Liberty MVP says team must look ‘in the mirror’ after Aces’ routs
NEW YORK — Reigning MVP Breanna Stewart says it starts with her.
The star New York forward said the No. 2-seeded Liberty needed some introspection following a 104-76 loss to the top-seeded Aces to fall into a 2-0 hole in the WNBA Finals. The Liberty aren’t playing a brand of basketball that represents them, Stewart said.
And Stewart said she’s far from immune from the criticism.
“The first place we look is in the mirror,” she said Friday.
Another Aces win, and the reigning champions can cap their historic season with an undefeated playoff run and a series sweep against the Liberty. Another Aces win, and they become the first team to repeat as WNBA champions in 21 years.
Another Aces win, and the Liberty’s long wait for a title — they’re the only founding franchise still in existence to not win a championship — goes on for another year.
Yet before the Liberty can even start thinking about an unprecedented comeback, they have to win one game. Game 3 is at noon Sunday at Barclays Center in New York.
“We have to make sure Game 1 and 2 don’t affect Game 3,” Stewart said. “We have to come in with that mindset that we’re ready to play. We’re ready to battle.
“We’re ready to do whatever it takes to get this win on our homecourt.”
Stewart, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello and All-Star point guard Courtney Vandersloot said poor defense has been New York’s undoing so far in the series. The Aces scored 99 points in Game 1, then dropped 104 on the Liberty in Game 2, including a historic 38-point first quarter.
The Aces are shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 44.8 percent from 3 during the Finals. They have an offensive rating — the number of points a team would score on 100 possessions — of 128.5. For context, the Aces led the league with a 113 offensive rating during the regular season.
“We have to defend like hell,” Vandersloot said. “And we just haven’t been doing it to the level that it needs to.”
Stokes enjoys spotlight
Kiah Stokes had no warning for what was about to happen.
The Aces’ starting center was standing with her teammates as A’ja Wilson was about to be honored as 2023 WNBA Defensive Player of the Year when the two-time MVP began to pull Stokes to center court.
Wilson made sure Stokes, her frontcourt teammate, shared some of the spotlight when she was honored in front of Aces fans at Michelob Ultra Arena during Game 1 of the semifinals against the Dallas Wings.
“I didn’t expect it at all,” Stokes said at the time. “It was such a humble thing for her to do.”
After accepting the trophy, Wilson quickly passed it off to Stokes, whom she credited for anchoring the Aces’ defense. Wilson had previously joked she was going to scratch Stokes’ name onto the award.
“They’re a dynamic duo,” Aces assistant Charlene Thomas-Swinson, who coaches the team’s post players, said Friday.
Thomas-Swinson and Stokes said it’s just more proof of the character Wilson has demonstrated throughout her career.
“It’s nice that she recognized my efforts toward this team, but she earned that trophy,” Stokes said. “I appreciate it, but that’s for her. She’s an amazing human, an amazing player and I’m super lucky to have her as a teammate.”
Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on X.
