Culture
How New York Liberty’s length could be WNBA semifinals key: ‘It looks like an NBA roster’
NEW YORK — The final basket of Breanna Stewart’s 34-point clinic on Sunday to open the WNBA semifinals was never going to be blocked. Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson tried — elevating as high as she could as the seconds ticked down on both the shot and game clock — but the New York Liberty star skied over Wilson’s outstretched arms.
With just over a minute remaining in New York’s eventual 87-77 victory, Stewart elevated for a runner. A step in front of the free-throw line, she leaped, flicked the basketball with her right hand and watched it carom off the backboard and drop into the hoop.
Stewart ran back down the floor emphatically nodding her head after her basket served as a delightful dagger enjoyed by the sellout Barclays Center crowd of more than 14,000 fans.
New York puts the dagger in Game 1 😤
Stewie floater.
Jonquel MONSTER block.#WNBAPlayoffs presented by @Google pic.twitter.com/TuFCI6x75T— WNBA (@WNBA) September 29, 2024
What happened next wasn’t surprising either. Stewart deflected a layup by Aces guard Kelsey Plum.
Stewart’s arms were everywhere on Sunday — during that late-game sequence, on numerous New York offensive possessions in which she knocked down nearly unguardable mid-range jumpers, on defensive switches and when her arms got into passing lanes. “Sometimes the ball might be out of reach, but (I’m) still able to make a play,” Stewart said.
Plum might have scored 24 points to lead Las Vegas, but she was only focused on the loss. “That’s the only thing that I really see,” she said.
Sunday’s result was largely because of another L-word: Length.
That New York’s length was impactful wasn’t exactly a surprise. Heading into the series, both teams recognized the other as familiar foes. New York swept its three regular-season meetings against Las Vegas, and, of course, there was history between them last year. The Liberty won the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup over the Aces, and later, more importantly, the Aces defeated the Liberty for the 2023 WNBA championship.
Las Vegas knows what to expect against New York. Nevertheless, before Saturday’s practice, Aces coach Becky Hammon reminded players who they were going up against.
“It looks like an NBA roster,” she said of New York’s length. “It really puts into perspective how big they are and how mobile they are.”
She put the wingspan of each of New York’s starters on a board. Liberty wing Betnijah Laney-Hamilton’s wingspan of 6-foot-3 and 3/4 inches is nearly four inches longer than her 6-foot height. Rookie wing Leonie Fiebich stands 6-4 with a wingspan to match. Center Jonquel Jones, who is 6-6, has a nearly 6-10 wingspan.
Then there is Stewart, the two-time WNBA MVP.
She issued a correction to the Liberty’s media guide, which lists her at 6-10 3/4. “I thought my wingspan was 7-1,” she said, extending her arms in a postgame interview. “We’re going to have to confirm with the New York Liberty to re-measure that.”
The size and mobility played immediate dividends for the Liberty. They constantly switched on defense and scrambled when necessary to close out on open Aces. New York disrupted Las Vegas’ pick-and-roll actions. And when the Aces tried to drive baseline? “It was not good things happening,” Hammon said, adding that New York cut off corner opportunities, too.
Stewart’s wingspan made a difference on offense as well. She scored 20 points in the first half and passed Lisa Leslie for the longest streak of double-digit performances (35) in WNBA postseason history. “She had too many mismatches,” Hammon said. “We were switching guards onto her and (Jones) in the first half, and we’re not supposed to do that. They destroyed us in there. Both the bigs.”
Jones finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds. And though Fiebich added only 6 points, she was plus-19 in 35 minutes, leading New York in plus/minus for the third consecutive playoff game. Fiebich is still new to the Liberty’s starting lineup. Before New York’s first-round series last week against the Atlanta Dream, Liberty coach Sandy Brondello started her and moved Courtney Vandersloot to the bench. Brondello said she wanted two playmakers on the floor at all times. But the move had other benefits: Because of Fiebich’s size, strength and length, New York can switch almost any screen defensively. (Sunday’s starters had a plus-85.2 defensive rating in the regular season.)
Fiebich opened the series against the Aces guarding Plum. Afterward, the 24-year-old German rookie wasn’t pleased with her performance. “I’m such a perfectionist on defense that I didn’t really feel like it was great defense,” Fiebich said.
Still, Fiebich repeatedly disrupted other Aces when scrambling around the floor. Most notably, Aces guard Chelsea Gray was hounded by Fiebich at the end of the third quarter and was unable to get a shot off.
Afterward, Vandersloot thought back to one of her earliest memories of Fiebich, seeing her switch onto a center in an early-season contest. “It’s not really a mismatch,” Vandersloot said she thought to herself. “What a luxury that is to have her be able to guard the smallest girl on the floor and then switch out onto somebody without having to get into rotations.”
