Liberty Secures Game 1 Victory Over Top-Seeded Lynx, Eyes Series Clinch
Breanna Stewart leads New York to a dominant Game 1 win, but the team remains wary of a potential Lynx comeback.
The eighth-seeded New York Liberty secured a decisive 91-75 victory over the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 of their playoff series, placing them one win away from advancing to the semifinals. The Liberty's performance, anchored by a stellar outing from Breanna Stewart, put the Lynx on the brink of elimination.
Stewart delivered a playoff career-high performance for the Liberty, recording 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks. Despite the significant win, Stewart emphasized the need for continued focus.
“This doesn’t mean relax,” Stewart stated, referencing the 1-0 series lead. “Minny’s exceptionally talented, and they’ll throw everything at us Tuesday.”
The Liberty are mindful of a similar scenario from the previous season, where they won Game 1 of their first-round series against the Phoenix Mercury on the road, only to lose the next two games and be eliminated. This history serves as a cautionary tale as they prepare to host Game 2.
“We understand it’s going to be even harder now that we have them on the ropes,” said Jonquel Jones. “When you have anybody with their backs against the wall, they’re going to fight to try to get out of that.”
Following the loss, Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve pointed to her team's strong 18-4 road record during the regular season as a source of confidence. Veteran guard Kayla McBride echoed this sentiment, expressing unwavering belief in her team's ability to rebound.
“There’s not one second that I don’t believe in this group,” McBride said. “This 40 minutes wasn’t our best, but we have another opportunity to show up for ourselves, for each other and for this organization and for these fans. … I believe in us. I don’t have any doubt inside my body that we can’t go to New York and bring this s–t back.”
The Liberty are now in a position to make history as the first team to defeat a No. 1 seed in the first round under the WNBA's current playoff format, but they acknowledge the challenge ahead.
“We don’t expect that it’s just going to be some blowout and it’s going to be easy, that this is going to be a cakewalk,” Jones added. “We understand that it’s going to take everybody being locked in, everybody having a very high level of focus and just [playing] team basketball again to be able to close the series.”
Both teams are anticipated to make adjustments. The Liberty cannot rely on opponents having off-nights or key players getting into foul trouble, and they must address their own turnover issues. The Lynx ranked second in the league in points off turnovers, and the Liberty's 21 turnovers in Game 1 led to 18 points for Minnesota.
Advancing in the playoffs, potentially against the winner of the Dream-Mystics series, is within reach. However, the Liberty's experience from the previous year underscores the fragility of such opportunities. Maintaining mental fortitude and focus will be crucial for closing out the series.
“Just staying mentally really locked in,” said Leonie Fiebich. “[When] we’re really calm and collected and can just focus on our execution, I think, that’s really, really good. When we gave away games is when we got emotional and … there’s some bad calls and we react to that.”