Overnight in New York, the Liberty beat Minnesota 87-71 and closed out the first-round series, played as a best of three. The Ionescu-Jones-Stewart trio scored 60 points between them. Minnesota, the regular-season leaders, become the first number one seed to go out at this stage.
Sporza added the caveat: for most of the WNBA’s 30 years, the number one and number eight seeds could not meet in the first round. They can since 2022. Antonia Delaere, Minnesota’s Belgian, stayed on the bench for all 40 minutes; Cheryl Reeve mostly played her starting five.
A historic first, do you know what that takes on the mic? Darkness. Mesdames et messieurs, dames en heren, for the first time in WNBA history… [jingle] … since 2022. You can hear the problem. The jingle starts, and the asterisk arrives right behind it, like the caretaker switching half the lights back on. For us, I have a jingle for records, I cut it myself, it lasts four seconds. Make some noise for New York, through to the next round! And the first-ever one, I’m keeping in reserve for a few more seasons. Just saying.
The series had a whiff of revenge: the Liberty won the 2024 Finals against Minnesota after a controversial Game 5. Minnesota now have three straight play-off disappointments.
It’s true, we checked: Sporza.
