There were moments of beauty in the WNBA Finals. Like Napheesa Collier's game-winning jumper in Game 1 that capped a 15-point comeback, or Sabrina Ionescu's already iconic buzzer-beating 3 in Game 3.

There were ugly moments too. Like the agony of Alanna Smith's recurring back problems or the heartbreak of Breanna Stewart's missed free throws in Game 1.

And everything was ugly in Game 5 on Sunday night. Missed free throws, low shooting percentages, poor execution, questionable decisions. None of this was what a coach would hope for. But in the end it was beautiful for the New York Liberty. Because the mistakes didn't matter. Ugliness had no power. It was all about the bottom line and what that meant for the franchise.

New York beat Minnesota 67-62 in overtime to win the organization's first WNBA title after 28 years of trying. This kind of beauty surpasses any ugliness on the court.

But for Minnesota, it was all picture-perfect ugliness. Instead, it ended with coach Cheryl Reeve calling out the referee from behind a microphone.

“All the headlines will be, 'Reeve has a bad cry.' Bring it on,” Reeve said. “Because this shit was stolen from us.”

Reeve criticized three main things regarding the refereeing: the discrepancy in free throws between both teams, the way Napheesa Collier was officiated and a challenge call at the end of regulation time.

The Liberty attempted 25 free throws while the Lynx reached the line eight times, which Reeve felt was unfair.

She also noted that Collier doesn't get the same calls as other WNBA stars, particularly Stewart.

“It’s not that hard,” Reeve said over the line. “It's not that hard when someone is held. Be consistent. If you don't want to call it on one side, don't call it on the other side. Every team demands that.”

For Reeve, it came down to the last five seconds of regular time.

Stewart drove to the basket and was met by Smith, who tried to plant her feet and go straight up. A foul was called, eventually challenging Minnesota. After a lengthy review, the call stood and Stewart went to the line and hit two free throws.

Reeve said the call should have been canceled.

“It’s a shame that the office played such a role in a series like this,” she said. “We need to change our challenge rules. The referees conducting the play should have a third party because that wasn't a foul. This call should have been reversed.

“That decided the game.”

The officiating was just part of the overall chaos of the competition.

Together, Liberty and Lynx shot 33.8% from the field and just 11.9% from distance. The Liberty typically shoot 44.2% from the field and 38.7% from beyond the arc, while the Lynx shoot 47.1% from the field and 37.6% from 3-point range shoots.

The heated performances that characterized the series until Sunday were no longer to be found.

For Minnesota, Collier and Kayla McBride scored 22 and 21 points, respectively, but the rest of the starting lineup combined for just 13 points. Courtney Williams, who averaged 16.3 points over the last four games, finished Sunday with just four points, going 2 of 14 from the field.

And for the Liberty, Ionescu and Stewart were virtually ice cold the entire game. Ionescu shot 1 of 19, her only basket coming with 3:10 left in the fourth quarter. She averages 2.8 3-pointers per game, but on Sunday Ionescu shot 1 of 10.

Stewart had her own shooting problems. She finished with 13 points, making four of her 15 attempts. Stewart also missed two free throws with 38 seconds left in regulation as the Liberty trailed by two in a sequence reminiscent of their misses in Game 1.

This time she managed to recover and make her next two attempts after the Lynx challenge Reeve mentioned failed with five seconds left. Stewart is an 85.4% free throw shooter.

But despite the poor shooting performance, Stewart was determined to influence the game in other ways. She finished the game with 15 rebounds, four assists and three blocks.

“I came in with the game plan, 'It doesn't matter,'” she said. “I want to play defense, I want to rebound, I want to do the little things. I’m going to continue to be aggressive and take my shots, but if they don’t fall, I’m not going to let that affect how I operate.”

The struggles of the Liberty's stars gave way to an unlikely hero. Jonquel Jones was the only member of New York's Big Three to be named Finals MVP, excelling on offense with 17 points, but it was Nyara Sabally's play off the bench that made the biggest difference.

Liberty coach Sandy Brondello prepared Sabally at halftime, letting her know she would play extended minutes, and Sabally delivered. In a sea of ​​poor shooting numbers, Sabally was efficient, shooting 5 of 7 from the field for 13 points and 7 rebounds.

“She has that X factor,” Brondello said. “She has the ability to play one-on-one games, rebound the ball and play great defense. All of it. In the biggest game of her career, she was truly up to the challenge. For a young player, that says a lot about her. The future is pretty bright.”

Things are also rosy for the Liberty organization. Because they finally won a title. It didn't happen the way they planned, but it happened.

“That was ugly,” Brondello said. “But we found a way to win.”