Sandy Brondello’s 10-minute pregame press conference was dominated by questions about the Liberty’s postseason readiness.
If their somewhat shaky close to the regular season, in which the top seed in the WNBA playoffs dropped two of their last three games including an 11-point setback to their opening-round opponent, was an ominous sign.
The Liberty coach didn’t make any guarantees, but she didn’t seem worried at all.
“We’re lucky we’ve had players who have been here before,” Brondello said. “So we talked about that mentality, how difficult it is. We’ve had the communication, but we rely on those players who have been there.”
Her players certainly were ready, performing up to their league-best regular season record. They scored eight of the first 10 points of Game 1, led by double figures just 6:21 after the opening tip and cruised to an 83-69 victory over the Dream at Barclays Center Sunday afternoon. The Liberty can close out the series Tuesday night back in Brooklyn.
It was an 18-point game at the half and the Liberty were never threatened the rest of the way. The closest the Dream got was 14 midway through the fourth quarter.
The result was never really in doubt, as the Liberty led by as much as 19 in a one-sided opening half. Their offense was crisp. Their defense was suffocating. Most of all, they played with the intensity that was missing in the regular season finale loss to the Dream.
They looked like a team that fully intends to keep playing for a while, and return to the WNBA Finals.
Sabrina Ionescu, who struggled against the Dream during the regular season, had 17 points and five assists. Breanna Stewart added 20 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks.
Perhaps the biggest surprise was Leonie Fiebich. A part-time starter due to injuries, she made her first start, in place of Courtney Vandersloot, when the Liberty are at full strength. The sharpshooting forward rewarded Brondello with a game-high 21 points and four 3-pointers in as many attempts.
