2024 WNBA Finals Game 3 Observations

Game 3 of the WNBA Finals is in the books, and New York won 80-77.  After Minnesota got off to a big lead, New York came back in a massive comeback (like Minnesota in the prior games), ending with a massive shot by Sabrina Ionescu.

 

Sabrina Ionescu’s late shot was so impressive

I think it is obvious that Ionescu’s impressive step-back deep 3 was an exciting shot and was amazing.  What was even more wild is that Ionescu was quiet for most of the game and only took 12 shots throughout the game.  On top of that, she just missed a shot that looked like it was falling in prior to that as well (off of a really impressive job by Breanna Stewart of getting around a trap at midcourt).  I know that people say that the best shooters have amnesia after missing, but to do that at the end of game is extremely impressive.

 

Alanna Smith’s injury is a game changer

Smith had an amazing Game 2 where she was efficient from the field and limited Jones.  In this game, she got into some foul trouble, but then got hurt.  Minnesota seemed totally limited defensively in the paint after Smith was hurt.  On top of that, once she came back into the game (she shouldn’t have even been out there, but I digress), she was targeted and couldn’t hit shots since she couldn’t jump as high.  Her health could dictate the outcome of Game 4.

 

New York missed an opportunity by not involving Jonquel Jones more

When Alanna Smith got hurt, it opened an opportunity for Jones to exploit any and all mismatches in the paint with Jones…but they didn’t.  There were times when she didn’t even try to get good position in the paint against a smaller team, which was shocking.  While Breanna Stewart had a very good game and the scoring load was balanced, Jones could have had easy looks that could have made it easier for New York, something that the team failed in not exploiting.

 

Breanna Stewart had a great game…and that was far from her best

Stewart finally had a breakout game this series on offense after mainly playing amazing defense on Napheesa Collier all series (she also played excellent defense this game, especially at the start of it).  She was making so many right plays (including the one I referred to earlier with getting out of a trap) and let her shot come to her without forcing opportunities, but she missed several good looks.  She only went 9-20 (which isn’t efficient for her) and missed about 4-5 looks that I said were great looks when she took them.  None of this is to take away from how amazing her game was; rather, it’s to emphasize just how talented she is, as she is one of the best players in the game right now.

 

Minnesota had so many risky steal attempts, but they were largely successful

While a lot of people discuss how many steals Minnesota, many of their steals are risky attempts.  In particular, I wrote down on 4 different occasions out of their 12 steals that they were really risky attempts; if any of them had not been successful, New York would have had easy baskets.  I am surprised that there haven’t been more situations that didn’t work.  People play the results, but we should acknowledge that there is a risk as well.

 

Watching how each team has handle Minnesota’s switches is really interesting

Minnesota switches on defense frequently, which is fine in a lot of ways.  The catch against New York is that Courtney Williams is a lot smaller than most of New York’s starters, especially Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart.  There were two that I found really interesting.  In the second quarter, New York set a screen that looked like it would result in a situation where Kayla McBride would be on Jones, which isn’t as ideal as having another player switched onto her.  What they did instead was enter Bridget Carleton into the switch off the player who was stationary in the corner, so then they did a three-player switch that resulted in Carleton on Jones instead, which took away an easier basket for New York.  Later, after Alanna Smith was hurt, Minnesota got stuck on a switch with Smith on Stewart, which was almost immediately a basket for New York.  I thought involving an additional player to switch would have been great, though it was tougher in that situation without many other players available.

 

The ball movement continues to dictate Minnesota’s offense

Minnesota is at their best when they are moving the ball around and using motion to create the best look possible.  The issue is that there are times where Courtney Williams or Kayla McBride are determined to hold onto the ball for the entire shot clock and then try to make the shot themselves.  In Game 3, Williams had a poor game shooting and McBride ran out of steam, so it just made it worse.  It just makes it even more painful when they are such a good offensive team.

 

I think Betnijah Laney-Hamilton looked a bit tired

After an amazing Game 2, it’s not surprising to see Laney-Hamilton not be as dominant.  That said, I have a genuine question:  did you even notice that she was out there for any of the game?  She was a non-factor on defense and often looked beat on that end.  On top of that, she only went 1-3, and I was surprised she even hit 1 shot.  I was worried about how she would do after ramping up her minutes, so I’m not shocked by this.

 

Minnesota appeared to run out of steam

In the first two games, New York appeared to get complacent and unfocused.  Minnesota appeared to get a little tired.  They had a lot of shots that were front rimming and other shots that were makeable that missed, especially with McBride and Collier from 2 later in the game.  In particular, the two of them played a combined 79 minutes, so exhaustion is something to continue to watch.

 

I’m sick of these big leads and comebacks

Simply put, I would rather just have a close game throughout; even if it were a blowout throughout, I’d be fine with that.  This is an emotional roller coaster and is too much.

 

 

What did you think about this game?  Let me know in the comments!