2024 WNBA Finals Game 1 Observations

Game 1 of the WNBA Finals is in the books, and we had an exciting one:  Minnesota beat New York 95-93 in overtime while also wiping away a late 15-point lead.  This game was a lot of fun to watch, and there were several things I saw that are telling from the game.  Rather than have play-by-play type notes, I summarized my notes into 10 observations.

 

There seemed to be some jitters from both teams

It was weird since both teams appeared to be a bit sloppy and lost at points.  There were several shot clock violations where it looked like the teams had no idea how much time was left on the clock (New York had 4 in the game).  Both teams appeared to stray from their offenses at points, most notably Minnesota in the first half, where they appeared to panic anytime the shot clock got down to 10 seconds and then not get up a good look.  While Minnesota appeared to be better with this in the second half, New York struggled with this as Minnesota clawed back.

 

Offensive rebounding is going to be a game changer

Simply put, New York had 19 more shot attempts than Minnesota did due to getting 15 more offensive rebounds.  This really came to fruition in the first quarter, resulting in New York getting off to their massive lead.  That said, the rebounds still came in the second half for New York as well, but they struggled to score as much.  A team who only 37.8% from the field (vs. 50.7% from Minnesota) has no business even being in the game.  In particular, if Jonquel Jones gets rebounds in the position she did several times next to the rim with the defender on her outside, she’s scoring.

 

New York had rotten luck with a lot of shots

Beyond Breanna Stewart’s missed free throw at the end of regulation, I spend a good chunk of the game surprised that another good look for New York missed.  I don’t know the stats on this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they could have scored another 15 points at least on good looks that didn’t fall (Stewart alone had several good looks that didn’t fall).  Obviously, that would have prevented overtime.

 

New York’s offense was not good

Anyone looking at the box score might consider this obvious, but it was even more glaring in the second half of their game.  There were several possessions where New York’s off-ball players just stood there on the weak side.  While I understand forcing an isolation play, there was absolutely no motion, and they couldn’t get a good look when they tried this.  Even when there was a double team, nobody who was open cut in a manner where the ball could be passed to them, which is basketball 101.  There were several missed opportunities which are going to be discussed more in the next observation.

 

New York missed opportunities based on Minnesota’s defensive schemes

After the first quarter (especially in the second half), Minnesota’s defensive adjustments were great and very effective.  That said, there were several moments where I was surprised that New York appeared to miss a massive opportunity due to defensive decisions.  The most notable was how Minnesota defended Jonquel Jones in the second half.  The short answer was that they just threw everyone at her and often doubled her.  There were a few times she saw this and passed it out to an open player, resulting in a good look, but there were more times where she still put a shot up or froze.  While passing out isn’t necessarily the best move on a double team, there were plays where three or four players collapsed onto her (which is almost certainly a miscommunication in most situations), and there was no kick out to an open player.  The other opportunity came from how much Minnesota was sagging off the weak side.  While this was a solid idea given there was now extra coverage on Jones in the middle, there were several situations where these defenders didn’t get more than a step or two closer when the ball was at the top of the key.  Passing it to the now effectively open player on the wing will force the defender to scramble out to the wing, so even if they close in quick enough to prevent a shot, either doing a pump fake and baiting them into a foul or driving right in will put the defense into uncomfortable positions.  While you could argue I’m nitpicking, all points are essential in a game that went to overtime.

 

While Courtney Williams appeared to be the only Minnesota player ready for the moment in the first quarter, they flipped a switch as the game went on

Early in the game, I made several notes about how Minnesota’s only confident player appeared to be Williams.  Napheesa Collier was almost nonexistent on offense, Kayla McBride looked a little frustrated with her shots, Alana Smith was beat on both ends, and I forgot that Bridget Carleton was even in the game.  McBride started hitting shots in the second quarter and looked more comfortable, Smith improved her defense as the game went along, Collier found her groove offensively as she continued to thrive defensively, and Carleton found her ways to be effective as the game went on.  Part of this also might have been exhaustion from playing in Minnesota two days prior.  Fortunately for Minnesota, the bench players didn’t seem overwhelmed by the moment.

 

Jonquel Jones could be the most important player in the series

In the first quarter, Jones dominated the glass and paint, putting Minnesota in shambles, especially when there was a guard switched onto her.  As the game went on, Minnesota threw more players on her, but New York didn’t adjust consistently, as she often looked lost about what to do.  I discussed the decision making by New York on those players in a prayer point, but I think that how dominant she can be throughout a game makes her so interesting to watch.  On top of that, with both teams playing small, she is often the biggest player on the court, which is interesting since she is also so skilled.

 

Courtney Vandersloot is going to be more valuable in this series than I initially thought

I thought bringing Vandersloot off the bench made sense to allow her to operate more on the ball when Ionescu is off the court, which allows New York to have an elite playmaker come in fresh, though her willingness to shoot at points makes her totally different.  The issue is that she has stretches where she won’t shoot; I observed several situations where she passed up open looks, some of which were the best looks that New York would get on the possession.  Her presence is so valuable for the team.

 

New York needs better shot selection from Sabrina Ionescu

I have often been puzzled by Ionescu’s shot selection, but this game felt atrocious.  I was confused by the long 3’s when she struggled to hit them or the value of some of the contested floaters she was taking.  I know that shooters shoot, but she is more than just a shooter.

 

This series is going to be fun

All it took was a massive comeback and an overtime matchup to realize that neither team is quitting easily.

 

 

What did you think about this game?  Let us know in the comments!