Laughter rippled through the arena, especially among several attendees wearing “Stewart walked” shirts. Nine months after their 2024 WNBA Finals showdown — and a controversial overtime Game 5 loss coach Cheryl Reeve said was “stolen” from her team — Lynx fans were more than ready for the rematch.

It wasn’t the WNBA Finals rematch you anticipated. On Wednesday night, the New York Liberty and Minnesota Lynx matched up for the first time since the two teams battled in a grueling five-game WNBA Finals series that ended with New York as champions.