Despite being one of the league’s original teams and making it to the WNBA Finals five times, the New York Liberty never won a championship. That changed on Sunday night, when the Liberty capped off their sixth Finals appearance with the first ring in franchise history thanks to a thrilling, 67-62 overtime victory in Game 5 over the Minnesota Lynx.
Everyone in the Barclays Center who wasn’t affiliated with the Lynx began celebrating the moment the clock hit zero in the extra period. Meanwhile, presumably somewhere else in the U.S., the folks at Nike prepared to roll out the ad that they made to celebrate the win. It hit the airwaves right as ESPN went to commercial, and it’s one of the simplest (but best) ads to celebrate a champion that you will ever see.
This marked the second year in a row that the Liberty made it to the WNBA Finals. Last season, the team fell to the Las Vegas Aces in four games, but were able to get revenge on their road to a championship this year. The team started off their run by beating the Atlanta Dream in two games before beating the Aces in four games in the semifinals.
The first four games of the 2024 WNBA Finals were nothing short of spectacular, with both teams winning games with big comebacksby way of late game heroics. Fittingly, Game 5 in New York continued the trend of closely fought battles, as the winner-take-all battle needed overtime to decide a new champion, with the Liberty coming back one last time for a 67-62 win in OT.
As so often happens in the final game of a series, Game 5 was a rock fight. Minnesota pulled ahead early, as Kayla McBride got hot from three, and took a 19-10 lead in the first quarter as New York’s stars were ice cold to start the game. The Liberty would settle in for the middle quarters, led by Jonquel Jones and Nyara Sabally, taking the lead for the first time in the third quarter as they locked down themselves with a 20-10 quarter to take a three-point lead to the fourth.
In that fourth quarter, the tension ratcheted up even further and the headlining stars from both teams made their presence known. Sabrina Ionescu started the game 0-for-15, but made her first shot when the Liberty absolutely had to have it, burying a deep three to give New York the lead — then found Breanna Stewart, who struggled shooting herself, for a layup to go up 4.
From there, things got really wild in the final minute of the game. Breanna Stewart got fouled and missed two free throws with a chance to tie the game, but New York got the rebound and kicked it out to Ionescu, who couldn’t find the range. The rebound got tied up between Jones and Courtney Williams, with the Lynx purposefully getting a violation to set their defense and the Liberty again fed Ionescu for a three, which again went begging. The Liberty then opted against fouling and got a miss from Collier on a drive with Stewart defending (and Collier wanting a foul), and called their reset timeout to advance the ball with 5 seconds to play.
On the inbound, they found Stewart who appeared to maybe travel (but perhaps just bobbled the ball) and then drew a foul on Alanna Smith that was dubious enough to get challenged by Minnesota. The call stood on review because refs deemed Smith wasn’t in legal guarding position for contact down low, even though the contact up top appeared to be hand on ball/hand. Despite the protests of the Lynx, fans, and even LeBron James, Stewart was able to hit her free throws this time around to tie things up once again.
McBride got a clean look from three to win the game at the top of the key, but wasn’t able to hit, sending the game to overtime. On the opening possession of overtime, Leonie Fiebich hit the second three of the game for the Liberty, and that ultimately proved to be the decisive bucket.
Leonie Fiebich drains the corner triple to open up OT
Minnesota could only muster two points in the entire overtime period (both on free throws), as New York’s defense locked down and the Lynx had trouble connecting on passes to even create decent shot attempt, much less hit them as they went without a field goal (0-for-6) in the 5-minute OT. The Liberty, meanwhile, made just two buckets but it was enough to get the win, as Fiebich’s three and a Sabally steal-and-score were the difference — with Stewart, a bit ironically, icing the game at the line.
Collier (22 points and 7 rebounds) and McBride (21 points and five assists) were terrific for the Lynx, but the rest of the team struggled to provide much support, scoring 19-combined across the rest of the roster. As a team they shot 37.1 percent from the field, and they just seemed to run out of gas for overtime.
