New York Liberty clinch #1 seed after cruising by Washington Mystics 87-71
Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images
For the second time in franchise history, the New York Liberty will own home-court advantage throughout the WNBA playoffs. It took 39 games, but the New York Liberty have accomplished the first of their goals in 2024.
Such is life when expectations are sky high, and anything less than a championship is a disappointment. But the Liberty took one step toward their ultimate prize on Tuesday night, defeating the Washington Mystics on the road, thereby clinching the WNBA’s best record and home-court advantage throughout the postseason.
“It was important for us as one of our goals,” said Sandy Brondello. “We set out trying to get that home-court advantage. Now, obviously, we still have to take care of our business in the playoffs, the first round, the second round. We know it’s going to be extremely hard, but getting home court, we have a great arena, we have great fans. We want to play in front of our fans as much as we can.”
New York could have clinched on Sunday afternoon, but suffered a doozy of a loss to the Minnesota Lynx, who thoroughly outplayed the hosts. In addition to the #1 seed dangling in front of them, Brondello called that performance another “big motivator” for the Liberty heading into Washington. The carrot and the stick.
There was also the possibility of a restful Thursday in the regular season’s final game, should the Liberty handle business on Tuesday. Whatever it was, New York’s starters came out plenty motivated, winning the first quarter 29-18. Though the 3-point shot for Brondello’s team never fully emerged, it didn’t need to. By way of transition opportunities, offensive rebounds, and plain old offensive execution...
great possession from the Libs, Stewie with a poster layup lol pic.twitter.com/VFJdvrPPE7— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 17, 2024
...New York outscored Washington 18-0 in the paint through ten minutes. It set the tone for what was nearly a wire-to-wire victory, a game in which all nine rotation regulars scored multiple buckets.
Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot were the tone-setters of the first quarter with two-way excellence, with Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones not far behind in the second quarter. Ionescu once again struggled from the field, but shot a quiet 2-of-8 rather than the 4-of-21 she shot on Sunday, and dropped seven assists. Before Jones battled foul trouble in the second half, she frequently ran in transition and sealed for deep post position, a viable offensive threat once again...
this was a 'no-no-yes' pass from KB to JJ, who now has three shot attempts in transition: pic.twitter.com/DCUbGhXI2l— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 17, 2024
The Mystics have been resilient all season though, 13-12 since their 0-12 start, and that quality reared its head again. Ariel Atkins would lead all scorers with 22 points, continuing her personal tradition of killing New York, as Washington cut the margin to seven points early in the third quarter.
Alas, that was all she wrote. The Liberty ripped off a 19-4 run, finally hitting some threes and continuing to capitalize on Washington’s sloppy play, flipping turnovers into beautiful transition sequences...
more great transition offense after a takeaway: pic.twitter.com/RUSga2Cptb— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 18, 2024
It was the Germans’ turn to shine, as Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally joined three other Libs in double-figures. Sabally continued to roll, rebound, and protect the rim as she’s done all season when healthy, an athletic punch off the bench few others teams can contend with.
Fiebich put a fitting cap on her season, breaking Maya Moore’s rookie record for most games with a plus-minus of at least +10, and Tuesday’s performance was the perfect example of why New York always wins her minutes. Deflections, cuts, timely rebounds, and seamless contributions to the team's offense at its best...
another great possession, I'd say Leo looks pretty comfortable in this offense by now: pic.twitter.com/8DOzgB1BZa— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) September 18, 2024
“We don’t win those all these games without her impact,” said Brondello. “Yes, she started some of the games, she was able to step in, she’s so versatile and then does whatever the team needs. And it’s great to just to see her grow around the team. So, yeah, All-Rookie, that’s a no-brainer. And Sixth Person of the Year. I think that should be a no-brainer as well.”
Whether or not voters agree with Brondello remains to be seen. But Fiebich’s case lies in the fact that she’s played the fourth-most minutes on a dominant team, and she has been a huge contributor to their success, not a hanger-on.
Now, the New York Liberty are no longer just dominant, but officially the WNBA’s best regular-season team. Is that their ultimate goal in 2024? Of course not.
But it is a big one, and they’ve accomplished it.
Next Up
New York returns home to close the regular season with Fan Appreciation Night, where they’ll play the Atlanta Dream. The Dream can clinch the #8 seed and a first-round date with New York with a win, who may be prioritizing rest this coming Thursday, Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.
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