WNBA FINALS: MINNESOTA VS. NEW YORK

October 16, 2024

Sandy Brondello

Breanna Stewart

Sabrina Ionescu

New York Liberty

Game 1: Postgame

New York Liberty 80, Minnesota Lynx 77

Q. Were you upset not being named First Team All WNBA? Because you sure played in the last minute like you were trying to prove a point.

SABRINA IONESCU: That was just a great All WNBA Second-Team performance (laughter). That's it.

Q. Sab, walk us through that last play of the shot you hit with a second left, what you were thinking. And Stewie, you guys were down ten, I think you scored 13 straight or some crazy number to get you guys back in it. Just what it means to have been sort of -- the script flipped with you guys being down and rallying for the win.

SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah, I mean, I didn't even really remember it. I had to go look at the video really quickly to see like how far I was.

But I mean, you know, in the time-out, Sandy kind of was just like, you're going to shoot this shot. You know, I feel like I was able to get a little separation in range and get a really good shot to go. Obviously wanting to let the shot clock wind down. And got the space that I needed to get my feet under me and felt comfortable taking that shot.

Sometimes it goes in and sometimes it doesn't. I've practiced that shot a thousand times in my head, on the court, and I feel like that's just something that as athletes, you put yourself in that position to want to be able to make a shot.

And obviously like we don't win this game without Stewie. What she was able to do, just continued to chip away. Obviously she'll speak, but I mean, yeah, there's nothing I could say. Like that shot's nice but that doesn't go against what she's been able to do for us tonight and how she was able to just will us back into that game.

BREANNA STEWART: Well, what was the question?

Q. Just how you -- flipping the script.

BREANNA STEWART: I think that we were all kind of just waiting for our moment. You know, waiting for the script to flip a little bit. You know, they talked about it. They talked about first five minutes, going to come out punching. They punched us in the face in the first quarter and we continued to wear them down.

We knew that our pace was something that made them tired and for me, it was just kind of like I was motivated. I was mad. And I liked my matchups that I had, and really kind of attacking them to make sure that we could get this back into where we needed to be for it to be a ballgame.

Q. For Stewie, last game it was all the steals, this time it was rim protection. What were you seeing defensively and how were you able to make that impact?

BREANNA STEWART: Just continuing to kind of be in help side and know that we did some different schemes. We sometimes were sending two to the ball and then leaving somebody open and making sure that, you know, between JJ and I, like we are going to protect the rim at all costs and make sure that nothing is easy, because this is the Finals and everything is going to be tough and we're going to make everybody work for it.

Q. Looked like the broadcast caught you saying to the bench, we are not going to lose this expletive game.

BREANNA STEWART: That's why I can't be miked up.

Q. How did you embody that?

BREANNA STEWART: I'm not sure exactly what the situation was. Might have been when it was 71-69, because I feel like we were at that score for a long time. But just I could feel it. You know, you could feel the momentum was shifting to our side.

They were up and their shots weren't falling. We were getting good looks, and it's like, if we are going to be this close, we are not leaving here without this win. It's tough to play in this arena, but the way that we continued to stay together is something that I'm not shocked at but I am really proud of.

Q. You said you were mad earlier in one of your answers?

BREANNA STEWART: Yeah.

Q. What were you mad about?

BREANNA STEWART: I was mad we were losing.

Q. You kind of answered the question a little bit but coming into this building was going to be important and had a similar feel to Game 1. Now that the shoe is sort of on the other foot, how do you take this momentum into Game 4, knowing that clinching is what lies ahead?

BREANNA STEWART: We know we're one game away from winning the championship, and I think that they are going to give us their best shot. They are going to give everything they have got, and you know what, so are we. The turnaround is quick but we are going to continue to be ready. There's a lot of things that we didn't do right tonight and have a kind of quick memory. I think that we're happy we got this win but we're -- the job's not done.

