Well, it turned out to be a classic at the Madison Square Garden. The New York Liberty looked like they were the more dominant team early on, after taking a 21-14 lead behind the hot hands of Epiphanny Prince. But once the Washington Mystics were able to settle and find rhythm, they brought it to the Liberty.
Here are some main takeaways from this game:
Prince changes the game
I did mention Prince will be a difference-maker in this series as she was not really present in all of the regular season meetings of Washington and New York. It did not take her long, nailing her first six field goal attempts to dictate tempo.
Most of her shots were the result of a high ball screen then she would pull up after a few dribbles. In the first half, she was practically unguardable and even after the Mystics went to a help-the-helper strategy (will discuss this below), Prince was still on fire. It was only until the end when she missed crucial attempts towards the end of the second overtime. She finished with 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting, 3-for-5 from long range, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Still, this game could have gone either way.
Mystics' offense suffers without Dolson
There were only two points of entry for the Mystics against the stymieing Liberty defense: a side pick and roll or a hand-off by whoever is defended by Tina Charles. Stef Dolson and Emma Meesseman took turns in doing this in the first half, luring Charles out of the paint and allowing slashers like Ivory Latta and Tayler Hill to get to the basket.
Look at how Carolyn Swords was taken out of the paint with this hand off in the high post, leading to a basket by Natasha Cloud here.
Towards the end of regulation, Dolson rolled her right ankle and was forced out of the game. The Mystics went with LaToya Sanders and the offense suffered quickly without the space the bigs give.
The Mystics went to their strength in the end
Knowing those hand-offs were effective, the Mystics went to this in the end, getting the crucial baskets that gave them a lift.
Prior to the second overtime, Meesseman was not getting too many touches as the team tried to find Sanders around the rim. However, Sanders could not execute well from a back to basket position.
Finally, the Mystics decided to go to Meesseman again, and the forward delivered.
Meesseman drew her defender, Charles, out of the paint, faked the hand-off and had a clear path to the basket for an easy lay-up.
It was basically the same strategy in the go-ahead basket. Kara Lawson received the ball from Meesseman. Her defender went under Meesseman and she took advantage of the driving opportunity.
Thibault's help the helper technique is absolute brilliance
I did a breakdown about this in a separate article. CLICK HERE. Thibault used the weakside wing/elbow defender to cut off the pick and roll's roll man (Charles). The PnR ball handler (Prince) was funneled to both her defender and Charles' defender (Meesseman) while another Mystics big stayed underneath the rim constantly.
It allowed the Mystics to clog the lane, prevent Prince from getting a running start, and most of all, prevented the Liberty bigs from diving to the rim.
Tayler Hill -- and the Mystics bench -- delivered big time
I listed Hill as an X-Factor for this series for her ability to attack the rim and hit threes. She was relentless in Game 1, scoring 13 points and getting 8 free throw attempts as she got to the rim several times by beating her opponent off the dribble.
Overall, the Mystics bench outscored the Liberty bench, 33-6. We did not see Candice Wiggins or Kiah Stokes or Sugar Rodgers making impact, and they should step up to give the Liberty a chance to return to MSG.
Liberty players not named Charles and Prince must step up
Aside from Prince, Charles was the only other bright spot for the Liberty. She finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Outside of her and Prince, the rest of the team shot 10-for-25.
Tanisha Wright wasn't a threat for the first three quarters until she decided to be aggressive by attacking the basket. Ditto with Swin Cash. If the Liberty wants to stay alive, the entire team must contribute.
Emma Meesseman continues to refine her game
Meesseman contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds in this game on 50 percent shooting. What I liked about her game is the face-up against Charles. She did not force it inside the paint, but instead took Charles one on one then beat her off the dribble.
At 22 years old, Meesseman continues to have terrific upside. There is no limit to what she can do in the league.
Playoff Latta showed up
Ivory Latta (13 points, 4-for-6 three-point field goals) delivered in the clutch with big shot after big shot. She is clearly the heart and soul of this squad, and when she gets efficient games like these, she's helping the team succeed.
Liberty fall in Game 1 of the playoffs to the Mystics 86-83. @WashMystics take Game 1. pic.twitter.com/HdetZ2q9j4
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) September 19, 2015
They were more physical, they bullied the league's best defensive team, and their bench sure looked deeper than the Liberty in Game 1. Two overtimes later, the Mystics took a pulsating 86-83 win for a 1-0 series lead and a chance to close it at home.Here are some main takeaways from this game:
Prince changes the game
The @MyQuestToWin Player of the Game is @Piphdagreat10 with 26 points, 4 assist and 2 steals! pic.twitter.com/BDH0gcck6i
— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) September 19, 2015
I did mention Prince will be a difference-maker in this series as she was not really present in all of the regular season meetings of Washington and New York. It did not take her long, nailing her first six field goal attempts to dictate tempo.
