Liberty 76, Lynx 66: Perfect
Another game, another win as the Liberty continue to grow alongside the women’s game as a whole.
On Thursday, living legend Diana Taurasi became the first WNBA player to reach 10,000 career points on a 3-ball from deep. Although the superstar would celebrate 10K no matter how it happened, the way it went was extra special for her: "I'm kind of happy it happened with a three. I'm happy that someone set a screen. I'm happy that someone passed me the ball. That's how basketball is played, with everyone having a little part, and it's perfect.”
The WNBA is often praised for its purity. One of the most famous men’s college coaches, John Wooden, called the women’s game a “more pure version of the sport.” Upon the inception of the W back in 1997, Doug Robinson wrote, “The question of the hour: Can women's professional basketball survive, in this the 25th anniversary of Title IX, or will the WNBA become another footnote in women's sports history? This time the women have hitched their hopes to the men's NBA. That marriage makes this the most publicized, moneyed and boldest attempt ever, but it is also precisely where the league could go wrong.”
Now, over 50 years since the implementation of Title IX, the marriage to the NBA is surely still evident. Just check out this post by SportsCenter after Taurasi’s history-making shot.
Some people were skeptical that SportsCenter would have posted the association if it’d happened in reverse, with Taurasi setting her record first. Coverage of Taurasi’s shot and reactions to the coverage brings light to a WNBA debate: should the league focus on ways to present the women’s game as unique? Or seek to strengthen its association with the Association?
Let’s explore the first option through Sabrina Ionescu and the New York Liberty. Playing in Minnesota, the Liberty picked up their 21st win of the season, riding another in a string of strong defensive efforts to a 76-66 victory. They’re one of just three teams with 20+ wins, one ahead of the Sun and three behind the Aces. Ionescu led the team with 18 points, all off of six threes, to go with five rebounds and six assists. This was her fourth game this season with five or more in those three categories, one more than the previous record set by Taurasi in 2010.
Setting her own record the same day Taurasi did the same is symbolic and exciting for Ionescu, who’s played her own game ever since she was a kid in the park going against her brother Eddy. At Oregon, Ionescu complimented the Duck fans for showing up to watch, conscious of a deeper meaning behind increased attendance: “It’s awesome to see how . . . people are talking about women’s basketball and slowly giving it the respect it deserves,” she said. “It’s awesome to be on that platform and advocate for what I believe in and what is deserved.”
The frequency to which the 3-Point Contest champion shows a pass-first mentality isn’t uncommon in the WNBA or for this natural shooting guard. At Oregon, Ionescu became the first collegiate player – male or female – to reach 2,000 points, 1,000 assists and 1,000 rebounds. She’s playing her own game, and it seems that this season is a great case study on how the WNBA’s talent spreads across the country, each superstar developing their own unique talents and forcing their teammates and competitors to learn how to defend their strengths, or to learn a little something. The Liberty alone feature one of the league’s best bigs in Jonquel Jones, a franchise player in Breanna Stewart, an all-time great passer in Courtney Vandersloot and pure basketball skill in Betnijah Laney. Jones finished the night with 15 points and 17 rebounds, securing five offensive rebounds in the final 10 minutes.
Jones’s efforts are going to take the Liberty a long way – knock on wood – in tomorrow’s matchup against the Aces. Before the All-Star break, Jones was averaging 6.1 rebounds; now she’s consistently putting up 11+ a game. Plus, the Liberty will be playing at home, and the crowd that has been passionate all season long is sure to turn up against the team’s biggest rival this season. Pure basketball or not, this Liberty squad is unique and gritty, and the Aces roster is exceptional and dominant. Both teams are solid up and down, and the bench depth coupled with star power makes a reality possible where any player can be the leader in any given game.
In the words of Taurasi, “That's how basketball is played, with everyone having a little part, and it's perfect.”
