It has been an up-and-down month for Breanna Stewart. She won her second MVP award but didn't have the best start to the playoffs -- now her Liberty have a chance to even the Finals.
The WNBA legend had been part of many Finals wins with Stewart when they won the 2018 and 2020 championships together with the. But now, Bird watched without a jersey from her courtside seat at Barclays Center as Stewart led her new team to its first Finals win since 1999 and, perhaps, one step closer to the franchise's first WNBA title.
One of sport's greatest champions, Stewart was ushered into a leadership role when she arrived in New York with a tall task at hand: helping a team with so much talent and new pieces mesh together. Stewart, returning to her home state, andIt took time for the Liberty to figure out how they all fit together, although coach Sandy Brondello echoed a mantra"never get too high or too low." The mantra is something that happens to be an attribute of Stewart's, too.
Even as the Liberty have become a more balanced group, Stewart has been viewed as the leader."They look to her," Brondello succinctly put it. Stewart will often have a different viewpoint on a situation and share it with teammates, Jones said. Stewart is approachable and open, which isn't always the case with players, Thornton added, and is humble despite her lengthy résumé and star power.
Stewart reminded teammates of the importance of seizing the moment -- making the Finals is never a given -- but also to make sure they weren't discouraged from their ultimate goal.