On Tuesday, the New York Liberty (2-0) mounted a thrilling comeback from a double-digit deficit to defeat the Atlanta Dream (0-2), 83-69, and secure their spot in the 2024 WNBA Semifinals. The victory marks a “payback” for the Liberty, who last faced the Dream in the 2010 WNBA Eastern Conference Finals, where Atlanta triumphed and advanced to the WNBA Finals before losing to the Seattle Storm. This time, however, the Liberty had the final say.
Fourteen years later, the Liberty exacted their revenge on the Dream, but unlike the 2010 matchup where Atlanta advanced to the finals, New York now moves on to face the defending champion Las Vegas Aces in a 2023 finals rematch.
Despite sweeping the Dream in the first round, the deciding game was far from easy, as the Liberty had to fight from behind to clinch the win. The game featured five ties and four lead changes, with the Liberty trailing by as much as 11 points in the first half. "They started off on fire, but I didn't think we had the right aggressiveness,” Liberty Coach Brondello remarked on Atlanta's strong start.
It took an exceptional performance from Sabrina Ionescu to turn the tide in New York's favor. Leading the Liberty with 36 points, nine assists, and a postseason career-high three steals, Ionescu’s display tied Cappie Pondexter for the highest-scoring playoff game in Liberty franchise history. Her five three-pointers also extended her streak of playoff games with at least one made three-pointer to 16, surpassing Crystal Robinson for the longest streak in Liberty postseason history. She also moved into second place in Liberty franchise history for postseason three-pointers made, with her 40th career playoff three.
Reflecting on the mental shift needed during the game, Ionescu said, "Just sticking with it, trying not to get too down. I trust myself. Just prepare the best I can. The playoffs is a new season, just try to be your best for one game at a time."
The Barclays Center was electric, with 11,033 fans in attendance, including celebrities like Whoopi Goldberg, Olympian Gabby Thomas, and Pharrell. A halftime performance by Ja-Rule added to the excitement, but the standout moment came from Spike Lee, whose presence seemed to energize the team. "Spike Lee gave me a high five. I felt New York was just injected into me in the 3rd Q. It was fun," Ionescu said. Following the high-five, she went on to score five consecutive points. At the end of her press conference, she playfully went around high-fiving media members, saying, "Y'all want some Spike Lee?"
Despite the uphill battle, Ionescu was pleased with the team's fourth-quarter response. "We just got stops, a lot of players came in and everyone came in to chip away. We never got too high or too low. I'm just proud how we stuck together for 40 minutes."
Jonquel Jones was a dominant force in the paint. After recording nine points and seven rebounds in Game 1, she was a focal point on both ends of the court in Game 2. Jones finished with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds on 67% shooting (8-12) from the field, along with three assists, two steals, and a block.
She tied Tari Phillips for the most postseason offensive rebounds in Liberty franchise history with 47 and passed Cheryl Ford (372) for ninth on the WNBA’s all-time postseason rebounding list. Reflecting on her improved performance, Jones said, "Just playing aggressively, just not overthinking. Going back and watching the [first] game, I was thinking what I was gonna do, and watching, it was obvious."
The Liberty went on a decisive 16-4 run midway through the third quarter and an 8-0 run from the 4:30 mark of the fourth quarter to the 3:37 mark, ultimately pulling away for the win.
Other notable performances included Leonie Fiebich, who scored nine points on 75% shooting (3-4) from the field and 67% shooting (2-3) from deep. Fiebich, converted 83% (10-12) of her field-goal attempts, becoming the first rookie in WNBA history to shoot better than 70% from the field over a two-game span in the postseason (minimum seven total three-point attempts).
She recorded a game-high plus-minus of +18, becoming the third rookie in WNBA history to record a combined plus-minus of +40 or better over a two-game postseason span, joining Lindsey Whalen and Maya Moore.
Breanna Stewart finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and two assists. The reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month for September, who was also named to the AP All-WNBA First Team earlier this week, tied Lisa Leslie for the longest streak of consecutive double-digit scoring performances in WNBA postseason history with her 34th consecutive playoff game of at least 10 points.
Betnijah Laney-Hamilton scored five points, along with five assists and a steal against her former team. She recorded a combined 10 assists over her last two postseason games, setting a new career-high for assists over a two-game span.
Up Next: The Liberty will face the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday, September 29 at Barclays Center at 3 pm EST.
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