Heading into this season, the Liberty were dubbed the Eastern Conference favorites to go to the WNBA Finals after signing Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot as free agents and acquiring MVP forward Jonquel Jones to play with Sabrina Ionescu.
They have lived up to these expectations by going 6-2 after a 102-93 victory over the up-and-coming Dallas Wings on Sunday afternoon at the Barclays Center. They trail the Connecticut Sun out of first place in the Eastern Conference by just one game. Here's how great they are: They have just posted consecutive 100-point games for the first time in franchise history.
After watching them play two games this season, it’s fair to proclaim them as winners in town. They have the best chance of all the local professional sports teams of winning a championship and hosting a parade this fall.
The only question about the Liberty is: Will the parade be at Canyon of Heroes or Borough Hall?
There is plenty of time to figure that out later. Right now, we should be enjoying what the Liberty have to offer. They are the best show in town, especially right now with the Yankees being mediocre and the 31-35 Mets freefalling by losing eight of their last nine games. They are more entertaining to watch than the Knicks and Nets.
The Liberty’s success starts with Stewart. She has lived up to expectations after signing a free-agent deal this offseason. She averages 24.9 points and 10.3 rebounds (third in the WNBA) per game. Not only is she a great shooter, but also is a great closer. When the Liberty needs a big shot, she delivers.
She scored 32 points (this without any free throw attempts) on 15-of-20 shooting, including 13 on six-of-seven in the third quarter, giving the Liberty a 79-68 lead heading to the fourth quarter after trailing 51-45 at halftime. She was a rebound shy of a double-double after settling with nine rebounds.
Stewart has provided the Liberty with leadership that was lacking since Teresa Weatherspoon left as a free agent in 2003. The four-time WNBA All-Star leads by example, improving her play as the game goes on. When the Liberty struggled to take control of the game in the first half, she jumpstarted them by leading them to a 9-0 run to start the third quarter by shooting a 3-pointer and a couple of jumpers that would eventually give them a 54-53 lead for the first time since they had a 23-22 lead in the first quarter.
The former league MVP has made Sabrina Ionescu’s job easy by wanting to be the player to take the shots when the opportunity presented itself. It just seems like big shots come to her when it’s time. She knows what she’s doing. It’s been such a long time since the Liberty had a player like that. She’s not the best player in the world for nothing.
The two-time WNBA champion has certainly raised the standard of the organization since signing with the Liberty. Just by showing up, she has changed the culture. She raises the team’s intensity with her work ethic at practice and games by pushing her teammates to be as good as she is. Her killer instinct helps give the Liberty a chance to win in every game. The Liberty could win a championship this year just because of her play.
To think about Stewart’s impact on the Liberty, go back to what Jason Kidd did when the New Jersey Nets acquired him in 2001 and see what he did for that franchise to know what I mean about Stewart.
Stewart is not just the best player in the league, but she is one of the top five athletes playing pro sports in our town. She is that great. One has to watch her play to see how great she is.
She definitely has a chance to be the best player in franchise history, though Ionescu may have a say in that as her career goes along.
The Liberty just play such unselfish basketball. This is not the iso team that you see with the Knicks and Nets. The players share the ball and make each other play better. The team’s 31 assists and five players scoring in double figures in Sunday’s game tell you all you need to know about the team and its players.
They play basketball the way it should be played. They don’t hoist shots in the undisciplined manner you see so much in today’s NBA. Their players sacrifice their shots to make others look good. For example, Vandersloot could have hoisted jumpers if she had wanted to, but instead, she passed the ball to Betnijah Laney, who scored early in the first quarter.
There are no divas on that team. This is a group that doesn’t need the attention. They let their play do the talking. Such a refreshing contrast from the Nets with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and the Knicks with Carmelo Anthony.
The Liberty are entertaining to watch. Really, what's not to like about them? It’s a good time for the family to watch the game on a nice summer day like Sunday.
This is a team that does good for the community. They do a great job of mingling with the fans before and after the game. They partake in off-the-court charities.
This is a team that should be celebrated in town by getting more media attention and fanfare.
Let’s not look at the Liberty as women playing basketball. Look at them as quality basketball players who are playing a great game. This team hasn’t had that for such a long time. Shoot, we haven’t had quality basketball in these parts since the Patrick Ewing era!
Looking at the Liberty's history, winning has been hard and getting good players has been hard.
We should really appreciate this and not take the spectacle they provide for granted.
You can read Leslie's Jersey Sporting News columns on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
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