The FIBA Women’s World Cup break gave the Liberty little time to catch their breath.
With more players competing in the tournament than any other WNBA team, the Liberty could have plenty of reasons for a sluggish return later this week.
Sabrina Ionescu isn’t interested in hearing them.
Right now, two games separate fourth and eighth place in the WNBA standings.
The Liberty (24-16) are currently in a three-way tie for sixth place.
When their season officially resumes Friday in Minnesota, New York will have only four games left to battle for playoff position.
After facing the Lynx, the Liberty travel to Toronto for a matchup with the Tempo before hosting the final two games, both against the Atlanta Dream.
That means there’s no time for excuses or to ease back into the season.
The focus, instead, has to be less on what the team has gone through and more on continuing the climb they had started.
“We have to continue to ascend,” Ionescu said after Wednesday’s practice. “We have to understand we can’t use these next four games as an opportunity for excuses.”
The Liberty felt like they were finally hitting their stride last month. They won seven of their past 10 games. Then, the WNBA season was put on ice.
The team dispersed. Half went on brief vacations, and the other seven went to suit up for their respective national teams at the World Cup.
The Liberty had five players in the championship and third-place games this past Sunday.
Sure, some players might be tired after giving their all in Berlin. Jet lag is real.
But coach Chris DeMarco thinks there’s benefit to having so many players compete on one of the biggest international stages.
“Every team is going through something similar right now,” he said. “The fact that they were all playing in those championship games, the third-place game.
“But if you look at it in terms of them playing high-pressure games and playing in form over there, [it] could be a good thing for us. And I think we got a lot better in this gym, as well with the others who are here with us.”
Ionescu doesn’t want the Liberty to wait to flip the switch come playoff time because the teams most ready from the jump will win the seeding battle.
“Four games is going to go by really quick, and we have to keep building and chipping away to be the team that we want to be come playoff time,” Ionescu said. “And so for us, it’s just kind of like winning the road trip and being the best we can, and then obviously protecting home court when we get back, and then a new season starts in a week and a half or whenever that is.”
The last time the WNBA went on a midseason hiatus was for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympic Games.
But that monthlong break happened in late July and early August. There was still a month left in the season when action resumed.
The Liberty closed out the season winning 11 of their final 15 games before plowing through the playoffs to capture the franchise’s first WNBA Finals title.
The runway won’t be as long this time around.
“It’s completely different,” Ionescu said. “With it being such a short amount of time, it’s just difficult. Players can come back and be out of rhythm.
“Players can come back and be tired, fatigued. They could be in a different rhythm because they play a different role with their [national] team, and so there’s so many variables.”