Most of her shots were the result of a high ball screen then she would pull up after a few dribbles. In the first half, she was practically unguardable and even after the Mystics went to a help-the-helper strategy (will discuss this below), Prince was still on fire. It was only until the end when she missed crucial attempts towards the end of the second overtime. She finished with 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting, 3-for-5 from long range, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Still, this game could have gone either way.
Mystics' offense suffers without Dolson
There were only two points of entry for the Mystics against the stymieing Liberty defense: a side pick and roll or a hand-off by whoever is defended by Tina Charles. Stef Dolson and Emma Meesseman took turns in doing this in the first half, luring Charles out of the paint and allowing slashers like Ivory Latta and Tayler Hill to get to the basket.
Dolson hand-off to Cloud; notice how Swords is out of the paint while Charles concerned w/ Meesse on the weakside pic.twitter.com/VBj1XGnksd
— LVJ (@levijoshua) September 19, 2015
Look at how Carolyn Swords was taken out of the paint with this hand off in the high post, leading to a basket by Natasha Cloud here.
Leads to a basket by Cloud inside pic.twitter.com/cvwknsTEjF
— LVJ (@levijoshua) September 19, 2015
Towards the end of regulation, Dolson rolled her right ankle and was forced out of the game. The Mystics went with LaToya Sanders and the offense suffered quickly without the space the bigs give.
The Mystics went to their strength in the end
Knowing those hand-offs were effective, the Mystics went to this in the end, getting the crucial baskets that gave them a lift.
Prior to the second overtime, Meesseman was not getting too many touches as the team tried to find Sanders around the rim. However, Sanders could not execute well from a back to basket position.
Finally, the Mystics decided to go to Meesseman again, and the forward delivered.
Mystics going to that strength in the crucial moments. Here Meesse fakes hand-off, then drives. Charles again out... pic.twitter.com/jRVntu3Fs5
— LVJ (@levijoshua) September 19, 2015
Meesseman drew her defender, Charles, out of the paint, faked the hand-off and had a clear path to the basket for an easy lay-up.
...of the shaded area. Open lane for Meesse pic.twitter.com/n7AppElC1r
— LVJ (@levijoshua) September 19, 2015
It was basically the same strategy in the go-ahead basket. Kara Lawson received the ball from Meesseman. Her defender went under Meesseman and she took advantage of the driving opportunity.
Mystics' go-ahead basket. Meesse hand-off to Lawson. Charles again forced to step out of paint. Good spacing for WSH pic.twitter.com/acwGDLS2r5
— LVJ (@levijoshua) September 19, 2015
Basket for Lawson. Open lane, Stokes and Charles' recovery late. pic.twitter.com/NHgNktKmJ6
— LVJ (@levijoshua) September 19, 2015
Thibault's help the helper technique is absolute brilliance
I did a breakdown about this in a separate article. CLICK HERE. Thibault used the weakside wing/elbow defender to cut off the pick and roll's roll man (Charles). The PnR ball handler (Prince) was funneled to both her defender and Charles' defender (Meesseman) while another Mystics big stayed underneath the rim constantly.
It allowed the Mystics to clog the lane, prevent Prince from getting a running start, and most of all, prevented the Liberty bigs from diving to the rim.
Tayler Hill -- and the Mystics bench -- delivered big time
Watch highlights from the Game 1 win in NYC! http://t.co/BbIafRBQFE #MysticsLiberty #Relentless pic.twitter.com/BmyffOlOhQ
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) September 19, 2015
I listed Hill as an X-Factor for this series for her ability to attack the rim and hit threes. She was relentless in Game 1, scoring 13 points and getting 8 free throw attempts as she got to the rim several times by beating her opponent off the dribble.
Overall, the Mystics bench outscored the Liberty bench, 33-6. We did not see Candice Wiggins or Kiah Stokes or Sugar Rodgers making impact, and they should step up to give the Liberty a chance to return to MSG.
Liberty players not named Charles and Prince must step up
Aside from Prince, Charles was the only other bright spot for the Liberty. She finished with 22 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists. Outside of her and Prince, the rest of the team shot 10-for-25.
Tanisha Wright wasn't a threat for the first three quarters until she decided to be aggressive by attacking the basket. Ditto with Swin Cash. If the Liberty wants to stay alive, the entire team must contribute.
Emma Meesseman continues to refine her game
Meesseman contributed 13 points and 10 rebounds in this game on 50 percent shooting. What I liked about her game is the face-up against Charles. She did not force it inside the paint, but instead took Charles one on one then beat her off the dribble.
At 22 years old, Meesseman continues to have terrific upside. There is no limit to what she can do in the league.
Playoff Latta showed up
— Washington Mystics (@WashMystics) September 19, 2015
Ivory Latta (13 points, 4-for-6 three-point field goals) delivered in the clutch with big shot after big shot. She is clearly the heart and soul of this squad, and when she gets efficient games like these, she's helping the team succeed.
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