Kudos to Minnesota for reaching the WNBA finals. But New York is the superior team - best in the WNBA this season - has home-court advantage and a good situational edge. 

Those factors are enough to back the Liberty in this point spread range.

New York eliminated two-time defending WNBA champion Las Vegas this past Sunday. The Liberty have been idle since eagerly awaiting the finals so they can prove they are indeed the best. 

The Lynx had it much rougher. They had to go the full five games against physical Connecticut. The Lynx beat the Sun at home in Tuesday's deciding Game 5. The schedule makers didn't do Minnesota any favors making this Game 1 fall on Thursday. It will be the Lynx's fourth game in six days.
 
Minnesota is an elite defensive team with a superstar, Napheesa Collier. New York is an elite defensive team, too, with a much better offense than Minnesota. The Liberty's 107 offensive rating was No. 1. So was their 32-8 regular season record. New York doesn't just have one superstar, but two in Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu.