Liberty’s Sandy Brondello reveals the message she sent Breanna Stewart after Game 1

Superstars often dwell on their shortcomings rather than their successes. It’s a brutal but key part of the angst the greats go through to reach the top of their respective sport. They must also have a short memory, though. Neither Breanna Stewart nor head coach Sandy Brondello had any intention of mentioning the countless mistakes the New York Liberty made in their shocking collapse against the Minnesota Lynx in Game 1 of the 2024 WNBA Finals .

It was especially vital for Stewart to step up, considering he had a chance to secure the win late in regulation and send the game into overtime. Brondello knows better than to single anyone out, though. He’s also keenly aware that the team wouldn’t be competing for its first championship without the prolific hitter leading the way.

The longtime coach emphasized a message that seemed to shine through after Thursday’s bitter loss and during Sunday’s much-needed 80-66 victory.

“‘Look, that’s not on you. That’s on us,'” the 2014 WNBA champion told the two-time Finals MVP after the Liberty blew an 18-point lead, per Michael Voepel of ESPN. We win as a team. We all could have done better. We have to pick up Stewie recovers quite quickly.

Breanna Stewart answers the call of freedom

Stewart, indeed, brought back his Game 1 trappings and helped New York enforce its will on both ends of the court. He scored 21 points on 7-for-18 shooting to go with eight rebounds, five assists and a stellar seven steals against the Lynx as the Liberty held the lead from start to finish in Game 2. The best players in the league they need to be ready to put the team on their back even after a historic defeat.

With the pressure at a remarkably high level, Stewart made a milestone at the Barclays Center. The face of Freedom perfectly understands the responsibility it has, and the ups and downs that come with it.

“I can’t strive to be the best, to be great, but then be afraid to fail,” Stewart said. “That’s what happens when you put yourself in big, high-stress situations. You face potential failure. Yeah, I was upset because we could have won (Thursday’s) game. But I’m glad I took the shots . Throughout this process, my team has had my back every step of the way.”

New York will look to regain home-court advantage when it takes on Minnesota at the Target Center in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Wednesday night.