Liberty Using Fear and Losses in Final Push

The New York Liberty face the one foe that has had their number as they go after their first WNBA championship.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

BROOKLYN -- With Halloween only three weeks away, the New York Liberty are operating on a concept that could be considered festive if not for the looming pressure drop.

New York is going for the sweetest treat in the form of the franchise's first postseason title in an endeavor that continues with Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Thursday night at Barclays Center (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

The Liberty busted one ghost in the semifinal round, taking down the Las Vegas Aces that denied them a trophy hoist last fall. Prior to the clincher on Sunday, head coach Sandy Brondello introduced a new term that could come to describe the approach her team is taking to these final hours.

"The appropriate fear should be there," Brondello said prior to the 76-62 triumph in Sin City. "We have really good conversations, then we show the film and we discuss, what do we need to do better? That's part of the journey: you learn, there are learning experiences and okay, you try and work out. In the end, it's like, what are they going to do differently?"

"In the end, it's more like we got to focus on us. We know what they're going to do, but we have to focus on us and make sure that we're playing really fast for 40 minutes."

The vanquishing of Vegas doesn't pacify the Liberty's road to immortality: New York now faces the Minnesota Lynx, the only team to have their number this season, in the Finals. New York and Minnesota have partaken in a combined 13 of the prior 27 editions but this will be their first direct meeting in the postseason crowning. Hardware was previously on the line back in June, when the Lynx bit into the Liberty's repeat bid for a Commissioner's Cup in-season title at UBS Arena.

Minnesota is the only team to defeat the Liberty on multiple occasions this calendar year, responsible for three of the 10 total losses on their docket. If that's not scary, nothing is.

"I understand that you need confidence going into a Finals, but the appropriate fear is knowing that, if we're not at our best, this team is capable of beating us," guard Courtney Vandersloot said as the Liberty prepped on Wednesday. "But, on the other hand, if we're at our best, we really believe in our hearts, our hearts, that nobody can beat us."

Seated next to Vandersloot, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton offered her own spin on the concept, labeling it "appropriate caution" instead.

"They have beaten us quite a few times, so we know that it's possible," Laney-Hamilton said. "But we know that when we're at our best and we're we're cooking, and everything's going well, it's going to be hard to beat us."

"Appropriate caution is (knowing) that they're a really great team, very disciplined, and are capable of great things," she continued. "But we're the number one team for a reason, and so we're kind of just sticking to that, kind of sticking to what, what's gotten us here, the good things that have gotten us here, and trying to maximize on other opportunities. That's what's going to see us through."

New York certainly doesn't lack the tools to compete with and defeat Minnesota: while the Lynx are responsible for the Liberty's most dire loss of the season (84-67 at Target Center on May 25), New York nearly erased a hefty second half deficit in the most recent meeting in Brooklyn on Sept. 15.

In the lone win, New York held a plus-8 advantage on the glass, with Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart uniting for 29 on their own. Minnesota was 13-1 when winning the rebounding battle in the regular season and the sole defeat took required overtime.

The Liberty have often spoken about turning losses into victorious learning experiences and refusing to get complacent. Even at 32 wins and a top seed, the Liberty remain far from satisfied with the way things panned out and they're looking to show Minnesota how they've evolved ... all while maintaining the proper respect and, yes, fear.

"Appropriate fear, doesn't mean nervous. This means respect for your opponent coming out," Brondello said during Game 1 prep. "You have to earn it every single moment, and that's what we want. We had to earn it in Vegas, and I was really proud of how we responded."

"Minnesota has beat us in the regular season, but they're not going to get that same team that they are in the playoffs," leading scorer Sabrina Ionescu said. "I think they know that. I think we know that. For us, just being able to have that understanding of it doesn't matter what happened in the regular season. It's what matters what happens within these five games and we're a completely different team, so I'm excited for them to get our best."

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