The New York Liberty earned an 80-66 victory over the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday. The WNBA Finals is now even 1-1, and the Liberty displayed their championship potential once again following a difficult Game 1. However, did Game 2 reveal enough about these teams to determine the potential winner of the series?
The Lynx upset the Liberty on the road in Game 1. It was a resilient effort for Minnesota. New York reminded the WNBA world why they were the initial favorite in Game 2, though. No, it was not necessarily a dominant win for the Liberty. With that being said, the team found success in specific areas that hint at what the rest of this series may look like.
Let's take a look at three reasons why the Liberty are poised to win the 2024 WNBA Finals following their Game 2 victory.
3. Causing havoc
The Liberty forced the Lynx into making no shortage of mistakes on Sunday. New York had 13 steals and they caused 20 turnovers. In fact, Breanna Stewart had seven steals of her own, setting a new WNBA Finals record.
The Lynx need to take better care of the basketball. Defeating a talented team like the Liberty is almost impossible when you are turning the ball over on a consistent basis. The Liberty had their share of turnovers on offense, finishing with 16. Still, their pesky defense made up for their turnover struggles.
The Liberty will win this series if the Lynx continue to deal with turnover woes.
2. Second chance points
Rebounding told part of the story on Sunday. The Liberty won the rebound battle 34-27. New York found success as a result, scoring 10 second chance points compared to only four for the Lynx. Those points were especially crucial since the Lynx ended up scoring more points in the paint (34-28) than the Liberty.
The second chance points helped to minimize the impact of Minnesota's points in the paint advantage. If New York can continue to score after getting offensive rebounds, they will be in a great position as the series continues.
1. Three-point shooting
Three-point shooting was supposed to be an X-factor for the Lynx. They led the league in three-point percentage (38 percent) during the regular season. The Liberty, meanwhile, were fifth with a 34.9 three-point shooting percentage. Yet, it was New York who took care of business from beyond the arc on Sunday.
The Liberty shot 45.8 percent from deep while the Lynx finished with just a 30 three-point shooting percentage for the game. New York had six players record at least one three-point make in the game, and three players connected on at least two three-point attempts. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton led the way as she went 4-6 on her three-point attempts.
The Lynx must find more consistency on their three-point shooting. Additionally, they will need to limit the Liberty from beyond the arc.