New York Liberty roll Atlanta Dream 83-69 in playoff opener
Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images
After a dominant first quarter, New York’s lead did not dip into the single-digits for the rest of the day. The Atlanta Dream are one of the worst playoff teams ever. Behind the league’s worst offense, they won 37.5% of their games in 2024, tying the lowest winning percentage of any playoff team in league history.
And yet! They were nearly decimated by injury, meaning their preferred starting lineup of Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray, Jordin Canada, Naz Hillmon, and local legend Tina Charles only appeared in 15 games together. When they did, those five dominated. Dominated, really!
A +15.6 net rating in over 300 minutes, buoyed by offensive rebounding, outside shooting, and defensive connectivity, all qualities the New York Liberty saw on Thursday, when the Dream walked into Barclays Center and left with a playoff-clinching win, their third straight.
Said Head Coach Tanisha Wright of her team: “They’re trusting each other through those moments, through diversity, and some of those games, we’ve been able to come out with wins because of that. Obviously, our last three games, we had to go get to get in.”
The well-earned confidence Atlanta gained from having a healthy starting lineup and a 3-0 finish to the season lasted all of three minutes of Sunday's Game 1. Wright called a timeout trailing 13-4, and things hardly improved for her squad.
The lethargic, half-interested Liberty team that closed the regular season vanished, replaced by the world-destroying force we know them to be. Though they turned it over six times in the first quarter, New York more than made up for it with their shooting.
Everybody was hot, but nobody more so than Leonie Fiebich. She replaced Courtney Vandersloot in the starting lineup for the first time this season, though Sandy Brondello has frequented that look to close games. Pregame, Brondello predicted Fiebich would be excellent, as she’s been all season. Her ultimate stat line though? That was unexpected.
The German rookie led all scorers with 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting, including a perfect 15 points in the first half, not missing a shot or free-throw.
Leonie Fiebich is now leading all scorers with 13 points. The fans that are here got LOUD for this sequence: pic.twitter.com/aMXRCbBp1v— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 22, 2024
While Fiebich shot 43.3% from deep in the regular season, it wasn’t as a typical bench gunner. She exclusively took open shots, but earned 30 minutes a night through unrelenting defense and an accumulation of winning plays. That continued on Sunday, but my goodness she could not miss...
Leonie Fiebich pic.twitter.com/iULwzgzfsv— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 22, 2024
After the game, Vandersloot admitted the change was tough for her — “It’s never a good feeling to go from a starter to the bench” — but spent much of her time profusely praising Fiebich and saying, “when I say I want what’s best for the group — it was a smart and efficient change.”
Fiebich, of course, was her typically understated self in postgame. Arielle Chambers, ESPN sideline reporter, asked the rookie what she made of her performance at half-court after the final buzzer.
The full answer: “We came out here with one goal today, and that was to win.”
New York led 29-16 after one frame, and while the scoring slowed down in the second, the message was sent.Sabrina Ionescu made her first four shots en route to a 17/5/5 line on 5-of-11 shooting, a much more efficient game than many of her recent efforts. Breanna Stewart missed a trio of layups, which capped her at a still-impressive 20/11/3 line, but blocked three shots and blew up many more at the rim.
Atlanta managed to post 38 points in the paint, but shot just 19-of-43 down low. Combine that with a 3-of-16 showing from three and 16 turnovers, and their offense never seriously threatened New York.
“We played with a little bit more focus and effort,” said Brondello of the defense. “Sometimes defense is like, ‘you got to execute the scout,’ but you got to put your body on the line, and you got to compete. And that’s what we did.”
The Liberty were not perfect, though. Early turnovers prevented the game from being a tired-and-true blowout the whole way through. Despite an early effort to feed Jonquel Jones in the post, she finished with just nine points on five shot attempts. And while Vandersloot scored four points off the bench, no other reserve got on the board until garbage time.
Said Brondello: “It’s going to take a team. Obviously, we rely on our key players, and it was good not to overplay anyone today, but we’re going to need that bench as we hopefully go for a long playoff run.”
Brondello is right, of course. It is just one win, a mere stop on the road to a championship that will require much more than it takes to notch a win against the Atlanta Dream. But so is Tanisha Wright in her assessment of Game 1.
“They punched us in the mouth. That’s exactly what they were supposed to do. They’re in their home, they’re supposed to come out like that.”
Vandersloot breaks a record
Much of the talk was about Vandersloot’s move to the bench. Everybody asked her about it, Brondello about it, Fiebich about it, even her unaffected teammates.
“Sloot handled it like a vet and like a leader,” said Stewart. “There was no hiccup or adjustment, she wants what’s best for this team. And when she’s on the court, she’s going to contribute.”
One of her on-court contributions on Sunday moved her into first place all-time in WNBA postseason assists. Vandersloot passed Sue Bird, and the moment was not lost on her.
“It’s a it’s always nice to be recognized,” said Vandersloot. “Especially with some of the greats, Sue and Lindsay [Whalen]. I mean, those two I competed with, I’m sure Ticha [Penicheiro] is up there too, but those two I competed with going on in my career, and I definitely looked up to them.”
Next Up
Photo by David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images
A closeout game. Game 2 at the Barclays Center will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Tuesday night.
Box Score: New York Liberty 83, Atlanta Dream 69 - WNBA
Leonie Fiebich scores a career-high 21 and the Liberty beat the Dream 83-69 in Game 1 - AP
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