The New York Liberty have eliminated the Atlanta Dream in Game 2 of the first round of the WNBA Playoffs with a 91-82 victory at home. In the win, Sabrina Ionescu exploded for 36 points, a playoff career-high that tied Cappie Pondexter's playoff scoring record, helping the team advance to the semifinals. In the third quarter, Ionescu also shared a moment with legendary film director Spike Lee, where they exchanged high-fives.
“[Spike] gave me a high five…and I felt like New York was just like, injected to my veins,” the Liberty guard said, via a post from ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.
The Liberty advance in the WNBA Playoffs
Besides advancing to the semifinals and meeting Spike Lee, Sabrina Ionescu's heater allowed the Liberty to avenge last season's Finals loss to the Las Vegas Aces, who also eliminated the Seattle Storm in two games.
The reigning WNBA champions Aces might be the Liberty's toughest challenge on their quest to win the franchise's first league championship, especially with unanimous 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson, which is also her third. However, it might be a blessing in disguise to face them early when they haven't yet reached their playoff peak.
Yet, of course, it's only good if the Liberty manage to pull it off.
“The ultimate goal is what it is,” Ionescu said, via a report by the Associated Press shared on ESPN.com. “But, you know, it's every single game is a championship game to get to that final goal. And obviously our goal is not to lose at home. So this was really important for us to come out, take these two and have a couple days off and kind of rest, recharge and get ready for whatever it is we're going to play.”
Meanwhile, Liberty forward Jonquel Jones scored 20 points and grabbed 13 boards in the win. After the game, she looked forward to facing the Aces on Sunday at home.
“We have unfinished business,” she said.
The Atlanta Dream did give the Liberty all they had, leading by as much as 11 points in the second quarter, though they couldn't close it out in the fourth quarter. Rhyne Howard had 19 points and Allisha Gray had 26 in the losing effort.
Now, did high-fiving Spike Lee help Sabrina Ionescu and the Liberty pull the game out? The Liberty star believes it did.
“I was like, we're winning this,” she said.
The director and New York guy
Moreover, if there was anyone who could inject a player with the essence of New York, it would be Spike Lee. Of course, Lee is a die-hard New York superfan, who rode the highs of the Knicks in the 1990s and the doldrums of the 2000s.
He also directed one of the most quintessentially New York movies ever made in the 1989 classic “Do the Right Thing.” Likewise, he received Reggie Miller's infamous choke gesture, a timeless moment in NBA history.
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