For the Minnesota Lynx, the past three seasons have followed a painfully familiar arc: a hundred-million-dollar regular season performance followed by a one-cent finish in the playoffs. In 2024, they reached the Finals as the No. 2 seed but fell to the New York Liberty. Last season, as the top seed, they could not make it past the semifinals, eliminated by the Phoenix Mercury. Each time, they have built something that looked like a championship contender and then watched it unravel when it mattered most.

This season, they showed more regular-season promise than ever before, finishing with the league’s best record as the No. 1 overall seed. And yet the result was even more devastating than anything that came before. They crashed out in the first round, swept 2-0 by an eighth-seeded New York Liberty team in one of the most historic upsets the WNBA playoffs have ever produced.

And while that upset is the undeniable headline of the night, there was plenty more to unpack, including Olivia Miles’ difficult postseason debut, New York’s dominance inside, and the collective lapses that ultimately brought the Lynx’s remarkable season to an end. Here are the key takeaways.

WNBA History: Liberty Become First No. 8 Seed to Eliminate No. 1 Seed

There was already history waiting to be made before the ball was tipped at Barclays Centre. A Liberty win would not just advance New York to the semifinals; it would make them the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the opening round of the WNBA playoffs. And New York did not make the moment unnecessarily complicated.

After winning Game 1 in Minnesota, the Liberty came home and took control from the opening minutes. They never trailed, built a 49-37 halftime advantage, and eventually pulled away for an 87-71 victory. The result completed a clean 2-0 sweep and placed one of the most unlikely playoff runs in recent WNBA history firmly into the record books.

Speaking about the game, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was quite blunt about the disappointment of the result, simply acknowledging the performance that New York Liberty showed and congratulating them.

“Yeah, it sucks. How do you assess it? Yeah, it sucks. We’re not going to focus on s*** like that. It is what it is. Congratulations to New York. They beat us, and we wish them well the rest of the playoffs.”

And the irony of the result was stark. The New York Liberty had entered the playoffs not only as the eighth seed, but after a regular season defined by injuries, inconsistency, and questions about whether they would even hold their playoff spot. The Minnesota Lynx, by contrast, finished 33-11, ranking near the top of the WNBA in multiple advanced metrics and carrying the expectations of a championship contender. 

None of that translated once the series began. The Liberty looked like the more prepared and more cohesive team in both games,  and by Tuesday night, the league’s top seed was going home.

Jonquel Jones summed up the feeling afterwards, describing the Liberty’s mindset as one built on confidence and belief to even go beyond the first round and all the way.

“It feels good; we understand who we are as a team,” Jones said. “ 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.” 

Sabrina Ionescu also echoed the same sentiment, saying, “We know we’re not a traditional eight seed. We understand once the playoffs come, it’s a new season. We have more to do.”

And more to do there is. New York will now face the winner of the quarterfinal series between the No. 4 seed Atlanta Dream and the No. 5 seed Washington Mystics in the best-of-five WNBA semifinals. If they can carry this momentum forward, this upset may only be the opening chapter.

Olivia Miles’ Difficult WNBA Playoff Experience

For Olivia Miles, this was a postseason debut she will want to forget as quickly as possible. The unanimous Rookie of the Year had a breathtaking regular season, but the playoffs presented an entirely different challenge. New York’s length, physicality, and rim protection made life consistently difficult for the young guard across both games.

Miles finished the regular season averaging 19.8 points, 6.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game, arguably the best player on the Lynx and genuinely in MVP conversations heading into October. In the playoffs, however, she was barely recognisable. In Game 1, she shot 3-of-12 for 11 points. This time around, she finished with just five points on 1-of-8 shooting, adding two rebounds, one assist, and one block in 17 minutes. 

Definitely, losing in this way hurts for Olivia Miles. However, with the performance she put out in her WNBA debut season, there is definitely a brighter side to look at. And this was one of the messages from coach Cheryl Reeve to the rookie.

“As I told her, when was the last time a rookie led the first-place team? Never happened before. That’s what we shared with her. This hurts for her.”

Miles herself addressed the experience with maturity, showing a remarkable level of perspective despite the difficult ending.

“Losing games is a part of it. Having games as I had is a part of it. It’s beautiful, as much as it hurts, learning this way. It’s a part of the game, right? Everyone wants to win all the time, but that’s not how it works. I have to remind myself that I’m a rookie; I’m not a 10-year vet. I have to remind myself I don’t know what I’m doing. Now I do. Now, there’s no excuse. I’m ready to get it back.”

But then, Olivia Miles’ struggles were not the only reason the Minnesota Lynx lost, even though they certainly contributed to the Lynx’s inability to generate enough offence. For Miles, though, the experience should ultimately become part of the learning curve.

It Wasn’t Just Olivia Miles: Lynx’s Team-Wide Lapses Proved Costly

It would be easy to look at Miles’ five-point performance and pin Minnesota’s elimination on the Rookie of the Year’s struggles. But that would overlook the more complete picture: the fact that the Minnesota Lynx simply did not execute well enough as a collective unit across either game.

Their problems started almost immediately when the game tipped off. Minnesota came out flat and found themselves in a 9-1 hole within the opening minutes of the first quarter. Rather than establishing the offensive rhythm that had carried them through an elite regular season, the Lynx spent the entire night virtually chasing a Liberty team that never allowed them to feel comfortable.

