A historic WNBA playoff upset was completed in Brooklyn on Tuesday night, when the eighth-seeded New York Liberty beat the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx 87-71 in Game 2 and finished a two-game sweep. According to the Associated Press, no No. 8 seed had eliminated a No. 1 seed in the league’s 30-year history.
Why this WNBA playoff upset counts as a first
The record comes with a structural caveat. Before 2022 the league used several playoff formats, and many of them never put a No. 8 seed opposite a No. 1 seed, as the AP pointed out. Since the current format began, in which the top eight teams open with a best-of-three round, this is the first time the lowest seed has taken down the highest, the Japan Times noted.
Naming conventions also differ. Several outlets call this round the quarterfinals, while the WNBA’s bracket labels it the first round. ESPN adds a second distinction: Minnesota is the first No. 1 seed to be swept in its opening series.
How the Liberty won the two games
Game 1, played Sunday in Minneapolis, was decided after halftime. The Lynx led 44-40 at the break, then were outscored 51-31 over the last two quarters in a 91-75 loss. Breanna Stewart scored 34 points with 12 rebounds, and New York connected on 13 of 25 three-point tries, compared with 9 of 26 for Minnesota, according to official game data. Tuesday’s clincher was more comfortable. New York held a 49-37 halftime lead and stretched it to 19 at its largest. Minnesota could not cut the deficit under seven points after a foul by Olivia Miles on Stewart was upgraded to a Flagrant-1 in the third quarter, the AP reported.
Jonquel Jones supplied 21 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, Stewart matched the 21, and Sabrina Ionescu added 18 points with seven assists. Courtney Williams led Minnesota with 18, followed by Napheesa Collier with 14. The Liberty controlled the paint 44-28, and official statistics credit Jones with all 14 of the team’s second-chance points, against three for the Lynx.
What sank the Lynx, and what is still unexplained
Olivia Miles, the unanimous Rookie of the Year, managed five points on 1-of-8 shooting in Game 2, and the AP tied her struggles partly to New York’s size at the rim. Minnesota shot 38.2 percent overall, against 46.4 for the Liberty. Coach of the Year Cheryl Reeve’s team finished with the league’s best regular-season record but could not carry it into the postseason. Napheesa Collier, who scored 14, was also charged with five fouls.
Why the Liberty pulled off this WNBA playoff upset is harder to pin down. ESPN’s analysis argued they were never a conventional eighth seed, and they had beaten Minnesota 93-81 in a regular-season meeting on Sept. 18. HCN could not verify specific coaching adjustments or rotation changes, and none were detailed in the coverage reviewed.
What comes next for the Liberty
New York will meet the winner of the Atlanta-Washington series in a semifinal that starts Sunday. The Dream took Game 1 and hold a 1-0 lead, with Game 2 scheduled for Wednesday in Washington.
If Atlanta advances, the Liberty will face a team that beat them twice in the final weeks of the regular season, by 11 points on Sept. 21 and 18 points on Sept. 23.
One series does not settle whether the gap between top and bottom seeds is narrowing, and a best-of-three round leaves a No. 1 seed little room to recover from a bad night. What is unknown for now is who the Liberty will face and whether the roster that overwhelmed Minnesota can repeat the performance.
For another recent sports story, see HCN’s coverage of Gavin McKenna’s NHL debut. HCN will update this WNBA playoff upset story as the semifinal matchup is set.