The New York Liberty entered the Commissioner’s Cup Final on Tuesday night at UBS Arena — not the Barclays Center — having won 11 of their last 12 games, a stretch that began after a decisive road loss to the Minnesota Lynx a month earlier.
That remains New York’s poorest showing of the season, not just evidenced by the 17-point margin of defeat, but their film on both sides of the ball. It was the first sign of a potential soft spot in their defense, in defending the pick-and-roll, while Minnesota’s elite defense was constantly one step ahead of their ball-movement on the other end.