New York, meanwhile, played with the urgency of a team that understood exactly what was at stake. Their physical presence in the paint was increasingly difficult for Minnesota to deal with. They also attacked the basket repeatedly, dominated the glass, and finished with a 44-28 advantage in points in the paint while winning the rebounding battle 36-29.

One of the most damaging contributions to Minnesota’s downfall was the second-chance opportunities those rebounds created. The Liberty grabbed 12 offensive rebounds, giving themselves additional possessions whenever the Lynx appeared to have stopped a play. That interior disparity also exposed Minnesota’s persistent inability to consistently keep Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones away from the basket.

Also, Minnesota struggled to generate efficient looks and was unable to compensate for their difficulties inside with consistent perimeter scoring. They finished 38.2% from the field while New York shot 46.4%. Even their three-point shooting, at 40%, was not enough to overcome the problems elsewhere.

Fouls also contributed to the problem. The Minnesota Lynx committed 19 personal fouls, compared with 17 for New York, and the mounting foul trouble eventually sent Napheesa Collier to the bench after she fouled out. There was also the issue of turnovers. Although Minnesota actually committed fewer turnovers overall, New York was much more effective at converting the mistakes it got. The Liberty scored 16 points off Minnesota turnovers, while the Lynx managed only five points off New York’s giveaways. 

So, Miles’ struggles were the most visible storyline. But Minnesota’s elimination was a collective failure in preparation, execution, and composure. They started slowly, lost every battle that mattered inside, surrendered too many offensive rebounds, shot below their standard, and allowed an eighth seed to expose every weakness they had been carrying all season. 

Jonquel Jones, Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu Put the Liberty on Their Backs

New York’s star power was the biggest reason they pulled off this upset.  Jonquel Jones was particularly dominant. The veteran forward finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds, repeatedly giving New York second chances and making Minnesota pay around the basket. Her rebounding was a major part of the Liberty’s overall control, as New York finished with a 36-29 advantage on the glass.

Breanna Stewart also matched Jones with 21 points, alongside five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks, while Sabrina Ionescu added 18 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals. Together, the trio accounted for or assisted on 70 of New York’s 87 points, an extraordinary contribution in a game of this magnitude.

But it was not simply about putting up numbers. The three stars seemed to take turns making the important plays. Jones controlled the interior, Stewart provided a steady scoring presence, and Ionescu repeatedly knocked down shots whenever Minnesota appeared ready to make a run. Ionescu, in particular, provided some crucial separation from beyond the arc. She finished 4-of-10 from three-point range, including two important triples late in the third quarter that helped New York carry a 68-56 lead into the final period.

Breanna Stewart’s Flagrant-Foul Moment Adds Fuel to the Liberty’s Push

Breanna Stewart’s all-around performance was definitely one of the major highlights of this elimination game against the Lynx. But there was another key moment involving the veteran that briefly threatened to change the feel of the game.

The New York Liberty were leading 52-39 with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter when Stewart drove toward the basket and was hit in the face by Olivia Miles while the rookie attempted to make a defensive play. As a result of that hit, Stewart went down and remained on the court for about a minute as officials reviewed the contact. Thankfully, that did not result in any major injuries.

The foul was also eventually upgraded to a Flagrant 1. And on the resulting free throws, Stewart calmly stepped to the line and made both attempts.

But the bigger moment came immediately afterwards. As Stewart walked away from the line, she raised her hands toward the sellout Barclays Centre crowd of 17,593. And the response was deafening as the fans broke into “MVP!” chants. It felt like a special moment for the Liberty faithful, acknowledging their veteran star and showing just how much Stewart means to the team. 

The Liberty Finally Get Their Playoff Redemption

There was another reason the Liberty were so determined to finish this series Tuesday night: they knew exactly what could happen if they failed to close it out. Last season, New York won Game 1 of its first-round series against Phoenix before losing the next two games and watching its postseason end prematurely. They did not want a repeat of that.

The players knew that a 1-0 lead meant nothing if they allowed the top seed to force a deciding game. So instead of relaxing, they came out with the same urgency in Game 2. New York led 26-21 after the opening quarter, extended its advantage to 49-37 at halftime and continued to respond whenever Minnesota threatened to make a run.

This time, there was no collapse. The Liberty stayed composed, maintained their advantage and eventually pulled away in the fourth quarter to complete the sweep. After what happened last postseason, closing out the series in two games was an important statement from a team determined not to repeat the same mistakes.

And while the historic upset is impressive, the Liberty did not enter the playoffs simply to eliminate Minnesota. They are now back in the semifinals, and their sights are presumably set much higher.

Another Stellar Regular Season, Another Early Playoff Exit for the Lynx

For Minnesota, the most painful part of Tuesday night’s loss may be how familiar the story feels. The Lynx had an outstanding regular season. They finished with the best record in the WNBA, earned the No. 1 seed and appeared to have everything in place for another deep postseason run. Instead, their season ended after just two playoff games.

And the timing makes the disappointment even harder to swallow. On Monday, Cheryl Reeve was named Coach of the Year, while Olivia Miles was announced as the unanimous Rookie of the Year. One day later, both were watching the Lynx’s season come to an end.

This is not the first time Minnesota has experienced a sharp contrast between regular-season success and postseason disappointment. They have now experienced this kind of disappointment for three years in a row, and this one may have been the most disappointing of all, with the Lynx crashing out in the first round without winning a single game.