The best-laid plans of an entire franchise all explode in the Liberty’s biggest win in years

In the fourth episode of the Netflix series The Sandman, titled “A Hope In Hell,” the eponymous main character enters a duel against Lucifer, ruler of Hell. The duel involves a rapid-fire exchange of warring concepts; once either party hesitates or stumbles, they’ve lost. Dream begins by naming a hunter on a horse, to which Lucifer counters with a venomous snake; Dream responds with a bird of prey; Lucifer suggests bacterium; Dream chooses an entire world, full of life; Lucifer answers with a supernova. Dream invokes the entire universe. Lucifer responds with a seeming trump card: “the dark at the end of everything.” How can anyone contend with the inevitable?

Dream’s reply – “Hope” – wins him the game, and yesterday it’s what the New York Liberty gave to themselves, their fans and anyone hoping this WNBA season isn’t the inevitable coronation of the defending champs from Las Vegas. The Aces have run roughshod over everybody and their mothers, this year and beyond: if you go back to the last time the Liberty beat them in early July of 2022, Vegas – counting last year’s playoff run to the title – were 43-7 in their last 50 games before yesterday. The Liberty, the one team expected to put up a fight this season, had yet to lay a glove on the Aces. Yesterday was their chance to send a message. Message sent.      

Trickle-down economics is an all-time whopper of a lie, but trickle-down inspiration is a thing. Sometimes size matters, especially when someone with a resume the size of Breanna Stewart’s is going all out blocking shots. This was never just another game. 

The Liberty took control in the second quarter, highlighted by Sabrina Ionescu going supernova from deep. Very deep.

Repeatedly.

When she’s on from afar, it opens up the whole world inside the arc.

Ionescu nailed five of six 3-point attempts in the quarter en route to 23 first-half points. She must have shared her secret with her teammates because once halftime ended so did any semblance of a competitive affair. New York went up as many as 42 in what ended up as the second-largest win in franchise history, outsourcing Las Vegas 50-17 in the second half. 

Stewart took over the scoring lead from Ionescu with 18 after the break, but this wasn’t simply a case of one team riding the hot hand to victory. In keeping with their improved defensive play of late, the Liberty held the Aces to single-digits in both the third and fourth quarters. After holding only two of their first 25 opponents to fewer than 70 points, the Liberty have done so the past three games. Vegas had scored at least 77 in every game they played this season; the last time they scored as few as 61 came over four years ago. The Liberty suffocated the Aces on the glass, out-rebounding them two to one and 11-2 on the offensive glass; they also finished with twice as many assists.  

Speaking of, Courtney Vandersloot passed Sacramento legend Ticha Penicheiro for second place on the W’s all-time leaderboard for assists. Vandersloot now trails only Sue Bird. It’s possible her best pass of the night didn’t even count as an assist. It would in hockey.

Vegas was without a Hall of Fame big in Candace Parker, who continues to struggle with an injured ankle. Undoubtedly Parker makes a meaningful difference for the Aces, but the biggest – literally – news out of this game may be the difference future Hall of Famer Jonquel Jones continues to make for the Liberty. She continued her post-All Star break brilliance with another double-double, her eighth in 10 games, and had more offensive rebounds than the entire Vegas team. When Ionescu and Stewart are both on, the Liberty are too much for most teams to handle. Add a third MVP to the mix in Jones and even the W’s finest have their backs against the wall. Which was a lovely vantage point from which to watch Liberty coach Sandy Brondello celebrate the team’s biggest win since . . . clinching a playoff series in 2015? 

Brondello clearly enjoyed the result, but was also clear in her post-game comments about what this win is and what it isn’t. It isn’t a championship. What it is is one win against a team that’s taken everybody’s best shot for more than a calendar year and come out on top six out of every seven times. Everybody has an off-day. The Aces came into yesterday winners of 17 of 18 games, the only loss being by two points. The game at Barclays was the seventh in a stretch where they play six of eight on the road. They’ll be back. They’ll be fine.

The Liberty may or may not have sent a message to the Aces. What’s clear is that with this win, they sent one to themselves. Vegas are still the champs. Vegas are still the favorites. Vegas are still the best. What Vegas no longer is is inevitable. At last, there is hope.