After practice on Saturday, a "pissed off" Breanna Stewart addressed the media and took accountability for her missed shots at the end of Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals. "I think what really is kind of driving and motivating me is we have an opportunity to change it," the two-time MVP said. "I have an opportunity to change it."
Stewart did exactly that on Sunday afternoon, delivering a defensive masterclass in the Liberty's 80-66 win over the Minnesota Lynx in Game 2 to even the Finals at 1-1.
With seven steals, Stewart not only set a new career-high, but a Finals record. She added 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and joined Alyssa Thomas as the only players to ever record at least 20 points, five rebounds, five assists and five steals in a Finals game.
Stewart has had some uncharacteristic letdowns in the playoffs the last few seasons, but she has always bounced back. No one had any doubt she would do so again on Sunday, least not Lynx coach Cheryl Reeve.
"She's resilient," Reeve said. "She played exactly like we thought she would. I thought she played great in Game 1. And so you know, I think her impact defensively was something that we felt. You know, what did she have, seven steals? And so you know, she's been doing that in these playoffs."
On the second possession of the game, Stewart stunted into the lane to force Courtney Williams into a pass, then got her arms up to pick it off.
A few minutes later, she switched onto Williams, moved her feet to prevent the Lynx guard from getting a look at the rim on the drive, then got another deflection.
Those early moments on the defensive end were an indication of Stewart's mindset. She wasn't going to let her team lose.
"Just like not letting history repeat itself and knowing that Game 1 happened but now, you know, how can we control Game 2," Stewart said. "I think that honestly the thought process was, we were trying to be up a little bit more. Like not letting them get to the 3-point line to set up their offense.
"And then in to out, whether I'm helping, I know that [Sabrina Ionescu] or whoever else is helping on my backside, and making them have to move just a little bit quicker than they want to."
With Stewart leading the way, the Liberty held the Lynx to 66 points on 45% shooting. This was the Lynx's lowest-scoring game of the playoffs and their second-least efficient shooting performance. The Liberty also forced 20 turnovers, tied for the second-most in a playoff game in Lynx franchise history.
Stewart's biggest plays came in the middle of the fourth quarter. After leading by as many as 17 in the first half, the Liberty's lead was down to two with 5:36 to play. Everyone inside Barclays Center was fearing a repeat of Game 1 until Stewart came up with back-to-back steals, keying a 14-2 run to close the game.
The latter of those two takeaways came because Stewart was extremely physical with Napheesa Collier and refused to let the Lynx star get position on the block. Stewart spun around a screen and beat Collier to the initial spot, then kept nudging her farther and farther out until Collier was nearly posting up at the 3-point line. By the time Williams tried to force the pass, there was no space or angle to do so, and Stewart lunged in for the steal.
While Collier finished with 16 points on an efficient 58.3% shooting, she took just 12 shots and turned the ball over seven times. Stewart was a major reason why the MVP runner-up was unable to impose her will like she did in Game 1.
"I think that the first thing was higher pick-up points," Stewart said in regard to her effort on Collier. "Knowing that if [Leonie Fiebich] was going to be up, really trying to limit Courtney Williams, then I need to be there, too. So when Phee is dribbling up it's not just without any pressure.
"Obviously knowing her tendencies. She wants to go left, she wants to go over the right shoulder. She's going to pump fake a million times. So just staying down and making her continue to take tough shot that she doesn't want to take."
Stewart may have cost her team Game 1 with a missed free throw, but she won them Game 2 with her defensive gem. Suddenly, this series looks a lot different than it did 72 hours ago. Now, it's a best-of-three, and all the momentum is on the Liberty's side. Sure, they had a collapse in Game 1, but they've also led for nearly all of the 85 minutes played in this series, and have spent much of that time up by double figures.
"I think the moment the game ended Thursday night, I was looking forward to Sunday," Stewart said. "Just to be able to kind of change things, change the narrative a little bit."
