By John “Woods” Armwood III
Wednesday night, the New York Liberty put on a historic performance to give them the lead throughout this emotional roller coaster of a series. Despite having home-court advantage in the playoffs, after they split in Brooklyn, the Liberty took their talents on the road. The Lynx crowd didn’t disappoint as they conjured a sold-out crowd (19,521). Even better, game three was the most-viewed WNBA Finals game ever (1.4 million views). That said, the performance displayed was electric from both teams from start to finish. The Liberty defeated the Lynx, 80-77.
In the thriller matchup, the Liberty underperformed in the opening quarter. The Liberty trailed by as many as 15 points before taking the lead with 2:10 remaining in the fourth quarter to tie the second-largest comeback win in franchise postseason history. The majority of the game, the Liberty found themselves clawing back into the game because of the disappointing first half.
“You have to think about the first five minutes, we have to focus on that and playing better than what we did in that first quarter,” Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello stated. “We haven’t done anything yet, so we’ve still got the task at hand. That’s all we need to do, is just focus on one game, we don’t want to go back to New York.”
Despite Liberty superstar guard Sabrina Ionescu making the shot of all shots, the true hero of the game is future hall of famer Breanna Stewart. She led the Liberty offense with a double-double of 30 points and 11 rebounds to go along with four blocks and an assist. Stewart, who was named to the All-WNBA First Team earlier today, became the third player in Finals history to shoot 100% from the free-throw line on 10 or more attempts, and also became the first player all-time to record multiple 30-point double-doubles in her Finals career.
“Just knowing that we’re one win away,” Stewart emphasized her mindstate headining into game four. “That’s what’s the most motivating. The fact that we have an opportunity to finish this thing tomorrow night. Knowing that what we did yesterday wasn’t good enough and it needs to be even better, because we’re going to get everything that Minny’s got, but we want this one bad.”
The Greatest Shot in New York History
It’s no exagerration that Ionescu’s shot may have been the most important shot in New York history. Despite making the clutch shot, Ionescu struggled throughout the game. She made five out of 12 shots for the entire game, however the one she made happened to be the most important.
“It would mean everything,” Ionescu stated. “Stephen A. was on today just talking [about] how it brings him chills to think about a championship in New York, and it’s just so many people who have New York running deep in their veins, wanting a championship.”
A shot that will live in history.
— WNBA (@WNBA) October 17, 2024
Another look at Sabrina Ionescu’s GAME WINNER 🎯 pic.twitter.com/b7xxf7AvkY
What’s Next for the Liberty?
The Liberty will face the Lynx on Friday, October 18 at 8:00 PM ET at Target Center for Game 4 of the 2024 WNBA Finals.