The New York Liberty relied on new and acquainted techniques, specifically these from the arms of Sabrina Ionescu, to earn a Commissioner’s Cup win.
BROOKLYN—It doesn’t matter what transpired in Tuesday’s Commissioner’s Cup finale in opposition to the New York Liberty, Becky Hammon may no less than take solace in the truth that it was over.
Hammon’s headlines have just lately centered on her resurrected feedback from a 2023 ESPN look, which noticed her deny the championship case of a successor in metropolitan backcourt affairs. Having backed off a double-down, the ex-Liberty star had one final hill to climb on her de facto apology endeavor, that of a return to New York itself. As soon as the borough’s basketball backers acquired their ideas in, the hardwood world may successfully transfer on.
Sabrina Ionescu, nevertheless, had different concepts.
SI For (Championship) Bids
Ionescu busted early-season blues to information the Liberty to its second victory within the in-season competitors, scoring 26 factors within the 93-85 last. Good bookends from Ionescu outlined the day: she scored the primary eight factors for the internet hosting New Yorkers after which dealt the dagger with a closing three-pointer that drew a number of the loudest cheers that Barclays Heart’s roof has ever contained.
This was one championship breakout that Hammon merely couldn’t deny.
„I will say this … her recreation by no means takes me unexpectedly,“ Hammon stoically mentioned, although unable to stifle a smile. „She’s too good. By the best way, I do not know if anyone’s noticing this crowd, she likes massive moments and massive pictures. So, no, not shocked.“
SABRINA IONESCU DAGGER 3 🔥
NEW YORK LIBERTY ARE 2026 COMMISSIONER’S CUP CHAMPIONS 🏆 pic.twitter.com/IqLMVjId0T
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 1, 2026
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It is hardly stunning to see New York make massive funds the previous Oregon Duck’s invoice, particularly after she signed a multi-year deal in a speedy offseason. However Ionescu was hardly resistant to the rollercoaster nature of the Liberty’s season, one which featured wholly uncomfortable losses to Washington, Los Angeles, and Seattle earlier than the Aces came around.
Maybe postpone by decrease physique accidents endured within the Liberty’s preseason finale in Connecticut, Ionescu lacked a few of her trademark capturing contact within the early going. She was averaging 9.5 factors and capturing however 34% from the sector, stats that stay on her ledger as a result of Commissioner’s Cup stats do not depend towards official accumulations.
Clad in a Commissioner’s Cup championship t-shirt and eyewear to guard from the champagne burns, Ionescu made it clear she was embracing the problems moderately than fearing them, hinting that the thought of her signature sneakers touching the court docket stays a blessing it doesn’t matter what.
„I do not take this recreation as a right, as a result of it has been taken away from me earlier than,“ mentioned Ionescu, who noticed all however three video games of her 2020 debut worn out by an ankle harm. „Each time I am on the market, I am simply persevering with to try to be my greatest, enhance, put myself in uncomfortable conditions so I can develop from it.
„Tonight, my mentality wasn’t any totally different. I used to be feeling good, I understood the second and wished to only make certain I set the tone earl with how I wished to assault what they have been doing defensively. I knew it opened up the ground for everybody on the offensive finish for us.“
That sense of wholesome reckless abandon was obvious within the early going: Ionescu noticed the Liberty an early 8-2 lead that wound stand till the fourth quarter due to continued facilitation, clutch tallies when wanted, and a strong defensive effort (Ionescu had the very best defensive score in Tuesday’s recreation and her internet of 30.6 was the very best any New Yorker has had this season).
With Vegas dragged out of a 17-point pit by a one-woman present from Jackie Younger and Satou Sabally nonetheless caught in concussion protocol, Ionescu and Breanna Stewart checked again in for the Liberty with a two-tally deficit within the rating columns and simply over seven minutes on the clock. The duo would oversee a 24-14 output the remainder of the best way, the game-changing run tipping off with a Pauline Astier triple.
Scorer of 15 second half factors of her personal, it was Stewart that acquired to carry the sport’s MVP award introduced by commissioner Cathy Engelbert. However the two-time MVP was greater than keen to share for causes far past her personal packed trophy case.
„You solely had 5 assists, however like I really feel such as you had like 10. However, like, in all probability all 5 of these are to me, so shout out to you,“ Stewart mentioned as she appeared over to Ionescu throughout their joint postgame session (that was almost true, as 4 of the 5 helpers went to Stewart). „If you come again from an harm, it is robust. The method is hard, the psychological is hard, and he or she continued to proceed to keep it up. I believe that her being aggressive and making these threes, and that dagger three, particularly in our massive moments, we want that. However I believe additionally only for her confidence to proceed to form of journey alongside that, I am actually glad for her.“
Torch Stays Lit
New York hopes that Ionescu’s early Independence Day fireworks may flip the script on what’s been a Brooklyn boomerang within the first half. If something, the Liberty (12-8) has one more type of {hardware} to show from the Barclays Heart rafters, giving part two of the metropolitan „massive three“ period (which Ionescu and Stewart have shaped alongside Jonquel Jones) a pleasant landmark as it really works below new head coach Chris DeMarco.
„It form of units the muse for who we’re and the way we need to compete each single night time,“ Ionescu mentioned. „Clearly this was was an enormous crew win for us, however I believe [it’s also about] simply understanding the id that we need to have as a crew, and the way we wish groups to really feel after we come on the market and we play a full 40 minutes of basketball.“
The Liberty’s reward for in-season glory is a working vacation: New York welcomes within the league-leading Minnesota Lynx on Friday night time (7:30 p.m. ET, Ion) earlier than getting a rematch with a Dallas group that has dealt them considered one of their two house losses this yr. The second half then ideas off with a street journey by way of Minnesota, Toronto, Dallas, and Indiana earlier than house cooking takes the Liberty right into a much-needed All-Star break.
There is no circumstances to elevating a banner however the brand new laundry will not point out its journey: metropolitan eyes will seemingly linger on Betnijah Laney-Hamilton after she was healthily held out of Tuesday’s recreation fully (a choice that DeMarco mentioned was totally coordinated with the veteran). The Liberty additionally almost fell sufferer to the aforementioned Younger onslaught that noticed her rating 25 second half factors alone. Such a exhibiting virtually replicated the efficiency that the absent A’ja Wilson had for a shorthanded Aces crew within the clincher of the 2023 Finals in opposition to the identical New Yorkers.
Even with that, New York stands as the primary franchise to win two in-season titles, for no matter that is price. However, just like the goal of Hammon’s notorious evaluation proved earlier than them, sipping from the Cup may nicely grow to be a postseason predecessor and predictor. The seafoam savants consider that need to duplicate the feat.
„I simply suppose we all know that we all know that we will win, we all know that we may beat any crew on this league,“ Jones, she of 9 factors and boards every within the win, mentioned. „I believe it is nearly determining find out how to do it, determining find out how to keep constant, trusting one another, and persevering with to construct.“
„We dropped some video games that we did not need to actually drop. Clearly, we misplaced extra video games on a street journey … Nobody felt like we have been going to return right here and lose this recreation, however I believe now we now have to refocus ourselves and perceive that we now have a extremely robust crew in Minnesota that is coming in right here and so they need to get a win too, so we need to construct off of this. We do not need to take one other step backwards, and I believe that is the following step for us.“
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
