As Breanna Stewart walked off the Barclays Center court for the final time this season, she was overcome with emotion, describing the feeling as "just frustration."
Stewart and the New York Liberty experienced their first 3-0 sweep of her career, falling short of their championship expectations. "Coming up short with the team really sucks," Stewart said following the loss. She articulated that her frustration stemmed from the knowledge of how difficult it is to reach championship contention, highlighting the rarity of having a legitimate opportunity to achieve something special.
"What I’m thinking about right now is just missed opportunity," Stewart stated. "We went to the Finals two years in a row and haven’t gone since, but it’s really hard to get to the Finals. It’s really hard to win a WNBA championship, and I feel like because we did it, we went there twice early on, it was almost like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be an every year thing.’ You guys know, this s–t isn’t easy."
Stewart finished the season third in MVP voting, averaging 20.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. She played a crucial role in carrying the Liberty through a turbulent season, missing only two of 44 games. With a new coaching staff, Stewart embraced a more vocal leadership position. Despite earning her eighth All-Star selection and performing at a high level throughout the season, another prime year for Stewart has concluded without the Liberty achieving their championship aspirations.
The team now faces critical decisions to maximize their contention window. "All of us wanted more," said teammate Rebecca Allen. "All of us wanted to get to the Finals. So I mean, yes, obviously, I want more for Stewie, but I want more for myself. I want more for the girls — everyone in the locker room — [I] want more for the coaches as well, and I think it’s something that we had every potential of achieving."
Stewart acknowledged the importance of capitalizing on such opportunities, recalling advice from former teammate Sue Bird about not taking championship moments for granted. "There’s so much that goes into getting there in the first place. It’s not just talent and chemistry; there’s luck, too."
Stewart confirmed that she will share her insights on roster needs with general manager Jonathan Kolb this offseason. "Unless you’re in a rebuild, which we’re not, everybody should be in a win-now mindset," Stewart asserted. "Selfishly, like, listen, I plan on playing for I don’t know however many more years. I have Olympics and World Cups that I want to win and stuff, but especially after being injured last season, I don’t take for granted a healthy season, and that’s what really pisses me off is — not that it was wasted — just like I couldn’t fulfill my full opportunity to make something spicy happen. Almost. Almost did."