The Liberty sweep the season series from the Sun

“If you look for perfection,” says Nataly Lvov in Anna Karenina, “you’ll never be content.” It seems unlikely Tolstoy was thinking about the Connecticut Sun when he wrote that, but as one of the few great writers who weren’t Russian penned, “There are more things in heaven and earth . . . than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” The Sun reached the Finals or semifinals each of the past four years. This was a franchise accustomed to greatness, not far removed from what could have been a dynasty. After yesterday’s 89-58 shellacking at the hands of the New York Liberty, the Sun are 25-12, top-4 in offensive, defensive and net rating, and assured of the third-seed in this year’s playoffs. What consolation can that bring a franchise that’s gone from nearly dynastic to getting swept in their season series with New York? One must imagine Sisyphus unhappy.

 “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” is the famous opening to Anna Karenina. Connecticut’s unhappiness stands alone in the WNBA. There are worse teams who are likely happier, given that they entered the year with lower expectations and easier markers for success; hello, Indiana! The Liberty and Las Vegas Aces, the only teams ahead of the Sun, would both consider anything outside of a championship a disappointment. Here comes the Sun, too good right now to focus solely on the future – they’re 24-6 against everyone beneath them in the standings – yet repeatedly unable to lay a finger on the two above them – they’re 1-6 against New York and Las Vegas.

In the novel, Anna is married to an older government official but longs to be with Vronsky, a man five years her junior. She knows what she wants and pursues it, despite the scandal and what it costs her. She has a lot going for her, but risks it all for more. Spoiler: it doesn’t end well. Over six years in Seattle, Breanna Stewart was a five-time All-Star, four times All-WNBA, four times All-Defense, a two-time league MVP and a two-time champion with the Storm. She had a lot going for her, but she risked it all to come to New York and the Liberty. Spoiler: it’s gone very well, including last night’s 14 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists. Stewie eats.

Stewie feeds.

“Exactly what she longed for, she could not have said,” was written about Anna but could just as easily have been about Marine Johannés. Other than maybe Jonquel Jones, no player has seen their role change more this season than MJ, a passing wizard whose assist rate has cut in half thanks to the Liberty signing and starting Courtney Vandersloot. A starter for about half of last season, Johannés has seen her minutes drop 25%. Yesterday she started for just the fourth time this season, due to Sabrina Ionescu missing the game with an injured right calf. There’s no way Johannés wants to play less. It’s equally impossible to imagine her preferring to play on a losing team, as was the case a year ago. So what does she long for,? Can she even say? We don’t know. We do know she continues to ball out whenever given some run.

Liberty recaps generally focus on the five names already mentioned: Jones, Stewart, Ionescu, Vandersloot and Johannés. That doesn’t mean that’s all she wrote. In Anna Karenina it is written “It’s much better to do good in a way that no one knows anything about it.” New York’s depth was tested this season, only recently revived by the returns of Stefanie Dolson, back after six weeks with an ankle injury, and Han Xu, back after 10 weeks away and a dominant run of games for China at the Asia Cup. Eight Liberty played double-figure minutes in the blowout, but only Johannés reached 30, thanks to depth not only in quantity, but quality.    

Another star who warrants more shine is Kayla Thornton, a two-way presence, here with the lovely pull-up.

Everything Everywhere All At Once incarnate Betnijah Laney scored a game-high 19 points to go with three 3-pointers, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.

Tolstoy writes of Levin, entranced by Ekaternia, “He walked down, for a long while avoiding looking at her as at the sun, but seeing her, as one does the sun, without looking.” The Sun have been eclipsed by the new power in the East. For much of this season, the playoffs were too far away to really think about, and the Aces were so dominant it was easy to see the championship as a light the Liberty were still a few light years away from. But as Levin saw Ekaterina, there is a growing glow illuminating the idea that this team might be that team, right now.