On the other side, Jones (17 points and six rebounds) kept the ship steady while Stewart and Ionescu couldn’t buy a bucket, and earned Finals MVP honors for her consistent performance in the series, averaging just over 17 points and 7 rebounds per game in the five games. Alongside Jones, Fiebich (13 points) and Sabally (13 points) provided huge lifts in place of their other stars, as the Liberty were able to flex their depth en route to the win. Ionescu finished with just five points on an impossible 1-for-19 shooting night, but did dish out eight assists and seemed content towards the end to just kind of run the show and facilitate. Stewart finished with 13 points and 15 boards, and while she was just 4-of-15 from the field and had the notable free throw misses, she got to redeem herself at the line twice to force OT and then ice the win.
There will, of course, be plenty of discussion of the officiating of Game 5, as the Lynx shot just eight free throws to the Liberty’s 25, with the foul on Stewart that allowed New York to force OT leading the discussion. That might fuel plenty of chatter in Minnesota and nationally, but in New York they’ll simply celebrate the culmination of their year-long mission to get back to the Finals and summit that mountaintop.
Game 5 of the WNBA Finals needed more than 40 minutes to determine a champion. The New York Liberty played host to the Minnesota Lynx on Sunday night at the Barclays Center, and after a Napheesa Collier layup with just over a minute remaining, Minnesota found itself in the driver’s seat to take a championship on their flight back home.
Breanna Stewart missed a pair of free throws on the ensuing Liberty possession, and after the two teams traded misses, New York had the ball with six seconds left. The team went to Stewart, who drew a controversial foul on Alanna Smith while she was in the act of shooting to head back to the line.
Cheryl Reeve challenged the call, which seemed awfully harsh against Smith, but the referees upheld their decision and sent Stewart to the line. A player of her caliber wasn’t going to let a chance at redemption go, so she knocked them both down to tie things up. LeBron James saw all of this and couldn’t help but hop onto Twitter and express his disapproval with the officials’ decision.
“I’m sorry but that wasn’t a foul!” James tweeted. “Let the damn players dictate the outcome of a close battled tested game.”
The Lynx were able to get a pretty good look after this, as Kayla McBride got a look from the top of the key. Unfortunately for Minnesota, her shot did not go in, and the game went to overtime.
This weekend is an important one for a number of young players around the NBA, as the deadline for players entering the last year of their rookie contract to sign an extension is Monday at 6 p.m. ET. While the max contract guys got locked up earlier this summer — Scottie Barnes, Franz Wagner, and Cade Cunningham — the rest of the Class of 2021 is still negotiating up through the deadline.
The Golden State Warriors have two players eligible for extensions, with Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody both lottery picks in 2021. Kuminga has played more than Moody in recent years and figures to have a larger role on this year’s team, but that also complicates matters as he sees himself as a max extension caliber player while the Warriors would prefer to see more from him in an expanded role before giving him that kind of contract commitment. Moody, meanwhile, has had his role vary through his first three years, never finding a firm foothold in Steve Kerr’s rotation and still having questions about exactly how much he’ll play this coming year even with the departure of Klay Thompson.
Even with that uncertainty, Moody and the Warriors were able to come to an extension agreement on Sunday night, as the former Arkansas star signed a 3-year, $39 million extension to stay in Golden State, per Shams Charania. There are no options on the deal, so it’s a fully guaranteed $39 million for Moody, who gets some financial security and won’t have to worry about getting squeezed next year in restricted free agency.
Last year, Moody averaged 8.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game on 46/36/79 shooting splits. If he establishes himself as a regular contributor to the rotation this year, his contract could be a good value for the Warriors going forward.
The San Francisco 49ers have not figured out how to get wins against the Kansas City Chiefs, losing to Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid in two of the last five Super Bowls, including a thrilling Chiefs comeback last season. On Sunday, the 5-0 Chiefs rolled into Levi’s Stadium to face the 3-3 Niners, who were in need of a big win to build some confidence that this team can get back to a championship level.
