Courtney Williams and her Minnesota Lynx teammates split their first two games on the road against the New York Liberty in the best-of-five WNBA Finals.
On the whole, they enjoyed the trip. They appreciated playing in New York.
But they would love it if they did not return.
The Lynx and Liberty will battle for a 2-1 edge in the series when they tip off in Game 3 on Wednesday night. The teams will remain in Minneapolis for Game 4.
The Lynx erased an 18-point deficit on their way to posting a 95-93 overtime win in Game 1. The Liberty bounced back in Game 2, pulling away for an 80-66 victory.
Liberty star Breanna Stewart said of her team, “We got our rhythm and momentum back in Game 2. (We were) just kind of picking up things offensively and defensively, bringing them to another level and knowing that it’s not going to get any easier from here.
Minnesota’s Napheesa Collier leads the WNBA with an average of 25.2 points per game in the playoffs. She also is averaging 9.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.2 blocks and 1.7 steals as the Lynx’s do-everything leader in the postseason.
Stewart is the Liberty’s top performer with 19.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in the playoffs. Teammate Sabrina Ionescu is averaging 19.8 points, 5.0 boards and 4.9 assists.
Ionescu said New York had a good read on what Minnesota was doing on defense.
Meanwhile, the Lynx feel fully capable of defending the Liberty — as well as defending their home court in front of fans ready to see their first WNBA Finals action since 2017.
