Dream vs. Liberty, 9/23/26
The Liberty finished the regular season at home on Wednesday September 23rd, losing to a dominant Atlanta Dream team on Fan Appreciation Night.
At the door, we received replica courts. They’re tan bricks with plastic stands. Cool. We’re still deciding where ours belongs. We missed the foam torch giveaway – later, during the game, it was only more regrettable when a fan appeared on the overhead video board biting a chunk out of his. Teeth bared in earnest, no visible regret. The camera stayed on him a beat too long so we could imagine that dry foam against our own teeth.
We wanted the torches even more.
Breanna Stewart was out with left knee soreness, so the starting five had a different dynamic. We turned over the ball repeatedly in the first half, Where was the “Give it to Han” guy from my last post today? Nowhere, ironically enough, and there were the times when Han Xu got the ball with too little time left.
5.6 seconds from the end of the second quarter, Sabrina Ionescu was charged with a flagrant foul that sent Angel Reese to the locker room in the second half. A kid in the section in front fell asleep in the beginning of the quarter but was then startled awake to all of Barclays booing Reese as she made her two free throws. Poor kid.
There was hope and tension, fouls and frustrations, jump balls galore.
Maddie and Jason Negron of the MSG Liberty days were there with the classic court design. Jumping on the letters leaves us remembering old rituals, feeling mildly infantilized (and then feeling a little awkward). However, nostalgia is cute. It gave us perspective into how far we’ve come.
Ellie as Mar-Ellie Carey – was that really what DJ Ria said? – epitomized the Diva, from her emotive trunk to her sparkly high-heeled chunkers. Wardrobe malfunctions aside, the halftime show was spectacular.
The Timeless Torches were also impeccable, performing one of their best routines of the season (I’m partial to dance solos and breakdancing seniors) and they continue to be a reason to show up even if you don’t like basketball.
For those of us who do like basketball, much of the game was frustrating to watch.
In the third quarter, Jonquel Jones left with an injury after stepping on a courtside fan’s foot. Playoffs are coming. Courtside, keep clear of the Liberty’s ankles, please.
The game went something like this: Let’s Go Liberty! Awww, that’s ok. We’re already in the playoffs. There are players who could use the minutes. Let’s go Liberty! Wow, but can we have a decent possession here?! Let’s go Lib-er-ty! How’s Han supposed to get that in with that much time on the shot clock?! Let’s go Li—Oh, damn, another steal. It’s getting late.
To the Liberty’s credit, the reserves kept competing and the Liberty reduced the deficit in the fourth. We stayed invested until the end, even if Atlanta ultimately finished the job.
By then, an exuberant Liberty fan was shouting for more Allisha Gray threes. Their bets on an app kept paying off and I appreciated the decisiveness. They found something to root for. The rest of us were still trying to feel better.
During the last timeout of the fourth quarter, a little girl, gravely serious, told the camera “excuse me, excuse me, excuse me,” and she pointed offscreen:“It’s her birthday.” Whose birthday? We’ll never know. All we know is that little girl tried to get her friend on the jumbotron for her birthday and it didn’t end up happening. We are confident in our hearts that Ellie made up for the oversight, similar to how Ellie made up for the loss.
The regular season is over. Next come the Lynx. We could reasonably ruminate over injuries and turnovers, shamefully rest on Liberty’s last victory over the Lynx, and then guiltily scrub that confidence away with the consecutive losses to the Dream. We could, but we won’t.
I’m optimistic. More great basketball to come.
I’ll keep my nightmare puns to myself for now.
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