For the Minnesota Lynx, the past three seasons have followed a painfully familiar arc. In 2023, they fell to the Connecticut Sun in the first round. And even when they have put together million-dollar regular-season performances, the playoffs have handed them barely a handful of cents. 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.

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 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.

And while that upset is the undeniable headline of the night, there is 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

A win did not just advance New York to the semifinals; it made them the first No. 8 seed to eliminate a No. 1 seed in the opening round of the WNBA playoffs.

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 Liberty also became the first No. 8 seed to win a playoff series under the current format and only the third No. 8 seed in WNBA history to win a playoff game.

Speaking about the game, Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve was quite blunt about the disappointment.

“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.”

The New York Liberty entered the playoffs after a 26-18 regular season marked by sharp swings in form. They opened 3-4, won eight straight, then dropped eight of their next 10 before recovering with a 13-4 stretch that briefly put them back in contention for a higher seed. Two losses to close the regular season ultimately left them with the final playoff spot.

Injuries added another layer of uncertainty, with Satou Sabally ruled out for the season and Leonie Fiebich missing seven weeks, while Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones both entered the postseason dealing with injuries. However, as Stewart said, “We are an eight seed. Even though we don’t feel like it. We need to be that. We have to have that chip on our shoulder and change the chip.”

The Minnesota Lynx, by contrast, finished 33-11, ranking near the top of the WNBA in multiple advanced metrics and carrying the expectations of winning it all. The betting market was particularly clear. For Game 1, Minnesota was a 6.5-point favorite, with a -280 moneyline, compared with +220 for New York.

Jonquel Jones summed up the feeling of changing the odds afterwards.

“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 one of the best players on the Lynx and genuinely in MVP conversations heading into October. During 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. 

However, with the performance she put up in her WNBA debut season, there is definitely a brighter side to look at.

“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.”

Lynx’s Team-Wide Lapses Proved Costly

The Lynx’s problems started almost immediately after 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.

Also, Minnesota 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. 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. 

Minnesota did briefly find a way back into the game. A lineup featuring Aari McDonald and Nia Brodie off the bench cut New York’s advantage to nine late in the third quarter, giving the Lynx their best opportunity to change the game’s trajectory. But the opening disappeared almost immediately, as the Liberty answered with three-pointers that ruined the run and restored control.

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, grabbing six offensive rebounds, and those extra possessions produced all 14 of New York’s second-chance points. Breanna Stewart 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.

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 a contested three just before the end of the third quarter that pushed New York’s advantage back to 12 at 68-56.

Lynx on the Other Side of Franchise History as Reeve Admits to Mentality Shift

This was the first time in franchise history that the Lynx lost consecutive playoff contests by 15 or more points, per ESPN. And coach Reeve pointed to not being ready as the reason.

“I thought the playoffs would be hard for our team, regardless of who we were playing in the first round,” Reeve said. “We probably needed a little better matchup to do some of the things that we did all season long, but that’s not how it works.”

In 2026, Reeve became the winningest coach in WNBA history, getting inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame after leading the Lynx to four championships, and nearly a fifth that came with its own share of controversy. Who can say winning isn’t in the Lynx’s DNA? Reeve admitted to that exactly, while adding that she had simply not been in the right mindset.

“There are sometimes when you have that team and that would be the case, you should feel that way,” Reeve said. “I have not felt like we’ve had that team over these three years, and so what we’re doing is sort of maybe exceeding expectations in the regular season, and then when it comes playoffs, maybe we don’t quite have the right group to be effective.”

She shouldered the fault and gave her promise.

“I just know we have some work to do. I have to help us. I have to get us the appropriate help to do it, make the hard decisions to do that. I couldn’t get us there in this series, and so it’s on me. I have to help them win in the playoffs … both as an executive [president of basketball operations] and as the coach, and I’ll find a way to do that.”

Breanna Stewart’s Flagrant-Foul Moment Sends Liberty Crowd Into Frenzy

Breanna Stewart’s all-around performance was definitely one of the major highlights of this elimination game against the Lynx. Then came one of the game’s most dramatic moments.

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.

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.

As Stewart walked away from the line, she raised her hands toward the sellout Barclays Center crowd of 17,593. And the response was deafening as fans broke into “MVP!” chants.

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.

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.