A New York sports team has a chance to win a championship this month.
The New York Liberty are in the WNBA finals and they are three wins away from the first WNBA title in their history.
But it won’t be easy. The Liberty’s opponent is the defending champion Las Vegas Aces, who finished the regular season 34-6.
What do you want to know
- The New York Liberty advanced to the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2002, securing a matchup against the Las Vegas Aces.
- This will be a rematch of this year’s Commissioner’s Cup, where the Liberty defeated the Aces 82-63, winning their first piece of hardware in team history.
- The Liberty are led by Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, Betnijah Laney and Courtney Vandersloot, along with head coach Sandy Brondello.
- The Aces host the first game of the best-of-five series, which takes place Sunday on ABC at 3 p.m.
Many have considered the superteams No. 1 seed Aces and No. 2 seed Liberty heading into the season, and the final matchup has the potential to be a match for the ages.
The two teams split their four meetings during the regular season, each winning two games. They also met in the final of the Commissioner’s Cup, the league’s season tournament, a game won 82-63 by the Liberty.
The Finals will feature a battle between the WNBA’s final two most valuable players: 2022 MVP A’ja Wilson and 2023 MVP Breanna Stewart.
Stewart, a Syracuse native, joined the Liberty as a free agent in February. She averaged 23.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in the regular season, and averaged 19.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in the playoffs.
Wilson may not have defended her MVP title, but she had another stellar campaign. She averaged 22.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game in the regular season, and was even better in the playoffs, averaging 25.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game.
Joining Stewart on the Liberty is a group of stars who have contributed to the team’s best 32-8 regular season record in the Eastern Conference.
Former WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones helped the Liberty clinch a berth in the finals in Game 4 of the semifinals against the Connecticut Sun, hitting free throws, getting a big steal and grabbing a defensive rebound in the final minute of an 87-84 victory. .
Jones, who was acquired via trade with the Sun in January, had 25 points, 15 rebounds, four blocks and two assists in the Game 4 victory. She was also the Commissioner’s Cup MVP, scoring 16 points and grabbing 15 rebounds in the final against the Aces.
Former Rutgers University star Betnijah Laney also had a forgettable Game 4, finishing the contest with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Laney adds grit to Liberty’s roster and she is considered one of the best perimeter defenders in the league.
The outside shooting of former No. 1 overall draft pick Sabrina Ionescu has also been a key for the Liberty. The two-time WNBA All-Star made 44.8 percent of her three-pointers in the regular season and broke the single-season record for three-pointers made.
And Courtney Vandersloot’s 8.1 assists per game led the WNBA during the regular season. She is considered an excellent player defensively and also excellent in transition.
Stewart, Jones, Laney, Ionescu and Vandersloot make up an elite starting five. But the Aces have a star-studded roster of their own.
The Aces are led by three former No. 1 overall picks – Wilson, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young – as well as last season’s WNBA Finals MVP, Chelsea Gray.
Their coach, Becky Hammon, is a former basketball star herself, a six-time WNBA All-Star and the league’s all-time leading passer.
It will be a familiar matchup for Hammon, who was a guard for the Liberty in 2002, the last time the franchise reached the WNBA Finals.
Former Liberty guard and current head coach Sandy Brondello actually coached Hammon – both as an assistant and head coach – in San Antonio from 2007-2010.
This will be the first time two former players will meet in the WNBA Finals as head coaches.
This will also be the first time Liberty and Aces meet in the WNBA Finals. But there’s a good chance it won’t be the latter, as both of these teams are loaded with top-tier talent.
So, attach you belt. This has the potential to be a series for the ages. And Liberty fans are hoping it ends with the first championship in franchise history.
