New York Liberty vs. Seattle Storm could be a WNBA Finals preview—or not

Two weeks ago, for the first time in her career, Breanna Stewart lost to the Seattle Storm, as her depleted New York Liberty, without three starters in Jonquel Jones (ankle), Sabrina Ionescu (neck) and Leonie Fiebich (EuroBasket), failed to muster enough against her former team.

Since then, things have remained shaky for the defending champs. The game in Seattle was a second-straight loss, and they’re 2-2 in their subsequent four games. Ionescu’s absence was limited to one game, but she’s mostly struggled to find her stroke since returning to the court. She finally turned in a Sab-level stat line in New York’s Thursday win over the Los Angeles Sparks. The victory against LA also was Fiebich’s first game back, while Jones is still sidelined.

All the while, Natasha Cloud’s stellar start the season also stalled. In the month of June, she put up a single-digit scoring average as she shot 36.8 percent from the field and 24.2 percent from 3. (But as with Ionescu, the Sparks might have helped Cloud solve her struggles, as she scored a season-high 23 points.) Fill-in starters Nyara Sabally, Rebekah Gardner and Kennedy Burke have been serviceable, but not particularly impactful, low-usage options.

That’s left a large burden on Stewart, something she’s assumed with her typically unfazed style. Even if she’s still coming up empty from behind the arc, shooting under 21 percent from 3, she’s finishing 50 percent of her overall shots, an indication of how automatic she’s been on 2-pointers as she averages 20.5 points per game. Except for a slight dip in her rebounding, her numbers are in line with her career averages.

That Stewart is still one of the best players in the world is a positive sign for the Liberty’s repeat chances. The team’s recent struggles easily can be explained away as absence-induced tumult. The eventual return of Jones, with whom the Liberty are undefeated when she plays at least 10 minutes, should get the team back on their championship course due to her status as the most complete—and completely unguardable—true center in the W. Presumably, both Ionescu and Cloud will shoot better, Fiebich will fully adjust to being back in the States and all will be well. Live, laugh, love, Liberty.

Or, does such a presumption ignore real problems? Will the contender switch flip back on when the Liberty are at full-strength? Or, will we discover that their back-to-back prospects have dimmed?

The Storm’s status as a title threat is certainly specious. At times, they look like a championship-caliber team, with a top-notch defense that turns into efficient, transition offense. Conversely, an absence of offensive firepower that is exacerbated by their low-volume 3-point shooting, along with a lack of reliable depth, raises questions about their ability to advance out of the first round of the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

There’s no question, however, about the continued excellence of Nneka Ogwumike. Like Stewart for the Liberty, she remains a tide-raising superstar, one who is fresh off reaching No. 7 on the WNBA’s all-time scoring list. One of her best games of the seasons came against New York, when she scored 26 points while shooting better than 70 percent from the field.

On Sunday, Ogwumike’s Storm meet Stewart’s Liberty for a nationally-televised afternoon date in Brooklyn (1 p.m. ET, CBS). Quite possibly, it could prove to be a WNBA Finals preview. Or, it could produce an outcome that exposes the deficiencies of one of these championship hopefuls.

Here’s a key question for Sunday’s other two WNBA games:

Can the Aces get some Vitamin D in CT?

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The Las Vegas Aces are in a dark place and in need of some sunlight. Or, maybe just an opportunity to light up the Connecticut Sun?

A game against the two-win Sun should, at least temporarily, present an opportunity for A’ja Wilson’s supporting cast to rediscover their games. Yes, it will be against Connecticut, but a 25-point game from Jewell Loyd, a points and assists double-double from Chelsea Gray, a efficient scoring afternoon from Jackie Young and some spark-plug moments from new addition NaLyssa Smith would be encouraging.

So far this season, the Aces’ only two wins of 20 or more points, a formerly routine occurrence for the the two-time champs, have come against the Sun. Can they make it three on Sunday (4 p.m. ET, League Pass)?

Can Angel (again) slow Phee?

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Is Angel Reese the Napheesa Collier stopper? Reese has successfully induced Collier, a queen of efficiency, into some of her most inefficient outings. Last season, the Minnesota Lynx were 3-0 against the Chicago Sky, but, in the two games in which Reese played, Phee shot under 40 percent from the field, including a 6-for-19 effort.

Then, there was Unrivaled, where Reese’s Rose, the eventual inaugural champs, upset Collier’s then-undefeated Lunar Owls, holding Collier, who would be named Unrivaled MVP, to a season-low 16 points on 6-for-19 shooting, her poorest shooting performance of the season. In the third matchup between Rose and Owls, Collier again scored just 16 points and experienced her second-worst shooting night. Angel, of course, was Unrivaled’s Defensive Player of the Year.

The now-WNBA sophomore has the length to bother the MVP favorite, in addition to the athleticism to contain Collier and her fancy footwork. And despite some spicy on-court moments, the two players have showered each other with support and respect, establishing the kind of organic, good-natured rivalry the WNBA should promote.

With Reese’s history of causing trouble for Collier, on top of the fact that the Lynx will be on a back-to-back, the Sky might have a chance of pulling off the upset (7 p.m. ET, League Pass).

Game information

Seattle Storm (11-7) vs. New York Liberty (12-5)

When: Sunday, July 6 at 1 p.m. ET

Where: Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY

How to watch: CBS

Las Vegas Aces (8-9) vs. Connecticut Sun (2-15)

When: Sunday, July 6 at 4 p.m. ET

Where: Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, CT

How to watch: WNBA League Pass

Chicago Sky (5-11) vs. Minnesota Lynx (16-2)

When: Sunday, July 6 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

How to watch: WNBA League Pass