NEW YORK – For a brief moment, Breanna Stewart put her hands on her head. Then she slapped them on her legs, bowed her head and gave a half-hearted high five to a New York Liberty teammate.

Within seconds – 2.6 to be exact – Stewart had a chance to connect the roller coaster between the Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx in the opener of the WNBA Finals. In the waning moments of overtime, she powered past Lynx star Napheesa Collier and rose among Courtney Williams, Bridget Carleton and Alanna Smith. On the left side of the basket, Stewart attempted a layup with her right hand. She later called the look one of her cleanest of the game, but it fell through. It didn’t even touch the rim, and New York dropped Game 1, 95-93. In an instant, a historic collapse was confirmed.

Stewart is a two-time WNBA MVP, two-time Finals MVP and two-time WNBA champion. If she never played again, she would be a Naismith Hall of Famer. But Thursday night’s defeat won’t be part of any of Stewart’s highlights. Although she finished with 18 points and nine rebounds – a great game for most – her 6-for-21 shooting is a blemish. Twice she had the basketball in her hands, but came up short.

“We just take it on the chin,” Stewart said.

Minnesota’s overtime victory was the largest comeback (18 points) in WNBA Finals history. While games don’t come down to one play (especially games with as many twists as this one), Stewart went to the free throw line with just 0.8 seconds left in regulation with a chance to take the win back from the opponent. jaws of defeat.

Her focus didn’t waver. But Stewart’s second free throw did.

A career shooter at 83.6 percent at the foul line, she launched a second attempt that rattled off the back of the rim, then the front, and ricocheted away from the cylinder. She walked back to the New York bench and let out a cry that could last well into the offseason if the Liberty didn’t come back in this series.

The game-tying free throw by Breanna Stewart, sending the game to overtime

At the end of regulation the score is 84-84#WNBAFinales presented by @YouTubeTV pic.twitter.com/O1Cg0MkbNi

— WNBA (@WNBA) October 11, 2024

Credit Collier, this season’s Defensive Player of the Year, for smothering Stewart. The Lynx star finished with six blocks and three steals (while adding 21 points). Collier and Stewart have known each other since their UConn days and played together there for one season. While they didn’t overlap much in Storrs, Stewart certainly knew what to expect in the series opener. Collier presented a defender tall and mobile enough to stick with Stewart. And against Minnesota’s faltering team defense?

“I feel like our keys against Minny are our style, our pace and control of the boards – I think that’s the biggest factor,” Stewart said. “Know that they’re a team that’s definitely going to get in trouble and try to mess us up offensively, but we’ve just got to be able to play through that and continue to find the open person.”

But New York struggled to find the open player, especially in key moments.

The anatomy of New York’s crumbling can be traced to two trajectories. One came in the second quarter, when the Liberty, leading 41-24 with 5:14 to play in the first half, went cold. Until half time they only scored three points. The Liberty lacked physicality, and coach Sandy Brondello said they were overwhelmed, stagnant and not going downhill enough.

Later, New York led by 15 points with 5:20 to play in the fourth quarter. The Liberty scored just three more points in regulation, not scoring until 1:38 into overtime. By then they were trailing by four points. “We can’t play to lose,” said guard Sabrina Ionescu, who shot just 8 of 26. She said New York took his foot off the gas pedal and had moments where he looked at the clock.

“We should have won this game,” Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich said. “It’s us against us.”

In mid-September, Stewart posted season-high numbers against Minnesota, with 38 points and 18 rebounds, while tying her career high of six offensive rebounds. But that match was also a loss. It was one of three times – including in the Commissioner’s Cup – that New York had fallen to Minnesota before the final.

This fourth defeat will certainly sting the most. New York became the first team in WNBA postseason history to lose a game it led by at least 15 points in the final five minutes of regulation. What was 183-0 is now 183-1.

Too often, the basketball was left hanging in the hands of New York players late in the game. Players said they dribbled too much, got too deep into the trees of Minnesota’s defense when attacking and allowed possession too late in the shot clock, leading to forced fumbles. “They took us out of what we wanted to run,” Brondello said. “They performed better than us defensively. That’s what it came down to.”

Courtney Vandersloot, a 14-year veteran, said the loss was the most bizarre match she had competed in. She said she told her teammates, “When you leave this building, you have to think about moving on and being able to put this up. behind us because we cannot dwell on this loss.”

She told Stewart: ‘It happened, it will never happen again. So let’s move on and be better the next game.”

no ma’am. ❌ pic.twitter.com/rgUh7kiLWG

— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) October 11, 2024

New York had been talking all season about how it had healed from last season’s finals loss to the Las Vegas Aces, whom they defeated in the semifinals this season. On Thursday night, a sold-out crowd of more than 17,000 people at Barclays Center was silenced and appeared stunned. Many left the arena with their hands on their heads, much like Stewart’s when the final buzzer sounded.

While it certainly opened a new wound, the Liberty said they hoped it wouldn’t stick around for long.

“I want to take these pictures,” Stewart said. “I feel like it’s important that I know my teammates and that everyone has confidence in me. It’s a bit like moving on to the next one and still making sure I’m aggressive on the pitch at all times. Obviously as a player it’s very frustrating. But come back for Game 2.”

(Photo by Breanna Stewart: Elsa/Getty Images)