The Liberty beat the Mystics to punch their ticket to the Commissioner’s Cup championship
Are the Liberty destined to make a WNBA Finals run this year?
If history is any indication, that may be the case.
The Liberty defeated the Washington Mystics 86-64 to win the Eastern Conference in this year’s Commissioner’s Cup on June 30.
It will be New York’s third appearance in the Cup title game in four years. After each of the Liberty’s previous trips, New York went to the WNBA Finals.
The Liberty won the season championship in 2023, but fell to the Aces in the finals.
A year later, New York fell to the Minnesota Lynx in the Cup championship game, but beat Cheryl Reeve’s team in the finals that season to capture New York’s first basketball championship in five decades.
Who Liberty will face in the West will be decided on Wednesday. The Aces, after defeating the Minnesota Lynx Saturday, currently sit atop their conference.
The Liberty on Sunday were full of energy for the first time all season. Sabrina Ionescu, who missed the last seven games due to back pain, returned to the game.
It wasn’t a stellar stat line for Ionescu, who had five points and three assists while coming off the bench for the first time since 2021, but he had a solid showing. He played on offense and didn’t force shots. He finished with a team-high 18 points.
Jonquel Jones led all scorers with 20 points. Breanna Stewart was on the clock for a triple-double at halftime when she posted 11 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks in the first two quarters.
The Liberty extended its winning streak to seven games.
Coach Chris DeMarco and the Liberty players enjoyed the Knicks’ best playoff run that culminated in the franchise’s first championship in 53 years on Saturday.
DeMarco, who was born on Long Island and credits his late father Sal for passing on his Knicks fans, said he watched Game 5 of the NBA Finals at a Park Slope restaurant and then walked the streets for an hour to see the scene.
DeMarco said he “absolutely” hopes to give New York a reason to talk the way it has for the past 1 1/2 months this year.
“It holds a special place in my heart,” he said, “and to see a city get one, like, it’s great.”
