The New York Liberty, a team with the second-most appearances in the WNBA Finals, certainly doesn’t want to walk away empty-handed yet again. Unfortunately, the Finals began on a shaky note for them against the Minnesota Lynx, as they blew a significant lead in the final quarter, ultimately suffering a heartbreaking defeat in overtime. But it’s not time to dwell on the past; the team’s eyes are now firmly set on Sunday’s crucial Game 2. WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes has also offered some valuable advice for the Liberty as they look to turn their fortunes around.

In a recent episode of her podcast Queens of the Court, the retired 4x WNBA champion and co-host Jordan Robinson dove into a discussion about the thrilling Game 1 of the WNBA Finals. As the episode wrapped up, Robinson posed an important question to Swoopes, asking what the Liberty could do to improve in the next game.

While Sheryl Swoopes highlighted the need for better rebounding and bringing Jonquel Jones inside the paint, she concluded her suggestion with a straightforward message for Sabrina Ionescu and Co.

“If and when New York gets a lead, stop just jacking up threes because you have a nice lead. Move the basketball and force Minnesota to have to defend several actions. Make them have to defend from side to side. You gotta move the basketball. You can’t get selfish and say, well, ‘It’s my turn,’ and just start jacking up threes,” the Houston Comets legend suggested.

However, there is no denying that the Liberty missed a lot of their field goal attempts in the opening game. While they had a comfortable lead of 13 points in the first quarter, their missed opportunities paved the way for the Lynx’s historical comeback. The Liberty took a total of 90 shots from fields and only 34 of them landed inside the basket. Sabrina Ionescu, who was recording over 50% from deep in the last two games of the semis against the Las Vegas Aces, barely managed to touch her regular season average of 33.3% against Minnesota.

Moreover, she had 26 shot attempts but only managed to convert 8 of them. When we look at the numbers, it’s clear that when she and 2x MVP Breanna Stewart teamed up, they averaged just around 30% in shooting. Well, Swoopes’ advice against selfish play and her insights align perfectly with the observations of fellow analyst Rebecca Lobo who has already pointed out that both Ionescu and Stewart need to step up their scoring efficiency if the Liberty hope to make a strong comeback in the series.

While Swoopes’ advice about playing unselfishly echoes Rebecca Lobo’s earlier remarks, she made another bold, unique claim that she believes could be the turning point for the Liberty in the series.

A call for change: Sheryl Swoopes urges Liberty to maximize Jones’ impact in Finals

When the WNBA Finals tipped off, many expected Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu to lead the charge for the New York Liberty, especially given their standout performances against the Aces in the semifinals. As the team’s top scorers, the spotlight was naturally on them. While both put up respectable numbers, it was Jonquel Jones who truly stepped up when it mattered most, finishing Game 1 with an impressive 24 points—outscoring even the top performer from the winning team.

However, Sheryl Swoopes is adamant that Jones’ teammates should focus on generating more scoring opportunities for her by positioning her closer to the basket instead of leaving her on the arc. “Keep JJ (Jones) off the three-point line and put her in the paint. Alana Smith can defend JJ on the perimeter. She can’t defend JJ when JJ is in the paint dominating. They need to feed her, feed her, feed her, and make Minnesota adjust what they want to do defensively,” said the retired 3x WNBA MVP.

It’s worth highlighting that Jonquel Jones scored 10 of her 24 points in the first half but managed only nine more over the next three quarters. She then added five points during the five minutes of overtime. While Jones ended up leading the scoreboard, it’s clear that Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve found a way to quiet her dominance after the opening quarter. With Napheesa Collier and Alanna Smith relentlessly guarding her, Jones found it tougher to attack the paint as the game wore on.

Nevertheless, according to Swoopes, if the Liberty want to avoid another heartbreaking Finals loss, there are two key things they must do: get Jonquel Jones inside the paint and create more opportunities for her, while also playing unselfishly and focusing on team offense instead of settling for random three-point shots. The big question now is, will Sandy Brondello’s squad take Swoopes’ advice to heart and make the necessary adjustments? We’ll find out soon enough in Sunday’s game!