In Game 4 of the 2023 WNBA Finals, with her team’s season on the line, Breanna Stewart failed to deliver. Her first season with the New York Liberty ended with the Las Vegas Aces celebrating a championship in Barclays Center in large part because Stewart shot 3 of 17 from the field.
The two-time MVP is determined not to let that happen again, and she ensured the Liberty took a big first step toward revenge with a dominant outing on Sunday. Stewart finished with 34 points, five rebounds and four assists on 12-of-19 shooting as the Liberty beat the Aces, 87-77, in Game 1 of their semifinal series.
Ahead of the Finals rematch, Stewart told reporters that she’s never watched the tape from that Game 4 defeat. It’s safe to say she’ll be rewatching this one in the future.
Stewart’s unique versatility at her size is a primary reason she’s already one of the game’s all-time greats, and Sunday was a case study. In the first quarter alone, she scored on a tough reverse layup, a 3-pointer, a deceleration Eurostep and a pull-up mid-range jumper.
In the Finals last season, the Aces were able to get away with going small and sticking Alysha Clark on Stewart. That did not work on Sunday. Stewart went over, around and through her former teammate. She scored the final six points for the Liberty on possessions where Clark started as the primary defender.
“What Sandy [Brondello] said was continue to put the ball in mine and [Sabrina Ionescu’s] hands, especially down the stretch, and for us to make plays” Stewart said. “I know [Clark] is really pressuring me and physical and into me almost all the time, and I tried to get her on a cut where I could get a little bit better position and Sab found me. The other one was a different action and same type of result.”
On the other end, Stewart was causing havoc, both on and off the ball. Often operating as a free safety, she roamed around the backline, where she could see everything unfolding in front of her, and cut off driving lanes, darted into passing lanes and trapped when appropriate. When Jonquel Jones was out of the game, she took on the challenge of guarding A’ja Wilson.
Stewart only recorded two steals, but she blew up many more Aces possessions.
“I thought my wingspan was 7-1, we’re gonna have to check with the New York Liberty to get that re-measured,” Stewart joked when informed the media guide listed that attribute at 6-foot-10 and 3/4 inches. “But just continue to make sure my hands are in passing lanes, knowing that sometimes the ball might be out of reach, but even when I can’t get it, just deferring something.”
A few lazy fouls and turnovers were the only mistakes Stewart made in what was one of the best outings of her postseason career.
Her 34 points were her third-most in a playoff game, and she now has six career 30-point games in the the postseason, which is tied with Angel McCoughtry for the second-most all-time. She also now has four career playoff games with at least 30 points on 60% or better from the field, which is tied for the most ever.
To a player, the Liberty have acknowledged how much the pain of last season’s loss to the Aces has driven them to be better. Perhaps none of them feel it as deeply as Stewart, who carries so much responsibility for their success. Thanks to her, the Liberty are just two wins away from getting payback.
To finish the job, they’ll need to stick to the script that’s guided them all summer.
“No matter what, we stay together,” Stewart said before the series. “We know the schemes, we know what we’re trying to do, and we don’t get knocked off course.”
