“S**t happens” was Breanna Stewart’s assessment of the New York Liberty’s agonizing 95-93 OT loss against the Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals. Though the 2023 MVP played a pivotal part in their effort with 18 points, including the overtime-forcing free throw, she only shot 6-of-21 (28.6%) from the field, a game-low among those who shot more than two shots.

Former WNBA player Rebecca Lobo labeled Stewart’s performance as “not efficient”. The Liberty star herself was critical of the team’s performance, admitting that their “offense got really stagnant” in the closing stages of regulation. However, this underwhelming performance on her part came as a surprise because of her sublime track record against Minnesota.

Breanna Stewart’s special rivalry against the Lynx in 2024

After New York’s three regular-season matchups against Minnesota this season, the latter landed bragging rights. The Lynx won two of the three games and took a fourth victory in the 2024 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup. But in all the Liberty’s losses, Breanna Stewart’s performances stood out. In their first face-off on May 25th, the Liberty recorded their second loss of 2024, going down 67-84 in Minnesota. “Stewie” was the only silver lining, getting her fourth double-double of the season with a game-high 20 points and 11 rebounds, shooting 8-of-18 (44%) from the field.

The next time they met was in the Commissioner’s Cup Final. Though New York lost 89-94, Stewart recorded yet another double-double, with a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds. The Power Forward shot 8-of-15 (53.3%) from the field. With this, the Lynx became the only team in 2024 to beat the Liberty twice. Fortunately, the Liberty got a shot at redemption only a week later as the regular season continued.

It was the Lynx’s time to lose homecourt advantage, and with that, the game too. New York won 76-67 at the Barclays Center, and Stewart yet again strode on double-double territory with 17 points and 17 rebounds. However, this time, her shooting percentage drastically dropped to 25% (5-of-20). But as it turned out, this offensive failure of sorts set the stage for a significant showing in their next matchup.

The top-seeded Liberty still had homecourt advantage during its third Lynx matchup. Stewart’s greatness was on full display in a near-solo display in front of their home crowd. She recorded another double-double, scoring a game-high 38 points and 18 rebounds. For comparison, New York’s other four starters combined for a total of 29 points and 10 rebounds. Alas, the 2x MVP’s effort ended in a losing cause.

If we further hold the rewind button on the Stewart v/s Minnesota saga, it only unravels more iconic performances. So let’s travel back in time to 2023 and a few years before it.

Stewart’s magic against the Lynx in 2023 and as a Seattle Storm-trooper

In the 2023 WNBA season, the New York Liberty’s first of two matchups against the Minnesota Lynx came very late in the regular season. On August 5, it was Breanna Stewart’s first time playing in Minnesota’s Target Center as a Liberty player. She put in a decent performance with 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists to seal a 76-66 victory.

It was a statement win without homecourt advantage that they doubled down on 3 weeks later. In their second regular season matchup, Minnesota managed to level up their game, scoring 76 points. But New York was ten steps ahead. Stewart’s double-double with 38 points and 11 rebounds took them to 111 points, recording their biggest win margin of the year.

Even if we were to turn the clock back further to when Stewart played for the Seattle Storm, Minnesota received the same treatment. In the 2022 season, she scored 29, 33, and 16 points in their three games, the third of which was a double-double. In the year before that, though the 2x WNBA champ started relatively slow with 13 and 15-point games, she recorded another double-double with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Such 18-point games also headlined her 2020 season matchups against the Lynx – the year of her second championship with the Storm.

By now, you can see the pattern of thrashing that Stewart unleashed on the Liberty’s 2024 WNBA Finals rivals. Even in her first championship-winning season (2018), the Lynx was on the receiving end of a 27 and 20-point game, before a double-double in the third matchup with 17 points and rebounds each.

While all of these statistics are beyond impressive, Stewie is laser-focused on guiding New York to its first WNBA championship. “I’m on to the next, you know. What happened, happened. Moving forward because this is a series and my team needs me,” she said after the Game 1 loss. Sue Bird’s two-word advice – “Bounce back” – will be their motto to trump the Minnesota going ahead.