Of course, the greatest luxury of all for New York is Stewart, who laughed afterward about how hard it is to find long sleeves that fit.
There is an old adage in basketball: You can’t teach height. At this point in the playoffs, you can’t teach length either. Instead, Hammon and her staff will be tasked with trying to counteract New York defenders’ arms. A possible solution?
“You gotta spread them out,” Hammon said. “You gotta get to space. You have to space, and the ball has to move. If the ball doesn’t move, and we grab it and we analyze, their length becomes an issue again because everybody recovers back to their own.”
In theory, Las Vegas knew what was coming on Sunday as well. Aces guard Jackie Young said she knew that New York’s length would affect shots and passing lanes. Gray said it forces players into higher release points on their shots. “That poses a challenge at both ends,” Gray said.
And it did. Gray scored only 4 points on 2-of-7 shooting.
Game 2 is Tuesday evening in New York. Hammon called it “do-or-die.” But at least for one afternoon, the two-time defending champion Aces couldn’t stop what they knew was coming.
New York fans inside Barclays Center waved their arms (and white towels) in delight as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Liberty arms were all over the imprint of Game 1. “They punched us in the nose,” Hammon said. “No doubt about it.”
(Photo of Breanna Stewart: Evan Yu / NBAE via Getty Images)
Culture
Brock Purdy touts his wheels, flashes deep ball as 49ers’ stabilizing force against Patriots
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Brock Purdy is no braggart.
But following Sunday’s 30-13 win over the New England Patriots, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback did state that his 10-yard split coming out of college was faster than Deebo Samuel’s and Christian McCaffrey’s.
“I think,” he stressed. “You guys will have to fact-check me. I think I have just enough (speed) to get out of the pocket and make a play and pick up five, seven yards here or there. I’m not Lamar Jackson by any means.”
A more accurate statement might be that his time was comparable to his teammates. Purdy’s 10-yard split of 1.55 seconds in 2022 was actually a few fractions of a second slower than Samuel’s (1.48) and McCaffrey’s (1.52) when they were entering the draft.
Still, everyone understands his point, especially his recent opponents.
For the second straight game, Purdy resorted to his legs when the passing game was sputtering. He gained 7 yards on the 49ers’ first third down of the opening possession. He picked up another 5 — and a first down — on the second on a drive that stretched 15 plays and ended with a Jake Moody 22-yard field goal. There were also a few nifty throws in which Purdy looked like Fran Tarkenton in ducking out of trouble, scrambling toward the sideline and completing improbable passes before getting hit. He finished 15 of 27 for 288 yards.
GO DEEPER
49ers sack Jacoby Brissett six times in 30-13 win over Patriots: Takeaways
It was far from a perfect game for Purdy. San Francisco had a chance to put the Patriots away for good early in the fourth quarter when Purdy’s pass, intended for Brandon Aiyuk in the end zone, instead was intercepted by safety Jabrill Peppers. Kyle Shanahan said afterward he thought Purdy should have thrown the pass earlier while Purdy said he initially didn’t see Peppers.
“It’s something that I’ve got to move on in my progressions and not be greedy,” he said. “I think I hitched to him two or three times, which just isn’t good as a quarterback. You go through your progressions based off of your hitches and you read with your feet and on that one I got greedy.”
After four games, the passing game isn’t as smooth and automatic as it was at the beginning of last season when the 49ers jumped out to a 5-0 start. For one, teams are focused on taking away Purdy’s bread-and-butter throws, including the intermediate and deep crossing routes to Aiyuk that were so reliable last season.
Last week, for example, the Los Angeles Rams sometimes dropped eight players into coverage and rushed only three, leading to one play on which Purdy held the ball for more than 12 seconds. Purdy noted that on another play they dropped nine and rushed just two.
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On Sunday, he said the Patriots’ safeties did a good job of anticipating the 49ers’ favorite routes and taking them away. But as the game went on, Purdy and the passing attack started taking advantage of those adjustments. When New England’s safeties kept stepping forward to clog up the middle, he started going deep. His three longest throws:
• A 53-yarder over the top to Deebo Samuel Sr. in the third quarter. Samuel, who lined up as a tailback to start the game, had three catches for 58 yards after missing last week’s outing with a calf injury.
Deebo’s got us movin’ 55yds down the field.
📺 #NEvsSF on FOX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/u3vZTNGkcJ— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 29, 2024
• A 45-yard strike to Jauan Jennings early in the fourth quarter. Jennings led the team in receiving yards for the second straight week, finishing with three catches for 88 yards.
