New York Liberty — 88, Las Vegas Aces — 78
Westchester County Center, White Plains, NY; June 9, 2019
These two teams, both of whom missed the playoffs and landed the first two picks in this year’s draft, carry vastly different expectations this season. The Aces added MVP runner-up Liz Cambage to an already stacked roster that boasted A’ja Wilson — 2018’s Rookie of the Year — and sharpshooter Kayla McBride. The Liberty have struggled to find help for the team’s newly minted all-time franchise leader in scoring, Tina Charles, and pinned their 2019 hopes on the development of their recent draft picks: 2018’s Kia Nurse and 2019’s Asia Durr.
Another struggle for the Liberty, who entered the game having lost 17 straight games dating back to last August, is the lack of a home court advantage. The team, displaced from Madison Square Garden last season after being sold by Knicks’/Rangers’ owner, James Dolan, plays its home games at Westchester County Center.
So, naturally, the Liberty pulled out the W.
The Aces held the lead throughout the first quarter, but an early second quarter run by the Liberty propelled them to a lead they would never relinquish. Vegas brought it back to as close as four midway through the fourth quarter, but another Liberty spurt put them away for good. New York won off sheer hustle: the tenacity of Reshanda Gray and Amanda Zahui B on the offensive glass, the aggressiveness of Bria Hartley and Tanisha Wright attacking the rim in both the half-court set and in transition, the timely shooting of Kia Nurse and the ever-consistent Tina Charles. Coach Katie Smith shortened the rotation to only eight players this game, and all eight balled out, holding off Vegas despite Kayla McBride’s 25 and Liz Cambage’s 17–10. They even held A’ja Wilson to five points, her first ever pro game in which she failed to hit double figures.
This was my first visit to Westchester County Center, which feels more akin to a well-funded high school gymnasium than it does a professional basketball arena, with its significantly diminished capacity. Courtesy of Across the Timeline, during their 21 years at MSG, the Liberty averaged 10,783 fans a game; since the switch to WCC last season and their first few home games this year, that number has dwindled to 2,481. To its credit, they make the most out of the resources available: the screens around the court boast efficient statistics; the stoppage time entertainment — with the Timeless Torches a specific standout — keeps you entertained between the whistles; the boundless enthusiasm of Maddie the Mascot (who I’d love to be renamed now that they no longer play at the Garden [hopefully to Barky, if they can eventually make it to the Barclays Center full-time]).
What this small venue’s limitations provide, however, is an incredible viewing experience: there’s not a bad seat in the house. From my seat, I could hear JiSu Park call out screens, watched Kayla McBride get frustrated by a jump ball review that she felt was taking too long (while Kelsey Plum tried to play off that it was the much taller Dearica Hamby that should be jumping, rather than her), witnessed Liz Cambage stretch for ten seconds while a wet spot was cleaned courtside. Throughout the game, one man chastised the refs through PG-rated heckles (“Liz Cambage is in the paint for eight seconds!” or “Make sure you call that both ways!”) What I feel the WNBA does better than any other league around is provide access to the athletes, and the product’s commitment to positive advancement in society at large permeates the atmosphere: the game began with a “pass the torch” ceremony where Liberty players handed basketballs off to young girls; a corporation called Dorf & Nelson LLP was honored for becoming the first law firm to be coming Gender Fair Certified; at the game’s conclusion, the jubilant Liberty players — the losing streak mercifully over — hung around to toss tees to lingering fans. The children of the crowd — young, adorable, awash in sea-foam green — bounced out of their seats, their hands raised to catch the eye of Tanisha Wright or Han Xu, and with each lobbed shirt, the gap between them and their heroes narrowed.
To borrow Ari Chambers’ trademark phrase, the WNBA is so important.