Q. Sabrina, you had talked last game about Kelly Graves being here tonight, and it looked like you came in with your phone. He had Tweeted from his seat, "Was there ever a doubt?" with a video of your shot. Have you talked to anyone about the big shot?

SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah, I just went up and gave him a big shot. Him and Jodie (Berry), our assistant coach came down and he kind of told me the same thing, like there was never a doubt.

Obviously him, Sandy, all the coaches that I've had, just their continued belief and pouring into me means the world to me whether I make or miss that shot. Like the fact that they kind of trusted me to go out there and make big shots, that's why I love playing for this team and continue to pour my all.

Q. What is it like for you as a coach when you see a player like Sabrina have that moment, knowing all she's been through throughout this season and her career?

SANDY BRONDELLO: It's pretty special. It was never in doubt. Obviously Stewie got us back in there, willed us in there, but I thought the right time, this is Sabrina. She just made a big shot. She's a great shooter and she just needed a little bit of separation.

What I love about her is that she backs herself. Not everyone can take those big shots and make them. She can. So I trust her. She came true. We wanted her to take the last shot and happy that we didn't have to go to overtime.

Really proud of Sabrina and Stewie but just how we stayed resilient. We stayed the course. That shows a lot of growth with this team and the chemistry that we've built over these last two years.

Q. Sabrina, does this feel like the biggest shot you have made yet in your career? And you said you've practiced this so many times. When you practice, do you ever think, this is for the game?

SABRINA IONESCU: Definitely the biggest shot of my career, and yeah, I mean, I would say like I visualize a lot when I'm practicing in the off-season, the night before a game, the day of a game. Like I'm always visualizing different scenarios, and putting myself in tough situations. Like obviously I didn't play my best tonight, but finding a way to continue to stick with it, and I feel like that's been a big growth for me, whether the ball is going in or not.

Yeah, definitely the biggest shot of my career and hopefully not the last.

Q. Stewie, I know you said earlier that you play better in front of a crowd that wasn't cheering for you. So that worked out.

BREANNA STEWART: It did. Pretty nice.

Q. My question is, this feels a little bit like Game 1, just the opposite, right. They dominated most of the first half. Does it feel that way for you, like this was your redemption? Or is this a totally different situation?

BREANNA STEWART: Not for us. I think that, you know, this feels like we're playing on their home court, and I feel like each game is so different. You know, you go from 1 to 2 to 3. But the way that we continue to fight and be resilient. I don't want to speak for you guys. Doesn't feel like Game 1 to me. Feels like Game 3.

SANDY BRONDELLO: It is Game 3, isn't it?

BREANNA STEWART: At this point, I don't know.

Q. Stewie, I'm just curious when the confidence sunk in for you that you and your team were going to win this.

BREANNA STEWART: I think -- well, I think the way that we fought back in the second, knowing that our offense didn't really click yet but we were able to limit them defensively. But then in the third, when we had a strong push, a strong punch. You guys know the first two games, our third quarters have been a struggle to score offensively.

We were getting downhill. We were attacking and we were being confident. If a mistake happened, like a turnover or a missed shot or like something just doesn't go our way, we didn't panic. We continued to play and continued to fight through it because we know how big this moment is. We have the experience of the good, bad, ugly, and different.

Q. It seems like in both Sab and Stewie's cases there was a decision made to go win this game, whether it was Stewie's run or Sab at end. Did you have a moment where you saw each of them make that decision and what it's like as a coach to be able to see that happen?

SANDY BRONDELLO: Yeah, we didn't come out how we wanted to start the game. We knew they'd threw the first punch. I thought we weren't playing how we wanted to play physically, mentally with the pace and everything. But credit to them. They were taking us out of stuff that we wanted to do and they were making big shots.

I trust this team. I feel like we've grown so much. We've handled adversity even from Game 1, you know what I mean? It's like, okay, this is a totally different game here and we just had to chip away.

