The Liberty trail the Lynx in the WNBA Finals after losing Game 1 in overtime.
Minnesota Lynx’s Napheesa Collier, center, attempts to score against New York Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich, left, and Breanna Stewart, rightPamela SmithAP
The three-time WNBA MVP, Sheryl Swoopes, has warned the New York Liberty players not to be selfish against the Minnesota Lynx as the side aims to recover in the WNBA Finals after losing Game 1 in overtime.
The Lynx ran out slender 95-93 winners in the series following a strong performance by Bridget Carleton and Napheesa Collins, who combined for 44 points to put the Minneapolis-based side in the driving seat so far.
Yet the Liberty, who finished at the summit of the Eastern Conference in the regular season and defeated the defending champions to reach the WNBA Finals, are not pushovers and will likely respond, which is where Swoopes warned them to stay focused.
“If and when New York gets a lead,” Swoopes told the Queens of the Court podcast. “Stop just jacking up threes because you have a nice lead.
“Move the basketball and force Minnesota to have to defend several actions. Make them have to defend from side to side.
“You gotta move the basketball. You can’t get selfish and say, well, ‘It’s my turn,’ and just start jacking up threes.”
When is Game 2?
The Liberty boast a lot of talented players such as Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, with Swoopes thinking the latter should be played closer to the basket after she posted 24 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in the slender loss.
Jones also leads the team in rebounds throughout the postseason, with an average of 8.9 from the forward role, whilst Ionescu tops the points (20.4), assists (4.9) and steals (1.9) charts showcasing why she was named to Team USA’s Olympics team over the summer.
Fans can catch Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday, October 13 live from the Barclays Center via ABC. Tip-off is expected at 15:00 ET/12:00 PT and tickets can still be purchased from as low as $80.
