MINNEAPOLIS — Sabrina Ionescu can barely even keep in mind taking The Shot. With the Liberty-Lynx Finals recreation tied at 77 — and the clock winding down — the New York Liberty guard crossed up Kayla McBride, squared up for a near-logo three-point, and sunk the unbelievable game-winner.
For a quick second, Ionescu smiled – earlier than shortly hardening her expression with the essential understanding that there was nonetheless one second left within the ball recreation. The Lynx couldn’t rise up a shot on the buzzer, and the Liberty walked away with a come-from-behind, 80-77 victory to safe Sport 3 of the WNBA Finals.
The house crowd was aghast.
Earlier than jogging into her postgame presser, Ionescu rewatched the clip within the locker room as she waited for Breanna Stewart to be prepared for the rostrum.
“I needed to go take a look at the video actually shortly to see how far I used to be,” she informed reporters.
The 28-foot shot was the deepest one both staff made all night time. It was additionally Ionsecu’s second made three-pointer within the last minute of Sport 3. And, it fittingly punctuated two consecutive Liberty wins following a heartbreaking Sport 1 loss that noticed her shoot simply 8-26 from the ground.
It’s a second that the 19,521 followers at Minneapolis’s sold-out Goal Heart will always remember, and it’s one which cements Ionescu’s legacy as an all-time nice.
However, there was no luck concerned.
This was Sabrina Ionescu at her greatest.
“It’s a shot that I take usually,” she stated. “I take it in observe, I take it earlier than the video games. It’s not like a Hail Mary, hope-this-goes-in. As soon as I obtained it off, I used to be like, ‘Yeah, that is it.’
The notable half is that she was not having the scoring recreation of her life. Sport 3 in Minneapolis was the furthest factor from that. With underneath a minute to play, Ionescu had solely scored 7 factors, far lower than her season common of 18.2 factors per recreation. She didn’t try a single discipline aim within the recreation’s first 10 minutes.
However, she confidently hit a three-point shot with 55 seconds left to provide the Liberty a four-point benefit. Her subsequent try – with 23 seconds to play and the Liberty down by 2 – was midway down earlier than it popped out, a uncommon miss that illustrated she was proper on course.
The go-ahead three-pointer with 1 second to spare was nothing however internet.
“Within the timeout, Sandy [Brondello] was like, ‘you’re going to shoot the shot,’” Ionescu defined, recalling the instruction she acquired from her head coach. “I really feel like I used to be in a position to get a bit of separation, in vary, and get a extremely good shot to go.”
Kayla McBride, who defended Ionescu for a lot of the night time, didn’t have a lot to say about being on the opposite finish of the play postgame.
“A terrific participant made an excellent shot,” stated McBride, who scored 19 factors within the loss. “I guarded her for 40 minutes.”
Similar to that, the Liberty discover themselves one recreation away from a franchise-first championship. However, they’re not going to leap the gun on celebrations.
“We’re completely satisfied we obtained this win,” Breanna Stewart stated. “However the job’s not accomplished.”
The 2-time MVP was no slouch herself on this one — the truth is, Stewart was the first purpose the Liberty had been inside placing distance within the first place after falling behind by double-digits early on. She completed with 30 factors and 11 rebounds, each recreation highs.
Afterwards, Ionescu made positive to provide her her flowers.
“We don’t win that recreation with out Stewie,” she stated.
It actually stood out to me postgame how a lot Sabrina Ionescu went out of her technique to credit score Breanna Stewart:
“We don’t win that recreation with out Stewie.. that photographs good, nevertheless it doesn’t go in opposition to what she’s been in a position to do for us.” pic.twitter.com/ZmVXkPtPIA
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) October 17, 2024
Sabrina Ionescu’s shot was ‘by no means doubtful’ for individuals who know her greatest
“I simply keep in mind watching it go up and being like, ‘Oh my goodness, she’s about to hit this,’ stated Jonquel Jones after the win. “And I used to be completely satisfied.’
Fittingly, College of Oregon ladies’s basketball coach Kelly Graves, who Ionescu performed underneath for 4 collegiate seasons, was in attendance for Sport 3 in Minneapolis.
He posted the game-winner on social media with the caption ‘Was there ever a doubt?’
The presence of household, buddies, and supporters made the second that rather more particular for Ionescu.
“Him, Sandy, all of the coaches that I’ve had — simply their continued perception, and pouring into me, means the world to me — whether or not I make or miss that shot,” Ionescu stated. “The truth that they type of trusted me to go on the market and make large photographs, it’s why I really like taking part in for this staff.”
Sandy Brondello echoed Graves’ unwavering confidence in Ionescu.
“It was by no means doubtful,” Brondello stated.
Brondello entrusted Ionescu with the ball in her palms within the last possession largely as a result of she knew her 26-year-old star trusted herself.
“What I really like about her is that she backs herself, you recognize?” Brondello stated. “Not everybody can take these large photographs and make them. She will be able to.”
Ionescu’s large night time got here on the heels of being named to the All-WNBA Second Workforce – and falling one spot brief of a highly-coveted First Workforce honor.
She was requested if she was making an attempt to show one thing together with her sturdy play within the last minute.
“That was only a nice, All-WNBA Second Workforce efficiency,” Ionescu stated with a sly grin.
For Courtney Vandersloot, the enjoyment of watching her backcourt mate thrive was a banner second in and of itself.
”Simply overjoyed for her, completely satisfied for her.. she places in a lot work,” Vandersloot stated. “She trusts herself. We belief her. And it’s only a actually large second that you just really feel like simply brings you all actually shut.”
A basketball legacy cemented
Sabrina Ionescu has achieved quite a bit in her younger profession. She’s broadly thought-about one of many best faculty gamers of all time, was the consensus Nationwide Participant of the 12 months as a senior, and is the all-time chief in triple-double in Division I basketball. She’s an Olympic gold medalist and a three-time All-Star. She homeowners record-breaking sneakers and broke the report for many three-pointers at an All-Star recreation in 2023.
Now, she’s additionally accountable for a game-winning Finals shot that silenced a raucous house crowd hoping to witness a marquee win. If the Liberty can get it accomplished on Friday night time’s Sport 4, Ionescu’s shot will indisputably rank among the many best within the sports activities historical past.
Almost two hours after the ultimate buzzer sounded, a longtime Lynx fan in a Collier jersey stood outdoors of the sector in shocked disbelief. She replayed the Ionescu triple, time and again.
“I nonetheless can’t imagine that occurred to us,” she stated.
It’s a shot that can dwell on ceaselessly.