That did not happen, as Brock Purdy had a rough afternoon against Steve Spagnuolo’s defense, tossing three interceptions, and eventually the dam broke on the other side of the ball with the Chiefs pulling away to a 28-18 win. Throughout the game, things were chippy in the Super Bowl rematch, and with the Niners down 16 points in the final minutes, Chiefs defensive back Bryan Cook got into it with the last person on the Niners roster any sane person would try to fight, Trent Williams.
Cook threw a little punch to Williams helmet while the big man was on the ground that the refs naturally did not see, but what they did see was the All-Pro tackle stand up and drill Cook with a much stronger punch to the helmet.
Williams was hit with a 15-yard penalty and ejected after the refs separated the two teams as they came together, which wasn’t really a huge deal with the game effectively over barring a true miracle. As Tom Brady points out on the broadcast, messing with Trent is not the best idea, and Cook probably got lucky all he got was clocked upside the helmet. As always, I must note, it’s a bit funny when guys punch each other in the helmet as you’re far more likely to injure your hand than the person you’re punching, but Williams is one of the few guys in the league who can probably do some real damage clubbing someone upside the head even with a helmet on.
Layoffs have impacted every industry, but the entertainment sector has been hit extremely hard. Gucci Mane admits to to monitoring these shakeups.
Now, the “TakeDat” rapper announced upcoming updates to his 1017 Records roster. On October 18, Gucci Mane took to his official Instagram to outline his pending decision.
“I just seen my P&L (profits and losses) with all my artists,” he said. “You know it’s a whole sh*t show in the industry right now, but when I’m looking at my P&L, and me being a businessman, I think that I’m going to have to release almost all my artists, except for Pooh Shiesty and Foogiano.”
Prior to Gucci Mane’s video, 1017 Records lineup reportedly consisted of Bigwalkdog, Brezden, Foofiano, Hotboy Wes, Kato2x, Li Rye, Lil Zay, and Mac Critter. Sadly, several acts including Enchanting and Big Scarr tragically died from drug overdoses. Currently, Pooh Shiesty and Foogiano are serving time behind bars for separate legal cases.
Gucci Mane went on to say: “This is a decision I didn’t want to make. I thought about it. I could keep all of them under the contract. But I said hey, fuck it. Let’s just make the unselfish decision, and let them take their talents elsewhere.”
Before you find yourself upset at the news, Gucci claimed to have “already reached out” to those he intend to drop. However, Gucci remains steadfast that he is still “looking for new talent” to join both Pooh Shiesty and Foogiano, and that remains where he plans to focus his efforts.
Still users online took to his comment section to urge aspiring acts to stay away claiming his record label is “cursed.” This is a claim Gucci Mane’s wife Keyshia Ka’Oir previously slammed.
Alongside her brother, frequent collaboration, and fellow musician Finneas, the sibling duo brought the track’s heaviness to life as the late night show’s deep sea blue lighting took over their set.
“Well, good things don’t last / And life moves so fast / I’d never ask who was better / ‘Cause she couldn’t be / More different from me / Happy and free in leather / And I know that you love me / You don’t need to remind me / Wanna put it all behind me, but baby,” sang Billie.
Although Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard And Soft: The Tour‘s production level is much grander than Saturday Night Live, the simplistic approach to the late night cameo nailed the track’s core meaning.
Watch Billie Eilish’s performance of “Wildflower” on Saturday Night Live alongside Finneas above.
Hit Me Hard And Soft is out now via Darkroom/Interscope Records. Find more information here.
Last night, Billie Eilish took to the Saturday Night Live stage to perform her airy fan-favorite single, “Birds Of A Feather.” Despite the increasing whispers of a split between the siblings, Finneas can be seen jamming out alongside his sister.
