The Liberty were playing for pride in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals. And with the season on the line, New York showed up. Buoyed by an electric home crowd, the Liberty took down the Aces, 86–73, fending off what would've been a humiliating sweep at the hands of their West Coast rivals.
Both teams have emphasized the importance of stepping on the gas early, but it was New York that came out swinging after getting punched in the mouth by Las Vegas in Games 1 and 2. Sandy Brondello’s squad turned up the defensive intensity, a point of emphasis for the coach, forcing four early Aces’ turnovers. The stops translated to transition buckets, boosting a New York offense that has been in need of some confidence. Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu each drained a pair of threes in the first quarter, while Courtney Vandersloot hit one from beyond the arc, staking their claim on the game early.
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The Liberty looked like a different group than the one that showed up in Las Vegas, but it was a familiar face that led the charge for New York. Jones, who has been a rare bright spot for her side this series, once again helped keep the Liberty afloat. Putting in work on both sides of the floor, the former WNBA MVP logged 27 points, draining four of her seven attempted threes (a team high) while pulling down eight boards. The icing on the cake: a monstrous third-quarter block that elicited the biggest cheer of the day from the boisterous 17,143 fans (rivaling the rapturous welcome rock legend Joan Jett got when shown on the big screen). “We wouldn't be here without JJ,” said Brondello after Game 3. “JJ's voice has been heard these last few days, and that confidence has been huge for us.”
Jones has been on the brink before, falling to Las Vegas in last year’s Finals when she was with the Sun. Coming within fingertips of a trophy, she wasn’t going to take any moment in the Finals for granted and cautioned her team against doing the same. “These opportunities don’t come around often,” said Jones, revealing what she’d told her team following back-to-back losses. “To take advantage of the opportunity. To play with pride.” Just as the Liberty took form midway through the regular season alongside Jones’s ascendence, New York has been propelled by the 29-year-old through these Finals.
Ahead of Sunday afternoon’s game, Brondello applauded Jones’s effort, calling her “the only one that was being consistent,” but demanded that her team help their big out. After something of a scoring drought, New York’s guards got their feet back under them, as the team shot 52.4% from the field (an improvement on 46.4% and 36.1% from Games 1 and 2). Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney each finished with 12 points, while Ionescu put away three threes for nine points. WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart—who has seen her numbers drop from the regular season to the playoffs—looked more like herself with 20 points and 12 rebounds, helping Jones slow A’ja Wilson, who notched 16 points and 11 rebounds. Las Vegas guard Jackie Young—who has been red-hot, logging over 20 points in Games 1 and 2—was held to just eight points, a testament to New York’s improved perimeter defense.
“It was just taking a look at ourselves, a look in the mirror, and understanding that the basketball we played those two games in Las Vegas wasn’t anything we were proud of,” said Stewart. “Even though we were down, we wanted to fight and have each other’s backs.”
The Aces are now 0–3 in their last three Barclays Center outings, struggling to settle into their typical rhythm through the drones of the dogged Brooklyn crowd. (Things went from bad to worse for Becky Hammon’s team when star point guard Chelsea Gray left the game with an apparent foot injury in the fourth quarter. An update has not been given on her status.)
Sunday’s matchup featured a slew of who’s-who on the sidelines, including Sue Bird, Robin Roberts, Tony Parker, Aubrey Plaza and the aforementioned rock ’n’ roll royalty. The famous faces, Brondello said, are a testament to the league’s growth, adding that the recognition the team has gotten has been an added support. Home court advantage can be overblown, but in the Liberty’s case, the energy at the Barclays Center feels like nothing short of an X-factor.
The glitz and glam is a welcome backdrop for the superteam Finals, but New York’s identity is grittier than its star-studded fanbase and the flashy Barclays production may imply. Ionescu and Stewie’s ability to put on a splash fest may attract eyeballs, but the perseverance Jones has shown throughout the series has proved a winning ethos, especially as the squad works back up to its shooting potential. If the Liberty want to even the series, it would be wise to continue following Jones’s lead, playing tough, tenacious and unselfish basketball on both sides of the floor.
“That’s what it takes,” said Jones. “It’s knowing that if you go for a steal that your teammates will help you. When you build that level of trust you see the team play at the level we did both offensively and defensively.”
The Liberty’s work is far from over, facing the same stakes in Game 4 as they did Sunday. The difference now: They know they can beat the Aces in a WNBA Finals game.
