WNBA Finals: State of Mind in New York – Liberty vows to put Game 1 collapse behind them and move on

NEW YORK (AP) — Napheesa Collier watched the Game 1 broadcast again, even though the Minnesota Lynx star never normally does because everything was so blurry. The MVP runner-up didn't remember Courtney Williams, their 6-foot-1 point guard, coming down the hill and finishing against 6-foot center Jonquel Jones. She was in awe.

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart also watched the whole thing in full. She felt better after seeing her missed free throw that would have won the game for the Liberty. The third-place MVP finisher was in her routine, not coming off the line too quickly and doing everything she normally does. There was no awe, but optimism.

“I’m going to keep shooting at them and the next one goes in,” Stewart said after Liberty’s practice Saturday at Barclays Center.

The Liberty are “addicted to film” right now, she said, just as they were in the semifinals and first round. Identical to last year's final series. But this year they also have the task of taking responsibility, regrouping and avoiding panic, lest they let the emotions of the Game 1 collapse steal the series away from them.

“This is just part of our journey. That's just part of the story,” Liberty point guard Courtney Vandersloot said after Game 1. “And we can talk about that at the end one way or another. “We're thinking about changing course.”

After the Liberty blew a 15-point lead in the final five minutes and lost 95-93 in overtime, Vandersloot said she told the team to feel the bad feelings but addressed them on the way out leave behind this evening. The players took responsibility at practice on Saturday and turned to the task at hand. It never should have come down to Stewart's missed free throw, or even her open look in the final seconds of overtime.

“(Stewart) didn’t lose the game. We’ve lost this before,” said head coach Sandy Brondello. “It’s no one’s fault, it’s all our mistakes and no one is to blame in this regard.”

There's a reason it's a series, several players said. They're focused on Game 2 on Sunday (3 p.m. ET on ABC) and seem willing to tip early if they could.

“We're just really hungry and eager to get back on our feet,” Stewart said of a must-win game with the series heading to Minneapolis for Games 3 and 4.

The Liberty didn't perform well on offense, settling for shots and failing to play at a good pace. They knew the Lynx defensive changes were coming and couldn't counter. It's the fourth loss to Minnesota in five tries this year.

Defensively, they allowed 84 points in regulation time (eight more than average) and a total of 42 points in the league (seven more than average). The Liberty are averaging 4-6 in the regular season when giving up 83 or more points. Williams killed them not only with her late goal, but also with her ability to put Collier ahead.

“Everyone is disappointed, but you keep (the team) focused,” Brondello said. “We can’t think about how that felt (in Game 1). Can't change it. So what are we going to do about it? And that is our goal for the future.”

Brondello wants the Liberty to hit the screens better so Jones can roll, and they want to use them consistently, including paying attention to kick-out passes. Jones led New York with 24 points and 10 rebounds, but went scoreless on four shots in the second quarter and made one of just two attempts in the crucial fourth quarter. The center is making her fourth finals appearance and is the key asset for the franchise's first championship.

But even her outstanding game alone – coupled with a strong game from Leonie Fiebich from 3-point range – she couldn't win against the Lynx defense in an aura of déjà vu from the 2023 final against Las Vegas. The Liberty attempted 90 shots, an incredible number, 12 more than their season high and 22 more than their season average. None of them were easy and that needs to change in Game 2.

“The players who normally have the ball in their hands and are able to break away from a pick-and-roll, rotate, distribute and set up the offense (the Lynx) don't allow that to happen so easily “Warns Guard Sabrina Ionescu said. “But they're not perfect either, and that's why I think we understand it when we look at the game where we can get (Jones) going and establish them in us, like we can get people with our height advantage and our “We were able to get the post going.” Play and how that can open the floor for everyone.”

Ionescu said the locker room was “pretty quiet” after the end of the first game, but they began to talk about the mistakes together and individually.

“This is a powerful locker room where you can take responsibility for the things you didn't do well and commit to doing them better rather than just pointing fingers,” Ionescu said.

New York lost Game 1 of the 2023 semifinals at home to Connecticut but won the next three games, Ionescu recalled. Minnesota lost its first game in that year's semifinals (also against Connecticut), but still clinched its spot in the finals at the end of the series.

“You can’t let the last game influence the next one,” Ionescu said. “You just have to learn from it.”

Ionescu is looking forward to punishing the holes she saw in the Lynx defense while watching the film. Stewart spent the days between games watching clips as if they were representatives on the field, making sure “the scout is ingrained in our minds.” The Liberty needs to make sure it's locked in and ready with “10 toes down,” Stewart said. In their eyes, it's just another battle against adversity that they've been enduring for more than a year.

“One thing I've often thought about is that fighting is a beautiful thing,” Stewart said. “And that’s exactly where we are right now.”