'Python' Breanna Stewart Avoids Liberty Deja Vu

Breanna Stewart used a reptilian metaphor to avoid deadly bookends of the New York Liberty's WNBA Finals run.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

BROOKLYN -- It may be called charity stripe but it seemed to only take away from the New York Liberty.

Foul shooting in foul shooting delayed, but didn't deny, the Liberty's first hoisting of the WNBA Finals trophy, which was earned on Sunday night when they took a 67-62 overtime decision from the Minnesota Lynx in a winner-take-all Game 5 at Barclays Center.

The extra period was forced when Breanna Stewart sank equalizing free throws when she was fouled by Napheesa Collier with five seconds to go. New York then outscored Minnesota 7-2 over the final five to secure the franchise's first postseason championship.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

"I've been like manifesting this moment for a while and there's no feeling like it," Stewart said after winning the third ring of her WNBA career. "To be able to bring a championship to New York, first ever in franchise history, it's an incredible feeling."

Placing Stewart at the foul line perhaps gave Liberty fans a sense of spooky, bookending deja vu: New York had a chance to wrap up Game 1 despite losing a late 15-point lead, but Stewart missed the latter half of a late pair once again brought about by a Collier foul. Sustained by a Collier fadeaway, Minnesota took the game 95-93, stealing a homecourt advantage that Sabrina Ionescu won back with her own heroics in Game 3 at Target Center.

Mere moments beforehand, Stewart had missed not one, but two, when the Liberty trailed 60-58 with 38 seconds remaining. Stewart got the rebound off a defensive stop on the other end before getting back to the line with five ticks left.

A requested review from Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve (who was highly dissatisfied with the call and its subsequent standing) more or less iced Stewart, who retreated to assistant coach Olaf Lange during the subsequent stoppage.

Granted a chance to slither into history, Stewart and Lange settled on a reptilian simile.

"Before I made the free throws, I missed two free throws. I was like, no, I can't do this again, I can't," Stewart recalled. "I have to be here. Olaf, him and I have talked about being a python, where it's like you know your moment when to strike. At that moment, I was just thinking about being a python."

The ensuing freebies turned out to be quite venomous for Minnesota's title chances: Stewart sank the pair and later secured the ball off MVP Jonquel Jones' tip in the overtime period. She found Ionescu, who connected with Leonie Fiebich for the three-pointer that gave New York a permanent lead and sent Brooklyn into hysterics.

"She did miss two free throws, which is rare for her," Liberty head coach and Lange's wife Sandy Brondello said. "But in that five seconds to go, she said, "I'm going to make them." I'm like, good. I was praying (laughs), but it worked."

Sunday stood as semisweet redemption for Stewart, who frequently spoke of her regret of not taking the final shot of the 2023 Finals, when New York dropped a four-game decision to Las Vegas, including a 70-69 finale in Brooklyn.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

Stewart was not immune to the offensive struggles Sunday presented (13 points on 4-of-15 from the field) but was pleased to leave a championship impact: Stewart had 15 rebounds in the clincher, almost single-handedly accounting for New York's plus-11 advantage on the glass against Collier and Alanna Smith.

"I came in with a game plan of, like, it doesn't matter (what I do)," Stewart said. "I want to play defense. I want to rebound. I want to do the little things, and I'll continue to be aggressive and shoot my shots. But if they're not falling, they're not falling. I'm not going to let that affect the way I do things, so (it's all about) continuing to be there for my team."

Stewart's next order of business is a "bonkers" celebration across New York City, which is slated to go down on Thursday: the Liberty will parade down the Canyon of Heroes in a ticker-tape parade before they're regaled at City Hall in Manhattan. They'll return to Brooklyn to celebrate with their fan at a ticketed event at Barclays Center in the evening.

Make sure you bookmark All Knicks for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Brunson Takes Blame For Boston Beatdown
• Hart Won't "Entertain" Bridges Narrative
• Celtics Earn Rings, History vs. Knicks
• Insider: Knicks Interested In Former Lakers Shooter
• Playoff Loss Still Haunts Brunson