Two months ago, the Liberty was 4-7 and it looked as if they might miss the playoffs for a second straight season.
Fast forward to tonight, and the Liberty, who have already clinched a playoff spot, will take on the Eastern Conference-leading Indiana Fever (7:30) in a game with huge implications.
Winner of a franchise-best eight games in a row, the Liberty (19-11) are 1½ games behind the Fever (21-10) in the Eastern Conference. The Fever are coming off a 79-66 win against Connecticut on Sunday, and have won five in a row and 10 of 13.
“I think it’s a big game for us on a lot of different levels,” said Nicole Powell, who had a season-high 23 points and was 7-for-9 on 3-pointers in the Liberty’s 107-69 win against Phoenix on Saturday.
“Just playing here at the end of the season, seeing how we are going to respond playing against a very good team who is playing at the top of their game. I think it will feel like a playoff game.”
The Liberty’s last home loss came against Indiana on July 18. The 84-81 OT loss was a heartbreaker, but since then, the Liberty have responded in a big way, including some revenge in the form of a 82-72 win at Indiana two weeks ago.
“Getting home court advantage really makes a big difference, so that’s important. It’s huge,” Powell said. “But again, we are trying not to get ahead of ourselves.”
It would be significant, because the Liberty are 10-4 at home, and the WNBA playoff format consists of a three-game series, with the higher seed getting Games 2 and 3 at home. And though clinching a playoff spot is a good first step, Powell hopes it’s only a springboard of better things to come.
“You can’t win the championship until you clinch a playoff spot,” she said. “We’ve done a really good job at the latter part of the season focusing on each task at hand and not getting ahead of ourselves.”
This will be the fourth and final game against the Fever this season, with the Liberty having lost two of the previous three. And there’s a very good chance they could meet again in the playoffs, so it will be a big test tonight.