 seeded Liberty should be able to close out the show on Sunday, with the Liberty listed as a -250 betting favorite on most sites.
The New York Liberty have failed to win a title in five Finals appearances, a record across the WNBA and NBA. This year marks their sixth appearance, which the Liberty hope will finally end their streak of bad luck.
Graphic by Andy Rodriguez
A win would be monumental for the New York Liberty, as they have the most WNBA Finals appearances without actually having won a title. Their total of five appearances in the Finals without a championship is not only the most in the WNBA, but it’s also more than any NBA team in history. In the NBA, the current team with the most Finals appearances without a title are the Phoenix Suns, who have failed to win on three occasions. When looking at NBA teams who have already won a title, three remains the highest number of unsuccessful attempts before winning, with the Knicks and the Pistons winning their maiden championships on their fourth attempts.
Although they will be rivals on the court tonight, there is one very intriguing similarity between the two teams. To find it, look back at the 2015 WNBA Finals, which the Minnesota Lynx won. These finals were one of the seven times that Game 5 was necessary, and you’ll see that it resembles the current series in quite a unique way. The Lynx and the Fever entered Game 3 with the series tied 1-1 after the Lynx dropped Game 1 at home. Game 3 was pretty even, and with a score of 77-77, the Lynx found a game-winning 3-pointer to seal the victory on the road. They then lost Game 4, forcing Game 5 at home where they would eventually emerge as the champions. Sound familiar?\
This is a very similar scenario to what we are seeing in this year’s Finals… except the Lynx have switched roles in the story. This time around, it was the Liberty who lost Game 1 at home and entered Game 3 with the series tied up. With the same score of 77-77, the Liberty won Game 3 away from home through a 3-pointer in the dying moments of the match. Now that they have lost Game 4, they look to become champions by winning Game 5 at their home venue. In a wicked twist of fate, the New York Liberty will hope to emulate the Lynx’s 2015 Finals performance to be victorious and finally complete their hunt for glory. Will the Liberty be able to end its 27-year-long quest for a maiden championship? Or will the Minnesota Lynx spoil the party once more, and in doing so, achieve a historic fifth title to become the most successful WNBA team in history?
