The biggest question heading into Game 2 was Breanna Stewart’s knee, and it’s been a rollercoaster ride for Liberty fans. Her knee buckled during OT in Game 1, and when we found out she was going in for an MRI? The consensus was that she’s done with the playoffs. But the stars aligned for the six-foot-four center, and there was no structural damage to her knee, allowing her the opportunity to play through a minor MCL sprain.

But how safe would it be? According to ESPN’s Holly Rowe, there’s a lot of risk involved for the Liberty star. Stewart has already suffered a lot of issues with her right knee last year, even getting it operated on. So now that everything’s fine on that front, injuring her left knee just sounds like a nightmare, and that’s exactly what Rowe pointed out. “Keep in mind, she injured the right knee, had a procedure in April, came back, and got a bone bruise midway through the season that kept her out for a while. So, this is the other knee, the left knee. So, something she’s got to be conscientious of,” she said before the game.

As the game started, it was quite clear that Breanna Stewart wasn’t in good shape. The Liberty star, wearing a supportive knee brace, was hobbling up and down 94 feet. In 20 minutes, she had 6 points and 3 turnovers–definitely not what New York was expecting after letting her play. And after Phoenix acquired a major lead halfway through the third, even the commentators started pleading with Sandy Brondello for some relief. “If New York doesn’t make a push here in the last three minutes of this quarter, I would not play her in the fourth.” We could hear on the live broadcast. “Save her for Game 3.”

And that’s exactly what happened. Stewart sat out the entire fourth, and Phoenix handed New York a 26-point loss. Stopping the Mercury’s frontcourt onslaught seemed impossible for Jones, Johannes, Harrison, and Talbot. And as we predicted earlier, Alyssa Thomas and Satou Sabally preyed on Breanna Stewart’s weakness, combining for 30 points and 13 rebounds for the night.

But it wasn’t just the paint play that led to New York losing. There looked to be a genuine lack of effort from Sandy Brondello’s bunch. They couldn’t run in transition, conceding 20 fast-break points while only scoring 2 themselves, and kept turning the ball over. The Liberty’s one saving grace could’ve been their shooting from deep, but then Sabrina Ionescu happened to go 1-8 from beyond the arc. All in all, it was a day to forget for New York, but how do they plan to recover in Game 3?

Breanna Stewart’s All-Star teammate addresses major playoff slump

When you think of Sabrina Ionescu, what pops into your mind? The three-point contest record? Her shooting bout against Curry last year? Or her Finals game-winner against the Lynx? Regardless of what pops up, it’s gotta be shooting-related. Ionescu is a one-of-a-kind talent when it comes to shooting long-range shots, which makes her shooting slump all the more shocking this year.

The facts are simple, and pretty scary if you’re Sandy Brondello–Ionescu is currently 4-20 from deep in the first round. She even went 1-8 in front of her home crowd! The All-Star guard hasn’t been able to catch rhythm from beyond the arc, and that’s affecting the entire team’s offense and spacing. Because of her slump, Jonquel Jones and Stewart aren’t able to create enough space to operate freely inside the paint. Not to mention, it becomes harder to overcome scoring deficits.

Credit where credit is due, at least she’s recognising what kind of trouble the team is in. All of the spotlight has been on New York’s frontcourt failings, but Ionescu recognised that everyone’s messing up in some way or the other. “We can’t go out and play the same way we did and expect a different result. We have to make the adjustments and play like our season is on the line, because it is,” she said, as per a tweet by Winsdr reporter Myles Enrich.

On paper, New York’s equation to win is quite simple: Hit more threes, and play better interior defense. Eventually, it all boils down to Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu. They’ve done it before; they can do it again. If Stewie gets healthy before Game 3, then the Liberty have a shot at taking the last game in Phoenix. Because if Brondello’s All-Star core is performing as it should, it won’t matter if the game is in Phoenix, New York, or on the moon!