I thought the game I attended last Tuesday was just about the smoothest basketball any team could play, when the reigning champion New York Liberty jumped out to a 22-3 lead on the Golden State Valkyries and cruised to a 95-67 victory. But I was embarrassingly, humiliatingly wrong, because I had no idea how much the Libs would step it up for Ellie the Elephant's birthday on Sunday. For this special occasion, which was marked by the presence of mascots from all over the area, the Libs improved to 7-0 with a 100-52 demolition job on the Connecticut Sun. Because New York took the fourth quarter off, that final score makes the game look even closer than it really was.
The Liberty have been gifted a pretty chill schedule to start their title defense, and the Sun—certainly in retrospect—were the plumpest cream puff of them all. A dangerous team that gave the Lynx all they could handle in the semis last season, this year's model lost basically everyone that mattered as the franchise explores a possible sale and relocation. The Liberty, on the other hand, only look better. Natasha Cloud has been an instant spark plug and fan favorite at point guard; last week she took a bow for the crowd during a timeout after the video board showed her besting Breanna Stewart in a chopsticks-using competition. The return of creative sharpshooter Marine Johannès after a year away means more deadly spacing. Kennedy Burke, a bit player last year, has evolved into a versatile spot-filler who's hit as many threes as anyone not named Sabrina Ionescu. Jonquel Jones is averaging a double-double for the first time since her MVP year in 2021.
It's early, but two things stand out to me about this team. The first is that they're not wanting for motivation, even after most of them enjoyed the fruits of a grueling march to the title last year. Coming off the high of the championship, it would be pretty understandable if the Libs couldn't get all that excited about facing off with some nobodies in the late spring, especially in a league where most teams make the playoffs. Instead, they're playing like they want to go undefeated and leave no doubt every single night who the queens of the WNBA are.
On top of that dominance, the way New York is winning is pretty. At times last season, all the way through end of the Finals, it could feel like the Liberty were relying on the brute force of talent to carry them through uglier stretches of play—to let Ionescu bomb threes or count on Stewart to clean up their messes at the rim. But as they lead the league in assists and field-goal percentage while they make more shots from long range than anybody else, they've showcased play that is fast, polished and charismatic. Check out any number of scores from Sunday's laugher, including sudden reversals of possession, sick passes, and a freedom on offense that befits the team's name. Seriously, I can't pick just one highlight. This could be a season reel, but it's just one enjoyable afternoon.
When a decorated basketball team is working this hard, getting such beautiful results, and involving everybody in the action, how can you not have fun watching them? Well, if you're a fan of the other team, I guess. But that's not Ellie's problem.
