Liberty had a chance.
Leading 2-1 to advance to their second consecutive WNBA Finals, they were perfectly poised to win their first title on the Lynx's home court at Target Center.
They fought back late in Game 3 to take the series lead, thanks in large part to Brianna Stewart's 30-point night and Sabrina Ionescu's 8-foot sensation that shocked the basketball world. He finished it off with a great 3-point shot.
Then Friday's Game 4 saw a decisive moment, with 14 lead changes.
However, without big scoring nights from both Stewart (11 points) and Ionescu (10 points), even though Jonquel Jones and Leonie Fievich led the way with 21 and 19 points, respectively, the Liberty lost to the Lynx in the final. They lost 82-80 in the opening seconds of Game 4, the very same day they lost to the Aces in four games at Barclays Center a year ago.
Now, New York has one more chance for a winner-take-all Game 5, and the pressure is only mounting for a second-year superteam built specifically for this moment.
“We missed some shots that we normally make in the paint and behind the 3-point line, and it came back to haunt us at the end,” Ionescu said Friday. “You know, we have to be better and take responsibility for what we could have done better.”
After finishing the 2022 season with a 16-22 record, coach Sandy Brondello and general manager Jonathan Kolb have embarked on an aggressive offseason game plan, looking for players to build a championship group in New York. I erected it.
They had the best free agency period of any team in the offseason, adding 2021 MVP Jones and Stewart to two-time WNBA champion, veteran point guard and five-time All-Star Courtney Vandersloot. , paired with Ionescu and Betnija Rainey. -Hamilton is in the starting five.
After a franchise-best 32-8 record and first WNBA Finals appearance since 2002, Kolb and Brondello realize their lack of depth will cost them a championship in 2023. He was tasked with adding more versatility to the bench.
Now with a more capable and well-matched squad, the biggest hopes for Sunday's fifth game will be that Liberty, whose fans have been waiting for a title for more than a quarter of a century, will win the championship in 40 minutes.
“Minnesota did what they had to do to get this done and now we're going home,” Brondello said after Friday's loss. “We love playing in front of a crowd, so it's definitely going to be another sellout. It's definitely going to be loud and we've got to bring our A-game. I have a lot of respect for Minnesota, but don't get me wrong, this is a tough team. They play well. So they have one more game. We’re going to win on our home court.”
Liberty didn't seem thrilled to be forced into another close game, although it looked a little unnerved by the Lynx's defense that limited two of its star players in Game 4.
However, last season they lost two consecutive games only once.
The Liberty had a record home record of 16 wins and 4 losses during the regular season, which tied them for first place with the Lynx.
“Short-term memory,” Stewart said of his locker room message after the loss.
“We knew this wasn't going to be easy,” Ionescu said. “It was really tough to come to this arena and have to win two. But you know, we're not done yet. This is part of our story and tonight was the best. Even though I didn't get to play any basketball, I'm looking forward to the possibility of coming home and winning a championship in front of my home crowd.”
