New York Liberty Heads Into Playoffs
This week, the New York Liberty is getting ready for the first round of the WNBA championships. The Liberty capped its best season ever yesterday with an overtime win against the Connecticut Sun, 88 to 87. Mechelle Voepel, a blogger and correspondent for espn.com, spoke with WNYC's Brian Zumhagen about what lies ahead in the playoffs.
WNYC: The Liberty only lost one game in August, after a 10-game win streak, and they're tied for the second-best record in the league. What kind of momentum do they have going into the playoffs, especially after last night's close win? Are they peaking at the right time?
VOEPEL: Oh, they really are and the one loss that they had, they were a tip-in away from that being a victory on the road to Washington. So this team is coming in with a full head of steam in the postseason.
What does this Liberty team have going for it that earlier rosters didn't?
You know, they have a really legitimate star player -- one of the best players in women's basketball right now and an Olympian: Cappie Pondexter. She made so much difference coming to this team. She is just an incredible offensive force and also just a tremendous defensive player. And then they just got the right players to fill in around her. There were a lot of moves made in this offseason, and this team developed its chemistry as this season went along.
They're playing Indiana in the first round on Thursday. They beat the Fever twice this month, including pretty handily last week, 78 to 57. But they lost twice earlier in the season. What kind of matchup do you thinks is coming?
It really is a difficult matchup because of the split meetings, and the first two of the season the Fever won. The Fever is a really strong team in a lot of different ways. They are the defending Eastern Conference champions, made it to Game 5 of the finals against Phoenix before succumbing. So this is going to be a really difficult matchup, but it would've been that way no matter who New York plays. The Eastern Conference has just been tremendous this whole season. Any of the four teams that I think that are in the playoffs for the East could potentially win the WNBA title.
Not to get too ahead of ourselves, but if they do get past Indiana, there's a good chance they could meet the Washington Mystics--the only team to beat them since late July with a 75 to 74 squeaker on Friday. These teams seem pretty well matched. They have the same exact record, 22-12. They both won the same number of home and away games. How do you think that matchup would play out?
Well, you're absolutely right. That could be a tremendous matchup. Indiana is going to be tough, but if New York can do that, it's also a match of some really young, dynamic stars in the WNBA if it happens. Crystal Langhorne, an MVP candidate for Washington and Cappie Pondexter, an MVP candidate for New York, so if the Mystics and the Liberty make it that far, it's going to be a real showcase for the WNBA.
The Garden's a tough place to fill, and New Yorkers have a lot of teams to follow. What kind of support do you see the Liberty getting and how does that compare to other teams in the WNBA?
Well, we say the Liberty has the advantage of being in the biggest market in the United States and the disadvantage of being in a market where there's more to do than in any other city in the United States. And obviously a tremendous amount of sports options, but when the Liberty plays well, New Yorkers come out to watch. And this is the last season they're going to be in the Garden for a little while because the renovations that are going on in the summer will take them out of the Garden, so this is a chance for New Yorkers to go see them in the world's most famous arena. And a team that has a legitimate superstar and a chance to potentially make the WNBA finals if not win the WNBA championship, so this a time to go out to watch this team.
Mechelle Voepel writes for ESPN.com.
