As a short, scrawny sixth grader who couldn’t get close to the rim, Sabrina Ionescu is now New York’s primary ball handler. Going for her first-ever WNBA championship, Ionescu brought back her floater shot, which she added to her skill set 5 years ago when she had set the NCAA record in triple-doubles. Now, bringing back the floater, this old move has become a lethal weapon for her in the WNBA playoffs and a pivotal reason for the New York Liberty’s success.

This has been Sabrina Ionescu’s season and the fans can see her fully emerge as a dominant star on the floor, especially against the Lynx. Talking about her numbers, Ionescu faced the Lynx four times this regular season. However, these face-offs turned out to be thrilling as despite having a shorter end, Sabrina Ionescu kept her dominance intact. Let’s dive in.

How Sabrina Ionescu is catching up with the Lynx?

In her first game against the Lynx, Sabrina added 13 points with 5-of-14 field goals and 2-of-6 3-point shots and grabbed 3 boards. The Lynx proved to be too much for her and the Liberty, though and took an 84-67 win.

The next time they came across was late in June in the Commissioner’s Cup final. The game was a complete shocker as the Lynx hit 14 3-pointers to rally past the Liberty 94-89. However, Ionescu had quite the performance that day as she had a double-double with 23 points (10-of-21 field goals) and 10 rebounds alongside 4 assists and 2 steals.

Thereafter, in early July, Sabrina made 7-of-20 from the field and recorded 17 points alongside 5 boards and 5 significant dimes, contributing towards Liberty’s 76-67 victory over the Lynx. Playing the UNO reverse card on the Lynx, the Liberty posed a stellar defense in the last few minutes of the game.

Ionescu and Co. were trailing 65-61 before putting together a defensive front. On the other hand, the Lynx had missed 10 shots and had 4 turnovers over 7 1/2 minutes where the Liberty gathered 15 points straight and took a 74-65 lead with a little over a minute left and Ionescu made 2 free throws to clinch their only victory so far over the Lynx this year.

Before this one, Ionescu was not feeling well. Still, she finished the game with 17 points. “She could’ve stayed home, but she understood the importance of this game. It’s a blessing to have a teammate like her,” said Jonquel Jones on Ionescu’s unwavering competence. The regular season’s last face-off between the Liberty and the Lynx took place in September.

The Lynx looked confident for the final regular season matchup and held off the Liberty’s defensive run led by Breanna Stewart in the fourth quarter and beat them down 88-79. “We’re the number two team in the league and we just played the number one team, and we’re really prideful about that. Our belief to be successful every game that we play. It’s a hell of a win,” said Lynx Head Coach Cheryl Reeve after taking down the Liberty that day. Ionescu scored 13 points and had 8 assists to contribute to the team’s score.

In the Finals Game 1, Sabrina Ionescu registered 19 points from 8-of-26 shooting and 3-of-9 3-pointers and carried the Liberty to the end. However, they fell 2 points short and took a 95-93 OT defeat from the Lynx. But where did she gather all the strength to get going despite those losses?

Ionescu fought her way back from a dark injury

Last year, Sabrina Ionescu could barely walk during the Finals. She was in immense pain with an aching hip, however; she didn’t bail out but rather took an injection, and walked out on the floor to face the Aces.

She struggled to score, and Ionescu ended up throwing up into a trash can on the sideline. “Losing motivates you,” she said as the Aces benefitted from the fact and clinched a one-point win over the Liberty. So, they had a lot of room to repair that damage and grow, especially Ionescu, as she had to lift herself and gather around to fight back.

Hence, she met with her team’s coaching staff before leaving for California and had a detailed discussion on how she could inculcate better ways to improve her game. According to their review, she was already good at handling the ball, but not so great at defending it from her opponents. The coaching staff pointed out to her to identify those moments and make better use of the pick-and-roll situations. This would make Ionescu a better guard who plays at different speeds and poses frequent attacks to the rim.

As a result, once healthy, Ionescu got to work. “It’s just about wanting to be better all the time and not really being OK with being complacent,” said Ionescu. Her consistency increased towards the gym. She would work on her handles and quickness, incorporate her floater shots, and practice pulling up out of different dribble situations.

She switched up the challenge a few notches and played five-on-five against current and former Pac-12 players, WNBA players, and overseas pro ballers. “Nothing compares to defense and live reps,” she reasoned.

She even engaged in a catch-and-shoot sequence where she would be tasked to make 20 deep 3-pointers with the last 5 to be consecutive and each one needed to be all net. What followed was a blast as she had mastered hitting five one-dribble, same-handed, same-footed floaters. However, she was required to bank the last three shots off the glass without using her right hand as a guide. “I know I can make a shot, but I want to continue to challenge myself to chase perfection. Sometimes that’s with a swish, sometimes that’s with a challenging move,” she added.

Her competitive spirit paid off in the offseason as she elevated her game and grew more communicative and vocal about how she has grown to become her team’s front-runner who calls the shots.