From the very start of this series, it was abundantly clear that the New York Liberty’s advantage was their size.
Going up against the league’s best defense in the Minnesota Lynx, it felt like nobody on the Liberty could make a shot for most of this series. However, Jonquel Jones was able to provide New York with key baskets when the flow of their offense was disturbed.
Perhaps no moment best defines this statement more that New York’s first points of Game 5. After going almost four minutes without scoring, it felt like New York was tense and feeling the pressure, so having a safety valve like Jones to throw the ball into and generate efficient post offense was the secret to ultimately staying poised and weathering the storm.
The importance of JJ’s offensive rebounding
One of the most critical aspects of Jones’ game was her impact on the rebounding differential. Minnesota entered the series with a reputation for defensive versatility, yet vulnerable to size and physicality. New York would finish the series with more than twice as many offensive rebounds as Minnesota, which, in a series this closely contested, was the difference between winning and losing multiple games. Jones consistently tipped the scales in New York’s favor on the boards.
With neither team…
