Natasha Cloud Fits Right Into Liberty Playoff Lineup

Cloud is wearing the Gotham-inspired gear after enduring a "slight" nose fracture in the late stages of the regular season. The Liberty has won four of six since she put it on and she's shooting over 44 percent with an extra point on the line in that span.

Like Brondello—who had an eight-year term at the helm of the Mercury—before her, Cloud doesn't seem to be taking things too personally now that she's back in the desert. Cloud was stationed in Phoenix last season after playing eight yeards in the national's capital and was reportedly displeased with her coda, as the Mercury dealt her to the rebuilding Connecticut Sun. New York obtained her services for draft picks shortly thereafter.

She's relishing the return the southwest, particularly craving the one-on-one battle with fellow Philadelphia-originated backcourt talent Kahleah Copper. The 2021 WNBA Finals MVP and last summer's American Olympic heroine was the Mercury's leading scorer but needed 13 tries from the field to reach 15 points. Phoenix as a whole shot less than 33 percent from the field in defeat, including 6-of-26 with an extra point on the line.

Cloud, an outspoken rep on and off the floor, is the newcomer in the Liberty's postseason starting five, which is missing the injured Betnijah Laney-Hamilton from last year's championship quintet. The WNBA champion, part of the 2019 Washington Mystics, had long been a target of the Liberty through the transaction ledger, the interest perhaps intensifying when she and Ionescu went head-to-head during the opening round of the 2023 postseason.

Cloud lived up to hardwood hype: with her scoring tally combined with six rebounds and five assists, she became the first WNBA playoff participant to post a 20-5-5 game since Nneka Ogwumike did so for the Los Angeles Sparks in 2016. The last of her nine successful sinks from the field was also a key tally, a three-pointer that gave the Liberty a lead that proved permanent.

“Sometimes I feel like I should just be humble, but I know who I am,” Cloud said, per Cassandra Negley of Yahoo! Sports. “I know who I am in these moments. When these bright lights come on, I’m a f***ing dog. When I say that, I mean that [stuff]. Understanding that for our team, I have to set the tone, the standard for the game.”

For the time being, that tone has given New York a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three set, with one win erased from the nine necessary to repeat.