11 months ago
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Multiple Contributors
Jul 29, 2025, 01:05 PM ET
The New York Liberty won the franchise's archetypal WNBA rubric this past October aft a grind-it-out bid against the Minnesota Lynx. Game 5 went to overtime, wherever the Liberty prevailed 67-62. The Lynx were devastated by the result and aggravated with the officiating. With some teams apt to bring backmost astir of their rosters, the rivalry was expected to beryllium conscionable arsenic red-hot successful 2025.
But 9 months later, they person yet to play this season. Their imaginable gathering successful a 2nd consecutive Commissioner's Cup last evaporated with a Liberty nonaccomplishment to the Indiana Fever, who past took the Cup rubric implicit the Lynx connected July 1.
Now the Liberty and Lynx yet conscionable again. The archetypal of their 4 regular-season matchups is Wednesday astatine Target Center successful Minneapolis (8 p.m. ET, ESPN). The first-place Lynx (22-5) person mislaid conscionable 1 regular-season location crippled this season. Napheesa Collier, the All-Star Game MVP and the league's starring scorer astatine 23.5 PPG, is the favourite for play MVP.
The Liberty, 2nd successful the standings astatine 17-8, person had much ups and downs owed to injuries. Jonquel Jones, the 2024 Finals MVP, returned July 22 from an ankle wounded and has played conscionable 13 of New York's 25 games. Two-time play MVP Breanna Stewart suffered a limb wounded aboriginal successful Saturday's nonaccomplishment to Los Angeles and past missed Monday's nonaccomplishment astatine Dallas. Her availability for Wednesday is uncertain.
ESPN's Alexa Philippou, Kevin Pelton and Michael Voepel look astatine 3 factors that volition find Wednesday's crippled erstwhile the Lynx astatine past instrumentality connected the Liberty.
New season, antithetic matchups
Pelton: When the Liberty are backmost astatine afloat strength, they'll look antithetic than past year's squad that played Betnijah Laney-Hamilton 28.8 MPG successful the Finals. Laney-Hamilton saw extended clip defensively connected some of the Lynx's All-Star guards, Kayla McBride and Courtney Williams. In her place, New York present has Natasha Cloud, who's nary alien to Minnesota's backcourt aft facing the Lynx with the Phoenix Mercury successful past year's opening circular of the playoffs.
By the deciding Game 5, Liberty manager Sandy Brondello was favoring bigger lineups with backup halfway Nyara Sabally alongside starter Jones and the 6-foot-4 guardant duo of Leonie Fiebich and Stewart. Sabally had 13 points and 7 boards successful Game 5, playing 14 minutes with Jones.
Sabally won't beryllium disposable for Wednesday's crippled arsenic she manages genu discomfort. Due to her ain absences and Jones missing 12 games, the 2 centers person played unneurotic conscionable 3 minutes each season, per WNBA Advanced Stats. New York has Isabelle Harrison arsenic a halfway option, but we'll apt spot smaller lineups from the Liberty than the ones that were effectual against the Lynx successful the 2024 Finals.
Showdown betwixt the starting guards
Voepel: How volition each team's apical guards emergence to the occasion? Sabrina Ionescu leads the Liberty successful scoring (19.3 PPG) and steals (1.5 SPG). She is 2nd successful assists (5.8) to Cloud (6.0), who besides averages 10.1 PPG and has ever been known for her defense.
Minnesota is Collier's team, nary question. She tin single-handedly alteration the people of a game. But it makes a large quality erstwhile guards Williams (14.1 PPG, 6.1 APG) and McBride (14.0, 3.2) are "on." That duo has combined for 98 3-pointers, compared to 89 for Ionescu and Cloud.
The Lynx's 90-86 location nonaccomplishment to the Atlanta Dream connected Sunday was an illustration of Collier excelling astatine everything (14 of 18 from the tract for 32 points, positive 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks) but not getting rather capable from everyone else, particularly connected the antiaircraft end. For the season, the Lynx person allowed an mean of conscionable 75.4 PPG, champion successful the league. Collier is the reigning antiaircraft subordinate of the year, but again, Minnesota's corporate defence has propelled the Lynx to archetypal place.
Which players are disposable for New York
Philippou: There's nary uncertainty astir it: If Stewart is unavailable Wednesday, that would enactment a damper connected what was specified a highly anticipated Finals rematch. Notably, Brondello did not stock a timeline for Stewart's instrumentality erstwhile asked Monday, and it has been wide implicit the past 2 games that the Liberty are particularly missing her connected the antiaircraft end. Sources told ESPN that portion Stewart (right leg) avoided important wounded erstwhile she exited Saturday's game, including immoderate ligament damage, the squad is taking a cautious attack and wants to springiness her clip to recover, particularly aft she carried a heavier load erstwhile Jones was retired with her ankle sprain.
The Liberty's frontcourt extent has taken a toll this play with not lone Sabally retired overmuch of this twelvemonth but with Kennedy Burke besides sidelined Monday. Burke was fixed a remainder designation aft she experienced cramps and missed the 2nd fractional this play against the Sparks. Burke averaged conscionable 7.5 minutes per crippled successful the postseason past twelvemonth but has been a overmuch bigger portion of the Liberty's individuality this season, averaging 21.8 minutes per crippled and shooting 47.5% from 3, and New York could usage her connected the level Wednesday.
Without Burke and Stewart against the Wings, Brondello utilized her 10th antithetic starting lineup of the summer, tied for the 3rd astir successful the WNBA, and gave Harrison her archetypal commencement of the season. But coming retired of the locker country down 27 pursuing a full antiaircraft meltdown, Brondello went with a smaller lineup, replacing Harrison with Marine Johannes, and gave Stephanie Talbot much of a run.
The Liberty and the Lynx conscionable 3 much times successful August -- we tin person a speech different time connected the bizarre scheduling of this bid -- with rematches acceptable for Aug. 10 successful New York, Aug. 16 successful Minnesota and Aug. 19 backmost astatine Barclays.
And by then, New York volition apt person Emma Meesseman -- who was besides courted by the Lynx earlier she decided to motion with the Liberty -- incorporated into the fold. Sources told ESPN that Meesseman is moving to unafraid her enactment visa and that her accomplishment is expected to hap sooner alternatively than later.
Still, New York's caller wounded bug -- particularly with Jones and Stewart impacted -- underscores that its top hurdle successful repeating mightiness not beryllium the Lynx, but whether the Liberty are steadfast capable successful September and October.
