The New York Liberty finally broke their championship curse, but the way it all went down sadly remains debatable. “The sh-t was stolen from us,” fumed Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve in the post-game conference, clearly upset after the close-looking championship slipped away from her team in the final five seconds. The cause? A controversial shooting foul drawn by Breanna Stewart. The chaos only escalated when the call stood, even after the Lynx challenged it. Now, a recently surfaced video from Liberty coach Sandy Brondello’s timeout huddle only adds fuel to the fire, especially for those frustrated Lynx supporters.

Mere minutes after the final buzzer signaled the New York Liberty’s championship victory, a clip from the game broadcast began circulating on X. The video spotlighted Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello, delivering her final mantra that could have saved the game for Liberty in the closing seconds. “If they foul you, embellish it,” yelled Brondello at Stewart who paid full attention to the head coach’s instructions, giving a nod.

Interestingly, as pointed out in the tweet, this seemed to catch the attention of the broadcasters too as they quickly muted Sandy Brondello’s audio. The conversation took place after the Liberty struggled to catch up with the Lynx, who had held a two-point lead for nearly a minute. It was with just six seconds left then that Brondello called a timeout.

Whether fair or not, Brondello’s hopes were just answered as the game resumed and Stewie earned that game-saving shooting foul for her team and capitalized on it, equaling the scoreboard.

Stewart’s clutch foul draw saved the game for the New York Liberty

Breanna Stewart was not having her night as she had only 4 from 14 on the field with just a single converted free throw by the final 10 seconds of the fourth quarter. However, Stewart was well aware that no point now means another championship heartbreak. That’s how when she came back to the court after Brondello’s last timeout, she was ready to go charging on Lynx’s defense.

With just five seconds left on the clock, Leonie Fiebich dished the ball to Liberty’s #30, who made a bold drive into the paint. Alanna Smith was right there, standing her ground between the basket and Stewart, determined to block the shot. Despite Smith’s efforts, Stewart went for it anyway. As she released the ball, Smith’s outstretched hands grazed Stewart’s wrist ever so slightly before the shot went up. While the attempt didn’t land, she managed to draw a shooting foul—albeit with slight travel before that contact with Smith.

However, the Lynx weren’t about to let that controversial foul call slide as Cheryl Reeve quickly challenged it, her reaction on the court showing just how stunned she was. But the referee’s decision didn’t overturn, leading to Breanna Stewart sinking both free throws to tie the game at 60-60. By the end, the Liberty had earned 25 free throws—more than triple the Lynx’s 8.

From then, Brondello’s bold strategies paid off. After saving the game with the free throws, Stewart pushed the game into overtime, where the Liberty refused to let the Lynx regain control. The home team dominated the whole five minutes for 7 points. “I’ve been manifesting this moment for awhile, There’s no feeling like it. Credit to Minnesota, they gave us a tough series,” Stewart said, having ended the evening with the first title for the franchise.