The New York Liberty defeated the Minnesota Lynx 80-66 in Game 2 of the 2024 WNBA Finals. The series is now even at one game apiece. Breanna Stewart led the way with 21 points on 7-18 shooting from the field. Stewart added eight rebounds, five assists and seven steals. Her seven steals set a new record for the most steals in WNBA Finals history.
" not letting history repeat itself," Stewart said, via Myles Ehrlich of Winsidr. "Knowing game one happened, but how can we control game two. Honestly, the thought process was that we were trying to be up a little more."
Stewart kept the focus on the team despite her impressive individual performance. The fact is that New York was trailing in the series and Stewart stepped up and led her team to the win. Going down 0-2 would have been a nightmare scenario, so the Liberty surely treated Game 2 as a must-win contest.
Stewart has been waiting for another opportunity ever since the Liberty lost Game 1.
"The moment the game ended Thursday night, I was looking forward to Sunday, to change things, to change the narrative... Throughout this entire process, this team has my back every step of the way," Stewart said, via Ehrlich.
Liberty's 2024 postseason journey
The Liberty have not endured too much trouble so far in the postseason. They clinched the No. 1 seed heading into the playoffs. The Liberty quickly took care of business in the first round, earning a two game sweep over the Atlanta Dream. New York then sent the defending champion Las Vegas Aces home in four games in the WNBA Semifinals.
However, the Lynx were the second best team in the WNBA this year. Upsetting the Liberty will be a challenge but the Lynx may have enough talent to accomplish the feat. Minnesota needed to win at least one game on the road to begin the series and that is exactly what they did.
Still, the Liberty finished with the best record for a reason. They feature an intriguing combination of star-power and depth. New York will remain confident with Breanna Stewart leading the way.
The Liberty fell short of a championship in 2023 after losing to the Aces. New York is the favorite in the 2024 WNBA Finals but they know that they cannot afford to take their opponent for granted.
The series is now set to shift to Minnesota for two games before returning to New York for Game 5 if necessary. This is the final year the WNBA will have a best-of-5 Finals, as it will be a best-of-7 beginning in 2025.
As for the 2024 WNBA Finals, Game 3 is scheduled for 8 PM EST on Wednesday night in Minnesota.