Olivia Miles, Lynx on Wrong Side of History with 2026 WNBA Playoff Elimination to 8th Seed Liberty

The Minnesota Lynx made the kind of history no team wants to make Tuesday.

While Minnesota finished with the best record in the WNBA during the regular season, its postseason came to a swift end with an 87-71 loss to the New York Liberty. New York completed the brief two-game sweep and ensured the Lynx were the first No. 1 seed to lose to a No. 8 seed in league history.

Olivia Miles was brilliant for much of the season but struggled with five points on 1-of-8 shooting from the field after she was just 3-of-12 shooting in the Game 1 loss. Napheesa Collier was just 6-of-14 from the field, as the one-two punch of stars was unable to counter New York's dominant trio.

Jonquel Jones was unstoppable down low with a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Sabrina Ionescu added 18 points and seven assists. Breanna Stewart also did a little bit of everything with 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks.

Those names alone underscore the reality the Liberty are not a typical No. 8 seed.

While the regular season was a roller coaster of inconsistency with injuries and poor play at times, that is still a group of champions who can each take over any game at any time.

Minnesota learned that the hard way with a quick two-game sweep, but the rest of the teams in the playoffs surely took note as well. The Liberty aren't far removed from their 2024 title and have the same group of stars leading the way this time around.

They already made history Tuesday and will now turn their focus toward once again reaching the WNBA mountaintop.