This is who the New York Liberty are at their best. Four players scoring in double figures, shooting from deep at a 46 percent rate, forcing turnovers with their agile defense and high-level all-around play from their superstars.
They came into these playoffs as favorites for good reason – Sunday night showed why.
New York, despite another comeback scare, showed its resilience and star power to defeat the Lynx 80-66 in Game 2, tying the WNBA Finals at 1-1 as the two teams prepare to go to Minnesota .
Breanna Stewart reminded the world that she is a two-time MVP, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds, five assists, a block and a record seven steals in the WNBA Finals.
Sabrina Ionescu followed with 15 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Jonquel Jones, the third piece of New York's terrifying triumvirate, scored 14 points, nine rebounds and two steals.
Most importantly, though, that trio finished 18 of 40 (45 percent) from the field and 4 of 11 (36 percent) from deep. Nothing earth-shattering, but a clear step forward from Game 1's costly inefficiencies.
Here are some takeaways from a very important comeback in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals.
Don't bet against Betnijah
When looking at the Liberty, it's easy to get caught up in the superstar trio of Ionescu, Stewart and Jones. But the rest of this team has been built for this exact moment, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton proved it on Sunday.
After being held to just five points on 2-of-7 shooting from the field in Game 1, the 30-year-old wing was shut out in Game 2, finishing with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and, most importantly, , four out of six. from three point range.
Those plays from deep came in all directions, from catch-and-shoot looks in the corner to jumpers off the break with a little help from a screen. But each of them felt like a game-breaker for a Lynx team that did a great job of stopping New York's shooters in Game 1.
Then, for the Liberty's first basket of the third, she set up Lynx center Alanna Smith on a nasty jumper from near the free throw line and finished a perfect drive to the basket after taking down two defenders. on the next possession.
His most important shot came with three minutes remaining. The Lynx were cutting into the Liberty's lead, cutting it to a two-point deficit and providing brutal reminders of the Game 1 collapse. But Laney-Hamilton adjusted all that, hitting a 3-pointer off a corner catch to regain the lead. of five points.
When the Liberty needed a bucket, Laney-Hamilton was there. At the end of the shot clock, to save a careless possession, after an offensive rebound, whatever the situation, he came forward.
What makes it more impressive, however, is that head coach Sandy Brondello told reporters before the game that Laney-Hamilton was apparently still dealing with a knee injury suffered in September and was not 100 percent for this match.
From his three-level scoring ability to his do-or-die mentality, his outing was the kind of effort Liberty needed after losing Game 1.
Collier returns to Earth
What Napheesa Collier has done over the past month in the postseason for the Lynx has perhaps fundamentally altered expectations for the 28-year-old forward.
After another spectacular performance in Game 1, it seemed as if there was no force in the world built to stop her. For good reason, people (including myself) have become quite hyperbolic when it comes to how good she is and her standing among her peers in the WNBA.
He finished Game 2 with 16 points, 7 of 12 shooting, eight rebounds, three assists and four steals. Typically, if someone ended a game with that line, it would be considered a consistent and complete performance, but nothing extraordinary. Unfortunately, Collier's expectation now is to beat the world.
The Liberty did incredibly well keeping her under control, Breanna Stewart specifically, and forcing her to commit bad turnovers and tough looks. In total, she finished with seven turnovers and four fouls that forced her to play more cautiously in the final stretch.
All this to say, while he didn't play poorly by any means, he didn't live up to his absurdly high standards. But against a star-studded New York Liberty, those high standards are the difference between a comeback ending in a victory or a loss.
Freedom bends, but it does not break.
It almost happened again.
With three minutes left in the second quarter, the New York Liberty had a 17-point lead, a deficit that is starting to feel less and less secure in this series.
20 minutes later, with three minutes left in the quarter, that lead was cut to two. From the courtside broadcast table, the sounds of Ryan Ruocco's iconic “YOU BET” began ringing in the Liberty's ears, reminding them of Thursday's historic collapse.
If they fell apart again and went to Minnesota with a 2-0 deficit, it was all but written that Liberty's Finals curse would surely have another chapter written.
But they stifled it, somehow.
New York had three shaky turnovers early in the fourth quarter, but from those three minutes onwards, they played it safe with the ball, found the open player, forced the Lynx into tough shots and held their ground. Evaluate that against Game 1, when they had two turnovers on the shot clock in the final three minutes to throw away the game, and it's clear Liberty approached Sunday's key situation with much more determination.
Instead of falling victim to sloppy play, they forced the Lynx into bad possessions and scored 26 points off 20 Minnesota turnovers. The biggest came from a Leonie Fiebich steal that ended with a three-pointer in transition to ice the game.
The Liberty were the most efficient offensive team at clutch time in the regular season, finishing with an offensive rating of 111.6 in those situations. They showed why on Sunday.
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