New York Liberty shooting for 1st WNBA title

MINNEAPOLIS — The New York Liberty are trying win their first WNBA title in the team’s 27-year history.
After losing Game 4 of the WNBA Finals against the Minnesota Lynx on the road, New York will try to clinch the championship at home. 
“I think that, you know, for our team, we bounce back after a loss really, really well, and making sure that everybody is on the same page going forward,” New York power forward Breanna Stewart said Friday. “In the playoffs, in a series, there’s going to be momentum shifts. There were momentum shifts in the game tonight. But mentally, understanding what’s our ultimate goal, how are things going right here.
“Like (coach) Sandy (Brondello) said in the locker room, we haven’t won anything yet; we haven’t lost anything yet. And we have the opportunity to do that Sunday.”
History will be on the line for both teams Sunday. Minnesota stands one victory away from a record fifth WNBA title, which would break a tie with the Houston Comets and Seattle Storm. The Liberty are looking for their first title and have lost in the Finals five times. The team was one of the original eight franchises when the league began in 1997 and is the only one left of that group not to have won it all.
Since the league switched to a best-of-five format in 2005, seven other series have gone the distance. The home team has won five of those contests, including in 2019.
New York had the best record in the regular season and earned the right to have the decisive game on its home court.
“That’s what we said we worked for all season long. Minnesota did what they needed to do here to tie it up, and now we go back home. We love playing in front of our home crowd,” Brondello said. “So it will definitely be another sellout, and it will definitely be loud. And we have to bring our A game.
“I have a lot of respect for Minnesota, don’t get me wrong. This is a really tough team. They play well. They compete. So we’ve got one more game, and we’re going to win on our home court.”
Game 5 tips off from Barclays Center in Brooklyn at 8 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are still available via Ticketmaster, starting at $175.
The game will be televised on ESPN.
The first four games of the series have come down to the last few possessions and have included an overtime game and a last-second shot, which have led to record ratings. The first three games each had over a million viewers on average, with the audience growing for each contest. They also have had huge crowds in attendance.
The Liberty are more popular than ever this season, and a WNBA championship would be the icing on the cake. Many fans flew to Minneapolis to cheer on the players 1,200 miles from their homecourt. Liberty fans left disappointed but hopeful New York can still take their first ever WNBA title in Game 5.
“I’m disappointed, but I’m OK because we’ll win on home court,” one fan said.
“It was a battle. We’re hoping for New York,” another fan said.
“We have been season ticketholders for 26 years. What it means to them is what it means to us … Sunday in Brooklyn, we’re taking it at home,” another fan said.