NEW YORK — Dropping Game 1 at home wasn’t what the New York Liberty had in mind entering the WNBA Finals.

Neither squandered a 15-point lead with 5:20 to play, the first time in 184 instances in WNBA postseason play that a team won after trailing by at least that many points in the final five minutes of regulation stood.

But on Saturday during practice in Brooklyn, top-seeded Liberty indicated that while they have learned from their Game 1 mistakes, they have moved past the shock and pain of starting the series in such heartbreaking fashion.

“Don’t panic, that’s the most important thing,” New York coach Sandy Brondello said. “It’s a series. We’re disappointed because we didn’t close it out, but credit to Minnesota. They didn’t miss a single shot. We’ve become too passive and there are things we can learn from and be better for.” .” the next.”

“It’s the final,” added Jonquel Jones. “We are not going to stop after one game, especially not a game that we could easily win. A game that we played very well for the most part. We are good. We will be back.”

After a hot start, New York led by as many as 18 in the second quarter but trailed No. 2 seed Minnesota, while the Lynx pulled within two points in the third quarter. The Liberty made a run in the fourth to seemingly keep Minnesota at bay, leading 81-66 with 5:20 to go — at which point they had a 99.2% win probability, according to ESPN Research. But Minnesota closed out regulation on an 18-3 run and ultimately won 95-93 in overtime.

It tied for the largest lead in WNBA Finals history.

“Everyone is disappointed, but you have to stay on task,” Brondello said. “We can’t think about that, what that felt like. We can’t change it. So what are we going to do about it?”

New York had problems on both ends of the floor even outside of the final five minutes. Brondello felt that the Liberty did not play with enough pace and were too passive on offense, and were otherwise mediocre in their transition defense and in making the Lynx uncomfortable in running their offense. Those are things the team believes it can control, according to two-time MVP Breanna Stewart.

“That’s the thing. It’s like we know we can do so much better,” she said.

Although the Lynx have defeated the Liberty four of the five times they’ve faced each other this year, there’s precedent on New York’s side, at least heading into Game 2: The Liberty haven’t lost consecutive games since late May . Most recently, they bounced back from a Game 3 semifinal loss to Las Vegas in which they trailed by as many as 25 by closing out the series two days later.

“We usually respond pretty well,” Brondello said. “We can’t go in and feel anxious or push. We have to play the right way. We always say, stay true to who we are. We can’t go in and reinvent the wheel.”

Teams that won Game 1 en route to the Finals have gone 10-3 in the series. Three teams – the 2006 Detroit Shock and the 2015 and 2017 Minnesota Lynx – won the finals after losing Game 1 at home. How big is Game 2? All twenty teams that went 0-2 in the best-of-five format ultimately lost the series.

“I think we’re just really hungry and eager for a recovery,” Stewart said. “One thing I’ve been thinking about a lot is that there’s beauty in the struggle, and that’s really where we are right now.”

Stewart especially feels that hunger to change things. She missed a crucial free throw with 0.8 seconds left in regulation, which would have given the Liberty a one-point lead. Then, at the end of overtime, she botched a layup that would have tied the game.

“Because I am who I am, that’s why I’m in the positions I am,” Stewart said. “And one game won’t reflect what I do. That being said, I’m clearly thinking: WTF.

“I think what really drives and motivates me is that we have the opportunity to change it. I have the opportunity to change it.”

Over the past two days, Brondello has tried to remind the Liberty who they are, and the players have “faced everything head-on and taken responsibility for all actions,” Stewart added.

‘And that’s why we’re pros. Something is happening, and what are we going to do now?’

Still, there’s a fine line between being motivated by the past and letting it weigh you down, Brondello noted — and the latter won’t do New York any good, she said.

“The past cannot be changed,” Brondello said. “That will hold us back if we don’t let it go.”

Game 2 takes place Sunday at 3:00 PM ET and airs on ABC before the series moves to Minneapolis for Game 3 and, if necessary, Game 4.