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Despite finishing the 2024 regular season with the best record in the WNBA, the New York Liberty faced their share of challenges. They lost games, lost players to injury, and even got kicked out of their own home arena for the Commissioner’s Cup championship game.
However, after a humbling 95-81 road loss to the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3 of the WNBA semifinals on Friday, they face something else entirely.
The Liberty have to figure out how to bounce back from a game against the two-time defending champions in which they were not only outplayed in every aspect of the game, but they were also rattled, maybe for the first time all season.
Looking to sweep the Aces and return to the WNBA Finals for the second straight year, New York came out of the gate matching the Aces shot for shot. In fact, the first half set a WNBA record for the most lead changes ever in a first half of a playoff game. But when the third quarter started, the Liberty’s shots stopped falling. And as they struggled on offense, the Aces heated up.
“We didn't play very well, but they took us out of our rhythm,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. “We didn't set good enough screens to get separation, we didn't roll hard enough, all the little things that would have helped us we didn't do.”
Then, once Las Vegas put some distance between themselves and New York, the Liberty started making mistakes. They came in the form of bad passes, offensive fouls, and close misses. After committing only two turnovers in the first half, they committed seven in the third quarter alone.
The Liberty’s mistakes snowballed in a way they haven’t all season, culminating in a rare Courtney Vandersloot technical foul. It came after she committed another Liberty turnover — this one a travel, though Kelsey Plum appeared to cause it by pushing her.
When the dust settled on the third quarter, the Aces had outscored the Liberty 21-6 and led by 18. New York went nearly eight minutes of game time without a point, missing 10 in a row from the field.
“Defensively we weren't where we needed to be and they were playing in so much space,” Breanna Stewart explained. “We got a little bit sped up offensively. Whether they score or not, it's fine, but we have to also get a score.”
The Aces shut down Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu
Sabrina Ionescu was arguably the team’s MVP in the first two games of the series. She scored 45 combined points over games 1 and 2, and more importantly was able to find space to facilitate the offense.
After Game 2, Aces coach Becky Hammon expressed her frustration with her team for not staying in front of Ionescu, who was able to get downhill and either score or distribute at will.
Game 3 was an entirely different story. Las Vegas ramped up the pressure, not giving her an inch of space, with or without the ball. The result was a 1-7 shooting game from the field, five turnovers, and entirely too many possessions where the Liberty never settled into their offense.
“They were being really aggressive in the pick and rolls this time. She wasn't able to get downhill,” Brondello said. “It was more of a hard hedge and were very active with their hands, getting deflections and making it really hard.”
All season, New York has been the team frustrating opponents in the half court, making shot clock violations a regular feature of a visitor’s trip to Barclays Center. Starting with how they defended Ionescu, the Aces gave the Liberty a taste of their own medicine.
“She’s just got to continue to trust that we’ll get the ball back to her and take the ones that are open,” Brondello added. “She missed some open ones that she usually makes, but sometimes teams speed you up. But she’ll be fine. She’s a competitor.”
It was a jarring loss that included the worst quarter the Liberty have played all season. That alone could lead to a sleepless night or two across a Liberty fanbase that packed Barclays Center in Brooklyn for a watch party Friday night.
The good news, however, is that the Liberty still lead the series 2-1. They can still close out the Aces on Sunday afternoon with a win. They just need to be tougher, more disciplined, and much, much better.
