Courtney Williams deserves her flowers NOW for her heroic performance during Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.
Ahead of Thursday’s showdown with the New York Liberty, I tried to warn the masses about Williams and her prowess when I dove into the WNBA Finals storylines. Not only is Williams a mid-range menace — I’m always stunned when she actually misses a jump shot — but she’s been ON FIRE from 3-point range during the playoffs.
Williams typically doesn’t take a lot of 3-point buckets. But they are always timely when she does, including a colossal shot she nailed on Thursday night. The New York Liberty’s defense collapsed during the final five minutes in regulation, allowing Minnesota to erase a 15-point lead. An otherworldly shot from Courtney punctuated the night as she totally NAILED a bucket for the ages and the ensuing free throw after Sabrina Ionescu fouled her.
COURTNEY. WILLIAMS. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/hM2ekaMKYN
— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) October 11, 2024
@wnba Courtney Williams got that dog in her in case you didn’t know 🐶 Williams scored big buckets for the @Minnesota Lynx which helped propel her squad to the Game 1 dub Final stats: 23 PTS, 5 REB, 5 AST #wnba
The following moments, including a missed free throw by Breanna Stewart, sent the game to overtime, where the Lynx completed its improbable comeback. Rightfully so, a lot of folks were HYPED.
However, that colossal win would not have happened without Courtney Williams. And what was the takeaway from the night? Per Noa Dalzell of SB Nation, Celtics Coach Joe Mazzulla bluntly and hysterically explained not to foul.
Joe Mazzulla said the Celtics watched Courtney Williams’ four-point play this morning.
Asked him what they took away from that:
“Don’t foul on a four-point play” 😭 pic.twitter.com/yGnUqWsje7
— Noa Dalzell 🏀 (@NoaDalzell) October 11, 2024
Mazzulla likely said that jokingly, but his somewhat serious undertones should be noted. You DO NOT want to find yourself on the receiving end of someone with a propensity to score at will with the game on the line.
Napheesa Collier, Kayla McBride, and other key players from the Lynx will continue to deliver, but Courtney Williams’ clutch production changes the Lynx-Liberty series. On Thursday, she had 11 clutch points down the stretch, bumping her total to 13 during the WNBA playoffs and signaling that if she continues to play at such a high level, the Lynx could win another championship.
Courtney Williams had 11 clutch time points tonight, as many as anyone else has in the entire playoffs lol pic.twitter.com/wj9lNjrn1r
— Calvin Wetzel (@cwetzel31) October 11, 2024
