With a playoff atmosphere emanating from the Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis this past weekend, the Liberty and Indiana Fever were duking it out head-to-head, with the Liberty still managing to come out on top. With a seesaw-like game amongst the two Eastern Conference teams, two concepts became true simultaneously. One was that the Indiana Fever will NOT have another season like the past few years. With Stephanie White at the helm, the Fever now looks like a different team, and the two first overall draft picks that they were given in both 2023 and 2024 are being used to perfection with White’s help, utilizing both Aliyah Boston and Caitlin Clark to their maximum potential. Those two powerhouses in addition to a stronger supporting cast this year has allowed the Fever to take the next step into playing with big ticket teams like that of New York, Atlanta, or Las Vegas (two of those three they’ve already seen, and they even pulled out one win against the Dream when playing them both at home and in Atlanta before playing the Liberty. The other truth that became clear is that the few additions that the Liberty made this offseason have only strengthened this New York team.

This trio didn’t let 🆙 pic.twitter.com/bZfRvh1VU1

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 24, 2025

The Liberty have seemingly always struggled with the third quarter. Whether it’s an exhibition game or the Finals, they don’t play well in the third. When the Liberty and Fever began the second half this past weekend, you could tell that the same “Third Quarter Curse” is starting to plague even this championship roster. With the Liberty’s lead now squandered, they knew that the fourth would be ride or die, and they chose to ride. The Libs came back on the floor and their execution in the fourth quarter was undeniably a masterclass both offensively, but primarily defensively, scoring 22 points to steal the win 90-88. While the Liberty have, at least in the past few years, been one of, if not the strongest, offensive teams in the W, defensively, they’ve sometimes left something to be desired. In the 2024-2025 season, they had a defensive rating of 95.3 and ranked third in points allowed per one hundred possessions; however, this season, they have already started to be better than their numbers last season, which weren’t anything to be ashamed of. This year, they have surpassed their championship-winning defensive rating, currently sitting at a 96.4 defensive rating. Offensively, as mentioned, they are still superior as they currently sit at a 112.4 offensive rating and a 62.8 true shooting percentage, leading the league in both stats by a significant margin.

The Liberty knew that they needed one last boost to get them over the edge to be “better” than last year, and when they struck a deal with the Connecticut Sun this past offseason for Natasha Cloud, they were hoping to get just that. Three games into the regular season, she has not disappointed. Going into the offseason with the 2024 championship now under their belt, the Libs were quiet for almost the entire offseason looking for the right move, and when the Mercury sent Cloud to Foxwoods to play for the rebuilding Sun after they dealt away their star in Alyssa Thomas, New York was already sitting on Cloud nine at the thought of her joining their starting five. Cloud’s tenure with Connecticut was six weeks before being dealt to the Liberty, where the Libs gave up two first-round picks to acquire the defensive stud, which now seemingly looks like a bargain. With her game-saving defense on Saturday, it’s evident that if anyone else were out there guarding Clark in the final seconds of that game, the Fever probably would’ve won. With Clark set to shoot right at the free throw line, essentially, she took a shot, but thanks to Cloud’s defense, Clark just couldn’t hold on, quite literally, as Cloud stripped the ball right out of her hands to solidify New York’s third win of the season.

Reunited and it feels so good 🥹🫂 pic.twitter.com/sLmHZasr4E

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) May 27, 2025

The Liberty tip-off again tonight at 7 p.m. against the WNBA’s newest team, the Golden State Valkyries. The Valkyries, while the latest team in the league, have been playing exceptionally well. They’re currently sitting at 2-1, “undefeated” on the road, having only played one game away. Tonight’s game at Barclays brings back a familiar face who fell victim to the expansion draft this past winter, forward Kayla Thornton. KT was a part of the championship core, really stepping up when Benijah Laney-Hamilton was injured last season, and many were sad to see her go, but it is so exciting to see this player get her flowers as a starter for the Valkyries where her undeniable talent can be put on display for more extended periods. While the Libs are predicted to take the match against the young club, Golden State has been full of surprises this season, and tonight’s game against the Liberty will be their first test to see how well the Valkyries can square up against a big ticket club, like New York.