Liberty and Lynx chasing WNBA history in upcoming Finals

The New York Liberty and the Minnesota Lynx both have a shot to make history when the teams meet in the WNBA Finals.

Liberty are looking for the franchise's first championship while the Lynx are vying for a record fifth. They were the best two teams during the regular season, finishing in the top spots in the standings.

New York is back in the Finals for the second consecutive season and is hoping to erase the scar of losing to the Las Vegas Aces in 2023. Minnesota is making its first appearance in the championship round since 2017, when the team 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 head coach Sandy Brondello said. "It motivated us to be better."

Game 1 is Thursday at 8 p.m. ET.

The Liberty built a super team last year by adding Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot to Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. The team fell short in the finals, losing to Las Vegas in four games. Now in the second year of this group, the squad is more cohesive on and off the court.

Stewart and Vandersloot have already won titles in Seattle and Chicago and would love to bring New York its first.

While the Liberty were expected back in the championship round, Minnesota made the biggest strides in the off-season, going from 19-21 last season to 30-10 this year. 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.

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Williams has been to the Finals before, doing so with Connecticut in 2019 and 2022. The Sun lost both times.