Liberty Reminded WNBA Why They’re a Nightmare First-Round Matchup for Top Teams
When the New York Liberty took on the Minnesota Lynx, it was the first high-profile match after the World Cup break. Minnesota has been the top seed for most of the season, while New York had to navigate injuries and inconsistent performances on both ends of the floor. They could look like a potential contender in some games and completely fall apart in others.
Against the Lynx, the Liberty showcased what they can look like at their best. They shot 45% from deep, forced 19 turnovers, and held Napheesa Collier to 14 points. Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones both finished the game with a double-double, leading the Liberty to a 93-81 win. Minnesota only lost nine games going into that match. Beating them is not easy, and especially not in a physical playoff atmosphere on their home court.
By taking down the number-one team in the league right before the playoffs, the Liberty sent a strong message: they may be short-handed with Satou Sabally out and haven’t always lived up to their potential this season, but facing them in the first round of the playoffs could quickly turn into a nightmare for any of the top three teams.
New York is a tough first-round matchup to draw as a top-three team
Two of the three teams at the bottom of the playoff standings very much look like they belong there. The Washington Mystics are the youngest team in the playoffs. Their roster is largely made up of rookies and second-year players except for Shakira Austin, Michaela Onyenwere, and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton. The Dallas Wings have more veterans, but they are led by a second-year player and a rookie head coach and have struggled with injuries.
The Liberty, on the other hand, are a veteran-heavy team with a big three that just won a title together two years ago. Finishing in the top three and going into a first-round matchup with one of the teams that finished with the final three playoff spots is supposed to be a reward. Having to play the Liberty doesn’t feel like that at all. Of course, facing the Wings or Mystics won’t be easy either, but at least the Lynx, Golden State Valkyries, and Las Vegas Aces all have advantages in terms of experience over those teams. That is not the case against the Liberty.
The only key pieces for the Liberty that lack experience are head coach Chris DeMarco and rookie Pauline Astier. Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, and Leonie Fiebich can make up for a lot of that inexperience if they’re playing as they did against the Lynx.
The Liberty have a 4-5 record against the top three teams, after beating the Lynx and Aces twice each and losing the season series against the Valkyries 0-3. No other playoff team has a better accumulated record against the Lynx, Valkyries, and Aces at the moment. The Indiana Fever can still catch up if they beat the Lynx twice to close out the season.
No matter which first-round matchup the Liberty end up in, it should be a thrilling series and not what any of the top-three teams hoped for.
The Valkyries, who swept the Liberty in the regular season and managed to shut down their offense, would have the easiest path toward escaping New York in a first-round series. However, ‘easiest path’ doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be a challenge. Breanna Stewart is not someone you ever want to face in a playoff series, no matter how well you defended her in the regular season.
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Elaine Blum covers women’s basketball for On SI from Europe. She has been writing about women's hoops since 2023 and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism and a master’s degree in American Studies with a focus on women’s and gender studies. She started playing basketball when she was 10 years old and won several league and state championships at the youth and senior level.