NEW YORK — Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones were the last two Liberty players standing. The clock had already hit zero, the echo of the final buzzer already vanquished down Atlantic Avenue into the cool October night. The crowd at Barclays Center was down-faced, shuffling toward the exits. How could this happen? The murmurs of New York’s tragic fate dissipated into the air. The Liberty had just gotten swept in their WNBA semifinal series against the Dream. As a red sea of Atlanta players relished alone, sans fanfare, in their Finals-clinching road victory, Stewart and Jones lingered on the court, patiently waiting to share a brief moment with the player of the hour: Angel Reese.
A Dream joined, a dream manifested for ATL Barbie. And a dream dashed for New York’s pair of battered veterans. In her first career playoff run, Reese went up against two of the league’s most talented post players, and she won, thrice, booking her first-ever berth to the WNBA Finals.
