Liberty make history with first-ever WNBA championship clinch on Oct. 21

A trophy hoist 28 years in the making. The New York Liberty won their first WNBA title with an overtime victory in a winner-take-all Game 5 in Brooklyn.

THE LINEUP

Oct. 21, 2024 | What’s inside today’s edition?

Liberty Win Title: New York outlasts Minnesota in OT of Sunday’s winner-take-all Game 5Championship Frames: Ten photos that capture the Liberty’s victory and celebrationKia NBA Tip Off Week: Everything you need to know about opening week in two minutesPredicting The East: How do NBA.com’s writers see the East playing out?Predicting The West: Will the West have a new team finish No. 1 for an eighth straight season?

BUT FIRST … ⏰

Today’s the day to rep your favorite jersey…Make your debut … before the buzzer sounds. Complete the NBA ID Challenge: Your Season Debut, and earn a limited-time badge & access to an exclusive trivia for the NBA’s 79th season – not to mention a chance to win a trip to the Emirates NBA Cup championship in Las Vegas for fans in the US & Canada (excl. QC). Tap here to play. (NPN. Tap for rules & entry)And don’t forget to rep your favorite NBA jersey today and participate in NBA Jersey Day by sharing your fit with the hashtags #NBAJerseyDay and #KiaTipOff24 on social media for a chance to be featured on the league and team social media channels or tap here to submit.

1. LIBERTY WIN FIRST WNBA TITLE IN FRANCHISE HISTORY

After 28 years and six Finals appearances, the New York Liberty are finally the champions of the WNBA, defeating the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 in overtime in a winner-take-all Game 5 on Sunday. | Recap | Highlights368 days removed from watching the Las Vegas Aces celebrate winning the 2023 WNBA title on their home court in Brooklyn, the Liberty would not be denied in Game 5 against Minnesota – overcoming a slow start and an off shooting night from their stars to prevail in front of their home fans.It not only brought the first WNBA title to New York ever, it was the first professional hoops title for the city in 51 years — not since the 1973 Knicks had NYC crowned a hoops champion.For Breanna Stewart, this was her third WNBA championship after winning two in Seattle (2018, 2020), but the culmination of a decision she made 20 months ago to leave the only WNBA city she had called home to return to her home state on a mission to deliver a championship.For Jonquel Jones, who was named Finals MVP after averaging 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds while posting 56/43/100 shooting splits for the series, this title offered a bit of redemption after coming up short in two Finals (2019, 2022) with the Connecticut Sun.“I could never dream of this. You know how many times I’ve been denied. It was delayed. I am so happy to do it here,” said Jones.For Sabrina Ionescu, who hit one of the biggest shots in Liberty history to win Game 3, the championship seals the significance of that shot because it helped deliver a title, not another runner-up finish for the Liberty – which had five before taking the crown on Sunday.“To just be able to see what we’ve accomplished in such a short amount of time is crazy to think of,” said Ionescu – the longest tenured Liberty player as the top pick in the 2020 WNBA Draft.For Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally – German National Team teammates who each posted 13 points and accounted for the only two Liberty buckets in OT – they earned the trust and the minutes from their coach and teammates to deliver on the brightest stage.For Sandy Brondello, she became the sixth coach in WNBA history to win multiple titles and only the second (joining Brian Agler) to win championships with multiple teams after she had previously coached the 2014 champion Phoenix Mercury.For Clara Wu Tsai and Joseph Tsai, who acquired the Liberty in 2019, the title is the culmination of the investment they made in the team to move them to Brooklyn and build a roster capable of competing for championships.For the WNBA, which rose to new heights in 2024, this classic Finals concludes the best-of-five format in the championship series. If this Finals proved anything, it’s that the move to a best-of-seven next season is right on time.

2. CHAMPIONSHIP FRAMES: LIBERTY CELEBRATE FIRST TITLE

For the second straight season, the WNBA title was won at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. But in 2024, it was the home team – the New York Liberty – at the center of the party.

3. GET READY FOR KIA NBA TIP-OFF WEEK

One. More. Sleep.That is all that remains from the opening of the 2024-25 NBA season.Here’s everything you need to know about Kia NBA Tip-Off Week 2024 in two minutes.TuesdayBanner 18 And Ring Night In Boston (Knicks at Celtics, 7:30 ET, TNT): Before tipping 2024-25 against the new-look Knicks, the Celtics will celebrate their 2023-24 championship one last time as they raise the 18th banner to the TD Garden rafters and collect their championship ringsSeason 22 Begins For LeBron James (Timberwolves at Lakers, 10 ET, TNT): The NBA’s all-time scoring leader joins Hall of Famer Vince Carter as the only players to ever reach 22 seasons played, as L.A. hosts Ant Edwards & the hard-charging WolvesMic’d Up For The Opener: Jaylen Brown will be mic’d up as the Celtics host the Knicks, while ‘Raising 18’ narrator Al Horford will be mic’d up for the pregame ceremony. In the nightcap, we’ll hear from Anthony Edwards as the Wolves visit the LakersWednesdayTwenty More Teams Join The Party: A 10-game night brings our first need for multi-screen viewing to keep up with all the action. So fire up your League Pass account on one screen while the other locks into an ESPN doubleheaderBucks at Sixers (7:30 ET, ESPN): Giannis and Dame begin their second season together against a Sixers squad featuring Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and some new faces. However, Paul George’s status for his Sixers debut has not been announcedSuns at Clippers (10 ET, ESPN): The Intuit Dome hosts its first-ever NBA regular season game when James Harden and the Clippers host Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and the SunsNets at Hawks (7:30 ET, League Pass): No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher makes his official NBA debut when Atlanta hosts BrooklynThursdaySpurs at Mavs (7:30 ET, TNT): Reigning Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama opens his sophomore season against the defending Western Conference champion Mavs to open a TNT doubleheaderThunder at Nuggets (10 ET, TNT): After a tiebreaker had to be used to separate these two 57-25 teams a season ago, the Thunder and Nuggets begin the season against one another each looking to take a 1-0 for this year’s head-to-head tiebreaker

