The New York Liberty experienced a rare setback this past Saturday in Indiana, enduring their first loss since Game 4 of the WNBA Finals on October 18, a defeat that halted their franchise-record nine-game winning streak to start the season. Following this unexpected loss, Coach Sandy Brondello emphasized the importance of her team's response, stating, "I love this because we’re coming off a loss: How do we respond?”

The stage for their response was set during Tuesday night's crucial Commissioner's Cup contest against the Atlanta Dream at Barclays Center. To secure their spot as the Eastern Conference representative in the July 1 championship game, where they had lost to Minnesota in the previous season's final, the Liberty needed a victory over Atlanta and a simultaneous loss by Indiana at home against Connecticut. The stakes were high as the Liberty sought to rebound from their recent stumble.

The game against the improved Atlanta Dream proved to be a challenging test. The Liberty found themselves in an unfamiliar position, trailing by a significant 17 points with just under four minutes remaining in the third quarter, at 64-47. This deficit marked the largest New York had faced all season. Atlanta had established a 43-40 lead at halftime, propelled by a 21-7 run in the third quarter, with rookie Te-Hina Paopao contributing significantly with 16 points and four three-pointers in the first half.

Despite the daunting deficit, the Liberty showcased remarkable resilience, orchestrating a dramatic comeback. A "mentality shift," as described by Nyara Sabally, ignited their efforts. Sabrina Ionescu, who matched a season high with 34 points and achieved her first back-to-back 30-point games in her WNBA career, was instrumental. She scored nine points during a 13-4 run that cut Atlanta's lead to 68-60 by the end of the third quarter. Breanna Stewart, who finished with 23 points, also played a pivotal role, particularly in the fourth quarter.

The Liberty continued their surge into the final quarter with an 11-4 run, narrowing the gap to just one point at 72-71. Natasha Cloud’s crucial three-point play tied the game at 76 with 3:56 left. Although Allisha Gray, who finished with 14 points, briefly regained the lead for Atlanta with a three-pointer, Jonquel Jones, returning from an ankle issue to contribute 10 points and 10 rebounds, immediately answered with a three of her own to even the score. Stewart then hit a layup, giving the Liberty an 81-79 lead with 1:56 remaining, and followed with another decisive drive.

The game's closing moments were tense. After an Atlanta turnover, Stewart scored again from close range, extending the lead. Though Brionna Jones cut the deficit to 83-81 with an offensive rebound, the Liberty managed to hold on. Rhyne Howard, who scored 13 points, missed a crucial step-back three with 6.8 seconds left that could have tied the game. Ionescu sealed the 86-81 victory by making three of her final four free throws in the last 13.4 seconds, bringing the Liberty's season record to 10-1. Ionescu credited the comeback to the team simply "waking up" and noted their ability to "stay together, dug really deep and just figured it out on the fly.”

While the Liberty secured a hard-fought victory, their Commissioner's Cup aspirations were unfortunately dashed. Despite finishing with an impressive 4-1 record in Cup play, the Indiana Fever also posted a 4-1 record and clinched the championship game spot by virtue of their head-to-head win against the Liberty on Saturday. “Obviously, that’s a disappointment,” Nyara Sabally acknowledged, adding, “That was a goal of ours that we wanted to hit. But it is what it is. We lost one game. It was a very important game. Now the focus is on the other big chip. So we’re fine with that.” The New York Liberty have now won eight of their last nine meetings against the Atlanta Dream.