To the dismay of supporters, the official video for “Birds Of A Feather” lacked their imagined environmental elements. So, for Billie Eilish’s live performance of the record for SNL, she gave into fans demands with an immersive cloud set which served as a stellar backdrop for Billie Eilish’s dreamy vocals.
The meaning behind the track is remains up in the air, with Billie Eilish telling : “It doesn’t matter what I wrote it about, what Finneas wrote it about…it really doesn’t matter, as long as you interpret it the way you need to.”
At least viewers of the late night performance can rest well knowing their interpretation of the song influenced Billie Eilish’s SNL set design.
Watch Billie Eilish’s performance of “Birds Of A Feather” alongside Finneas for Saturday Night Live above.
Hit Me Hard And Soft is out now via Darkroom/Interscope Records. Find more information here.
Just as One Direction fans continue to mourn Liam Payne’s death so are the late singer’s band members. For Zayn Malik the “heartbreaking loss” as left him no choice but to take some time to properly grieve.
“Given the heartbreaking loss experienced this week, I’ve made the decision to postpone the US leg of the STAIRWAY TO THE SKY Tour,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter). “The dates are being rescheduled for January, and I’ll post them as soon as it’s all set in the next few days. Your tickets will remain valid for the new dates. Love you all, and thank you for your understanding.”
After Zayn’s touching tribute note, fans believe this decision is for the best considering the tour was scheduled to kick off on October 23. Continue below to view Zayn Malik’s remaining Stairway To The Sky Tour dates across Europe and the UK.
Zayn’s 2024 Tour Dates: Stairway To The Sky Tour
10/23 — San Francisco, CA @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 10/25 — Las Vegas, NV @ The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas 10/27 — Los Angeles, CA @ Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall 10/30 — Washington, DC @ The Anthem 11/02 — New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
11/20 — Edinburgh, United Kingdom @ O2 Academy
11/23 — Leeds, United Kingdom @ O2 Academy
11/24 — Manchester, United Kingdom @ O2 Apollo
11/26 — London, United Kingdom @ Eventim Apollo
11/29 — Wolverhampton, United Kingdom @ Wolverhampton The Halls
12/03 — Newcastle, United Kingdom @ O2 City Hall
Ozzy Osbourne desperate desire to return to the stage has been fulfilled but in a limited way. Although it wasn’t for a set from the metal legend himself, yesterday (October 19) Ozzy Osbourne proudly jammed out as other paid tribute to him during the 2024 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.
Although Ozzy Osbourne’s name can already be found due to his time with Black Sabbath, his solo induction still drew a huge reception.
During the tribute performance (viewable here), Tool’s Maynard James Keenan attacked “Crazy Train” with Wolfgang Van Halen on guitar, Chad Smith on drums, Robert Trujillo on bass, Andrew Watt on rhythm guitar, and Adam Wakeman on keyboards. Jelly Roll and Zakk Wylde came together for a debut of “Mama, I’m Coming Home.” Then Wylde wrapped thing up with a guitar solo of “No More Tears.” On the side lines, Ozzy could be seen singing along.
Read Ozzy Osbourne’s full speech (viewable here) during his 2024 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.
F*cking love you guys. Well, here we are. You know what? I can’t believe I’m here myself. Let me get the thank yous out of the way, because I’m not going to bore you with a long, drawn out f*cking monologue. I’d like to thank whoever voted me into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for my solo work. A great thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
My fans have been so loyal to me over the years, I cannot thank them enough. I’ve been fortunate over the years to play with some of the world’s greatest guitar players, drummers, bass players, and a few of them are here tonight. But I’ve got to say one thing for a guy by the name of Randy Rhoads. If I’d hadn’t have met Randy Rhoads, I don’t think I’d be sitting here now. And more so more than that, my wife Sharon. Saved my life. And my grand babies and my babies. I love them all.
The 2024 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame streamed live on Disney+, but a special featuring the evening’s performances will air on ABC on Jan. 1. Then it will be available for viewing on Hulu. Find more information here.
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