Liberty Reveal Breanna Stewart’s Game 2 Status
Only time will tell if Breanna Stewart will rise for the New York Liberty vs. Phoenix.
As New York prepared for a potential first-round clincher against the Phoenix Mercury at Barclays Center, Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello labeled Stewart a game-time decision circa 32 hours before tip-off. Brondello also mentioned that Stewart’s medical scans came back “relatively clean” as New York attempts to go for a two-game sweep in the best-of-three match.
Stewart’s medically-induced departure from the Liberty’s 76-69 victory in Game 1 marred an otherwise strong showing, as fifth-ranked New York was the only road to team to prevail in WNBA playoff openers over the weekend.
The two-time MVP and three-time WNBA champion stayed grounded after hitting a clutch drive while drawing a foul from Satou Sabally with just about three minutes left in the extra session. She briefly remained in the game to shoot an unsuccessful free throw before asking Brondello to take her out at the next possession. New York finished the game in an 11-4 run in the extra session.
Stewart was in practice gear as the Liberty held court in Barclays Center’s basement but did not partake, instead engaging in conversation with Brondello, general manager Jonathan Kolb and other members of Liberty brass as her worked out. She seemed to be walking fine and had no encumbrance beyond a sleeve on her affected leg.
In a Liberty postseason championship defined by injuries, Stewart previously missed 13 games with a bone bruise on her right, a stretch that saw New York go 5-8. Due to frequent medical interruptions, the Liberty have struggled to field their traditional starting five of Stewart, Natasha Cloud, Leonie Fiebich, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones but the team is undefeated when that quintessential quintet starts and finishes a game this year.
Brondello spotlighted Isabelle Harrison as someone who could step up in Stewart’s potential absence. The Liberty are also somewhat blessed by the spacing of the WNBA playoff schedule: if they fall to Phoenix in Game 2, they’d have two nights off before a winner-take-all finale and if they win, Game 1 of the semifinals wouldn’t be staged until the end of the weekend.
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.