I think the key for NY is Sandy Brondello. Since losing the Commissioner's Cup, she has become much more aggressive and proactive. We're actually seeing cause and effect changes. After the Liberty gave up 27 points off 20 TOs in the Commissioner's Cup, they had the lowest turnover rate in the league for the next 2 or 3 weeks. After the Liberty hoisted up a ridiculous 42 3pt attempts (missing 32) in a loss to Indiana, the next game they only attempted 13, which was the lowest total for NY in six years. Previously, Brondello would let opponents go on 10-0 or 12-0 runs before calling a timeout. Now she mostly lets it go to 4-0 or 6-0 before putting a stop to the other team's momentum.
In the past, Brondello seemed reluctant to make defensive substitutions. I remember a game against Chicago in 2022 when New York had a 1-point lead with seconds left, needing one stop to win. Sandy kept Ionescu, Johannes, and Dangerfield on the floor as her perimeter defenders even though she had Bec Allen, Onyenwere, and Whitcomb on the bench. There were two stoppages in play when she could have made substitutions but didn't. Not surprisingly, NY ended up losing. Now, things have changed. Brondello replaced future Hall of Famer Courtney Vandersloot with unheralded rookie Leonie Fiebich in the starting lineup -- something Old Sandy would never have the nerve to do. Old Sandy wouldn't be imaginative enough to have Stewart bring the ball up court to counter LVA blitzing Ionescu. Nor would she assign Breanna to guard Plum. In the last loss to Minnesota, NY enter the 4th Quarter trailing by 24. Sandy replaced JJ, Sloot, and Laney with Sabally, Fiebich, and Thornton. With 4:21 left, NY had reduced the lead to 8, and they had the ball. Unfortunately, Sabrina was mired in her terrible shooting slump but wouldn't stop chucking. Ionescu started off 4-6, then missed her next 15 shots -- including 6 in the final quarter. Otherwise, NY might have completed the miracle comeback. Nonetheless, Brondello showed a willingness to experiment even if it meant offending her starters. That's something Old Sandy would never do. For 2.5 years, I really disliked Brondello, but I feel much better about the version we see now. Sandy was able to raise her game to match Hammon in the last series. I feel NY has better talent on paper, but Minnesota has been the better team because of coaching. Let's see if Brondello can now raise her game to match Reeve.
I think the key for NY is Sandy Brondello. Since losing the Commissioner's Cup, she has become much more aggressive and proactive. We're actually seeing cause and effect changes. After the Liberty gave up 27 points off 20 TOs in the Commissioner's Cup, they had the lowest turnover rate in the league for the next 2 or 3 weeks. After the Liberty hoisted up a ridiculous 42 3pt attempts (missing 32) in a loss to Indiana, the next game they only attempted 13, which was the lowest total for NY in six years. Previously, Brondello would let opponents go on 10-0 or 12-0 runs before calling a timeout. Now she mostly lets it go to 4-0 or 6-0 before putting a stop to the other team's momentum.
In the past, Brondello seemed reluctant to make defensive substitutions. I remember a game against Chicago in 2022 when New York had a 1-point lead with seconds left, needing one stop to win. Sandy kept Ionescu, Johannes, and Dangerfield on the floor as her perimeter defenders even though she had Bec Allen, Onyenwere, and Whitcomb on the bench. There were two stoppages in play when she could have made substitutions but didn't. Not surprisingly, NY ended up losing. Now, things have changed. Brondello replaced future Hall of Famer Courtney Vandersloot with unheralded rookie Leonie Fiebich in the starting lineup -- something Old Sandy would never have the nerve to do. Old Sandy wouldn't be imaginative enough to have Stewart bring the ball up court to counter LVA blitzing Ionescu. Nor would she assign Breanna to guard Plum. In the last loss to Minnesota, NY enter the 4th Quarter trailing by 24. Sandy replaced JJ, Sloot, and Laney with Sabally, Fiebich, and Thornton. With 4:21 left, NY had reduced the lead to 8, and they had the ball. Unfortunately, Sabrina was mired in her terrible shooting slump but wouldn't stop chucking. Ionescu started off 4-6, then missed her next 15 shots -- including 6 in the final quarter. Otherwise, NY might have completed the miracle comeback. Nonetheless, Brondello showed a willingness to experiment even if it meant offending her starters. That's something Old Sandy would never do. For 2.5 years, I really disliked Brondello, but I feel much better about the version we see now. Sandy was able to raise her game to match Hammon in the last series. I feel NY has better talent on paper, but Minnesota has been the better team because of coaching. Let's see if Brondello can now raise her game to match Reeve.
Simple formula- Get JJ the ball, defend the 3 and rebound.