Friday

Pacers at Knicks (7:30 ET, ESPN): A rematch of last year’s epic Eastern Conference Semifinals, won by the Pacers in seven games tips off an ESPN doubleheaderSuns at Lakers (10 ET, ESPN): A matchup between the first and eighth all-time leading scorers in NBA history as LeBron James and Kevin Durant clash for the 41st time (regular season & Playoffs combined)

 

SaturdayClippers at Nuggets (5 ET, NBA TV): A game featuring the winners of five of the last eight NBA MVPs (Russell Westbrook in 2017, James Harden in 2018, Nikola Jokic in 2021, 2022 and 2024) opens an NBA TV tripleheaderMagic at Grizzlies (8 ET, NBA TV): After being limited by injuries last season, Memphis looks to return to contention in the West and gets an early test against a rising Orlando squadKings at Lakers (10:30 ET, NBA TV): The NorCal vs. SoCal rivalry renews with the first of four meetings this season with the Kings having won eight of the last nine games

4. PREDICTING THE EAST STANDINGS

With the countdown to the season opener now down to hours rather than months or weeks, it is time to get season predictions on the record.NBA.com writers predicted the Eastern Conference standings heading into the 2025 postseason.A total of 12 teams received votes, with nine teams on all four ballots. We’ve averaged the predictions below. (Note: teams receiving fewer than all four votes will be indicated)Boston Celtics: 1New York Knicks: 2Cleveland Cavaliers: 3.5Philadelphia 76ers: 4.5Indiana Pacers: 5.25Orlando Magic: 6Milwaukee Bucks: 6Miami Heat: 7.75Atlanta Hawks: 9.25Toronto Raptors: 9.5 (2 votes)Chicago Bulls: 10 (1 vote)Detroit Pistons: 10 (1 vote)Some key takeaways from how the vote played out.Consensus At The Top: The Celtics and Knicks received all four first and second place votes, respectivelyNearly Clear Top Four: The Cavs received three third-place votes (along with one fifth-place vote), while the Sixers got three of the four fourth-place votes (along with one sixth-place vote)Battle For Top Six Finish: Three teams for two spots. The Pacers, Magic and Bucks are jammed together in the middle of the standings. Indy received a third and fourth place vote, while Orlando and Milwaukee’s top vote was fifthWho Fills The Play-In Field? The Hawks made the top 10 on all four ballots, but three teams are in the mix for the final spot – the Raptors, Bulls and Pistons – the latter of which is seeking its first postseason berth since 2019

5. PREDICTING THE WEST STANDINGS

For seven straight seasons a different team has finished as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference – the Thunder (2023-24), Nuggets (2022-23), Suns (2021-22), Jazz (2020-21), Lakers (2019-20), Warriors (2018-19) and Rockets (2017-18).Will that streak extend to eight seasons, or will the Thunder be the first team to finish atop the West in back-to-back seasons since the 2015-16 and 2016-17 Warriors?Let’s see how NBA.com writers predicted how the Western Conference may finish in April.Oklahoma City Thunder: 1Minnesota Timberwolves: 2.5Denver Nuggets: 3.5Dallas Mavericks: 3.5Phoenix Suns: 4.5Memphis Grizzlies: 6.7 (3 votes)Sacramento Kings: 6.8New Orleans Pelicans: 7.5Golden State Warriors: 8.8Los Angeles Lakers: 9.3 (3 votes)Houston Rockets: 10 (2 votes)With 11 teams receiving votes for a top-10 finish in the West, here are a few key takeaways.One Choice For No. 1: If NBA.com writers are correct, the Thunder will snap the streak of a new No. 1 in the West each year as OKC received all four first-place votesNear Consensus Top Four: The defending West champion Mavs were the only team out of Dallas, Denver and Minnesota to receive a vote outside of the top four. The most common choices with three votes apiece were: Wolves 2nd, Mavs 3rd and Nuggets 4thPlayoff vs. Play-In: Since the SoFi Play-In Tournament was added to the postseason, the battle for a top-six finish to earn a guaranteed Playoff berth has been hard-fought. Expect the same this year as Suns, Grizzlies and Kings all received top-six votes – although the Grizz only appeared on three ballotsGenerational Play-In? Both Steph Curry and the Warriors and LeBron James and the Lakers would both finish in the SoFi Play-In Tournament for the second straight season