By John “Woods” Armwood III
New York Liberty (32-8) has dominated the regular season with one of the most talented rosters in the entire WNBA. However, the real season begins now! Thursday night, the Liberty struggled against the Atlanta Dream and was defeated on their home court, 78-67. New York recorded at least 15 assists for the team’s 111th consecutive game to extend the longest streak of 15 or more assists in WNBA history. One game after scoring a season-high 40 bench points, the Liberty’s reserves scored 32 against Atlanta. Heading into the playoffs, the Liberty have lost two of the last three games.
That said, the Liberty haven’t built much momentum leading to the playoffs, nonetheless their reserves will be extremely important come to the playoffs. This game may have not held much weight for the Liberty, but this was a must-win for the Dream if they wanted to make the playoffs. Former Liberty star Tina Charles led the Dream to victory by having a record night. According to ESPN, the Dream came packed and ready for an extended stay.
“We came here with our bags packed,” Charles said. “We knew we'd take care of business.”
Liberty Can’t be Complacent
The Liberty must come out with more energy, and find their offensive rhythm much earlier in the game. It appeared the Liberty while finding good looks struggled to make shots efficiently, but more importantly they recorded 17 turnovers. These 17 turnovers led to an excruciating amount of points for the Dream. Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello feared the team has become too relaxed and complacent, and understands they must keep the intensity and quickly regroup. If the Liberty play how they’ve proven they can, this is by far one of the most dangerous teams throughout the league.
“We can’t let all our hard work of getting the No. 1 seed, then come out and not play the right way," Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said. "It’s on us. We know what we’re capable of, we just have to regroup and get back at that fight.”