The Minnesota Lynx punched their ticket to the WNBA Finals on Tuesday night with an 88-77 win over the Connecticut Sun. Their reward? To face the best team in the league, the New York Liberty, who are rested and on their home court.

The Lynx have a legacy to uphold: They haven’t been to the finals since 2017, but they won it that year, capping off a streak of dominance in which they won four championships in seven seasons.

The Liberty, on the other hand, have been to the finals five times and have yet to clinch a title. They made it to this finals after putting away the team that folded their hopes of a title last year in four games, the Las Vegas Aces.

New York is a bastion of talent, with multiple former MVPs in Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, plus stars Courtney Vandersloot and Sabrina Ionescu. For the Liberty and its All-Stars, this year has been about a championship or nothing.

The Lynx already beat expectations by making it to the finals. In the preseason, the Lynx were ninth in the odds to win it all, well behind the Liberty, Aces, Seattle Storm and Connecticut Sun at the top.

But they have championship-caliber talent, too. Two-time Olympic gold medalist Napheesa Collier has been playing lights-out this season and is one of the favorites to win Finals MVP.

The WNBA Finals is a best-of-five series starting in New York on Thursday night. We’ve got odds for the title and Game 1.

Plus, our WNBA experts Sabreena Merchant and Ben Pickman share their picks for title winner and Finals MVP.

WNBA Finals schedule

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Merchant: New York had no answers for Minnesota’s offense during the regular season, but the starting lineup switch for Leonie Fiebich — who has been a plus-minus queen all season — should turn the tide in the Liberty’s favor. Liberty in 5 and Breanna Stewart for Finals MVP since she’ll have to bear the brunt of guarding Napheesa Collier.

Pickman: Minnesota has the depth, length and talent to match New York, but margins in series can be small, and the discrepancy on the glass — the Liberty are an excellent offensive rebounding team, while the Lynx struggle on the defensive glass — could give just a few extra possessions to the Liberty. A rest, homecourt and schedule advantage entering the series should also help New York get off to a fast start. Liberty in 4 and Sabrina Ionescu as Finals MVP, capping off her stellar playoffs.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, WNBA, Sports Betting

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