MINNEAPOLIS — It was destined to go to five games.
And, it was probably always going to come down to the final possession.
That’s just the kind of all-time competitive WNBA Finals series it’s been between the Minnesota Lynx and the New York Liberty, the league’s two best teams all year.
On Friday night, in front of a desperate Minneapolis crowd, the game came down to the wire once again. Only this time, it was the Lynx who executed on a game-winning play, beating the Liberty 82-80 to force a deciding Game 5. The back-and-forth, do-or-die game was tied at 80 with 16 seconds to go — the Lynx having possession of the ball — when head coach Cheryl Reeve drew up a play for Courtney Williams. But, her pull-up jumper with the clock winding down was off, and for a split second, it appeared that Minnesota might just be out of magic.
Then, Bridget Carleton happened.
The Canadian guard — who was a leading candidate for Most Improved Player this season — grabbed the offensive rebound over Sabrina Ionescu, and was fouled on the putback attempt. She calmly sunk both free throws, and a last-second Ionescu heave at the buzzer clanked off the glass.
in a flash, the same Target Center crowd that was in utter dismay after a stunning Game 3 defeat — a loss that will forever be remembered by the Sabrina Ionescu logo three-pointer — rejoiced. Thanks to one timely rebound from one of the game’s scrappiest players, the season was still alive, and so was the dream of a championship.
Carleton’s game-winning free throws weren’t her only heroics of the night; just a few minutes earlier, with 3:14 to play, she sunk a three-pointer to give the Lynx a five-point advantage. Carleton finished the night with 12 points on 3-6 shooting, just a few days after she broke out of a week-long shooting slump to post 14 points in Game 3.
All of this has come in the midst of a career-best season that saw her make a tremendous scoring leap. Last year, she averaged 3.2 points per game, but this season, she’s averaged a career-best 9.6 points and shot 44.4% from beyond the arc, establishing herself as a key component of the Lynx’s success.
But no accomplishment from this past year was as consequential as her free throws.
“I think it’s the epitome of the year she’s had, and how important she’s been to this team,” Reeve said postgame. “The shot making — a big three… she’s a hustle player. That was on display.”
After the final buzzer sounded, Carleton’s teammates embraced her, teeming with pride, and hugging her one-by-one.
The cheers in the arena grew louder as Lynx players lined up for their customary electric slide, a dance they perform after every home win, regular season or playoffs. There’s been a lot of sliding at Target Center this year, as the Lynx finished with a 16-4 home record during the regular season.
In her walk-off interview, Napheesa Collier thanked the fans for their support, and promised the Lynx would deliver. The scene was chaotic and jubilant, a complete flip from Wednesday night’s stunner that left fans in dismay. Fans donning their white Lynx T-shirts inundated nearby bars, celebrating the victory.
The atmosphere marked a sharp contrast from the heartbreaking loss Minnesota loss suffered on Wednesday’s, the disparate scenes accentuating the highs and lows of this whirlwind series.
One night, it was the Liberty who were struggling to find words at the podium after a heartbreaking loss. The next, it was the Lynx. In a series with two game-winners — one by Collier (Game 1) and one by Ionescu (Game 3) — it was only fitting that the potential championship-clincher again came down to one players’ ability to stay cool under pressure.
“That’s the hardest shot at basketball, honestly — it’s free throws at the end of the game,” Collier said. “To knock those down at the big moment, it shows exactly who BC is.”
It’s not the first time a player has had the chance to clinch a win at the charity stripe this series; just last week, it was Breanna Stewart who had the chance to secure a Game 1 victory with a free throw — and she missed.
But, while Carleton’s late-game play was the headline, the Lynx victory was a resounding team effort emblematic of the organization’s unity this season. Kayla McBride led the way with 19 points, Williams had 15 points and 7 assists, and Collier posted 14 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals. Alanna Smith, battling through a back injury, added 12 points and 7 rebounds.
“I just wanted to come out and enjoy the moment,” said McBride, who had 11 points in the opening period. “[I wanted] to be as aggressive as possible. When you’re playing for your season, after the last game, you sit with with everything — and then you kind of erase it. You just kind of want to leave all those internal feelings and put them out there and embrace the crowd.”
For the Liberty, Jonquel Jones led the way with 21 points on 7-10 shooting, while rookie Leonie Fiebich added 19 points. But New York’s two biggest stars — Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart — both struggled mightily; Stewart shot just 5-21 from the field, while Ionescu shot 5-15 FG.
The Liberty host the Lynx in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday at 8pm ET at Barclay’s Center, and Stewart said she was confident they would respond.
“For our team, we bounce back after a loss really well,” Stewart said. “It’s making sure everyone’s on the same page. In a series, in the game tonight, there’s gonna be momentum shifts. Mentally, it’s understanding our ultimate goal.”
Game 4 marked the fourth consecutive game in this Finals series to come down to the wire. In Game 1, the Lynx won by two in overtime, thanks to a four-point play by Courtney Williams late in regulation — and a game-winner by Napheesa Collier in overtime. Game 2 was a two-point game with under 4 minutes to go, and a wild Game 3 was punctuated by a Sabrina Ionescu game-winner.
When Cheryl Reeve was asked why she thought this game was so even throughout the night — no team ever built a double-digit lead — she pointed to the information-gathering that’s already occurred through three Finals games. Players’ tendencies and schemes have been studied. All the information was out there about both sides.
“Everything’s getting harder,” Reeve said. “There’s no secrets at this point.”
And, on the Lynx side, resilience and connectivity has defined the season.
“We gain energy and confidence from one another,” McBride said. “Internally, I feel like we’re very strong, strong-minded mentally, physically. We have a lot of belief within our group.”
The end result of both teams’ willingness to hang in there has created a spectacular show for fans. As a result, it’s been the most-watched WNBA Finals of all time on cable so far, with Game 3 drawing 1.4 million viewers.
“I’m looking forward to seeing what the ratings are for this one,” Reeve said at the podium with a smile.
No team has won two consecutive games in this series. Sunday night is anybody’s game — both teams have shown they can bounce back after heartbreaking defeats. Both teams have shown they can win both home and on the road.
If history is any indication, Game 5 will once again come down to the wire. The only difference is that this time, whoever spearheads the late-game heroics will secure a WNBA championship.