JJ’s down there somewhere
📺 #NEvsSF on FOX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4oaLh pic.twitter.com/aqUyQBiGov— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 29, 2024
• A 38-yard pass to Aiyuk on Purdy’s first throw of the game. Aiyuk finished with modest receiving numbers — two catches for 48 yards — for the fourth straight game, but his second reception, a diving, fingertip grab on third down, was the sort of high-degree-of-difficulty snag he wasn’t making earlier in the season.
Even one of Purdy’s shorter throws, a 12-yard touchdown to George Kittle in the second quarter, traveled a long way through the air.
That’s our TE @gkittle46
📺 #NEvsSF on FOX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/2KnvF7QeFz— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 29, 2024
Kittle said the play called for him to run an out and up and that it’s supposed to be run from farther back, say around the 40-yard line. He thought that particular play was “a little aggressive” that close to the goal line.
“I wasn’t really confident in the play call,” he admitted afterward. “Because that was something we’d called originally from way farther out. And when we called it from the (12-yard line) I had to double-check with Brock to make sure we called the right play. And I was like, ‘All right, man, just throw it.’”
Purdy did and put the ball where only Kittle could catch it, and the 6-foot-4 tight end hauled in the pass among a trio of sub-6-foot Patriots defensive backs.
That touchdown put the 49ers ahead 20-0, and they led by at least two scores the rest of the way,
Still, it was a muddy victory against a Patriots team devoid of offensive talent and battered by injuries. The 49ers suffered a number of injuries of their own — including to defensive starters Fred Warner (ankle) and Jordan Elliott (knee) — and had another costly special teams bungle, a kick-return fumble in the third quarter by Isaac Guerendo that led to New England’s only touchdown.
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The 49ers also continued to struggle in the red zone. They had six trips inside the Patriots 25-yard line on Sunday but only two touchdowns, Kittle’s and a 4-yard run by Jordan Mason in the third quarter. Otherwise, they settled for three Moody field goals and threw one interception. Last season, they led the league in red zone efficiency, scoring touchdowns 67 percent of the time.
“We need to clean that up, especially when we’re playing very dominant teams that have really good offenses,” said Kittle, who seemed to acknowledge the Patriots were a decidedly forgiving opponent before catching himself. “Not to say the Patriots don’t, but our defense was playing very good against them.”
(Photo: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images)
“I don’t care if you have roots in the business, but I think being a detective is a risk and an unsuitable job for a woman,” said Doyle, as he picked the lock on the door. “Just say the word if you want to stay in the car.”
“I’d say that word is misogyny,” snapped Duncan as they entered the apartment. “My dad knew I had the right stuff — and usually the scruples — to be a P.I.” She glanced around the spotless home. “And I fortified myself this morning with a big bowl of Wheaties, the breakfast of champions.”
“Time and again I’ve seen awful things in these searches,” said Doyle, as he looked around. “But there’s no sign that something happened or evidence someone in the final days before self-harm.”
Duncan checked behind a curtain and saw an imprint on the shag rug where a suitcase had clearly been stored. On the desk sat an open book and a brochure for a Poconos resort. “Song of Solomon 2:16, a verse often used in weddings, is underlined in this Bible,” she announced. “Maybe this is just a love story with a secret elopement.”
“I don’t care if you have roots in the business, but I think being a detective is a risk and an unsuitable job for a woman,” said Doyle, as he picked the lock on the door. “Just say the word if you want to stay in the car.”
“I’d say that word is misogyny,” snapped Duncan as they entered the apartment. “My dad knew I had the right stuff — and usually the scruples — to be a P.I.” She glanced around the spotless home. “And I fortified myself this morning with a big bowl of Wheaties, the breakfast of champions.”
“Time and again I’ve seen awful things in these searches,” said Doyle, as he looked around. “But there’s no sign that something happened or evidence someone in the final days before self-harm.”
Duncan checked behind a curtain and saw an imprint on the shag rug where a suitcase had clearly been stored. On the desk sat an open book and a brochure for a Poconos resort. “Song of Solomon 2:16, a verse often used in weddings, is underlined in this Bible,” she announced. “Maybe this is just a love story with a secret elopement.”
“I don’t care if you have roots in the business, but I think being a detective is a risk and an unsuitable job for a woman,” said Doyle, as he picked the lock on the door. “Just say the word if you want to stay in the car.”
“I’d say that word is misogyny,” snapped Duncan as they entered the apartment. “My dad knew I had the right stuff — and usually the scruples — to be a P.I.” She glanced around the spotless home. “And I fortified myself this morning with a big bowl of Wheaties, the breakfast of champions.”
