Liberty Face Lynx in First Finals Matchup
Summer is a season of anticipated sequels and the latest stars the New York Liberty.
The defending WNBA champions will face off against the Minnesota Lynx for the first time since last fall's fateful Finals fracas, descending upon Target Center for part two of four-stage road trip. It'll be the first of four Finals rematches between now and Aug. 19, with part two coming to Brooklyn on Aug. 10.
New York, of course, prevailed in the famed five-game set in October, claiming their first postseason championship in franchise history with a 67-62 final in the Brooklyn-based finale. Many expect another showdown come this fall, when the championship series extends to a best-of-seven set for the first time. The Lynx and Liberty respectively hold the first and second seeds on the active WNBA playoff bracket entering Wednesday night play.
The Liberty come into this game somewhat reeling, have dropped two in a row amidst defensive lapses partly brought on by a long list of injuries. With Breanna Stewart and depth stars Kennedy Burke and Nyara Sabally sidelined, the Liberty dropped a 92-82 decision to the Dallas Wings on Monday night in Arlington. New York trailed by as much as 30 before making the score somewhat respectable with a furious, if not futile, second half rally. That game followed a last-second 101-99 loss to the Los Angeles Sparks on Saturday, which ended a five-game winning streak.
Minnesota likewise saw a decent winning streak come to an end over the weekend, theirs stopped at four with a 90-86 loss to the Atlanta Dream. Napheesa Collier had 32 points on a night where the Lynx shot over 56 percent from the field but 16 turnovers did them in in the eventual loss. It was Minnesota's first loss at Target Center this season to count in the regular season standings, as it had won each of its first 14 beyond a Commissioner's Cup final defeat to the Indiana Fever earlier this month.
The Liberty will once again go without Burke, Sabally, and Stewart on Wednesday, as each has been listed as out on the nightly injury report. This will be the Liberty's third chance to earn the 500th win in franchise history, which would make them the fourth team in WNBA history to hit half a thousand.
Who: New York Liberty (17-8) @ Minnesota Lynx (22-5)
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
When: Wednesday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN
Who's Favored: MIN -7.5
Keep An Eye On: Isabelle Harrison
Last year's Finals perhaps produced the best Unrivaled commercials one could've dreamed of, as league co-founders Collier and Stewart staged several sterling struggles all over the court. Alas, Stewart won't be able to partake on Wednesday, which will likely place a greater load on Harrison to stop the presumptive MVP. Harrison is one of several Brooklynites building a solid Sixth Woman of the Year case for her multi-faceted contributions and this could be one of her greatest showcases yet. She got the starting nod on Monday against Dallas' smaller lineup but New York eventually opted to go smaller in the effort to make a comeback. With Collier and Alanna Smith literally looming large, Harrison has a dangerous, if not fruitful, opportnity to make a statement.
Lynx to Watch: Kayla McBride
Another sixth woman sensation, Burke, won't be able to play on Wednesday. While Burke has mostly made a name for herself with her outside shooting, that's a big blow to the Liberty's perimeter defense and McBride could be quick to take advantage. One of the reasons why the Lynx seems like a team that was grown in a lab to defeat the Liberty is because they seem to have counters for every strength New York has developed since embracing the superteam concept. McBride, for example, is a downright historic response to Sabrina Ionescu's deep ball prowess and it could be dangerous if she gets looses against the shorthanded Brooklynites.
They Said It
"We've got to focus on ourselves. We shouldn't be playing any differently because of who we're matched up with. You know what their record is, how talented they are. There's not really any excuse for the way we come out. We need to value every single game. The regular season is almost over, I feel like, in the blink of an eye. We can't let any of these opportunities pass us by with the players that we have in this locker room. For us, it's a game that we've got to be able to talk about what we want to fix, and be able to go out there and do it, and it's us versus us. We have to be the best that we can be, and obviously we're going to get tested, and we know that."-Sabrina Ionescu
Prediction
New York has made it clear that the endgame is to have full lines of chemistry by October rather than August, but this is still a solid gut check time for the seafoam savants. They know they'll be without three key contributors, including Sabally and Stewart, two of the heroines from the aforementioned Game 5 triumph last fall, and effort and response will be the key issues spotlighted against mighty Minnesota.
Ultimately, it feels like asking them to take down the stacked Lynx without a good bit of their contributions is a little much. But the Liberty, so keen on approaching this series and season, one step at a time can take a leap by returning to what has worked on Wednesday. RIght now, that's the continuation of a sterling offensive prowess, but the defense needs a little more work to raise a worthy challenge to the Lynx's lengthy lead in the standings.
Lynx 94, Liberty 90
Geoff Magliocchetti is a veteran sportswriter who contributes to a variety of sites on the "On SI" network. In addition to the Yankees/Mets, Geoff also covers the New York Knicks, New York Liberty, and New York Giants and has previously written about the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Staten Island Yankees, and NASCAR.