The New York Liberty are staring down elimination tonight, sitting on the brink of being swept out of the WNBA semifinals by the Atlanta Dream, and star Breanna Stewart just laid out her feelings on what went down in Game 2 with a quote that is going to stick with people. Stewart, whose account of that controversial game was directly contradicted by the referees, didn’t hold back, saying, “putting me in a position to question my integrity is really disappointing. And I know who I am and what I stand for, and what I heard, and that’s that. And I’m gonna continue to move on.” Talk about high stakes, not just for the game, but for player trust in the whole league.
Controversy Lingers as Liberty Face the Broom
This isn’t just about New York being down 2-0. No WNBA team has ever come back from that kind of postseason deficit, so the Liberty are trying to make history while fighting for their season. But the noise around that Game 2 loss, a 101-98 overtime heartbreaker in Atlanta on Wednesday, is deafening. The “reset timeout controversy” has been the talk of the league, and Stewart made it clear at shootaround on Friday that the bad blood hasn’t gone anywhere. She doubled down on her stance from Barclays Center, where Game 3 tips off, emphasizing the need for trust between players and officials. “What I will say is, you want to have respect between players and refs, and players and the league, and all of these things,” Stewart stated. “In order to have respect, you need to build trust. And building trust comes with being honest. You know what I mean? And putting me in a position to question my integrity is really disappointing. And I know who I am and what I stand for, and what I heard, and that’s that. And I’m gonna continue to move on.” That’s the kind of raw honesty you rarely hear, and it sets the stage for a seriously intense elimination game.
Dream Look to Close It Out Without Allisha Gray
Meanwhile, the Atlanta Dream have been absolutely dominant in this semifinal series, even while battling injuries. Allisha Gray, a key piece for the Dream, has been sidelined with a hand injury, missing part of Game 1 and all of Game 2. And guess what? She’s out for Game 3 too. Even though Gray was seen on the court before the game, testing her hand and taking shots, she will not play tonight. So, the big question for Atlanta: Can Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese continue her dominant run and just shut this thing down? The Dream have handled business without Gray so far, but New York is going to come out swinging with their season on the line and that extra fire from Stewart’s comments.
Tonight is everything. Game 3 goes down Friday, October 9, at 7:30 p.m. ET from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, broadcast live on ESPN2. Can New York become the first team to escape a 2-0 hole and find some truth on the court, or will Atlanta complete the sweep and send the Liberty home? You do not want to miss this one.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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