The New York Liberty fell apart in the second half of Game 1 of the 2023 WNBA Finals, en route to a 17-point defeat at the hands of the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Now, the Liberty are essentially facing a must-win Game 2 if they want to claim their first title in franchise history; their chances of coming back from 0-2 down against the defending champs are slim to none.
Ahead of Wednesday night’s showdown, here’s a look at areas of improvement for the Liberty heading into Game 2, as they try to avoid losing back-to-back games for the first time all season.
1. Make open shots
As has been discussed ad nauseam, the 2023 Liberty were the best 3-point shooting team the WNBA has ever seen. They led the league in attempts per game (29.7) and percentage (37.4), and set all-time records for attempts and makes per game (11.1), as well as total attempts (1,187) and total makes (444).
In the playoffs, however, they have not been able to find their range. As expected, they’ve taken far more 3s than anyone else, but are shooting just 33.2%, which has them fifth among all playoff teams and would have ranked 10th in the regular season. Game 1 against the Aces was a perfect example of their struggles.
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