Marlene Johannes threw a spectacular pass, bending the universe to her will. Her New York playoffs saw her Liberty trail by six in her game, but to be honest, it was more like a regular in many of her season’s games. They put together an intriguing stretch to flash the ceiling for a young team built around a dynamic guard before all the momentum hardened, allowing the veteran Chicago team to return to the lead in the second half. rice field.
Using the WNBA definition (score within 5 points in less than 5 minutes played), Sky and Liberty played more “clutch” games all season than anyone else. What really set 2-seeded reigning champions Sky and 7-seeded Liberty apart was how they read the scoreboard after five minutes had passed. Liberty’s inexperience often manifested itself. They made the difference between life and death with a coherent three-point shot. Road games struggled. It was the win at home on the final day of the season that made them a playoff team in the first place. So the only way to make sense of last night’s Game 1 victory over Liberty in Chicago, his 98-91 upset against the team with his best home record in the WNBA, is that some higher beings are going through this. I mean I was upset.
Chicago’s defense chose their battle: By putting Johannes and Sabrina Ionescu under pressure in the closing stages, they limited New York’s best shooters, but also taunted New York’s best passers. It seemed like a wise choice at first. In some possessions Johannes and Ionescu were washing the dishes and no one was finishing. In a particularly egregious moment, Stephanie Dolson misread the wide-open lane Johannes had created for her. Johannes shot a perfect no-look overhead his feed that gave Natasha Howard a flashback to his days spent in the Seattle Storm. “It reminded me of Sue Bird Pass,” Howard said. (here Path to Howard from the Amazing Birds She May Rememberher team was already leading in double digits in regular season games, but it wasn’t very Note that Sky had 91 points at the time of the pass and lost 98-91. Chicago shot 0-for-8 from the field after Howard’s layup and couldn’t even make a free throw on two attempts. The pass acted as an energy transfer, zapping Sky’s typical clutch-time power and channeling it all into the Liberty.
Playing her second season in the WNBA after a two-year hiatus, Johannes, a Frenchman, has taken an interest in women’s basketball even when she’s not in the WNBA, playing for Team USA in Olympic and FIBA events. Always appear to fit.she WNBA breakouts this year It feels like watching a fan-favorite single-episode character bump into a season regular. Her head coach, Sandy Brondello, who also coaches the Australian national team, said recently. I just wanted to be her. Throughout the season, Johannes has made the most of his extended character arc and his coach’s trust. She currently has her team in excellent position and she is one game away from winning the first round of the series.
