Liberty's Late Rotation Features Reunions and Surprises

Though it was unable to alter their postseason fate, or at least the starting point in the fifth seed, the Liberty used the final two games of the regular season to their advantage, primarily showcasing an eight-woman set in season-closing wins over Washington and Chicago.

Those games marked the first time that the Liberty had a full lineup since late May and the goal was to use the closing couple as de facto scrimmages for the starting five consisting of Natasha Cloud, Leonie Fiebich, Sabrina Ionescu, Jonquel Jones, and Breanna Stewart, a grouping whose collaborations have endured frequent medically-induced interruptions this year.

While far from perfect, the Liberty managed to curry some form of late-season momentum: over the final two games, the unit had the second-best net rating among five-woman combinations that played at least 15 minutes together (behind only the five responsible for the Las Vegas Aces' sweetest 16) and it was tops in the defensive department at 64.8.

"It just really like makes all of us happy. [The injured players] have been working their [butts] off," Cloud said after Tuesday's home win over the Washington Mystics. "We're used to each other, finding each other's chemistry and just really figuring out how to get everybody involved ... when something's working, you don't want to go away from it, but you want to make sure that everyone's involved in it."

"The chemistry is there, that's the selflessness of this team too, is that nobody cares who scores, as long as we're scoring the ball and getting stops, it's just about winning games," Cloud continued. "We're going to be most disruptive, and we're going to be most effective when everyone is a weapon offensively, and then we're getting stops defensively as well."

Rusty shooting perhaps defined the offensive day but the Liberty still managed to push at least somewhat forward through other means: Sabrina Ionescu, fresh off a four-game absence due to foot issues, lacked her traditional three-point touch but dished out 20 assists in the combined duo, 11 coming in a double-double effort on Thursday night.

"We know she's a great scorer and shooter, but her ability to get other players open facilitating [is even better]," Brondello said on Thursday. "I'm sure Stewie will say how much it makes her job a little easier, because they have such great chemistry that they've built up over these years. Sabrina, she loves the moment. The bigger the game, the better she is ... She's been really affecting these last few games back, obviously, dishing out assists and it was good for her tonight, just to get a little bit more aggressive."

It's easy to see why the Liberty places so much trust and confidence that mere presence is the present at this time of year: the team is a perfect 10-0 when the regular starting five starts a game—and finishes unscathed.

"I don't think it's that we lost it," Stewart said on the re-established cohesion. "I think we were just kind of waiting to have it back so to be able to have our style back. It almost felt like this sense of calm, a sense of comfort a little bit, and just knowing that we're playing on a string ... It was great to have Sab back. It's always tough when when player like her is out, but I think what she brought us is just really people having to respect her everywhere she is, and a different scheme of fighting over a ball screen rather than under. But the way that she was hitting the pocket, she hit me on a few great dimes that I missed. But just that kind of chemistry and awareness for the back cut, that's what we're going to be building going forward."

While the Liberty embrace warm familiarity at the top, a relatively sizable second unit surprise lingered amidst the playoff prep.

While it was hardly a shock to see Kennedy Burke and Emma Meesseman come off the bench first, the Liberty's third woman in the reserve trio was Rebekah Gardner, whose comeback tour from various ailments has emerged as an inspirational yet impact subplot to this title defense.

Gardner's minutes had taken a bit of a tumble since the calendar's flip but she has been part of the primary metropolitan rotation even with the plethora of reinsertions: she has reached double-figures in minutes in four straight games for the first time since the end of June and the Liberty placed fourth in the last quartet in defensive rating, coinciding with her ascension.

While Brondello hinted that things might not be "written in stone," she expressed her admiration for Gardner in the interim, praising the veteran reserve's ability to "stay ready" amidst her comeback season.

"They're not forgetting what she brings to this team," Brondello said of her squad. "I think her defensive intensity, her full-court pickups, that's where Bek really does help us. She's a player that really moves well without the ball, especially against congestion, so I think that kind of helps us. But she's not afraid to shoot the three. I think she's a very good three-point shooter. She's not afraid to get in there and back herself a little bit too. She's not a player that we need to run plays for, but she obviously compliments the other players that we have."

"Whenever I step on the court, I try to give everything, especially defensively," Gardner said after a strong two-way game on Thursday, one that saw her shoot 5-of-5 from the field. "I feel like that's something that I can contribute that's different and that can help the starters and the main rotation players. So I just try to do that, and, as we go into the playoffs, that's my focus, too, to just be aggressive on both sides. But I feel like getting involved defensively, it helps me get involved with the game and helps the team in general and get more possession."

The rise of Gardner led to some shock about the lack of Marine Johannes, the seasoned Liberty rep and the only New Yorker to appear in 44 games this regular season. Johannes received only two minutes in Tuesday's win over Washington and was part of the reserve contingent that finished off the relatively one-sided triumph in the Windy City.

Brondello partly blamed the brevity on working the primary women back into the set and hinted that the team could turn to the French shooting sensation if they're in need of a boost on the offensive end.

"Marine, it’s more about staying ready," Brondello said on Thursday. "We know Marine. We need an offensive boost, so we're going to lean into her too."