Standing in the hallway outside the New York Liberty locker room on Thursday night, Courtney Vandersloot did her best to keep the night’s events in perspective.
New York had just lost Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals to the Minnesota Lynx in historic fashion, coughing up a 15-point lead with five minutes left. She spoke about turning the page and focusing on Game 2 rather than sulking over what had already happened.
She also reminded everyone within earshot that this is supposed to be hard.
Game 2 was just that for the Liberty. New York won, 80-66, to even the Finals at one game apiece. But to eke out a 14-point win that was not in hand until the final minutes? It took everything they had.
It took Sabrina Ionescu — for the second time in the 2024 postseason — shaking off a brutal performance from the game before to come out on fire and carry the team in the first quarter.
“My goal was to just take what the defense gives me,” Ionescu said. “I think coming out like that was great for us to get going, and then in the second half, they made some adjustments. I think it was being able to drive passing lanes and find the open man if they're gonna bring a few on the ball.”
It took Breanna Stewart forgetting about her 6-21 shooting performance on Thursday that included a missed free throw at the end of regulation that would have won the game. She had 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and a WNBA Finals record seven steals in Game 2.
“We were trying to be up a little bit more, not letting them get to the three-point line to set up their offense,” Stewart said. “Making them just have to move a little bit quicker than they want to.”
One game after Betnijah Laney-Hamilton made just two shots from the field, it took her having her finest performance of the season (20 points, 8-14 FG).
“They've been going under on screens so we just encourage her to shoot the three. She is a great three-point shooter,” head coach Sandy Brondello said.
Most importantly, it took the Liberty deciding, as a team, that they would not let the horrors of Game 1 repeat themselves. For the second game in a row, they jumped out to a double-digit lead, and for the second game in a row, the Lynx came storming back.
Only this time, the Liberty didn’t fold. While their offense still stalled at times, they stayed together on defense, trusting that if they could keep Minnesota’s gains to a minimum, they can figure out how to get back out in transition, which led to a handful of easy baskets in the opening half.
“We just continue to keep saying to one another, ‘stay together,’” Stewart said. “Keep playing like every rebound matters and even if our offense gets a little bit stagnant and funky, we're not gonna let that dictate what we need.”
The Liberty lean on Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s grit
It’s no secret that Laney-Hamilton has not been herself since coming back from knee surgery after the Olympic break. Brondello has had to manage her minutes, not letting her play long stretches without a rest.
That’s resulted in 18% three-point shooting in the playoffs prior to Game 2. Brondello saw in practice on Saturday that the veteran from Rutgers was preparing to break out.
And her teammates were able to feed off of it. Brondello and her teammates like to use the word “grit” when they describe what she brings to the team.
“She's obviously feeling some things physically and she's still picking up full court,” Vandersloot said. “That’s a testament to who she is.”
Brondello added that beyond their superstars — Ionescu, Stewart, and Jonquel Jones — others need to step up each night. If the Lynx decide to key in on one of the Liberty’s MVP-caliber players, it’s going to leave someone open. In Game 1, it was Leonie Fiebich, who set the WNBA Finals record for threes by a rookie with five. This time, it was Laney-Hamilton.
“It’s great that you can put the ball in her hand and [have her] be more of a playmaker because it takes a little bit of pressure off [Ionescu and Stewart] in particular, and I thought that was very effective for us,” Brondello said. “But her defense, she was everywhere, she was guarding everyone. I’m really happy for her.”
Laney-Hamilton, Fiebich, or someone else is going to need to step up in Game 3. The Lynx have shown time and again this year that you can’t just out-talent them. The Liberty have the more impressive roster, but Minnesota is too disciplined. The Lynx are too good at forcing the Liberty out of their style.
By dropping Game 1, the Liberty have made it harder on themselves. Even by salvaging a split at home, they have now made this a best-of-three series without homecourt advantage. If they don’t win a road game this week, the Finals won’t make it back to Barclays Center for a decisive Game 5. But championship teams should be able to win a road game in a hostile environment.
It isn't easy. It's not supposed to be.