The New York Liberty finally got over the hump and won the franchise's first ever WNBA championship last season. They had to take down the Minnesota Lynx to do it, however, which was no easy task.
These two franchises picked up right where they left off, which was largely expected considering how the offseason went. The Lynx lost nobody of note, and the Liberty quickly replaced Courtney Vandersloot with Natasha Cloud.
Both teams have begun the 2025 season with 7-0 records, but this will not last. No team will finish an entire WNBA season undefeated, especially with 44 games this year, so it is simply a matter of who will lose first. The 2016 Minnesota Lynx hold the record for longest win streak to start a season, going 13-0.
Lynx vs. Liberty: Who loses first?
In looking at both teams' upcoming schedules, the Lynx are more likely to lose first. Not only do they play on Tuesday and the Liberty play on Thursday, but the level of opponents that the two teams play are quite different.
On Tuesday, the Lynx will have to take on the 5-2 Phoenix Mercury, who they narrowly escaped from the other night. Granted, they were on the road and did not have Napheesa Collier, but the Mercury are still a difficult team to beat, especially twice within days.
By contrast, the Liberty do not play until Thursday, and they will face off against the Washington Mystics. While the Mystics have surprised some folks this season, they are still below .500 and have only beat one good team this season.
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The following two games are no picnic for the Lynx either, as they have to play consecutive games on the road against the Dallas Wings and Seattle Storm. Minnesota has struggled against Dallas this year, and it is always difficult to beat the Storm at Climate Pledge Arena.
New York's next two games will be against the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever, who may or may not have Caitlin Clark back by that point. Even with Clark, the Liberty took down the Fever last month, and the Sky got dismantled by New York in the first week of the season.
Minnesota has a relatively easy stretch after the Storm game, as they'll return home for a three-game home stand. New York, by contrast, will face the Dream and Mercury at home before playing four consecutive road contests, three of which are on the West Coast.
While the Lynx may be the first of these two teams to lose, they have ample time to catch up toward the end of the month. Once again, it appears that these teams are on a collision course to face off in the WNBA Finals.