“Time and again I’ve seen awful things in these searches,” said Doyle, as he looked around. “But there’s no sign that something happened or evidence someone in the final days before self-harm.”
Duncan checked behind a curtain and saw an imprint on the shag rug where a suitcase had clearly been stored. On the desk sat an open book and a brochure for a Poconos resort. “Song of Solomon 2:16, a verse often used in weddings, is underlined in this Bible,” she announced. “Maybe this is just a love story with a secret elopement.”
INDIANAPOLIS – At Friday’s news conference following the conclusion of the Indiana Fever’s season, rookie Caitlin Clark and head coach Christie Sides condemned the racist rhetoric many WNBA players said they’ve experienced this season.
“Nobody in our league should be facing any sort of racism, hurtful, disrespectful (or) hateful comments and threats,” Clark said. “Those aren’t fans. Those are trolls, and it’s a real disservice to the people in our league, the organization, the WNBA.”
The online targeting of WNBA players appears to have reached a tipping point during the postseason. After the Connecticut Sun eliminated the Fever in the first round of the playoffs Wednesday, Sun veteran Alyssa Thomas pointed to the “Indiana Fever fan base” as directing hateful comments at her and her teammates. Sun guard DiJonai Carrington shared online before Game 2 against the Fever an email she received from an anonymous source that included threatening and racist language.
The Athletic’s @RomeovilleKid asked Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark about the racism and other negativity players have endured this season.
“Those aren’t fans. Those are trolls.”pic.twitter.com/Im0IeDjGkv
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 27, 2024
“I think in my 11-year career, I’ve never experienced the racial comments (like those) from the Indiana Fever fan base,” Thomas said. ” … It’s unacceptable, honestly, and, yeah, there’s no place for it. We’ve been professional throughout the whole entire thing, but I’ve never been called the things that I’ve been called on social media, and there’s no place for it.
“Basketball is headed in a great direction, but, nah, we don’t want fans that are gonna degrade us and call us racial names.”
Thomas said the Fever should start “checking their fans,” and also called on the WNBA to do more to protect its players. Sun coach Stephanie White said the toxicity her players have experienced, as well as players around the league, is unacceptable but also a reflection of society. She specifically mentioned “racism, sexism, homophobia (and) transphobia” as issues that plague the country.
The WNBA released a statement on Wednesday also condemning hateful comments toward players: “The WNBA is a competitive league with some of the most elite athletes in the world. While we welcome a growing fan base, the WNBA will not tolerate racist, derogatory, or threatening comments made about players, teams and anyone affiliated with the league. League security is actively monitoring threat-related activity and will work directly with teams and arenas to take appropriate measures, to include involving law enforcement, as necessary.”
White said the media should not allow online trolls to “become the story” and potentially fuel harmful narratives. Fever forward Aliyah Boston expressed a similar stance in her season-ending news conference.
“I feel like the media plays a big role in what other people think, whether they watch the game or not,” Boston said. “Sometimes people aren’t even watching the games. They’re just looking at storylines and headlines that come out, and they’re running off of that. It’s easy to attach yourself to the Fever because we have a lot of attention around us right now, and it’s so easy to say, ‘Well, I’m a Fever fan, I’m an A.B. fan, I’m a Caitlin fan and just (spew) hate off of that – and that’s never OK.”
Sides began her season-ending news conference Friday, alongside general manager Lin Dunn, by reading a statement that emphasized there is “no place for hate or racism of any kind” in the WNBA. She also said that the people spreading vitriol aren’t “real” Fever fans or WNBA fans.
Clark, who won the WNBA Rookie of the Year award, mentioned in June that people should “not be using my name” to push any hateful agendas. The No. 1 pick broke several records throughout her first season and continues to bring unprecedented viewership ratings and attendance to women’s basketball.
“There are a lot of really good fans, whether they’ve been fans for 20-plus years or whether they’re new fans in our league,” Clark said Friday. “I think continuing to uplift this league in a very positive light is the best thing we can do because there are so many great players, there’s so many great teams, there are so many positive storylines that can be written and celebrated. And for me, that’s why I became a fan of this league.”
Dunn commended Clark for how she’s handled the spotlight, noting the scrutiny and negativity Clark has faced while still leading the Fever to their first playoff berth since 2016.
“I think the experiences she had at Iowa were very similar to this. … Sold-out arenas, media, trolls, the whole works,” Dunn said. “She had already dealt with a lot of the things that she is dealing with now, and I think social media has taken a toll on everyone. All of our players, all of our staff. We’ve all had to deal with the issues that we see today, and it’s unfortunate and it shouldn’t be tolerated.”
Required reading
(Photo of Caitlin Clark and Christie Sides: Joe Buglewicz / Getty Images)
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