After a thrilling overtime victory in Game 1, the defending champion New York Liberty faced the Phoenix Mercury at Barclays Center, where they boasted a strong 17-5 season record. However, the game turned into a nightmare for the Liberty as they faced their most significant playoff defeat at home, losing 86-60.

The Mercury dominated in all facets, particularly on the defensive end, leveling the series at 1-1 and setting the stage for an intense Game 3 in Phoenix on Friday night.
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“When you want to win and you know what it takes, I think you just do the little things,” said Kahleah Copper. “We knew it was about our defense. That’s one thing that we can control, so we take pride in that and just being a dog.”
*“Cuando quieres ganar y sabes lo que se necesita, creo que solo haces lo pequeño.”
“Sabíamos que se trataba de nuestra defensa. Eso es lo que podemos controlar, así que nos enorgullecemos de eso y simplemente de ser luchadores.”

In the matchup, the Liberty struggled significantly, posting only 30.2% shooting from the field and committing 16 turnovers without scoring more than 13 in any of the final three quarters. Following a promising first quarter, they managed just nine field goals the rest of the game, marking their worst shooting performance of the year.

“They came in and they embarrassed us on our home court,” Breanna Stewart stated. “Now we have to go back there for Game 3. Winner take all. If we’re not ready for that, then we shouldn’t be here.”
*“Vinieron y nos avergonzaron en nuestra cancha local.”
“Ahora tenemos que volver allí para el Juego 3. El ganador se lleva todo. Si no estamos listos para eso, entonces no deberíamos estar aquí.”

Hobbled Stewart a Non-Factor:
In Game 1, Breanna Stewart had a scare, injuring her knee in a pivotal moment. Despite being diagnosed with a sprained MCL ahead of Game 2, she played but was far from her usual form, only contributing six points, two rebounds, and two assists in her 20 minutes of play.

With Stewart’s effectiveness curtailed, the Liberty struggled significantly. Concern level: High.

No Path to the Paint:
The Liberty’s struggles were evident, indicating a tough fight to penetrate the Mercury’s defense. They finished with 22 points in the paint, a low figure even for their standards.

“We’re such a powerful team offensively and tonight they were able to really congest us and muck things up,” said Jonquel Jones. “We just have to do a better job of executing and finding where the openings are to exploit them on offense.”
*“Somos un equipo muy potente en ataque y esta noche lograron congestionarnos y complicar las cosas.”
“Sólo tenemos que hacer un mejor trabajo de ejecución y encontrar dónde están las oportunidades para explotarlos en ataque.”

With a less effective Stewart and complicated defensive plays, the Liberty must rally quickly for Game 3, as failure to do so may lead to their elimination while the Mercury continue to flex their physical prowess.