Holding Court
Everyone's favorite dawg (top, little, under, or otherwise).
Courtney Williams is on everyone’s lips, but her basketball prowess is nothing new.
This WNBA finals has been nothing short of insanity. Between buzzer beaters, over time, and the second longest shot in WNBA Finals history, my blood pressure has been high.1
There are so many stories in this finals series, particularly about Napheesa Collier (Lynx) and Breanna Stewart (Liberty). The pair have lots in common: They are former UConn teammates and current business partners, founding Unrivaled, the new 3x3 league set to start in Miami in January.2 The finals are exposing many open wounds as well, the Liberty losing to the Las Vegas Aces in last year’s championship, and the Lynx’s seven year dry run, after a seven year finals run. The Liberty have never won a championship. The Lynx have won 4. Collier was the MVP runner up this year, Stewart the 2023 MVP winner. The Liberty have been in first place all season, but the Lynx won the Commissioner’s Cup against them this year. But none of these things matter to me.3
The story I care most about is Courtney Williams’. I have been telling anyone who will listen, that Williams is someone to watch. Williams has been a hardcore player for many years. She was a first round draft pick to the Phoenix Mercury, and was traded to Connecticut Sun the same year. After a brief stint with the Atlanta Dream, Williams went back to the Sun and helped lead them to the finals where they lost to the Las Vegas Aces in 2022.4 She then went to the Chicago Sky, for a year but “made it out” with Lynx teammate Alanna Smith. Sure five teams in nine years is a lot, but Courtney didn’t always have teams trying to get to her. When she was in high school, she only had one college offer, and was most likely going to join the military after graduating.5 Yet here she is, 12 years later, on the cusp of winning a WNBA Championship. Maybe it was her Folkston, GA accent that charmed me, or maybe her intensity in dancing the electric slide after home game wins, but something told me Courtney was clutch and I haven’t been able to watch anyone else. And after game 1 of this finals, I no longer have to tell anyone about it.
With just one day for travel and rest, the Lynx arrived to Brooklyn with something to prove. And prove they did. I had been nannying all day, deleted Instagram, and turned off WNBA app notifications, patiently waiting to get to watch the most anticipated match up of the year. Call it coastal allegiance, or just wanting to see an insane finals series, but I have been pulling for the Minnesota Lynx, knowing that they could force a five game series.
The Liberty came out hot and lead for 35 minutes. With only 5 minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Lynx were down 15 points. But I knew the game wasn’t over. Point by point, the Lynx chipped away and suddenly, with ten seconds on the clock, it’s 80-83. One shot game. Courtney shoots a three, it misses. Rebound to Alanna Smith with 7.2 seconds on the clock. Smith passes back to Williams. 6.4 seconds. Courtney shoots from behind the line again as Sabrina Ionescu tries to block, fouling Williams. The ball goes in. Foul on Ionescu, Williams makes the free throw. 4. Point. Play.
For the first time ever in the WNBA playoffs, a team down by 15 points with 5 minutes left in the game, took the lead.6 With only a couple more seconds left to go, the Liberty managed to tie up the game and go to overtime. And for five more minutes, Courtney was on fire. She led her team in points (23) and assists (5) that game, helping the Lynx take game 1 in Brooklyn.
The Liberty took the next two games, one in Brooklyn and one in Minneapolis. Game 3 had a similar clutch shot, this time from Sabrina Ionescu. The Lynx and the Liberty were tied at 77 and with 3.2 seconds left, Ionescu shot a logo three and won the game. Ionescu made history, taking the second longest game winning shot, 28ft, in WNBA Finals history. First place going to Theresa Weatherspoon in 1999 at 47.1ft.7
On Friday, the Lynx pulled out a win, tying the series and forcing a game five in New York. Leading in assists (7) and coming second in points (15), Williams yet again, was an integral part of the Lynx forcing a game five. Their game 4 strategy had to adapt to what their starters needed, calling on their bench earlier than they had in other games. Starters like Williams were absolutely gassed by this game, so Coach Cheryl Reeve needed to give them time to rest. Plus after a back injury from Alanna Smith in game 3, and a hand injury from Natisha Hiedeman during game 4, players like Dorka Juhasz and Ceci Zandalasini upped their minutes and assisted the Lynx to a win.8 Even with fewer minutes in this game than the rest of the playoff run, Williams shined.
In the playoff run alone, Williams has gone from an average of 11.1 points per game to 14.6, 5.5 assists per game to 6.1, and 0.9 steals to 1.3. Though not originally a point guard, Williams has demonstrated how fluid the game of women’s basketball can be.9 Leading the team in assists this season, Williams is an assassin on the court. Her mid-range shot is lethal and so entertaining to watch. Maddy, (@wnbadata) explains it far better than I can.
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More than her stats, Courtney caused some big problems for the Liberty. Despite not bringing size against the Liberty, she still posed a challenge: Who can block her? Williams joins my list of favorite players, all of whom just so happen to also be 5’8”.10 Players like Williams and Courtney Vandersloot are so fun to watch on the court, weaving in and out, putting up threes from the corners, always showing up where they’re least expected. Sure the Liberty are “bigs,” (their starting 5 height averaging 6’2” compared to the Lynx whose starting 5 height average 6’0”), but some see this as a curse as well.11 Because a player like Williams poses less of a height advantage, defenders often underestimate their prowess. Unlike a Breanna Stewart (6’4”) or a Jonquel Jones (6’7”), who requires serious height to get a clean block, Williams forces the Liberty to either give up their height, or give up a strong offensive player to guard Williams. She has proven her skill all over the court which forces the Liberty to set a big on her.
Besides her gameplay and stats, Williams brings an energy to the game that is unmatched. Described by her coach as “a big part” of why the Lynx made it to playoffs and someone you can “say anything to,” Cheryl Reeve gushes about Courtney often.12 For a longtime player first time Lynx, Williams embodies “Lynx basketball.” Her dad, Don, who is at every game, has been a breakout star of the WNBA postseason as well. Most notably, there have been rumours that he couldn’t sit courtside during the semis against the Sun in Connecticut because he was trash talking, which if true, is hilarious. He also has been doing tunnel walks with Courtney into each game and is the cheerleader every team wishes they had. He believes in Courtney in a way that I think we all hope our parents believe in us.
Though I can’t see into the future, I can guarantee tonight’s game may be the best game of basketball played this season. No matter how it ends, with the Liberty finally going for glory and winning a championship, or the Lynx breaking their seven year long dry spell, I know Courtney Williams will leave it all on the court. Because Williams is in her bag, and that bag is a Birkin 50.
See you all after game 5!
A buzzer beater is when a shot is successfully made right when the clock runs out (and in both cases, has shifted the tides for the games)
They just signed a huge TV deal making Unrivaled streamable on Max, TNT, and TruTV. So now not only will Unrivaled be the highest paid professional women’s sports league, but it will also be the easiest to watch.
Hyperbole…I obviously care a lot
Natisha Hiedeman still managed to play 11 minutes and bag 2 assists with a completely taped up hand.
The whole interview is amazing but hearing Courtney explain how her game has changed since joining the Lynx this year is so cool! Also fun fact, Chiney Ogwumike, former WNBA player and the woman interviewing Williams, just signed a four year extension with ESPN, making her the first woman to work full time “across ‘NBA Countdown’ and ‘WNBA Countdown.’” GO CHINEY!!!
Kelsey Plum, Courtney Vandersloot, and Arike Ogunbowale to name a few.
Just one of the many press conferences where Reeve discusses Williams’ power on the court, but off of it as well.