New York Liberty: Commitment and resilience are key

The crowd at Barclays Center erupted with 7:41 remaining in the fourth quarter on Thursday, Sept. 7. After trailing the Los Angeles Sparks for most of the game, Stefanie Dolson made her fourth 3-pointer of the evening to tie the score at 78. 18 seconds later, she hit her fifth, a perfect 5-of-5 in the evening as the New York Liberty took the lead.

After scrapping for three periods, the Liberty cruised toward a 96-89 victory, their eighth straight.

"It's nice, it's a little uncomfortable," Dolson said postgame. "It's a lot but I appreciate it. I'm just happy that I can be that spark off the bench. We needed offense and I'm glad I was able to give it for us."

"Stef works on this every single game," Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello said of the Olympic gold medalist and WNBA Champion. "We know she's a great 3-point shooter and she was on fire. It got louder and louder the more 3s she made and we needed all five of them to get this victory. She's coming off an injury but she's still such a key player for us this season as we move into playoffs."

The past two games have been monumental for the Liberty. After breaking the WNBA single-season scoring record with a 40-point performance against the Dallas Wings on Tuesday, Breanna Stewart led the Liberty with 25 points (21 in the first half) against the Sparks. Dolson backed it up with 17 points, tying the franchise record for 3-point field goals made in a single game.

Meanwhile, Sabrina Ionescu, who went 0-of-8 from the field (0-of-6 on 3-pointers) in the first half, found her stroke in the second act. Ionescu finished the evening with 16 points. With four makes from a distance, Ionescu broke the all-time 3-point record for a single season with 124.

Ionescu preached the importance of resilience when falling behind in light of the upcoming postseason.

"We know not every game is gonna be pretty," Ionescu said. "We know what New York basketball looks like when we're firing from all cylinders and locked in. But the playoffs are gonna show [that] not every game is gonna be us shooting 50 percent from behind the arc. There's gonna be times when we have to find different ways to win."

"[We just] tried to forget about the first half. Get those shots off, knock the rust off, and come back more aggressive."

The Liberty have already clinched their playoff spot, comfortably seated on top of the Eastern Conference and just decimals behind the Las Vegas Aces across the board. The Liberty can extend their win streak and close off the regular season with a 33-7 record when they host the Washington Mystics on Sunday.

In a turnaround season that already saw them win the WNBA Comissioner's Cup, the Liberty have also corrected their record and seeding from last season. In 2022, the Liberty finished fourth in the East with a 16-20 record before losing to the Chicago Sky in the first round of the playoffs. With their first title looking as likely as it could be, Ionescu credits the commitment of every individual for their success.

"I've seen so many superteams in the NBA that have not been able to make it work," Ionescu stated. "There's so many egos, [so many] role-changes, and one ball. To see this team all come in, buy-in, and commit themselves to the process-- we started on a low and couldn't really figure it out. Everyone stuck with it, we continue to lift each other up, commit to one another, [and] commit to wanting to see the next person succeed. There isn't one person on the outside-- that's exactly what the heart and soul of this team is."