Sports
New York Liberty, Minnesota Lynx look to reset for Game 2 after WNBA Finals’ chaotic opener
NEW YORK — It’s Thursday night, the final buzzer sounds, media obligations are over, phones are blowing up with messages from anyone and everyone, and one of the most dramatic and memorable WNBA Finals games in league history is in the rearview.
Now what?
You can attempt to live in the emotional high (or low) as long as possible, savoring the joy or remembering the pain for motivation. Or flush everything away and move forward, knowing that at least two more games remain in the series.
One thing Lynx and Liberty players had in common after Thursday’s epic Game 1 overtime win by the Lynx: many of them turned to the film. Even before the teams got together Saturday to regroup before Game 2, several players had to see the game again.
“I didn’t sleep till like 3:30 that night,” Lynx guard Kayla McBride said. “I told everybody my soul left my body when Courtney (Williams) made that 3. I had to watch the game in order to calm down.”
we’re not satisfied with one win. pic.twitter.com/ifWDJoQSWl
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) October 12, 2024
Courtney Vandersloot felt similarly after New York’s loss. Even though she wanted to be intentional about looking ahead to the great opportunity they still have in this series, she had to watch the ending once more with her wife, former WNBA champion Allie Quigley.
“We went back together and watched the last five minutes and overtime, which we usually wouldn’t do that, but there were a couple of things that we were analyzing and disagreeing on,” Vandersloot said. “I think that if we didn’t, we wouldn’t have been able to sleep. So it was kind of like let’s get it out there, let’s figure it out.”
Breanna Stewart wanted to see her missed free throw with 0.8 seconds left in regulation, the one that would have given New York the win, to make sure that she hadn’t strayed from her routine. Leonie Fiebich went through the full game three more times because it was playing over and over in her head regardless.
Lynx star Napheesa Collier, who hit the game-winner in overtime, didn’t want to watch her fadeaway over Jonquel Jones more than a couple times and stayed away from social media. But Williams didn’t have that same luxury. Despite wanting to move on to Game 2, the biggest shot of the night kept replaying around her.
“My daddy overdosed on it,” Williams said. “Even if I didn’t want to watch it, he was overdosing.”
Beyond Quigley and Don Williams, the other families and friends played a big part in the players being able to decompress from the theatrics of Game 1.
Stewart said her kids don’t notice whether she wins or loses, though she finds herself less prone to profanity in the aftermath of losses – even when her reaction to the late misses was “WTF” – because she doesn’t want the little ones hearing swear words. She also had former teammate Sue Bird and Nancy Lieberman reach out, both essentially telling her to bounce back. Sabrina Ionescu had 25 family members from California in attendance to help her think about something other than basketball. Although she said her husband’s optimism can sometimes be annoying, she acknowledged that it was helpful to have positive affirmations from the people around her.
Minnesota coach Cheryl Reeve’s family took her to watch “The Lion King” musical in between hours of breaking down film. Her mind wandered during the production, which she had seen previously, but she powered through because she and her wife wanted their son to see his first Broadway show. Many of her players ended up seeing “The Notebook” — Bridget Carleton noted that the first choice, “Wicked,” was sold out – on what ended up being their first true off day in multiple weeks.
Ultimately, the off day doesn’t matter as much as what the Liberty and Lynx will do in Game 2. Stewart and Ionescu both said what made it easiest to move on was that they saw numerous ways for New York to be better than in the opener. They saw opportunities to improve their pace and increase the number of off-ball actions, both of which are in line with how the Liberty played up until this point.
And Minnesota was already thinking about how its last series went, when Connecticut stole Game 1 on the road but lost in five. If the Lynx don’t close out this series, the heroics of Game 1 will diminish and whatever high they were riding Thursday will be lost to history. In the playoffs, there is only so much time to live in the moment. Another game is always on the horizon.
“We’re definitely not coming in thinking we have this thing won,” Collier said. “We were able to steal that game but it means nothing. It means they’re going to come out even hungrier in Game 2. It’s going to be a battle.”
— The Athletic‘s Ben Pickman contributed reporting to this story.
(Photo of Kayla McBride and Sabrina Ionescu: Nathaniel S. Butler / NBAE via Getty Images)
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Conor Daly’s race team got a bit more than they bargained for at the Indianapolis 500 over the weekend as the IndyCar driver copped to a gross act on Monday night during the victory banquet.
The Indy 500 was delayed nearly an hour because of rain. Drivers were forced to sit in their cars on the frontstretch until officials gave them the all-clear to begin racing. Because of the delay, Daly said he just could not hold his urine in anymore.
