Five seasons ago, the No. 6 seed won the WNBA title.<\/p>\n
That team was the 2021 Chicago Sky.<\/p>\n
After muddling through a .500 regular season that featured both a losing and winning streak of seven games, the Sky found their stride at the right time, defeating the Dallas Wings in the single-elimination first round, besting Minnesota Lynx in the single-elimination second round, winning 3-1 over the Connecticut Sun in the semifinals and triumphing 3-1 over the Phoenix Mercury in the WNBA Finals.<\/p>\n
That Sky roster was stacked with tons of familiar WNBA names in Candace Parker, Kahleah Copper, Courtney Vandersloot, Allie Quigley, Dana Evans, Azur\u00e1 Stevens and Stefanie Dolson.<\/p>\n
Kinda sounds a lot like this season\u2019s New York Liberty, currently the No. 6 seed?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been an up-and-down season for a Liberty team of which much was expected. A run to the Commissioner\u2019s Cup championship flashed the potential of a team that, too frequently, has remained unrealized due to injuries and inconsistencies. The team enjoyed an eight-game winning streak, but also stumbled through three- and four-game losing skids.<\/p>\n
Even though Satou Sabally will not return, New York still overflows with talent, headlined by an All-WNBA candidate Breanna Stewart. Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu and Leonie Fiebich remain from the 2024 title team. Marine Johann\u00e8s and Han Xu have put together their best WNBA seasons. Pauline Astier has been a rookie revelation, and Rebekah Gardner and Rebecca Allen are proven vets.<\/p>\n
And maybe, just as happened for the Sky five years ago, everything is coming together for the Liberty at the right moment.<\/p>\n
In their first game after the World Cup break, the Liberty might have authored their best win of the season, a 12-point win, 93-81, over the league-leading Minnesota Lynx. New York held Napheesa Collier to 14 points, while inducing an inefficient night from presumptive Rookie of the Year Olivia Miles, whose 20 points came on 5-for-18 shooting; her five assists also were matched by five turnovers.<\/p>\n
Offensively, the load was distributed for the Liberty. Stewart led with 24 points, which she complemented with 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals, while Jones contributed an 18-point and 10-rebound double-double and Ionescu hit three 3-pointers on her way to 17 points. Astier was her efficient self with 14 points, and Johann\u00e8s made four 3s from the bench, finishing with 13 points.<\/p>\n
The victory was an actualization of New York\u2019s World Cup break priorities.<\/p>\n
As detailed by Jackie Powell at The IX Sports<\/a>, New York\u2019s staff and non-World Cup players used the hiatus to reflect and refine, holding eight practices where defensive improvement, in particular, was a point of focus.<\/p>\n As head coach Chris DeMarco told reporters after a recent practice:<\/a><\/p>\n Any team on this break has a responsibility to look at their strengths and weaknesses, and we love our ability to protect the paint right now. We\u2019re number one in the league in not fouling and defensive rebounding. We\u2019re doing a lot of great things, and then we just want to get better in some other areas.<\/p>\n So that\u2019s sort of been the focus\u2014whether it\u2019s film work around the court, our development, our group work\u2014and it\u2019ll continue to be.<\/p>\n