The New York Liberty Continue To Prove People Wrong
BY: MIKIYA GREENE / STAFF WRITER
There was a major shift at Barclays Center in the first round of the 2026 WNBA Playoffs this past week. The 8th seed New York Liberty took down the 1st seed Minnesota Lynx on Tuesday night in a Best-of-3 series matchup. This marks the first time ever in WNBA history that an 8th overall seeded team has gone on to beat the 1st overall seeded team in the playoffs.
Two days after upsetting the Lynx with a 91-75 Game 1 win on Sunday afternoon at Target Center, Brooklyn’s own pulled off a 87-71 victory over the Lynx on Tuesday, Sept. 29. The Liberty captured their second first-round series win and eliminated the Lynx from championship contention.
Former WNBA Finals MVP Jonquel Jones led the Liberty squad with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Star forward Breanna Stewart pitched in with 21 points of her own, as well as five rebounds and four assists. Phenom guard Sabrina Ionescu tacked on 18 points, four rebounds and seven assists in the victory.
In a postgame interview, Jones talked about how the team’s chemistry has been carrying their momentum thus far. In a quote pulled from the Associated Press, the star center tells reporters, “It feels good, we understand who we are as a team. We’re not listening to outside noise, we understand that we can do a lot of great things. We feel like we can play with anybody and beat anybody. That’s the mindset we have moving forward. It feels good to make history. It had to be done for us to advance. It’s nice to say it’s been accomplished, but we have a lot of work to do.”
Starting Rookie Guard Pauline Astier also added her thoughts on what it felt like to sweep the Lynx in front of the sold-out crowd at Barclays. “I was kind of emotional on the court because Barclays was really crazy and we had just won, so it was really emotional but I’m just really happy. And I know it’s not over yet because we want to get this trophy.”
Breanna Stewart also chipped in to talk about the electric Barclays atmosphere. “I think it just continued to give us energy,” the forward said. “We need to be composed and under control, but we have our fans to be the ones going crazy when things are going crazy.”
This first-round sweep that the Liberty have handed the Lynx is not something that many people expected, as the Lynx had proven themselves to be the favorites to win the WNBA title all season long. With the addition of all-around superstar point guard Olivia Miles in the 2026 WNBA Draft and the mid-season return of All-Star MVP Napheesa Collier, it looked like the team would cruise straight to the Finals.
It became clear that the Lynx did not maintain the same energy and consistency that they have been starting games with all season. Olivia Miles shot less than 30% from the field in both games combined, and even with the 2026 Coach of the Year in Cheryl Reeve, no one seemed like they could be a spark to give the Lynx life.
The Liberty knew they had to shake things up when going into this opening round. With their 26-18 overall record, they set out to turn the tide in the playoffs and prove that they are more than what the standings show.
Stewart added, “We didn’t feel like an 8th seed, but that’s just where we ended up.”
The Liberty did more than just advance to the next round of the WNBA Playoffs— they proved themselves to be a huge threat in the contest going forward.
With Minnesota eliminated and the Libs moving on to face the Atlanta Dream in the Eastern Semifinals matchup starting Sunday at 1 p.m., the question is no longer whether New York belongs in the postseason conversation, but how far this historic run can go.
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