Brianna Stewart wants a smoke.
She wants the responsibility of helping bring championships to fruition, which is why she was brought to New York in the first place.
The two-time WNBA MVP and two-time league champion doesn't need to be reminded that she was a key factor in the Liberty's historic come-from-behind loss in Game 1 of the Finals, but she was also a key factor in the Liberty's historic come-from-behind loss in Game 1 of the Finals. He missed a throw and then had a potential game-tying layup at the end of overtime in a 95-93 loss to the Minnesota Lynx on his home court.
Stewart and the top-seeded Liberty now face a must-win game in Game 2 at Barclays Center on Sunday before the best-of-five series moves to Minnesota.
“I'm upset about that,” Stewart said after Saturday's practice in Brooklyn. “But I want to take these shots. I think what really drives and motivates me is that there's an opportunity to change that. There's a chance to change that.
“We're working on this issue, facing everything head on and taking responsibility for every action. And that's why we're professionals. 'That's not going to happen, now what?'
Liberty built an 18-point lead in the second quarter of Game 1, but used up all but two of that cushion and led by 15 with five minutes left.
WNBA teams are 183-0 in this scenario in postseason history, but the Lynx stormed back to take an 84-83 lead on Courtney Williams' converted four-point play with 5.1 seconds left in regulation.
Stewart was fouled with less than a second left, sank the first free throw to tie the game, then made the second to force overtime.
She also missed all three of her field goal attempts in the overtime session, including a layup in traffic as time expired, and finished the game on 6-of-21 from the floor. Finished.
All-Star guard Sabrina Ionescu also missed 18 of 26 attempts, and starting forward Betoniyah Rainey-Hamilton also had a quiet game, scoring five points on 2-of-7 shooting for Liberty.
“Look, Stewie hasn't lost a game,” coach Sandy Brondello said Saturday. “It's no one's fault. In that respect, it's all our fault and no one's fault.
“This is a sport, so there's going to be pain. But Stewie is fine. We're still going to her. Nothing has changed. She shot a high percentage. She's there. You know what I'm saying? It's not the end of the world. She's still one of the best players of all time. It's not the end of the world. Tomorrow has a chance to be even better.”
Both Brondello and Stewart emphasized that Liberty needed to play at a “better pace” than it did in the second half of Game 1 and in OT to even the series.
“We all long for another opportunity to change the outcome of what happened Thursday,” Stewart said. “I think we've shaken it off. Like, it's one game. We know this is a series. And we've got another great crowd coming out on Sunday to help us get back on the right track.” We know you will.
“We want to bring this franchise its first championship ever, and we can't do that by just doing the easy things and saying the easy things. This is the WNBA, and nothing is easy. Not.”
Stewart, who won two titles with the Seattle Storm early in his career, said he received encouraging text messages after Game 1 from league legends like Sue Bird and Nancy Lieberman, as well as “quite a few of my friends.” added.
“They just said, 'Get back on your feet.' I'm in the position I'm in because I am me. For better or worse, I don't care,” Stewart said. “One game doesn't reflect my actions. That being said, obviously I'm like, 'Oh my god.' I try not to say it anymore because I have kids, but I think that's it.
“I want to be in these positions and have responsibility and responsibility, so I'm going to move on. No matter what happens, I'm moving forward. This is a series and my team I feel like I want to be the guy that brings the mindset and the mentality that we need to get there in Game 2, and we focus on what happened in the past. I haven’t.”
