It’s deja vu all over again.
One week ago, the Liberty were euphoric over a Game 1 win in Miami, ready to close out the series in a Sunday afternoon Game 2 at the Garden. Today the Liberty are euphoric over a Game 1 win in Charlotte, ready to close out the series in a Sunday afternoon Game 2 at the Garden.
There’s just one catch: Last Sunday, the Liberty couldn’t finish the job.
You’ve heard the story by now: a 10-point second-half lead against the Sol, MSG rocking and suddenly . . . Miami’s Sheri Sam started knocking down shots from what seemed like Battery Park, the Liberty became the gang that couldn’t shoot straight against the zone and Miami stormed back to win. The Liberty needed a deciding Game 3 two nights later to wrap things up.
So what can the Liberty do this time to ensure there’s no Game 3 Monday night?
“You act as if you’re the team that’s down,” said point guard and tri-captain Teresa Weatherspoon. “The same way we did in Charlotte.”
Ironically, it’s the Liberty now who are coming off a remarkable comeback. Trailing the Sting by nine points with just over three minutes remaining in Game 1, New York ripped off a 13-0 run en route to a stunning 61-57 win and now stands only one victory from its third straight WNBA Finals.
After the game Friday night, it was the shaken Sting who were banging their collective heads against the wall, stressing the need to play hard for all 40 minutes. Pretty funny how the shoe’s on the other foot now, huh,
‘Spoon?
‘Spoon?
“No, it’s not funny at all,” a stone-faced Weatherspoon said. “There’s nothing funny about this. Every time you step in between the lines, you’ve got to know that you’re going to play 40 minutes.”
The Liberty certainly did that on Friday. Their suffocating pressure resulted in four Sting turnovers down the stretch and opened the gates for a sudden offensive boom.
Down 57-48, Weatherspoon and Crystal Robinson bottomed out 3-pointers to trim the deficit to three. Wicks then knocked down a pair of free throws to make it a one-point game before Johnson hit two from the line with 1:15 left to put the visitors in front.
Tari Phillips (a team-high 14 points) then sank one of two from the charity stripe before Weatherspoon clinched the win with two free throws with five seconds left.
Now things move to New York, where the Liberty earned a 79-70 win over Charlotte in the teams’ only regular-season MSG encounter.
“They’re not going to roll over for anyone,” said center Tamika Whitmore. “Not with Dawn Staley and Andrea Stinson and the type of players they have.”
Indeed, the Sting have already proven that they can win a playoff game on the road, capturing a must-win Game 3 against the Rockers. No doubt the Garden folks are aware of their opponent’s prowess, which is why you can expect a slew of pre-game theatrics this afternoon. Tuesday’s affair included fireworks, a disco ball and even an Al Pacino fire-and-brimstone speech from the flick “Any Given Sunday.”
The only thing the Liberty won’t need a reminder about is the need to play all 40 minutes. Of course, after Game 1, neither do the Sting.