The news of the New York Liberty’s demise was greatly exaggerated. 

Following an extremely slow start to their 2026 season, New York finds itself right back in the Commissioner’s Cup championship game to represent the Eastern Conference. 

Five straight victories during Cup play and a key win over their closest competition, the Atlanta Dream, helped land them in the final. They now await their Western Conference competition and hope to host whoever comes out of the West at Barclays Center. 

This surge was probably the biggest news of the past week in the WNBA, but we’ll look back on four others as we get closer to the end of Cup play and creep towards the actual championship game being set. 

Liberty on a Run, Back in Commissioner’s Cup Championship

The New York Liberty

New York began the year injured and lacking chemistry. Sabrina Ionescu was not on the court thanks to an ankle injury suffered in the preseason, while Satou Sabally remained out to begin her new tenure with the team. They were 3-4 headed into the final week of May. A lack of offense and, specifically, rebounding, seemed ready to doom what could be one of their last contending seasons with their current core. 

Then, they flipped a switch. New York now holds the second-best defensive rating through June 15 (101.1). They’re averaging five more points per game in June than they were in May. And, they seem to have found a gem in Pauline Astier, who has been filling in nicely for Ionescu. Wins over Phoenix (twice), Indiana, and Atlanta have boosted New York’s stock greatly. They’re playing team ball again at the exact right time.

Wilson Continues to Peak in MVP Convo

The sky is blue, water is wet, and A’ja Wilson is yet again a clear candidate for MVP through just over a month and a half of regular-season games played. After yet another MVP season in 2025, followed by an improbable Finals win borne out of a mid-season team meeting, Wilson is back in the driver’s seat for the illustrious award. Averaging 26.2 points per game along with 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.4 blocks, and 1.2 steals, she’s also leading the league in PIE, or player impact estimate, through 13 games. 

A recent win over the equally impressive Olivia Miles and the Minnesota Lynx further solidified her campaign. A double-double in that contest, in which she also tallied three blocks and two steals, helped to quiet some of the noise around Miles and a potential ROTY-MVP two-for-one this season. It’s early days still, but Wilson is the head of a 10-3 snake that’s about to land right back in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship potentially.

Plum, Copper Duel in High-Scoring Affair

Both Plum and Copper are part of teams that are underperforming right now. The Los Angeles Sparks are still figuring out their chemistry, but you’d expect them to be a bit better than 7-6 on the year and just 8th in the league. Phoenix’s chemistry shouldn’t even be that disrupted, given that their largest departure of the offseason was Sabally walking for the Liberty. And yet, they’re also sitting at a disappointing 4-11 and at the bottom of the standings. 

So, fans were probably not anticipating these two teams’ clash to be all that entertaining on June 14. Plum and Copper scoffed at that with their respective 40+ point performances, the first game of the year in which a player on both teams recorded that many points. Los Angeles won the battle in overtime, as Phoenix made just one basket in overtime. 

These stars are doing their best to carry their franchises past mediocre and into contention, but the road is arduous with so much talent now distributed across the league. The Finals hangover has been very real for the Mercury, who don’t have much pop on offense this season and aren’t getting any younger. As for Los Angeles, they’re on the precipice of being more consistent, and hopefully this performance from Plum reminds her that she can lead this team.

Citron Spoils Mabrey’s Heater

Sonia Citron #22 of the Washington Mystics

In the 4th quarter of the Washington Mystics’ game against the Toronto Tempo this past Saturday, it seemed like the Mystics would be comfortably snagging victory at home to help them stay afloat in the Eastern Conference. 

Then Marina Mabrey hit a three. And another one. And another one. 

She had four three-pointers in the last two minutes of the game, which helped Toronto get within striking distance of Washington when they looked completely out of the contest just minutes prior. Thanks to those shots, Brittney Sykes was able to get free on their last possession, and hit a running layup to give Toronto the lead with 11 seconds to go in the 4th. 

Washington, one of the youngest teams in the league, had to find their offense again after it had been lost for the entire quarter. 

Citron did just that. 

The second-year wing hit a perfect shot at the baseline at the buzzer, getting the Mystics a victory and helping them survive a Mabrey barrage. It was a huge victory against an Eastern Conference team and a fun, tight contest, as we’re seeing more blowouts than usual during this Commissioner’s Cup period.

Miles Still Leads ROTY race

As mentioned, it does feel like Miles might be sneakily piecing together an MVP campaign in addition to her very obvious one for ROTY. And why shouldn’t her play be considered “most valuable?” 

She’s become the leader of a Lynx team still missing Napheesa Collier and has seamlessly become the perfect backcourt mate to Courtney Williams. Her passing is elite, as she’s averaging 5.9 assists per game, but she’s also shooting an efficient 52.5 percent from the field in addition to averaging 5.1 rebounds per game. Her defense has been an unsung part of her game this year, too, as she still leads the league in defensive win shares through 13 games. 

A shoo-in for ROTY? Yes. A dark horse for MVP? Absolutely. And despite a loss to the Aces that snapped their win streak, Miles was fantastic in that contest, posting a game-high 29 points, 50 percent from the three-point line, and four rebounds. But Las Vegas’ defense certainly exposed some rookie-ness, with Miles turning the ball over six times – a season high – as well as just recording one assist.