But I think in the second half, Stewie just went on a run there. I think we were playing at the right pace. I think our defense was really high level. We were competing. We had heart. It's not about your schemes and all that in these moments. It's about how hard you wanted to compete and we did. Five players were on the same page and every player that stepped on did their job. And just in the time-outs, we were very calm, but it's more like we're not going to lose this game.

I did. I felt confident. Even with that last shot I felt confident, okay, because we worked hard and we found a way to win.

Q. You go on an 11-point run for the team late into until the third into the fourth, and then Sabrina hits those two shots. There's been talk all season long about the big three, but how did today's game in particular just emphasize what that means and what does that mean to you?

BREANNA STEWART: Yeah, I think that what the big three means is between Sab, JJ and myself, we know when it's our time to step up and to make an impact. And over the course of the game, it's like sometimes things are hard. Sometimes things are frustrating. I pick up two fouls in the first quarter. But knowing that our team trusts and believes in us to be in this position to take these shots, to help get the game in the right place, but at the same time we wouldn't be here without our teammates, and having that trust and belief just gives us confidence.

I don't know. Like, you guys talk about the run, Sab's shot. There was so many players that came in that were like such an important piece of what we were able to do tonight just because they made Minny tired and that's what makes this team really special. It's a collective win even though some of us are shining a little bit brighter.

Q. First of all, your fit is great tonight. I can't believe no one has complimented you on it yet.

SANDY BRONDELLO: Thank you.

Q. Sabrina, before you hit those two threes, you drove the lane and dished to JJ on that, got her a really good look. How much does that help you get in rhythm to then like hit a big shot, just knowing that you made a big play?

SABRINA IONESCU: Yeah, I think it's important to just read the game, and being able to get downhill and find JJ on a really important basket that, helped us late in the game. Because you're just not really one-dimensional. The defense doesn't know what you're going to do: Are you going to shoot it; are you going to pass it? Are you going to be a screener, a decoy? There's just so many opportunities that when you have the gravity we have to be able to make it tough on the defense.

JJ was huge for us. The way that she protected the rim, hit a huge three, hit that layup, like just continue to go chip away, and it was a total team effort. Like Stewie said, we're not here without every single person on this team.

Q. You mentioned at the beginning that you initially didn't remember hitting the shot, you kind of blacked out, I guess. When did you watch it back for the first time? Where were you, were you on the court? Back in the locker room? What was your initial reaction the very first time you watched the video?

SABRINA IONESCU: Just in the locker room waiting on Stewie. I would say I really didn't realize how far out I was.

Yeah, like I kind of, you know, wasn't sure if I was dribbling with my right or left hand and then I was like, oh, yeah, I did hit that step-back.

But I just didn't really realize how far I was, but like I said, it's a shot that I take often and I take in practice and that I take before the game. It's not like a Hail Mary, hope this goes in. It's like, once I got it off, I was like, yeah, this is in.

Q. Sandy, in the first half, Minnesota built that lead. You went to Nyara Sabally, and she provided you guys with some great minutes. Wondering what you saw that led you to put her in there for an extended period of time and just what you make of her performance.

SANDY BRONDELLO: Yeah, I was really, really happy with Nyara. It was the plan to give her a few more extra minutes tonight. Stewie came in a little sooner because Stewie got two fouls early.

She played so hard. She was winded by the end of those seven minutes. We played her seven minutes in a row but she was so effective. Just the ability, they were being so aggressive, and what Nyara brings is she's always on her front foot getting downhill. She's always going to run the floor, just a hundred miles an hour, which is what we needed.

So it's been great to see her growth, and yeah, it was never in doubt there. But obviously I went to Slooty early, too, and I thought that changed the pace of the game. We struggled a little bit. Not often do I sit both of these at the same time, very rarely. But I felt like we needed to at that moment, and I think they gave us really good energy.

We got it back to ten after that first quarter, and I think that was the thing. We've got to keep grinding, keep grinding, and as the game went on, we got back to playing Liberty Basketball.