At the beginning of the WNBA season, there were two teams that people assumed would win the WNBA Championship.One of them was the New York Liberty.
The other was the Las Vegas Aces.After all, the teams have won the past four championships.
The Minnesota Lynx were expected to be fine, but take a step back due to missing their MVP.We go into tonight's game with the Liberty looking anything but a championship contender, and their challenger, the Wings, looking like they could be.The Liberty are one of those teams that has plenty of star power, but things just aren't going great this season.
Let us start with the good - Breanna Stewart remains one of the best players in the league, and she is dominating with 20.4 points per game.They won when it mattered most (so far), by taking the WNBA Commissioner's Cup.
It looks like Sabrina Ionescu is finally getting back in her stride.However, outside of the Cup, they are just 2-7 over their last nine games.New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) takes a jump shot in the third quarter against the Atlanta Dream at Barclays Center.
Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images (Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)Maybe this is just a matter of the Liberty knowing they need to get into the playoffs, then do their damage.They've shown signs of being streaky all season.
They had an eight-game winning streak, but as mentioned, they've struggled as well.Like most teams, they've had to deal with injuries, and that can be a problem for getting a consistent lineup to gel.
I think the Liberty ultimately will be fine, but they probably need to make a run fairly soon.I won't break my arm patting myself on the back, but of all the WNBA teams, I picked the Wings to have the biggest step forward this season.They had two players who were added to the roster, who I thought would make a big impact.
The first is Azzi Fudd, the number one overall pick in this past year's draft.I know, great insight, saying the first pick would be helpful.
After loo...