The New York Liberty once again made it to the Championship Finale series this year. And just like last year, have lost the Game 1, this time against their kryptonite: the Minnesota Lynx. As Breanna Stewart & Co. prepare for Game 2 on Sunday, their head coach Sandy Brondello reflected on the two-day break in between the games, which she hinted wasn’t enough.

“I needed another day, to get the video down and reflect… but I’m happy it’s a day game, wouldn’t want to wait all day to get it going,” Brondello stated in her media session today. The Liberty played their first game against the Lynx on Thursday and as per Brondello she needed more time to “get the video down and reflect.”

Taking cognizance of their first meeting in the playoffs, Brondello also shared that they were“excited” for Game 2 and “can’t stay in the past.” Plus, like a respectful opponent, she acknowledged the Lynx’s exceptional gameplay, especially in the OT, where her team missed five shots as the away team got off to a 4-point lead. “We have to live in this moment right now…they were persistent, relentless, and that’s what we have to do today,” Brondello opined.

The Liberty had got an 18-point lead somewhere in the first half but missed the opportunity to capitalize on it. As per their star Sabrina Ionescu’s admission, they slowed down things, probably in an attempt to choke the scoring funnel of the Lynx. However, the Lynx, known for their defense, kept on trying their best, which ultimately ended them leveling the score by the end of the fourth quarter with both teams having 84 points each.

All this must have prompted Brondello to take an extra day to look at the film and not repeat mistakes as the Liberty wouldn’t want to start the Finale series with a 2-0 lead. Taking note of it, even their star Breanna Stewart had shared her take after Game 1.

Breanna Stewart’s reaction after missing the winning free throw

Reflecting on their mistakes, Stewart pointed out that her team did not end the fourth quarter on the right note. The Liberty could have ended the game by trumping the Lynx during the fourth quarter. However, when Stewart was given two free throws due to the foul committed by Napheesa Collier, she missed one of them, tying the game. And hence, the 30-year-old had her own regrets.

“We just take it on the chin, you know. We were up a lot and then we had a wild kind of sequence to end the fourth,” Stewart stated before pointing out the OT problems of her team. “Didn’t start overtime great. I had a great look at the end and I didn’t make it. But I think that this is a series. We wanted to really win, obviously, for home court. But the beauty is, we have another game on Sunday and we’ll be ready.”

The frustration was visible on the face of the 3x Olympic gold medalist Stewart after she could not connect on her second free throw which would have helped the team win without forcing overtime. Hopefully, Brondello would have made the most of the two days, sharing tactics with her team to level the series, especially at home court.