Five storylines to watch for the 2024 WNBA Finals

The 2024 WNBA Finals between the top-seeded New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx begin Thursday.

Here are five storylines to watch:

Liberty in search of elusive first title

One of the original eight WNBA teams to join the league in 1997, the Liberty are still title-less in Year 28. Last season, the Liberty came up short of winning a championship, falling to the Las Vegas Aces in four games to drop to 0-5 all-time in the Finals.

From bell to bell, the Liberty remained atop the 2024 WNBA standings, finishing with the best record in the league at 32-8. According to FanDuel, New York is a heavy favorite (-275) to top Minnesota and with All-Stars Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu leading the charge, this may be the franchise’s best shot at a title yet.

Lynx looking to make history

A year after finishing 19-21, the Lynx are back in the Finals for the first time since 2017. While only one player remains from that team, forward Cecilia Zandalasini, this year’s group has a chance to put the franchise in the record books.

Minnesota has won four WNBA titles, in 2011, 2013, 2015 and 2017, tied with the Seattle Storm and the defunct Houston Comets for the most all-time. 

If the Lynx come away victorious over the Liberty, they’ll become the first team in league history to win five championships.

Former UConn standouts will be the matchup to watch

Two former UConn standouts, Stewart of the Liberty and Napheesa Collier of the Lynx, won an NCAA Championship together in 2015-16. But, beginning Thursday, they’ll battle for another crown, and only one can win.

Stewart, already a two-time Finals MVP, has something to prove after finishing only 3-of-17 for 10 points in the deciding game of the 2023 championship against the Aces. Meanwhile, after a breakout year, winning Defensive Player of the Year honors and finishing second in the MVP voting, Collier aims to take her place among the elite by bringing another title to Minnesota.

Size could play huge role for Liberty

Despite the presence of six-foot-four center and now three-time MVP A’Ja Wilson, the Liberty out-rebounded the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces 149-112 in the semifinals. Compared to the Aces, New York will have an even more significant advantage in terms of size against the Lynx.

Three Liberty starters, including Jones (6-foot-6), Stewart (6-foot-4), and rookie Leonie Fiebich (6-foot-4), stand over Wilson’s height. Conversely, forward Alanna Smith (6-foot-4) is the tallest starter for the Lynx, while the rest stand at 6-foot-1 or shorter.

Lynx’s success from three may be the key to beating Liberty

Counting the Commissioner’s Cup, the Lynx defeated the Liberty in three of four games during the regular season. The Finals are an entirely different animal, but Minnesota has a blueprint to pull off the upset.

The Lynx finished with the second-highest three-point shooting percentage in the WNBA, but how they fare from beyond the arc in the Finals may be the difference between winning and losing. 

Minnesota shot 48% or better from three in three victories over New York and only 29% in their only loss.