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Alexa Philippou, ESPN
NEW YORK — Dropping the home opener wasn’t what the New York Liberty had in mind heading into the WNBA Finals.
Nor was it about squandering a 15-point advantage with 5:20 to play, the first time in 184 WNBA playoff appearances that a team won after trailing by at least that many points in the last five minutes of regulation.
But on Saturday at practice in Brooklyn, top-seeded Liberty indicated that while they had learned from their mistakes in the first game, they were overcoming the shock and pain of such a heartbreaking kickoff of the series.
“Don’t panic, that’s the most important thing,” New York coach Sandy Brondello said. “It’s a series. We’re disappointed because we didn’t close the case, but that’s thanks to Minnesota. They didn’t miss a single shot throughout the entire streak. We have become too passive and there are things we can learn from and be better for the next one.
“It’s the final,” added Jonquel Jones. “We’re not going to give up after a game, especially a game that we were more than capable of winning. A game we played really well for the most part. We are fine. We will come back.
After a hot start, New York led by 18 points in the second quarter, but allowed second-seeded Minnesota to pull away, with the Lynx closing within two during the third quarter. The Liberty made a run in the fourth to seemingly keep Minnesota at bay, taking an 81-66 lead with 5:20 to play – at which point they had a 99.2% win probability, according to ESPN Research. But Minnesota closed regulation on an 18-3 run and ultimately took the lead 95-93 in overtime.
It was tied for the largest blown lead in WNBA Finals history.
“Everyone is disappointed, but you have to keep the job done,” Brondello said. “We can’t think about that, about what we felt. We cannot change it. So what are we going to do about it?
New York had problems on both ends of the court, even outside of the final five minutes. Brondello thought the Liberty didn’t play with enough pace and were too passive on offense, and were otherwise lackluster in their transition defense and making the Lynx uncomfortable in running their offense. These are things the team feels like it can control, according to two-time MVP Breanna Stewart.
“That’s the problem. It’s like we know we can do a lot better,” she said.
While the Lynx have beaten the Liberty four of the five times they have faced each other this year, the precedent is on New York’s side, at least before Game 2: the Liberty has not lost consecutive games since late May . Most recently, they bounced back from a Game 3 semifinal loss to Las Vegas in which they trailed by 25 points to close out the series two days later.
“We generally respond pretty well,” Brondello said. “We can’t go in feeling anxious or pushing ourselves. We have to play the right way. We always say: stay true to who we are. We cannot reinvent the wheel.
Teams that won Game 1 on the road to the Finals are 10-3 in the series. Three teams – the 2006 Detroit Shock and the 2015 and 2017 Minnesota Lynx – have won the Finals after losing the first game at home. How big is Game 2? All 20 teams that lost 0-2 in the best-of-five format ultimately lost the series.
“I think we’re really hungry and eager to bounce back,” Stewart said. “One thing I’ve been thinking about a lot is that there’s beauty in struggle, and that’s really where we are right now.”
Stewart in particular feels this thirst to make things right. She missed a critical free throw with 0.8 seconds left in regulation, which would have given the Liberty a one-point lead. Then, late in overtime, she missed a layup that would have tied the game.
“Because I am who I am, that’s why I’m in the positions I’m in,” Stewart said. “And one match won’t reflect what I do. That being said, obviously I’m like WTF.
“I think what really motivates me is that we have the opportunity to make a difference. I have the opportunity to change it.
Over the past two days, Brondello has tried to remind the Liberty who they are, and the players have “faced everything head on and taken responsibility for all of their actions,” Stewart added.
“And that’s why we’re pros.” S… is coming, and now what are we going to do.
Still, there’s a fine line between being driven by the past and letting yourself be weighed down, Brondello noted — and the latter won’t do New York any good, she said.
“I can’t change the past,” Brondello said. “It will hold us back if we don’t let it go.”
Game 2 will take place Sunday at 3 p.m. ET and will air on ABC before the series moves to Minneapolis for Game 3 and, if necessary, Game 4.