The New York Liberty created history in Game 1 against the Minnesota Lynx, but at what cost? In the most-watched WNBA Finals game in history with viewership peaking at 1.5 million viewers, the top-seeded Liberty lost an 18-point lead to lose 95-93 in overtime. However, even though the Lynx went from looking exhausted to invincible, Sheryl Swoopes had a conflicting take on this.

In 2024, Swoopes’ reputation has reduced to being a Caitlin Clark critic and an A’ja Wilson supporter. The WNBA legend’s controversial opinions often make headlines, and this time, she has taken aim at Napheesa Collier. The runner-up to A’ja Wilson in the MVP race scored a game-saving 21 points, a team-high 9 rebounds, and 4 assists to script their comeback along with Courtney Williams’ 23 points and Kayla McBride’s 22. Yet, she couldn’t impress Swoopes, who felt the Lynx’s game was lackluster.

“I didn’t think they played well,” the retired 3x MVP said on the Queens of the Court podcast, adding, “I thought Napheesa played ok for Napheesa. But overall, I was like, ‘Minnesota, are you still in Minnesota?'” However, Swoopes’ judgment wasn’t one-sided, and she also criticized the Liberty’s mentality.

“If you’re the Liberty, you may have just lost the championship,” she further told host Jordan Robinson. “Here’s what I felt happened with the Liberty. I’ll be honest. It was not Minnesota’s defense. I feel like the Liberty was like, ‘We’re up by 15. We’re gonna win this game.'” Robinson agreed with this take, replying, “Yeah, they just got stagnated. They were running out the clock!”

The Liberty’s Game 1 decline needs to be studied. Despite firing on all fronts in the first half, they lost momentum, missed shots, and ended the game with 37.8% FG shooting, compared to the Lynx’s 52.6%. Collier was Minnesota’s best shooter with a mighty 62.5% from the field. However, Swoopes’ comments don’t come as a surprise because this isn’t the first time she has questioned her.

Sheryl Swoopes doubted Napheesa Collier’s worthiness for the Defensive Player of the Year award

The Minnesota Lynx has been a defensive powerhouse in 2024. They ascended the defensive rankings this year, going from third-worst to second-best. Napheesa Collier’s motto of “defense leads the offense” propelled the team towards winning ways. She beat 2x Defensive Player of the Year, A’ja Wilson, to avenge the lost MVP award.

Collier ended the regular season second in steals (1.91 per game), third in rebounds (9.7 per game), and seventh in blocks (1.41 per game). Though Sheryl Swoopes acknowledged the Lynx Forward’s exceptional gameplay, she questioned the voting system. “My question is, when awards are selected – and again, I do not vote, I’m gonna keep saying that – when you’re looking at individual awards, are you looking at what that player does individually? Or how what that player does individually helps the team?”

If it was based on individual stats, Wilson ranked ahead of Collier in rebounds (11.9 per game) and blocks (2.6 per game), but 0.1 behind in steals (1.8 per game). Swoopes also highlighted how many believed that the 2024 unanimous MVP should’ve also won the DPOY. Swoopes was also one of the first women to jump to A’ja’s defense after the Aces were knocked out. For now, that question will remain unanswered with the world’s focus on the WNBA Finals.

The New York Liberty has to win Game 2 at the Barclays Center to not let the mental pressure of a 0-2 deficit consume them. As for Minnesota, they’ve already won half the battle by winning one game on the road. The path to their record-breaking 5th WNBA title doesn’t seem as bumpy now.