Sunday afternoon, although the New York Liberty (7-3) dominated the Phoenix Mercury (2-8), 89-71, the game almost didn’t feel real because Mercury’s star center and guard Britney Griner and Diana Taurasi did not play due to injuries. However, in the same breath, the Liberty’s superstar guard Sabrina Inosecu did not suit up due to a hamstring injury that’s sidelined her for the last three games and counting.
That said, another sold-out attendance for the Liberty as many were emotionally attached to this game as Griner returned to New York for the first time as one of the WNBA’s premier stars. Prior to tipoff, many of Liberty's players made sure to go over and embrace her. This game showed although these athletes are uber-competitive, it still remains a sisterhood and they care deeply for each other well being on and off the court.
Brittney Griner greets Liberty assistant coaches Zach O’Brien and Olaf Lange. They worked together for years with the Mercury. pic.twitter.com/vUiVZsoD5E
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) June 18, 2023
Momentarily, during the game, the Liberty paid tribute to Griner’s foundation “Bring Our Families Home” and the stadium gave a standing ovation to Griner’s return. While the win was important and really exciting for the supporters and teammates, it was warming to the heart to realize how much the incident involving Griner in Russia impacted the basketball world.
As expected, the New York crowd gave a standing ovation when @BOFHcampaign and Brittney Griner were both honored after the first timeout. @TheNextHoops pic.twitter.com/YcabCY1qQh
— Jackie Powell (she/her) (@ClassicJpow) June 18, 2023
“It was great seeing BG [Brittney Griner] since she’s gotten back, so it was a bit emotional seeing her,” Liberty forward Breanna Stewart stated in the postgame conference. However, I’m really proud of how she’s handling everything on and off the court. She’s an inspiration to really everybody and I’m just happy she’s home and safe.”
“It was great seeing BG [Brittney Griner] since she’s gotten back, so it was a bit emotional seeing her, Breanna Stewart stated. However, I’m really proud of how she’s handling everything on and off the court. She’s an inspiration to really everybody & I’m happy she’s home safe." pic.twitter.com/CvvBAxiDn1
— John “Woods” Armwood III (@J_Armwood908) June 19, 2023
Breakdown of the Game
Early in the game, the Liberty understood Griner would be out due to an injury and wanted to exploit their size and height advantage in the paint. The former MVP Jonquel Jones hasn’t been able to find her footing this season. Fortunately, she managed to record a double-double (13 points and 11 rebounds), however the emphasis heading into the game was to try to get her going a bit. Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello alludes to attempting to get everyone involved in her offense, however understanding their advantages they attempted to get Jones as close to the basket as possible. Naturally, leading to second-chance points (19) and dominating the rebounds.
“We always want all our players involved in the offense to find the best shot out there and an emphasis was to get JJ [Jonquel Jones], especially with BG out, closer to the rim,” Brondello explains. “Tonight, I think she did a really good job securing 11 rebounds and that’s great because it can’t just be Stewie rebounding. She’s very capable of that so it’s good for her to some success.”
Additionally, alongside Jones exceptional performance tonight, Stewart managed to score 12 points in the opening quarter on only four shots. Naturally, she’s been remarkable all season long, therefore it comes as no surprise when she performs sensational and has big games. Today, she ended the game with 28 points, 14 rebounds, and seven assists.
“I wanted to make an assertive effort to be aggressive,” Stewart said. “Especially at the start of the game and hopefully have everyone follow. Sometimes the ball doesn't fall in the basket and that's what happened last game. Law of averages, things kind of even out a little bit.”
Her energy helped set the tone for the remainder of the team as they headed into the game without one of their leaders. Despite Ionescu’s absence, the Liberty began firing on all cylinders and look to be building that chemistry alongside one another. The momentum was conquered by the Liberty early in the game and as the game progressed they remained in control. Ultimately, leading to a very dominant victory for the Liberty after coming off a very disappointing loss to the Atlanta Dream a few days prior.
Who to Look Out for on the Liberty?
One of the most interesting and exciting pieces the Liberty have that will allow them to cause many matchup problems is Marine “Wizard” Johannes. She continues to impress and put on an amazing show while doing so. Tonight, she ended the game with ten points, three assists, and three steals. That said, as the season progresses her game has only continued to get better and will continue to get better as her confidence grows.
“I just try to do my best on the court, I made mistakes but I try not to think about it much and continue playing confident,” Johannes states when asked about her growth as a player.
Some wizardry taking place at @barclayscenter 🧙♀️ @MarineJ5 pic.twitter.com/TSoKvqTpIC
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) June 18, 2023
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