The Allisha Gray-less Atlanta Dream are now just one win away from their first WNBA Finals appearance in 13 years after taking a 2-0 lead against the New York Liberty in the semifinals. However, the headlines were more dominated by the reset timeout controversy at the end of the Dream’s 101-98 overtime victory.

Regardless, for Liberty and French star Leonie Fiebich, the team should have wrapped up the win even before Marine Fauthoux hit a three-pointer to send the game to overtime.

“It sounds like a big drama (the reset timeout), but I don’t think that’s the reason why we lost. Of course, it’s unfortunate, but I think we could have won before that, didn’t let it come that far.” Fiebich said after Game 2, via Liberty reporter Madeline Kenney on X.

Fiebich added that the whole team messed up at some point or another throughout the matchup.

During overtime, both teams receive two team timeouts and one reset timeout. The latter is a special rule that allows a team to advance the ball to the frontcourt without needing to run to the bench to huddle.

With 4.3 seconds left on the clock in overtime, DPOY Angel Reese made both her shots from the charity stripe. Following the first free throw, Liberty’s Breanna Stewart believed the team could take a reset timeout to advance the ball to the frontcourt. She asked official Kevin Fahy whether that would be the case.

“He said, ‘I’m going to check at the table.’ So then he looked to [head official] Fatou [Cissoko-Stephens], and she said no. So then he told me no, like, we don’t.” Stewart said after the game.

Stewart added that she would have wanted a better shot on goal after her off-balance 32-foot shot landed short of the net, which was the final play of the game. After sweeping the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in the first round itself, the Liberty are on the brink of receiving the same treatment from the Dream.

But coming back to the reset timeout, Liberty head coach Chris DeMarco also thought they had a timeout left and reiterated Stewart’s comments on the officials’ verdict.

“Yes, same thing. They (multiple staff members) just said we didn’t have it. We got to demand more, but it is what it is.” DeMarco said when asked about the timeout.

However, the controversy took another turn when the officials spoke up. Nearly two hours after Game 2, ESPN asked Cissoko-Stephens, the official who Stewart said denied the Liberty the reset timeout, why that was the case.

“Stewart was standing behind referee Fahy when he confirmed with his partner between Reese’s penalty free throws that New York did indeed have a reset timeout remaining,” Cissoko-Stephens said.

While timeouts are tracked by the scorer’s table and statistical staff, Cissoko-Stephens said that “teams are responsible for managing and tracking their timeout usage throughout the game.” She added that there was no communication between the officials and anyone else on the team.

Following this confusion, the Liberty have officially made an inquiry into the timeout situation with the league, per ESPN.

But just as Fiebich did, Stewart also shared that she is in no way blaming the Liberty’s loss on the officials and just wanted clarity on the whole situation, which left her frustrated.

Game 3 at Barclays Center, with the season on the line. Head coach Chris DeMarco’s side will need to pull off the unthinkable, which is easier said than done.

Can Breanna Stewart and the New York Liberty pull off a miracle?

The fact of the matter remains that the New York Liberty are now on the brink of elimination. And chances of entering their third WNBA Finals in four seasons are looking bleak, especially considering that no team in the history of the league has ever come back from a 2-0 deficit in a best-of-five series.

But if you ask Liberty floor general and FIBA Women’s World Cup MVP Stewart, the veteran would rather retire on the spot than go down without a proper fight. And while she is not getting ahead of herself, Stewart believes Game 3 in New York can be the turning point they so desperately need.

“We’re not focused on winning three games straight right now. We’re focused on winning one game, and that’s Friday, and then we go from there. This group has experience. I’ve been part of some crazy series, and I have a lot of confidence in our group.” Stewart said.

Breanna Stewart showed a lot of heart in Game 2, exploding for 25 points in the first half alone and finishing with 35 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists. Jonquel Jones joined her with 21 points, and Sabrina Ionescu, who previously said she would be willing to sacrifice her scoring for the greater good of the team, finished with 10 points and a team-high seven assists.

But currently, the Liberty’s vast amount of experience is not helping them, as the Dream were easily able to match and outmaneuver them, defensively and even offensively, which was a surprise considering they did not have Allisha Gray, a player who guarantees them a certain amount of points every game. Names like Isobel Borlase and, of course, DeWanna Bonner contributed in her absence, which showcases the Dream’s depth.

Breanna Stewart is not the only veteran who will be tested in a do-or-die game at home, as four-time MVP A’ja Wilson is in an eerily similar situation to the two-time MVP. The Golden State Valkyries are 2-0 up against the reigning champions, and it is up to Wilson and co. to start a comeback at the Michelob ULTRA Arena in Las Vegas.

But as UConn Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma said about Stewart, “When there’s a medal, when there’s a trophy that goes to the winner, don’t bet on anybody other than her. It’s been like that since she was 15 years old, when I first saw her play.”

Safe to say, the expected sellout crowd at the Barclays Center will not see their team go down without a fight with Breanna Stewart at the helm on Friday night.