Three keys for the Liberty entering the WNBA Finals against the Lynx
Sabrina Ionescu of the Liberty is guarded by Natisha Hiedeman of the Minnesota Lynx during game at Barclays Center on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. Credit: Errol Anderson
The best-of-five clash between the top-seeded Liberty and the second-seeded Minnesota Lynx for WNBA supremacy tips off Thursday night at Barclays Center. It’s the Liberty’s second straight trip to the Finals. Here are three keys in their latest bid for championship No. 1:
1. A physical approach
The Liberty’s track record against the Lynx this year has been mostly offtrack.
Minnesota took three of the four meetings, including the Commissioner’s Cup final in June at UBS Arena.
Courtney Vandersloot saw a common thread weaved through the losses that can be fixed.
“Yeah, I think our physicality,” the point guard said after Wednesday's practice. “They have to feel us. They’re just too good to kind of let them do whatever they want. I think that’s going to be a big factor for us.”
Jonquel Jones will need to find the line between physicality and fouling. If the 6-6 center picks up a few, she also needs to avoid unnecessary ones that add to the total and lead to more sitting.
“She’s a key for us,” coach Sandy Brondello said. “[Against] Vegas, when [Leonie Fiebich] and her got into foul trouble [in Game 4], it kind of swung the momentum a little bit. When we have them on the court, you see how we can play.”
2. Contain Collier
Napheesa Collier averaged 20.4 points and 9.7 rebounds for Minnesota during the regular season. The 6-1 forward also received the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year award and was the runner-up for MVP. She averaged 17.3 points and 10.3 rebounds in the four games against the Liberty.
But she has boosted her scoring in the postseason, averaging 40 in the opening round and 27.1 overall through seven games.
“It’s really easy for us to capitalize on what we’re good at because we share the ball so well,” Collier said.
She’s riding a WNBA-record streak of three straight playoff games with at least 25 points and 10 rebounds.
“I think [it’s] making Phee kind of play on both ends of the ball, knowing that most likely she’s going to guard me, and continuing to put her in a lot of actions defensively,” Breanna Stewart said. “And then when she gets the ball, making her take tough shots, knowing what she’s trying to get to.”
Asked if she will be guarding Collier, Stewart said, “Maybe.”
3. Take advantage of the home-court advantage
The Liberty didn’t have this last year. They dropped the first two at Las Vegas in the Finals before winning Game 3 at Barclays and then falling at home in Game 4.
“It’s huge,” Sabrina Ionescu said. “I think being able to be on the other side of it last year, knowing how hard it was to have to go on the road for the first two games of the Finals into an opposing crowd and steal a win, I think we all understand we’re going to have the whole city behind us cheering us on . . . and understand how big of an advantage that it is for us.”
