Rivalry Week Ensues as The Lynx Take Care of Business in New York While The Liberty Look For Answers
- Erin Ivey
- Aug 13
- 5 min read
Some Rivalry Week Matchups Need No Juice at All
Rivalry Week in the WNBA started on August 9th and will go through the 17th. Some fans were a left scratching their head as to how some of the teams were pitted as rivals. But other contests such as the Minnesota Lynx versus the New York Liberty needed no extra push. They've just played only their second match this season and ever since the 2024 WNBA finals, the spice meter is hotter than Cheryl Reeve's emails. Not to mention, the Lynx just picked up undrafted champion, Jaylyn Sherrod, after being reluctantly waived by the Liberty. The Lynx pounced like a bitter friend that goes after the ex you thought you could do without.
They are set to play all four games in their series within approximately a month. The Lynx, winners of the first two, increased their lead to 6.5 games as the first seed with a win over the Liberty on Sunday afternoon.
Kayla McBride and Dijonai Carrington Power the Lynx to Victory
When Napheesa Collier went down with a severe ankle injury, Lynx nation held their breath. She's driving a solid MVP campaign and most recently named the Western Conference Player of the Month. As Courtney Williams said, "She's a big part of what we do here. We're gonna need a little bit more from everyone". And that is precisely what the Lynx have done. Everyone has stepped up. Even newcomer, Dijonai Carrington, has stepped in made an immediate impact. Against the Liberty she was relentless on defense and added 15 points and 6 crucial rebounds off the bench. Kayla McBride had 18 points with four 3-pointers. Courtney Williams had 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 assists despite getting into foul trouble.
A Tale of Two Halves
The Liberty played a very solid first half. Natasha Cloud was everywhere. She locked down on defense and distributed the ball swiftly, ending with 12 points and six assists. Emma Meesseman notched 13 points and looked to have settled in comfortably despite not having practiced with the team yet. Isabelle Harrison was a force in the paint on both sides. The Liberty took a two point lead into half-time but came back out a different team. Though they stretched the lead to five points in the third quarter, the Lynx went on a 24-7 run never to look back. The Liberty kept forcing passes causing multiple turnovers. The two man game evaporated. Sabrina Ionescu, kept under 10 points, was having an off shooting night. Meesseman was smothered by the defense. The teams were even in rebounds overall. But the Libs also didn't know what to do with Natisha Hiedeman who contributed to the Minnesota bench scoring 34 points to New York's 19.
The Liberty this year have pulled off some incredible comebacks after large deficits. The difference is they never got rattled or lost cohesion. On Sunday they panicked and it showed. Also not for nothing- There was no Ellie wave in the 4th quarter and the energy in all of Barclay's was off. There seemed to be a time issue with putting a spotlight on Spike Lee and his new trailer for "Highest 2 Lowest". We ALL love Spike Lee and can't wait for his new film...but you always leave time for the wave...for morale's sake!
The Lynx have six days of no games before facing the Liberty again this coming Saturday. The schedule is perplexing at the very least. But every team has a bone to pick. Both teams are without their stars with no finite word on Phee's return. Breanna Stewart is slated to return at the end of August. Each team must do as Courtney Williams said. Everyone has to do a little more.
Short-Handed, Full-Hearted
New York packed it up, heading out west starting with a game Tuesday at the Sparks who played their fifth game in eight days. Coming off of a big loss at home and not having had successful road trips this season, the Liberty are under a lot of pressure. It was revealed that Isabelle Harrison entered concussion protocol and is not traveling with the team. The Libs are down yet another player.
This game was circled on the calendar for the Liberty after losing to the Sparks at home via a buzzer beater by Rickea Jackson on July 26th. A day too early, Kennedy Burke dressed for the matchup for emergencies only. But they ran with "eight". It was an offensive shootout. The Liberty scored a season high 105 but conceded 97. Emma Meesseman, Jonquel Jones, and Leonie Fiebich all scored over 20. JJ had a double-double, which the Liberty are 30-0 when that happens. The Sparks had a great night on offense as well with Kelsey Plum adding 26 and Dearica Hamby having a stout stat line with 21 points, eight rebounds, and four steals. Interestingly, Cameron Brink didn't play in the second half, so we'll have to keep an eye on that. But the short handed Liberty got the job done, stalling the Sparks' surge up the ranks for now. Thanks to the Liberty, the Sparks are now 13-1 when scoring 89+ points. The Lynx clinched the leagues first playoff berth on an off day thanks to an Indiana Fever loss.
The Post Season Push Heats Up
The Liberty had two back to back 32-8 seasons and so far have already lost 11. There are fewer games between the Liberty and the eighth seed than the Liberty and the Lynx. While the Libs hold a half game lead over Atlanta, the Dream are absolutely on fire right now along with other teams like the Aces, who the Liberty will face tonight. Home court advantages are paramount in the post season. So if the Liberty are to make a deep run, they have a crucial stretch of games coming up.
Beating the Aces tonight will be no easy task after taking down the Sparks short-handedly. They will need Sabrina to get closer to her MVP numbers. They can't get in another high scoring affair, especially if A'ja Wilson and Jackie Young are scoring 50% of the Ace's points. New York has won five straight against the Aces, but over that span a lot has changed. The X-factor for each team will be some of those newer faces: Jewell Loyd and Emma Meesseman. And please, New York, don't take a page out of Connecticut's book and allow another record to be set.
"We Have Everything We Need in This Locker Room" - Natasha Cloud
Tash says she's tired of hearing about the drama from last year's finals. This is a new team with its own unique challenges. The story is still being written. However, with the injuries still piling up . I bet that Liberty personnel will be out recruiting in the streets again because the bench is not even as deep as a practice squad right now. But if Tash is all in, count us in as well. Will New York be able to fend off the teams on their heels? Will the Liberty Biberty this week, or will they encounter trouble along the way and need to call LiMu Emu and Doug?
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