Did LA Give the New York Liberty the “Spark” they needed?
- gabezoda230
- 6 days ago
- 5 min read
By: Gabe Zoda
After a tough road trip that saw the New York Liberty drop 3 of 4, the Libs couldn’t wait to come back home. Leonie Fiebich returned from international play and NY used a 27-6 rally in the third quarter to push past the Los Angeles Sparks. Question is, did the Liberty get some of their “spark” back in the win? I think so.
IS SAB OUT OF HER SLUMP?
The New York Liberty need Sabrina Ionescu to be herself if the Liberty want to win games and before the Sparks game, she wasn’t. She tweaked her neck which had her sit out of a game and her shooting had taken a hit with it.
At halftime of the Sparks game, Sabrina Ionescu was sitting at 1-10 from the field and was in a 12-61 (19.6%) shooting slump spanning the last 4.5 games.
Sabrina said that she “was obviously frustrated” about her first half performance but made sure to mention “I was getting good looks and it’s apart of getting back into rhythm after being injured”
At halftime everything changed. Ionescu would make 6 of her last 8 shots (7-18 total) and finished with 20 points to go along with 6 rebounds and 6 assists.
“At halftime I was able to see that I was good and I was able to take a deep breathe, settle”,Ionescu said.
Sab also made sure to credit Stewart for her ability to stay steady in moments when things aren’t going well:
“I have a great role model to be able to watch with Stewie who always does that, she’s always super composed whether the ball is not going in or things aren’t going her way she just stays the course. I feel like I let out an inner Stewie there, was able to keep my head down and grind away”.
It’s no secret how important Sabrina is to this team. If she is healthy and out of her slump, it can only mean good things for this Liberty squad.
HOME COOKING
Nothing beats home cooking, and that sentiment was shared by multiple players on the Liberty. Kennedy Burke spoke before the Sparks game and said:
“We’re at home so it’s going to be a little bit easier knowing that we’re in front of the greatest crowd”
We saw how much that crowd fueled her when she splashed in a 3 from the left corner and pointed at the crowd during that big run.
Sabrina Ionescu also talked about how important being in Brooklyn is for this group:
“For our group it’s been huge to be able to be home… This energy back at home is what we’ve needed. The crowd understands we’re down bodies and down people and they kinda willed us today to go on that run that we did”
It’s been this way all season long for the Liberty. The home crowd has helped this team in multiple games and New York has responded with a 7-1 home record this season compared to a 5-4 record on the road.
Even after the game, Natasha Cloud talked about the crowd and how important they’ve been. She made it clear to tell the Seafoam army to “Stay with us” as they continue to figure things out.
So the next time you think that you don’t matter when you go to a game or that the players can’t hear you, think again because you matter more than you know.
THE RETURN OF LEO
When you think of some of the most valuable players, we think of the superstars on the team like Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu and Jonquel Jones but you can make the argument that Leonie Fiebich is right there.
Breanna Stewart said it perfectly after the game when she said “Having Leo back is just like comfort”. The New York Liberty are a perfect 10-0 when she plays and that’s no coincidence. The defense moves better, the offense seems more spaced out and things just feel right.
Stewie went on to say “We have the chemistry together, defensively we know what we’re going to do … but also having a spaced shooter. She’s always going to make the right play, the right cut, the right read and we missed her”
Postgame, Natasha Cloud said “I missed her” and Sandy Brondello glorified her toughness saying:
“She just does all those things [that don’t show on the stat sheet]. She’s always dependable on the defensive side”. Brondello also spoke about how she still wants to get Fiebich more involved in the offense as well.
Leo continues to, if she isn’t already, become one of the most important players to this team and should spark this defense back to where it was before she left.
TASH HAS FOUND HER OFFENSE AGAIN
Natasha Cloud came out of the gates on fire offensively this season, averaging 18.7 PPG on 56% from the field and 50% from 3 in the teams first three games. Those scoring numbers, along with her always immaculate playmaking and defensive abilities, led to her first Eastern Conference player of the week award.
After that point, things started to slow down in the scoring department where she would only average 5.1 PPG on 27% shooting and 19% from 3 over her next 11 games. She said that she wasn’t good enough to her standards:
“I was really disappointed for about 5 games of my play, understanding of the role that I play of just being able to get 2 feet in the paint”
She also referenced a recent sit down she had with Sandy Brondello in Phoenix which has helped her recently.
“It was just a good conversation about us getting on the same page, about her confidence in me as a player and as a point guard. When you feel that safeness here … it’s just easier for me to lock in”.
Having Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart as 20 PPG threats is already a lot to handle, but if Tash is finding her offense again, it makes this team THAT MUCH harder to defend
Since that conversation with Sandy, things have gone back to what they were and Cloud is averaging 19 PPG on 57% from the field and 50% from 3 in New York's last three games. She’s also added 6.7 assists and a steal a night as well.
SO… ARE THE LIBERTY BACK?
It’s hard to say fully after one game but the trends are there. The defense is driving the offense, the ball is moving and after that 3rd quarter it seemed the Liberty were back to the form we know.
Now, New York is still without Jonquel Jones so navigating that will be difficult but this team should be built to withstand some of that loss given the recent performance of Izzy Harrison off the bench to go along with Nyara Sabally.
If Sab has found her groove again along with Tash and this defense is back to being well oiled with Leo back, the Liberty are ready to dominate this home stand.
The Liberty will try to put all these things together again on Sunday, July 6th, when they take on the Seattle Storm at 1pm on CBS.
Make sure to follow @SSN_Liberty and @GabeZoda on X for all your Liberty news and insight on the 2024 WNBA Champions
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