Despite having a roster filled with battle-tested, championship-proven star power, the New York Liberty were underdogs heading into the 2026 WNBA Playoffs.
The Liberty entered the postseason as the No. 8 seed after finishing the year 26-18 overall, coming off two losses to close out the regular season. With those two losses as well as its inconsistency down the stretch, New York was faced with the task of facing the top-seeded and championship favorite Minnesota Lynx in the first round of the playoffs.
That said, there was something misleading and not accounted for in the number eight next to New York’s name.
Despite their seeding, the 2026 WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Champions never felt like they were a team fighting from behind to begin the playoffs. With the experience and star power on the roster, New York is different from your typical eighth seed.
A Season that Never Told the Entire Story
Several times throughout the regular season, the Liberty showed flashes of one of the WNBA’s most well-rounded teams, regardless of their record.
After a challenging 3-4 start to the season, New York won eight straight games, which included not only a 7-0 record in Commissioner’s Cup play but also a returning Sabrina Ionescu towards the end of that run. Ionescu’s three-week absence due to a left ankle injury in the preseason was a big blow for New York to start the regular season, and it was reflected in its record.
However, following their undefeated stretch in Commissioner’s Cup play, the Liberty faced off against the Las Vegas Aces in the Commissioner’s Cup Championship and became the first team in WNBA history to win the Cup title twice in a thriller led by dominant performances from Brenna Stewart and Ionescu. This game alone gave many fans hope that Stewart and Ionescu could lead the Liberty through the rest of the regular season and even the playoffs, despite what had taken place to that point.
That moment was arguably the pinnacle of New York’s regular season.
Following their Commissioner’s Cup Championship win, the Liberty went through their toughest stretch of the season, losing eight of their next 10 games and falling further down the league standings. However, continuing the rollercoaster of a season filled with highs and lows, New York responded again by winning 13 of its next 17 games and putting itself in a position to move up the playoff seeding before dropping its final two games of the regular season to the Atlanta Dream.
While this inconsistency in the regular season ultimately led to the Liberty claiming the No. 8 seed, their ability to repeatedly bounce back throughout the season showed that this team had a much higher ceiling than their record suggested.
Built for the Playoffs
A major reason for the Liberty’s high ceiling come playoff time was the veteran experience at the top of the roster. Each crucial piece in New York’s 2024 WNBA Finals run—Stewart, Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones—gave the Liberty three experienced pieces to not only go to, but also lead the young roster around them in hopes of making another deep playoff run. Stewart was once again the number one option, averaging 20.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals and 1.3 blocks per game in the regular season.
Alongside Stewart, Jones also gave New York an advantage that became increasingly important once the playoffs began: her size and ability to control the paint. Jones offers several different factors for the Liberty, from her ability to protect the basket to her elite rebounding, both of which gave opponents trouble in the paint. These aspects of both Stewart and Jones were evident in New York’s first-round sweep of the Lynx.
Reflecting on their regular season meetings, the Liberty had already defeated the Lynx in two of the three regular season matchups, making it clear entering the series against Minnesota that New York had every asset needed to put up a fight—and the Liberty did.
Size in the Paint, Pressure on the Perimeter
New York’s ability to control the paint became one of the biggest difference makers in their first-round series against Minnesota. Although Lynx rookie point guard Olivia Miles had been flourishing all season on both ends of the court, the Liberty’s length on the perimeter as well as overall size made scoring more difficult for not just Miles, but the entire Minnesota roster.
In Game 1 of the first round, Miles—who shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the regular season only connected on three shot attempts for just 11 points in a home loss. This was a major blow for the Lynx to start the series, because anytime Miles was able to get downhill past her first defender, Stewart and Jones were there to protect the basket and clean up possessions. Miles was one of Minnesota’s most important offensive producers throughout the season, so limiting her ability to attack the basket forced the Lynx to find other ways to generate offense.
After taking a stunning Game 1 victory in Minnesota, the Liberty were not finished and continued to bring defensive pressure in Game 2. Fortunately for New York, such pressure and tight defense was enough to once again limit Miles—this time to a career-low five points—in the Liberty’s 87-71 victory that would ultimately complete the 2-0 series sweep.
One of the biggest pieces of the Liberty’s perimeter defense that challenged Miles and the Lynx’s guard play was Leonie Fiebich. A 6-foot-4 guard, Fiebich has been a go-to for New York to stop opposing guards from succeeding as she brings versatility and size to defend against quite literally anyone without becoming a liability. Fiebich’s natural ability to stay in front of ballhandlers and contest shots made it much harder for Minnesota to consistently get into the paint, while Stewart and Jones could stay closer to the basket and provide help when needed.
Fiebich’s presence ultimately gave New York another layer to an already favorable defensive matchup. With Fiebich able to take on the Lynx’s guards on the perimeter alongside the two-way impact of Ionescu, the priority of Stewart and Jones could focus more on protecting the paint and controlling the glass. That balance allowed New York to disrupt Minnesota without having to completely change its defensive identity, and it played a major role in the Liberty completing the sweep and advancing out of the first round.
Underestimated, Not Unequipped
New York’s sweep of Minnesota was more than just a historic upset, it was a reflection of what had made the Liberty an unusual eighth seed to begin with. Their 26-18 record was a result of an inconsistent regular season, but it did not eliminate the veteran experience, star power, and versatility that had been on the roster season long.
New York has players who know what it takes to win at this stage. Stewart, Ionescu, Jones, and Fiebich were all part of New York’s 2024 championship team, giving the Liberty a core that has already experienced the pressure of a championship run together. That postseason experience combined with New York’s size and defensive versatility gives the Liberty multiple ways to attack a playoff series and adjust when things do not go according to plan.
The biggest question for the Liberty now turns to how they can continue to play on that same level of intensity and effort when the competition gets tougher. As New York faces Atlanta in the semifinals, it is already fighting from behind after dropping Game 1. But there is still plenty of time for the Liberty to respond. And if there is anything that we have learned about New York this season, it’s that it is completely capable of coming from behind and bouncing back when it matters most.
New York may have entered the postseason as the No. 8 seed, but it has already proven that its seeding does not define it. Now, with their season on the line against the Dream, the Liberty have another opportunity to show just how far an eighth seed can go.
