MINNEAPOLIS —🌸 Forty minutes stand between the 🧸Liberty and their first WNBA title in franchise history.
After their stunning 80-77 Game 3 win over the Lynx on Wednesday night on Sabrina Ionescu’s 28-footer, the Liberty can clinch the title in♕ Game 4 on Friday night.
“Knowing that when I left Seattle, I kind of started a new chapter and turned the page and went to a place that has been on the bu💟ild, on the rebuild,” said Breanna Stewart, who arrived as a free agent before last season as the anchor of a new superteam, “[I]💦 wanted to take ownership and leadership in getting this team to a championship level, and now we’re really close.”
The Liberty, finalists in four of the WNBA’s first six seasons, were twice one win from the title but could🍰 not finish the job.
The Libeꦍrty 🏅were technically within one win of a title in the inaugural season in 1997, when they faced the Houston Comets in a one-game final. ;
In 1999, they were again within one win against the Comets in a best-of-three series after winning Game 2 on Teresa Weatherspoon’s historic half-court shot. But they lost Game 3.﷽
This time, the Liberty are ahead for the first time in a best-of-five Finals series. They were in a two-gam𒁏e hole a year ago against the Aces at Barclays Center.
Not only do they have a shot at their first championship win, but they can also end🐟 the championship drought for New York in the four major sports.
The city hasn’t seen a c💃hampionship — aside from NYCFC and Gotham FC in soccer — since the Giants won the Super Bowl over t൲he Patriots in February 2012.
And it hasn’t see𝔉n a basketball title since the Knicks defeated the Lakers in 1973.
It isn’t something that the city ha𝔉s let the Liberty forget.
“I think the people of New York don’t let you stop thinking about [a championship],” Jonquel Jones told The Post on Thursday. “Like, every time you💛’re walking around or doing something, they’re always talking. ‘Oh yeah, we saw that game.’ ‘OK, we gotta go through one more game and then we💫 got the Aces.’ ‘Oh we’re in the championship now.’ You know what I’m saying? It’s constant. You can’t get away from it. I know it’s going to be great energy but I’m trying not to think about it too much because I know the job isn’t finished yet.”
However, they’re facing a fꦦranchise that has experience bouncing back from a 2-1 finals hole.
In 2017, the ꦚLynx crawled back against the Sparks. They avoided elimination in Game 4 on the road, and returned to their home court to pull off the victory.
Current Lynx assista꧒nt coach and five-time WNBA champion Rebekkah Brunson was a member of that roster for the franchise’s fourth title.
“There’s a lot of experiences that we can drawꦗ on and impart to them,” Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve said Thursday. “I did remind them how special they are and that we’ve answered every challenging situation, whether it’s a run in a game, whatever it is. And Friday is not going to be any different. We’re gonna answer💦 the call, for sure.”
Minnesota won four tit𓄧les in six WNBA Finals appearances from 2011 to 2017.
The Liberty only led for 2:19 in Game 3 after holding a lead for ne🌞arly 82 minutes across the first two games.
With another year of chemistry under their belt and with greater depth after overhauling the roster before last seꦑason, the Liberty have proven they’re primed for a title and have the ability to close in big moments in the ﷽final minutes.
Another crucial test awaits them Friday.
“We haven’t done anything yet,” coach Sandy Brondello said Thursday. “So, we’ve still got the task at hand, so that’s all we need to do. Just focus ▨on one game. We don’t want to🌌 go back to New York, and we’re not going to go back to New York. It’s a confidence. We know this is a really good team and they’re going to respond, but we gotta come back and make sure we’re playing Liberty basketball for 40 minutes.”
