How Courtney Williams is bringing entertainment and an unwavering confidence to the WNBA Finals

BROOKLYN — Courtney Williams began an unlikely SportsCenter interview after her Game 1 heroics with a grin.

“Y’all talking to us now,” she said to host Scott Van Pelt, after he explained that the crew expected a Liberty win.

It was a reasonable line for Williams to exclaim in the moment, particularly considering that Van Pelt began the segment by explaining that SportsCenter was expecting to speak with one of New York’s stars, given their sizable lead for most of the game.

But, the quip was also emblematic of Williams’ unshakable confidence in both herself and her squad — a confidence that’s been there the entire year and that’s never seemed to change.

During the semifinals series between the Connecticut Sun and the Lynx, Williams was asked about whether the Lynx played with a chip on their shoulders given with their relative lack of media attention and coverage.

She didn’t hesitate, bringing up the now-infamous ESPN preseason ranking that had the Lynx ranked 9th overall (also known as fourth-worst record in the WNBA).

“The chip been there,” Williams said. “They had us 9th in the beginning of the season, so that chip never went away. We don’t really care — we block out the noise. We been knowing what we can do.”

Last year, the Lynx finished 6th overall with a 19-21 record, falling to the Sun in the first round of the playoffs. But this years’ team finished with the WNBA’s second-best record at 30-10, benefiting from jumps in several key players’ games (like Collier and Bridget Carleton) and offseason acquisitions Alanna Smith and Williams.

Williams averaged 11.1 points and 5.5 assists per game this season, serving as an effective point guard for one of the league’s most efficient offenses. But her stats don’t begin to capture her impact in Minnesota.

“Courtney’s way with this team was exactly what was missing from our team last year,” Reeve said. “The toughness, the swag, the dawg, all those things, the belief — but not just in her ability to score the ball, but her ability to play make to make our team better.”

Sometimes, that confidence takes the form of talking trash to opposing players; Williams described herself as one of the best trash talkers in the league, making sure to note that it’s something she does with joy.

“Some people trash talking — they be mad, out there playing mad,” Williams said. “I trash talk, I’m still smiling and happy, so there’s different levels. Some people take themselves out of games when they start trash talking.”

Other times, it’s simply her on-court play; late Thursday night was a perfect display of William’s unwavering belief. She told reporters at Sunday’s practice that she wasn’t thinking when she caught the ball down 3 with 5.5 seconds to play — and it showed as she sunk the and-one three to give Minnesota the lead.

“Honestly, nothing was going through my mind, the work you put in kicks in at that point,” she said. “I don’t even remember it. I had to go back and watch the game. When you get in that mode, you are just trying to make plays and win. I didn’t even know we were down 15 with five minutes left, I’m not even going to lie.”

The Lynx — despite being overlooked — don’t lack confidence. Kayla McBride is an 11-year WNBA veteran who has plenty of experience under her belt, and Napheesa Collier has strung together an MVP-caliber season

But the energy that Williams exudes is just different.

“It’s the outward confidence,” McBride said at practice on Sunday. “[Napheesa] and I are confident, but we’re not the type that are going to say it all the time. We do it through our games. But to have that, it adds to the aura of our group. The confidence that she carries every single day, no matter what the score is or what the games looking like — that confidence is contagious.”

The Lynx may have been under-discussed all year, but Williams’ electric play and vibrant personality have captured fans’ hearts all over the place. Her confidence is also a big part of why the Lynx have a 1-0 Finals lead.

“You kind of need that, because the way that the league has grown and become more of an entertainment thing, having [Williams] on our side is great,” McBride said. “And she backs it up, because when your lead guard is that confident, it makes you confident too.”