Liberty Practice for Probable First-Round Opponent as Seeding Nears Finalized

The New York Liberty have largely shifted focus from the regular season to the postseason, using practice time this week to prepare for a likely first-round opponent even as they play two final games before the playoffs.

Locked into the No. 5 seed, the Liberty will face the Washington Mystics on Tuesday at Barclays Center and the Chicago Sky on Thursday. During the portion of practice open to media on Monday, coach Sandy Brondello said the team was working through matchups and schemes in case it meets the Phoenix Mercury, which is the most probable first-round matchup.

"Obviously, we just played Phoenix. We just played Atlanta," Brondello said. "I imagine they’re the two main teams. So, we are just preparing as much as we can now. So, using these days to get on the practice court to simulate what it could look like in the playoffs."

Phoenix is a near lock for the No. 4 seed after the Liberty’s loss to Connecticut on Saturday. The Las Vegas Aces and Atlanta Dream are tied at 28-14, with the Aces holding the tiebreaker for the No. 2 slot. The Mercury trail those teams by a single game, and a major shake-up in the standings would require the Aces or Dream to lose both of their remaining contests against non-playoff opponents.

"We’re making sure our schemes are strong. We have a few sets that we know each team plays and making sure that we’re well versed on what we’re going to do with them and what our coverage is going to be," forward Breanna Stewart said after Monday’s practice.

The Liberty are 1-3 against Phoenix this season, but three of those matchups were played without the club’s usual complement of starters. Sabrina Ionescu missed one meeting with a lingering toe injury, Jonquel Jones was unavailable in another because of an ankle issue, and Leonie Fiebich spent much of June with Germany at EuroBasket. The Liberty’s only win against Phoenix this season came on July 25, an 89-76 result in which the starters were healthy.

"I think we know we can beat anybody and I don’t think it matters who we play," Ionescu said. "It’s more knowing we just got to be better and focus on ourselves and the things we need to improve on."

Ionescu (toe) and Nyara Sabally (knee) are listed as available for Tuesday’s game, marking the first time the Liberty will be at full strength since the second game of the season on May 22. Returning to full health gives New York more options as it prepares both for its remaining regular-season games and possible playoff matchups.

During Friday’s 21-point win over the Seattle Storm, coach Brondello increased the roles of Kennedy Burke and Fiebich. Burke scored 13 points while Fiebich produced 21, her first double-digit output since Aug. 19 of the previous season, when she scored 10 against the Minnesota Lynx. Brondello has repeatedly urged the 6-foot-4 forward to be more aggressive and to seek offense more often.

"We have to put her in the action. Sometimes, she just stands in the corner too much ..." Brondello said. "We just have to remind her [to be unselfish]. We just have to remind her, especially we had all these players out. You’ve got to be aggressive because we are down."

Fiebich’s scoring has correlated with team success: the Liberty are 12-1 when she scores in double figures. Maintaining that level of production could be a difference-maker in a short playoff series.

New York’s preparation reflects a narrow window before the postseason begins. With seeding largely set and potential opponents identifiable, the Liberty are using practice sessions to install coverage plans and set calls tailored to Phoenix, Las Vegas and Atlanta, while also finishing the regular season at full health and looking to build momentum into the playoffs.