Liberty escapes Fever scare, but are they built to repeat?

Jonquel Jones takes a shot of Aliyah Boston in the New York Liberty's 90-88 win over the Indian Fever. Photo courtesy of the Liberty.

The Liberty walked away with the win against the Fever, but it was far from a championship performance. 

The reigning champions only scored 13 points to the Fever's 30 in the third quarter – putting them in a hole they had to crawl. 

While the game wasn't pretty, the intensity and caliber of the team felt like a playoff matchup. Based on the Liberty's first couple of games, the question is -- do they look like they can win a championship again? That depends on who you ask.

Head Coach Sandy Brondello made it clear that this isn't a championship team – yet. She called out why they struggled against the Fever and addressed the team's three-point shooting. 

Those shots were dropping initially, but that wasn't the case as the game continued. The Liberty shot 25.9% from the three, and the Fever shot 30.4%. 

"We were kind of taking them one-on-one; that’s not our success,” Bordello said. “I’m fine if it’s a great shot, but they weren’t good shots. It was a contested shot." 

The team struggled to stay true to themselves. Even finals MVP Jonquel Jones admitted that she had some mental struggles today. 

“I think it’s an area of growth for me from last year. I think sometimes I did get kinda out of the game,” center Jonquel Jones said. “I kind of felt myself slipping into that a little bit during halftime, and I kind of just talked myself out of it and understood that there’s no room for that.”

Jones said a lot of the Liberty’s success comes from having confidence in each other. “Trusting that we know we’re going to make the right plays for each other because that's what makes us successful as a team.”

Brondello shared the same sentiment and said staying true to themselves is why they secured the win. “We went away from our identity, but we came back to it,” Brondello said. 

But there is something different about the team. And that is Natasha Cloud. 

She will be the X-factor for the team this year. One of the most electrifying moments of the game came during the second quarter.  Standing at 5 '10, Cloud stripped 6' 4 DeWanna Bowner when she went up for a layup. From the intensity to the defensive and offensive production, she can do it all. Additionally, she made crucial stops at the end of the game. 

“I think everyone knows what she [Cloud] brings to this team and why she’s so valuable, offensively and defensively,” guard Sabrina Ionescu said. “She plays with a lot of heart, and we know what we’re going to get from her.” 

The message between the team is simple: play as a team. There's no room for selfishness; they should remind themselves of that now instead of later. 

“When we’re locked in, we’re just really really tough to beat,” Jones said.

The Liberty want to return to the top, rediscovering their identity and trusting it will be the key.