New York Liberty

The term, "Always the bridesmaid, never the bride," could be used to describe the Liberty. When the WNBA opened in 1997, the Liberty was one of the first teams to choose a player, and they signed college superstar Rebecca Lobo to a contract. Lobo was injured soon thereafter, however, and her injuries eventually led to her retirement several seasons later. Despite this, the Liberty made it to the 1997 championship game, where the team lost to the Houston Comets. In 1999, they returned to the WNBA finals, where they lost two games to one to the Comets. They lost despite Teresa Weatherspoon's halfcourt shot with one second remaining in game two that gave the Liberty a one point win.

The Liberty subsequently returned to the finals in 2000 and 2002, but lost once again to the Comets and to the Los Angeles Sparks, respectively. In 2001, Weatherspoon became the WNBA's all-time assist leader, and in addition to that, Sue Wicks, once a back-up center to Lobo, has also proven to be a good surprise for the team, making the All-Star game. 1998 and 2003 were the only years the Liberty failed to make the playoffs.

Six games during the 2004 season were moved to Radio City Music Hall as Madison Square Garden was hosting the 2004 Republican National Convention. These games marked the first time Radio City had hosted a professional sporting event since the Roy Jones Jr. boxing match held in 1999.