NY Liberty vs. Atlanta Dream Game 1 preview: The road to the title begins in Brooklyn
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
The WNBA playoffs are here and the New York Liberty are on a mission to finish the story and win their first WNBA championship. The journey begins now. The New York Liberty finished one of their best seasons in team history and enter the WNBA playoffs as the one seed. After clinching the one seed on Tuesday night, the Liberty had nothing to play for and accomplished their goal of ending the regular season on a healthy note. Now, the real season begins.
The Atlanta Dream had to fight their way to make it this far. It was a rough 2024 for the Dream, but they ended the regular season on a high note as they won three straight games to secure the eight seed.
Where to follow the game
ESPN is the place to be. The road to the WNBA Finals begins at 1 PM.
Injuries
Nothing doing for the Liberty.
Cheyenne Parker-Tyus and Aerial Powers are out for the Dream.
The game
New York won the first, second, and third meetings while Atlanta won the last one.
As Jonquel Jones goes, so go the Liberty. When JJ gets a double-double, the Libs are an undefeated 11-0 on the season. Her ability to space the floor, connect the offense, and control the paint is of the utmost importance to Sandy Brondello and friends. She wound up playing 30 minutes on Thursday, which is something she hadn't done since the game against the Seattle Storm on September 5. Nyara Sabally's emergence has allowed the team to be judicious with minutes distributions, but we should see Jones at full capacity from here on out.
That poses trouble for a Dream frontcourt that's a bit shorthanded. Without Parker-Tyus, Atlanta has had to rely even more on future Hall of Famer, Tina Charles. Since Parker-Tyus' injury on August 18, Charles has averaged 33.5 minutes per game, tenth highest in the WNBA. To put that in broader perspective, that would be the second most minutes per game in her career, slightly behind her MVP runner up season with the Liberty in 2016. It's been a lot on TC's shoulders and she's stood tall throughout Atlanta's drive to the playoffs. Can she dial it up again against an elite Liberty frontcourt one more time? We’ll see.
If the Liberty want to win a championship, they’re going to need everything Sabrina Ionescu has. She spent about a month in love with floaters, and it wound up limiting her effectiveness. She’s been a good finisher at the rim when she gets to the basket, and the Liberty are going to need that downhill juice. Atlanta is pretty shorthanded and any foul trouble they get into spells big, big trouble for them. By and large, Ionescu has been able to strike the balance between hunting for her shot and stringing the defense along until a great scoring opportunity arises for her teammates. It’s going to take everyone playing at their absolute best to win this series and beyond, and it starts with their number one pick.
Player to watch: Rhyne Howard
When you're the number one option, more is expected of you. You have to create offense, make things happen, and be the person your teammates rely on the most. It's part of the deal. For Rhyne Howard, she's had to do a lot of heavy lifting since returning from an ankle injury that cost her a month of action. Since the Parker-Tyus injury, she's averaged 36.1 minutes per game, second highest in the W. She's also averaged 17.2 field goal attempts a night, fourth most in the league. However, the results haven't been to her liking. She’s shot .345/.331/.800 during that stretch and simply put, Tanisha Wright is gonna need a lot more from her Olympian. The Liberty have a range of excellent defenders who will take turns guarding Howard? Betnijah Laney-Hamilton will go first
It's very rare that Breanna Stewart has an "under the radar" season, but it's felt like that for the most part. Stewie averaged 20.7/8.5/3.5/1.7/1.7 and continued to be a menace on defense. Stewart does everything imaginable for the Liberty, and she has redemption on her mind following a rough 2023 playoff run. This time around, Stewart has a little more energy in reserves as her minutes and usage were down from last year. Not to mention, the team gave her a few rest games (and the second half off in the season finale) as well. To put it into perspective, last season Stewart was fourth in the league in minutes per game. This year? 12th. Few players in basketball history possess the motor that Stewart has, and now that the playoffs are here, we’ll see it in overdrive.
From the Vault
I was reading the latest entry in Tom Breihan's excellent Number Ones series, and I learned that Rihanna and Drake's "Work" sampled "If You Were Here Tonight" by Alexander O'Neal. I also learned that the original song was the backbone of the Sail Away Riddim. It'll put you in a good mood
More reading, Teej Thinks, Teej Dreams, Peachtree Hoops, Swish Appeal, SB Nation, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic, NY Liberty Fan TV, Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next
New York Liberty Game Notes - New York Liberty
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