Lynx sweeps Liberty to win first Commissioner’s Cup title

ELMONT, NY – The Minnesota Lynx are ready to change a conversation in the WNBA.

“Now you’ve got to talk about us, you have no choice,” Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve said after her team defeated the New York Liberty 94-89 to win the Commissioner’s Cup trophy. “We don’t really care what you think, except right now, when we have to say to you, ‘You have to talk about us.’

“We just beat a superteam. You know how hard that is to do? Because you guys love your superteam. That’s all you want to talk about. But we just beat a superteam. Let’s talk about it.”

Last season, the WNBA narrative was dominated by discussion of so-called superteams Las Vegas and New York. They met for the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup, which the Liberty won, and again in the WNBA Finals, which the Aces won.

The Lynx – whose dynasty lasted from 2011 to 2017, when they won four titles and went to two more finals – are ready to get back into the conversation about a WNBA championship. The way they played Tuesday proved that, as does their 13-3 start this season.

The Commissioner’s Cup, an in-season competition beginning in 2021, has increased in prestige among players, competing for a $500,000 prize pool. To determine their place in the cup standings, the cup format was changed this year with each team playing five regular season games instead of the previous 10. Another change was that all cup games would take place over a two-week period and then the final would take place in June.

“I like the format this year. I like that it’s very abbreviated,” said Lynx forward Nafeesa Collier, who was the game’s MVP with 21 points and 6 rebounds. “It’s easier for the fans and us (players) to follow.”

“And it means a lot. We’re competitive, and you want to win every game. The money also makes it really fun. It’s a great team we just beat, it’s a game we won and We won some money. So it’s like a trifecta.”

It was an appropriate term, given that the game was at UBS Arena next to the horse racing venue Belmont Park. The Liberty’s superior performance in the Cup game earned them hosting rights, but their home, the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, was unavailable Tuesday because it was being prepared for Wednesday’s NBA Draft.

Nevertheless, the Liberty crowd performed loudly and especially cheered Courtney Vandersloot, who returned after missing eight games due to the death of her mother from cancer, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, who returned from a knee injury. Returned after missing three games. He helped give Liberty a 50–47 lead at halftime.

But Minnesota outscored New York 19–10 in the third quarter and then outscored Liberty in the final quarter.

Collier is the star of the Lynx, but they also got big games from Bridget Carlton (23 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists) and Cecilia Zandalasini (15 points off the bench). Together they scored 13-16 from the field.

Breanna Stewart (24 points, 11 rebounds) and Sabrina Ionescu (23 points, 10 rebounds) led New York. Like Collier, he is on the U.S. 5-on-5 Olympic team coached by Reeve. Liberty’s points Tuesday were, more than anything, their 21 turnovers.

That and the flexibility of the links. Reeve isn’t shy about saying his team, which rose to No. 1 in the ESPN Power Rankings on Monday, is underrated. And even though Tuesday’s game doesn’t count in the regular season standings, the message the Lynx sent was clear.

“We have a lot of offensive threats, but we are very strong on defense,” Collier said. “That’s why we’re so hard to play against. Our aggression, our willingness to give up on anything (because) we have each other’s support.

“This is the most talented, most fun team I’ve had since I’ve been here. We want to take it forward, we don’t want to peak here. We want to accomplish even bigger things at the end of the season.”