Faced with sweep by Aces, Liberty look to beat the odds
History suggests the WNBA Finals are over. No team has ever come back from a 2-0 deficit to win the championship.
So why does New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello think her squad will become the first?
“We haven’t shown our best,” Brondello said after Saturday’s practice at Barclays Center, which will host Game 3 against the defending champion Las Vegas Aces on Sunday afternoon.
“Now we have to match what Vegas does and play even better if we want to win.”
The Liberty — fueled by the league’s second-best offence — had fared well against the Aces coming into the series, winning three of five meetings this year, including the Commissioner’s Cup. But the Aces won the first two games of the Finals by an average of 23 points, including a 28-point beatdown in Game 2 on Wednesday night at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Sabrina Ionescu, who averaged 28 points in New York’s wins over Las Vegas in the regular season, has just nine points a game in the Finals on 24 per cent shooting. Two-way guard/forward Betnijah Laney shot just 27 per cent in Game 2, while Courtney Vandersloot has been unable to spark the offence.
But the Aces haven’t beaten the Liberty on the road this year. What’s the key for New York in Game 3?
“When we move the ball, we are a way better team,” star centre Jonquel Jones said after Saturday’s practice. “We have to have more movement on the weak side, not just standing and watching people play.”
League MVP Breanna Stewart said the Aces are crowding New York’s stars down low and using defensive looks they haven’t seen before: blitzing Ionescu on the perimeter, and going under screens while guarding the struggling Vandersloot and Laney.
“It’s (about) understanding that and just not playing into their hands,” Stewart said. “We know what they want to do. But we shouldn’t let that stop what we want to do.”