Liberty 94, Wings 93: Mamba mentality
The latest is a long line of basketball greats, the Liberty continue to due their spiritual ancestors proud with another win
The late and great Kobe Bryant said it best when he was talking about the 2013-2014 Lakers playoff chances: “It’s not question of if we make the playoffs; we will. And when we get there, I have no fear of anyone.” They’d been swept by the Spurs the year before and, despite Bryant’s gusto, wouldn’t make the playoffs for 7 years. Still, like all things Kobe it's more about one of the best alliterative nomers of all time: the Mamba Mentality.
New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu had a special tie to Kobe, and at his memorial, had these heartfelt words to say: “‘I knew I was different, that my drive was different. I grew up watching Kobe Bryant game after game, ring after ring, living his greatness without apology. I wanted to be just like him, to love every part of the competition, to be the first to show up and the last to leave, to love the grind, to be your best when you don’t feel your best and make other people around you the best version of themselves. And to wake up and do it again the next day.’”
The pair met for the first time one mid-January when she was still an Oregon Duck, when Kobe and his daughter Gigi sat courtside and watched Oregon beat USC by a whopping 95-53. Last year, in a must-win Game 3 game in Brooklyn, Sab donned the Black Mamba jersey, sporting the number 8 when walking down the tunnel pregame. The Liberty would have their playoff run cut short that night, dropping the game to Candance Parker’s Chicago Sky 90-72.
With two games left in the season and still a shot at the #1 seed, the Liberty are definitely making the playoffs, contrary to Kobe’s very Kobe prediction for his squad ten years back. However, in last night’s win over the Dallas Wings we got to see a glimpse of what might set them apart once they get there. It didn’t come easy: they pulled out all the stops to escape with a 94-93 road win. Their seventh straight victory also marks the day Breanna Stewart set the WNBA single-season scoring record with two games to play in the regular season. Her 881 points edge out the 860 Diana Taurasi scored in 2006.
Back then Taurasi, the White Mamba, had gained a new Phoenix Mercury head coach in Paul Westhead, the Lakers icon who led rookie Magic Johnson to his first title in 1980. Though Taurasi and Phoenix didn’t win that year, they would go on to be champions in 2007, earning Taurasi the elusive Triple Crown of silverware: NCAA champion, WNBA champion and Olympic gold medalist. Westhead also had a coaching stint for Oregon women’s basketball from 2009-2014, when Kelly Graves took over. Two years later, Ionescu would grace the halls of Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon, and though she would not win a aational championship she did hoist the Pac-12 trophy her sophomore season.
So, if you’re keeping track, we almost have our Bingo Card filled out for Basketball Legends: DT, Kobe, and Magic. What this means, though, is that these are the shoulders of the giants the New York Liberty are standing on to finish their season, and what’s next is to play fearless basketball. That’s what the Wings did last night.
Satou Sabally would score the first basket for the Wings, and would go on to finish with 27 on the night, putting in the required work in hopes of securing her team a #4 seed. (Maybe it was also to show out in front of her younger sister, the Liberty’s own Nyara Sabally). Sabally, despite her efforts, missed what would’ve been the go-ahead jumper in the final seconds, and Breanna Stewart fought for possession to dribble it out for the Liberty. Sabally and Arike Ogunbowale were ready for battle, and Ogunbowale pushed the pace when she ran the floor and had some showy step-backs to secure her 19 points.
Stewie’s 40 led the Liberty, her fourth 40-point game this season. Laney, the Liberty long-timer with three seasons under her belt, followed with 22. Laney also had the responsibility of guarding Arike; her efforts speak for themselves. Laney’s DPOY candidacy is more than the box score. On August 30, the Liberty released a video that outlines why B should be crowned. In it, Ionescu said, “[Laney’s] able to play 1-4, stretch the floor out, she can score 20, she can stop anyone; there’s not a lot of players in the league that are able to do that.” Laney was all over Ogunbowale, able to keep the Wing’s leading scoring in check under 20. Speaking of under 20, Ionescu, Courtney Vandersloot, and Jonquel Jones all finished the night sub-20 in scoring with five, 16 and seven, respectively. Sloot did post a double-double with her 10 assists. The floor general made things happen last night for the Liberty, a team that fearlessly lights a literal torch every home game.
What’s next? The Liberty will close out their regular season run with home games against the Sparks and Mystics – and may secure the #1 spot along the way. They are a team of superstars that are all standing on the shoulders of the giants who came before them, and it shows.