IndyCar Series driver Conor Daly, #76, during the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 25, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images)
“I want to thank my mechanics specifically, because there’s been a lot of talk tonight and I saw on the internet as well – a lot of toilet talk and maybe some using of the bathroom,” Daly said. “We had to wait a long time before the race. Never in my life have I urinated in my race car until Sunday.
“I was sitting on the grid, and I was like, ‘This is the best car I’ve ever been in, in my whole life. I’m gonna have to pee in this thing.’ I kid you not, I legitimately urinated in my race car before the race even started.”
Daly said he had to go “really bad” and admitted he sat through the entire race in his own urine. He said he “came clean” with his mechanics after the race was over.
Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly, #76, sits on the wall after practice for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis on May 19, 2025. (Grace Hollars-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
INDY 500 RUNNER-UP MARCUS ERICSSON, OTHERS PUSHED TO REAR FOLLOWING FAILED POST-RACE INSPECTION
“It was an embarrassing moment. I didn’t think I’d have to get there. (James) Hinchcliffe told me about that once but, anyway, now you guys all know.”
Daly finished eighth after starting out in 11th. The Juncos Hollinger Racing driver led 13 laps and appeared to have one of the quickest vehicles on the track.
Juncos Hollinger Racing driver Conor Daly, #76, high-fives crew members on Saturday, May 17, 2025, during qualifying for the 109th running of the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. (Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
However, it was Alex Palou who got the last laugh and won the race for the first time in his career.
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There’s no holding back for Tuesday’s Southern Section Division 1 baseball semifinals. The quarterfinals were full of drama and close games. Now comes the real fun: Ace vs. ace, top team vs. top team.
It will be St. John Bosco hosting Corona on its new field and Santa Margarita hosting Crespi. Here’s four players who could be difference makers:
Jackson Eisenhauer, Crespi. He started the season without allowing any earned runs in 51 innings. He missed Crespi’s 2023 Division 2 championship season because of an injury. He throws strikes, has a sweeping curveball and is cool under pressure.
Brennan Bauer, Santa Margarita. He has the most pitching wins in school history, going 22-4. He’s good whether starting or relieving and will be needed at some point in a game that figures to be close and nerve-wracking.
Anthony Murphy, Corona. The junior center fielder and lead-off batter has come on strong, batting .426 with a team high 11 home runs on a team filled with pro prospects. The only time the 28-2 Panthers have lost were by shutouts, so you either deal with Murphy or go down to defeat. Corona has 16 shutout victories and will have Seth Hernandez (18-0 in two years) on the mound.
Noah Everly, St. John Bosco. The junior is batting .361 with three home runs and 26 RBIs. He also can pitch. When he has a big day at the plate, the Trinity League champs are tough to beat and he’ll need to do something against Hernandez and his 98 mph fastball.
The winners advance to the championship game at Cal State Fullerton to be Friday or Saturday.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
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More than 7 million viewers tuned in to watch Alex Palou win the first Indianapolis 500 of his career over the weekend, FOX Sports announced on Monday.
The race garnered 7.05 million viewers, FOX Sports said, citing Nielsen fast national ratings. The company added that it had 8.4 million viewers at its peak between 4 p.m. ET and 4:15 p.m. ET.
Indianapolis 500 champion Alex Palou, of Spain, poses with the Borg-Warner Trophy during the traditional winners photo session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Monday, May 26, 2025. (Michael Conroy/AP Photo)
It was the most-watched Indianapolis 500 in 17 years, according to FOX Sports. The last Indy 500 to draw comparable viewership was the 2008 race, which garnered an audience of 7.245 million. FOX Sports said viewership was up 40% from last year’s race.
It was the first year FOX broadcast the Indianapolis 500.
INDY 500 POLE-SITTER CRASHES INTO CREW MEMBERS ON PIT ROAD: ‘REALLY SCARY’
Alex Palou, of Spain, celebrates with fans after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (Michael Conroy/AP Photo)
Palou passed Marcus Ericsson with 14 laps to go in the race and held him and the rest of the pack at bay to win the race. It was the fifth win of the 2025 season for Palou and the first time a Spaniard had won the Indy 500.
Palou started the race in sixth position on the second row on the outside of Scott Dixon and next to Felix Rosenqvist. He needed to work hard to get to the front as persistent droplets of rain and several caution flags came out, which could have halted his momentum at any time.
Alex Palou, of Spain, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Sunday, May 25, 2025. (AJ Mast/AP Photo)
As the race came down to the end, he got his opportunity to move around Ericsson. He had some lap traffic in front of him, but they didn’t appear to hinder Palou’s ability to win at all. For Palou, it was jubilation down the frontstretch with the anticipation of kissing the bricks and some ice-cold milk to cool him off after the grueling event.
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