NY Liberty gearing up for Game 1 of WNBA finals tonight

NEW YORK — The New York Liberty are gearing up to face the Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. 
New York City has no shortage of sports excitement right now, with the Mets and Yankees both in the playoffs and the Rangers starting their season.
The start time for Game 1 is 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m. 
It’s a best-of-five series, with the first to win three games crowned the champion. 
The Liberty play two games at home before heading to the Target Center in Minneapolis. 
Here is the rest of the finals schedule:
Tickets are still on sale for the series, including for Game 1 at home. 
Ticketmaster prices range from roughly $47 for nosebleed seats to $5,950 for the front row. Or fans can book a luxury suite for 10 to 70 guests.
The Barclays Center is also home of the Brooklyn Nets, who start the regular season on the road against the Atlanta Hawks on Oct. 23. Their first home game will be Oct. 27 against the Milwaukee Bucks. 
The arena is located in Downtown Brooklyn near Atlantic Terminal and can be accessed by mass transit on the Long Island Rail Road or the 2, 3, 4, 5, B, D, N, Q and R subway lines. 
The Liberty, who defeated the Las Vegas Aces in four games in the semifinals, are looking for the franchise’s first championship, while the Lynx, who outlasted the Connecticut Sun in five games in the previous round, are vying for a record fifth title. 
New York is back in the Finals for the second consecutive season and the sixth time overall, and is hoping to erase the scar of losing to Las Vegas in 2023. Minnesota is making its first appearance in the championship round since 2017, when it won its fourth title in a seven-year span.
“We learned from our experience. I think that’s a part of the journey,” New York coach Sandy Brondello said. “It motivated us to be better.”
The Liberty built a super-team last season by adding Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot to Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, yet they fell short in the Finals, losing to Las Vegas in four games. Now in the second season of this group, New York is more cohesive on and off the court.
Stewart and Vandersloot have already won titles in Seattle and Chicago, respectively, and would love to bring New York its first.
While the Liberty, who finished an NBA-best 32-8 during the regular season, were expected back in the championship round, Minnesota made big strides, going from 19-21 last season to 30-10 in 2024. The Lynx are led by WNBA MVP runner-up and Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier. She raised her level of play this season and had help on the offensive end with the addition of guard Courtney Williams.
Williams has been to the Finals before, doing so with Connecticut in 2019 and 2022. The Sun lost both times.
“It’s exciting. This is what you play for, to be on that stage,” Williams said. “Ready for the moment and excited to get it done.”
Besides Williams and guard Natisha Hiedeman, the Lynx don’t have much playoff experience. Hiedeman was also with Connecticut during the Finals runs in 2019 and 2022.
Collier became the first player in WNBA history to have at least 25 points and 10 rebounds in three straight postseason games when she had 27 and 11 in the decisive Game 5 win over Connecticut on Tuesday night.
“What makes Phee special is the consistency and the way she shows up every single day,” Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve said. “Her work ethic, demeanor. She’s improved every season. Every game it’s more than scoring how she helps our team. … When Phee plays like the MVP we’re a hard team to beat.”
New York struggled against Minnesota this season, losing two of the three regular-season meetings and the Commissioner’s Cup championship game.
The Liberty had to go on the road for the first two Finals games last season and having home court advantage this time around is huge.
“Being on the other side of it last year knowing how hard it was to go on the road for the first two of the finals with an opposing crowd and try to steal a win and not be able to,” Ionescu said. “I think we all understand that we’ll have the whole city behind us, cheering us on.”