Four first-round Game 1s. Four wins for the higher-seeded teams.
The 2024 WNBA playoffs began with a sweep for the higher-seeded squads:
No. 1-seed New York Liberty 83, No. 8-seed Atlanta Dream 69
No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun 93, No. 6-seed Indiana Fever 69
No. 2-seed Minnesota Lynx 102, No. 7-seed Phoenix Mercury 95
No. 4-seed Las Vegas Aces 78, No. 5-seed Seattle Storm 67
Here’s how the Liberty, Sun, Lynx and Aces got the jobs done:
Liberty, Leo lap Dream
Head coach Sandy Brondello showed she was not messing around on Sunday afternoon, making a surprise change to the starting lineup. To the bench went Courtney Vandersloot, the championship-winning point guard who has lost a step or two over the past season, and into the first five was Leonie Fiebich, the Sixth Player of the Year candidate who offers more size on defense and a greater willingness to shoot on offense.
Fiebich made Brondello look quite prescient. The 6-foot-4 first-year wing from Germany turned in a historic playoff debut. After making her first five shots, Fiebich was on her way to a career-high 21-point afternoon, going 7-for-8 from the field and 4-for-4 from 3. She also added two steals.
The urgent mindset Brondello communicated with the starting lineup shift was reflected throughout the roster. The No. 1-seed Liberty did not waste any time establishing a lead that the No. 8-seed Dream would not come close to overcoming. Leading by 18 points at the half, New York would stretch their advantage to as many as 22 points. By the fourth quarter, Dream head coach Tanisha Wright had thrown in the towel, with only reserves playing the game’s final 10 minutes. The Liberty cruised to the 83-69 Game 1 win.
Despite coming off the bench, Vandersloot also had a historic afternoon, with three assists allowing her to surpass Sue Bird, who was sitting courtside a Barclays Center, for the most assists in WNBA playoff history.
Breanna Stewart had a double-double of 20 points and 11 boards for New York, while Sabrina Ionescu netted a trio of triples, finishing with 17 points and five assists. Rhyne Howard led Atlanta with 14 points, albeit on 14 field goal attempts. She also had six boards, four assists and three steals. Former Liberty star Tina Charles added 12 points and seven rebounds for the Dream.
A lot must change for Atlanta to challenge, much less defeat, New York in Game 2, which will be held Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET in Brooklyn (ESPN). Otherwise, the top-seeded Liberty…
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