The WNBA has certainly seen a massive surge in popularity and attention, this season in particular. There are more eyes than ever before watching the league. So it comes as no surprise that, that surge would continue into the WNBA Finals between the Minnesota Lynx and New York Liberty.

The WNBA Finals tipped-off on Thursday with the Lynx striking first with a 95-93 win in overtime against the Liberty. And they won in front of a little over 1 million viewers. The average number of viewers watching Game 1 was 1.1 million with a peak of around 1.5 million.

Those numbers made Game 1 the most-watched WNBA Finals game in history. And for anyone tuning in for the first time, they certainly picked a good game to watch. The Liberty had the chance to win in regulation when Breanna Stewart was fouled and headed to the free-throw line.

But Stewart would split the pair and the game would head to overtime. Stewart would have the chance to tie the game up in the waning seconds of overtime, but missed a layup, sealing the win for the Lynx. Minnesota had surged back into the game after being down by 18 points in the second quarter.

Lynx, Liberty have been WNBA's best teams this season

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Coming into the playoffs, it was almost like this particular matchup was destined. The Liberty finished with the best record in the league while the Lynx finished second. Minnesota was only two games back of New York in the final standings.

If Game 1 was any indication, this is going to be an intense and competitive Finals series. Despite being one of the WNBA's original franchises, and one of the teams that played in the league's inaugural game, they have yet to win a championship. Meanwhile, the Lynx are looking for their fifth title, and first since 2017.

Both coaches are championship caliber though. Cheryl Reeve guided the Lynx to all four of their championships with a Hall of Fame core that included Maya Moore, Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus and Rebekkah Brunson. Prior to arriving in New York, Sandy Brondello led the Phoenix Mercury to a championship in 2014.

Both teams have their star power as well. The Lynx are bolstered by Napheesa Collier, the MVP runner-up and the Defensive Player of the Year. The Liberty are led by Stewart who has two titles, two Finals MVPs and two league MVPs. Game 2 is scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 13.