'We can beat anyone': No matter the seed, Liberty believe they're a WNBA title contender — SkimNews
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- New York Liberty lost 95-84 to the Atlanta Dream on Monday, officially eliminating them from contention for a top-four seed and home-court advantage heading into Sunday's postseason opener.
- General manager Jonathan Kolb fired Sandy Brondello, the franchise's winningest coach who had led them to their first WNBA title 11 months earlier, citing a pursuit of "evolution and innovation."
- First-year coach Chris DeMarco was hired in December after stints on the Golden State Warriors' four-title staff and six years leading the Bahamas men's national team, though he had no prior WNBA head-coaching experience.
- Breanna Stewart described the team's 13-12 start with a profanity-laced "what the f---" remark as injuries mounted — Satou Sabally was ruled out for the season after 13 appearances due to a second concussion, Sabrina Ionescu played one game in the first five weeks, and Leonie Fiebich missed seven weeks with a foot injury.
- Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, a 2024 champion and one of the Liberty's longest-tenured players, was waived four days after the trade deadline after sitting out three straight weeks with DNPs.
- The Liberty are 13-5 since the July 18 loss to Indiana, posting the league's second-best offensive rating over that span at 114.3 points per 100 possessions.
- DraftKings gives New York the sixth-longest title odds at 14-1, while Leonie Fiebich's availability has tracked with the team's record — 14-6 with her, 12-11 without her.
Why it matters: Despite re-signing their championship core and adding Sabally in free agency, the Liberty's injury-plagued regular season dropped them from title favorites to 14-1 long shots on DraftKings. Without home-court advantage, their path now hinges on whether a late 13-5 surge — fueled by Fiebich's return and DeMarco's growing comfort — translates into a playoff breakthrough.
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