The New York Liberty, one of only two teams in the WNBA that currently holds a 1-0 advantage in their first-round playoff series, is in a spot of bother. While the series lead against the Phoenix Mercury is good news for the defending champs, the bad news is that star forward Breanna Stewart is questionable for Game 2 on Wednesday night.
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Stewart injured her left knee in overtime of the Liberty’s Game 1 win. The power forward had just edged out Sabrina Ionescu for the team lead in points per game in the regular season. She also finished second behind Jonquel Jones for rebounds. There’s one even simpler stat that proves her value for the team.
When Stewart plays, the Liberty are 23-9. When she sits, as she did for 13 games with a bone bruise on her right knee earlier this summer, they’re just 5-8. The Liberty managed to pull out Game 1 even though Stewie went down in overtime. But if they have any hope of defending their title, they’ll need her on the court.
As of now, she’s a game-time decision for Game 2 after an MRI of her knee came back “relatively clean,” revealed Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello. Tuesday night, ESPN’s Chiney Ogwumike and Andraya Carter discussed Stewart’s situation and how the Liberty might handle it.
“There are circumstances where you protect the athlete from themselves, but there are also circumstances where the athlete says, ‘I feel good,’ so if Stewie feels good, we trust in that,” Ogwumike said.
“But if she goes out there in shootaround and it’s not feeling great, I think you protect her,” she continued. “And you’re fortunate to be able to [have this choice]. When you handle your job on the road, this gives you the wiggle room.”
All four first-round series tipped off on Sunday. And Atlanta-Indiana and Las Vegas-Seattle played their Game 2s Tuesday night. The Liberty got an extra day of rest. If they lose at home, then the deciding Game 3 with the Mercury will be on Friday.
Having that one-game cushion means that the Liberty doesn’t have to rush Stewart back and risk making her knee worse, Carter said. “Now there’s less pressure on the team and on Breanna Stewart to be out there,” she added.
Even though the team’s record is markedly better with Stewart on the floor, the fact that the Liberty were able to persevere in overtime without her has to help their confidence if she doesn’t play in Game 2. If the Liberty do lose that game and she comes back for Game 3, then they will already be confident knowing that they beat the Mercury on their floor and can do it again.
Stewart is a two-time MVP and one of the greatest winners in women’s basketball history. It may be tempting to rush her back, but unless she feels 100% before Game 2, expect her to sit so that the Liberty will have her if and when they really need her.
