The New York Liberty have ripped off seven wins in their last eight games, including an absolute four-game tear, since July 20. They’ve finally dug themselves out, sitting seven games over .500 and climbing into seventh place in the WNBA standings. They’ve even got a shot to jump higher fast, especially if they snag a win against the fourth-place Indiana Fever, a team sitting at 20-12, this Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN. But hold up, Emerald City, because beneath that shiny record, the actual numbers are telling a story that might make you pump the brakes on calling them a championship contender.
A Win Streak That Needs an Asterisk
Yeah, the Liberty are winning, and winning feels good. Nobody’s arguing that. But when you dig into *who* they’re beating during this hot streak, things get a little squishy. Their only win against a playoff team in this eight-game run? That was against the Dallas Wings. And get this: their Sunday afternoon “victory” over the Las Vegas Aces straight up doesn’t even count. Why? Because the Aces were without A’ja Wilson, Chelsea Gray, *and* Jackie Young. Come on, that’s like playing the Seahawks without Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, or Cooper Kupp. Plus, their schedule has been pretty favorable overall. For a run like this, their metrics *should* be screaming elite, but they just aren’t.
The Stats Are Yelling a Different Story
Let’s talk numbers, because this is where it gets real. If you strip out that 40-point demolition of the depleted Aces, which totally skews everything, the Liberty’s net rating since July 20 is just 3.6. That’s good enough for only the sixth-best mark in the entire league over that span. Their offense, sure, it’s cooking with a 118.4 offensive rating, making them the fourth-best scoring squad since July 20. But their defense? Yikes. A 114.8 defensive rating ranks them a dismal 12th. Compare that to their season-long stats: a 112.1 offensive rating (still fourth) and a 107.4 defensive rating (10th). See what I’m saying? Their record is better, sure, but the underlying stats are screaming that this team isn’t qualitatively better. They’re still way too reliant on individual offensive explosions from their stars to drag them to wins.
All That Offense, But Where’s the Glue?
The Liberty definitely have offensive firepower, no doubt. We’ve seen Marine Johannès drop a career-high 27 points from the bench with seven 3s on Sunday. Han Xu is swishing pull-up jumpers, Sabrina Ionescu comes through in the clutch, Breanna Stewart works the line, and Jonquel Jones occasionally remembers she’s the “Bahamian Beast.” And hey, Leonie Fiebich is coming back from a foot injury to add another shooter, and if Satou Sabally can return from a long-term concussion, that’s another dangerous offensive weapon. But here’s the rub: all that talent feels *fragile*. There’s a real lack of cohesion and those defensive questions just won’t go away.
The Liberty might be winning, but they need to show some real team defense and consistent quality if they want to be taken seriously as a playoff threat. They’ve got the Indiana Fever on Tuesday, a tough road test that will tell us if this streak has real substance. Meanwhile, in our corner of the world, our Seattle Storm just handled business, taking down the Chicago Sky 97-88! That’s the kind of win we love to see.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Swish Appeal.
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