Will New York Liberty star Jonquel Jones’ WNBA Finals dominance lead to a title? | ET REALITY

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NEW YORK – Jonquel Jones was the last of the New York Liberty’s five starters to approach the bench with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter. As he walked toward coach Sandy Brondello, he applauded the crowd of 17,143, returning the favor to those at Barclays Center who waved their white towels with joy during Game 3. Jones shared a brief hug with Brondello, then exchanged high fives. with the Liberty assistants as he walked down the sideline. On the baseline, Jones shared a hug with guards Courtney Vandersloot and Betnijah Laney. His night was over. He scored a team-high 27 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field.

Yolett McPhee-McCuin watched it all happen, in the lower bowl of the Barclays Center. McPhee-McCuin, a Bahamian who is trying to create a coaching model, is now the head coach at Ole Miss. But for Jones, who also grew up in the Bahamas, McPhee-McCuin isn’t just a college coach. “Coach Yo is family,” Jones said. “He knew Coach Yo before he was here.”

Here are the bowels of the Barclays Center, walking down a hallway just minutes away from an effort that Jones calls one of the best of his career. She is after Game 3 of the 2023 WNBA Finals. She is with a new team, in a new city and in an environment that has welcomed her. In addition to her score, Jones grabbed eight rebounds, avoiding elimination to extend New York’s season with an 87-73 victory over the Las Vegas Aces. “This is the most aggressive I’ve ever seen her,” McPhee-McCuin said. “I’m just very proud of Jonquel.”

Jones was one of New York’s three high-profile offseason acquisitions, coming to the franchise as part of a blockbuster trade with the Connecticut Sun. At times during Liberty’s preseason training camp, Jones spent more time on the sideline than on the court. Jones and Liberty were cautious while he recovered from a stress reaction in his left foot that he said he suffered during last year’s WNBA Finals. Brondello emphasized patience, and Jones acknowledged that she wasn’t feeling like herself.

Those days, however, are months in the past. Although it took Jones 10 games to achieve his first double-double this season, he is now surprised that he doesn’t do it. The 6-foot-6 center had recorded a WNBA-record eight consecutive postseason games with at least 10 points and 10 rebounds before finishing within two boards of Sunday.

“It’s okay,” he said sheepishly about the end of his streak.

He had other reasons to celebrate.

Jones has become New York’s defensive anchor, helping lead a unit that was No. 2 in defensive rating during the second half of the regular season. After Game 3, Brondello applauded his bigs’ ability to block shots (Jones scored three on Sunday, including one on Kelsey Plum late in the third quarter that drew one of the loudest applauses of the night) and at the same time changed the opponents’ shots on shots he could. Do not make contact with. Jones changed the Aces’ guards, also limiting his effectiveness. Plum, Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young combined for 48 points for the Aces, up from 72 in Game 1 and 61 in Game 2.

On offense, Jones has been New York’s most consistent player and a force on the offensive glass, whether the Liberty click or not. He can stretch the defense, too: a first-quarter 3-pointer with just over three minutes left in the period saw Liberty Ring of Honor member Sue Wicks rise to her feet in delight from her courtside seat.

It took time for Jones to find his role at Liberty. However, Sunday served as a reminder, if anyone still needed it, of just how dominant the 2021 WNBA MVP could be.

McPhee-McCuin wasn’t surprised at all. She was proud to see Jones’ effort. “She’s a good person,” McPhee-McCuin said. “This was a great opportunity for her to step up and say, ‘No, this is my moment.’”

Jones said McPhee-McCuin’s father, Gladstone “Moon” McPhee, “taught me everything I know about basketball.” The two still keep in touch. Fifteen minutes after Jones received his final applause from the crowd of thousands, he emerged from an arena tunnel toward the track where he had starred. He saw McPhee-McCuin and they posed for photos together, enjoying the moment.

“I really believe in Jonquel and I know she really wants this,” McPhee-McCuin said.

Jones’ current coach feels the same way.

“She’s a superstar, this girl. She is amazing. “She is very humble,” Brondello said. “We wouldn’t be here without JJ.”

The challenge, now, for Liberty is how to maintain its season and return the series to Las Vegas. The Aces still lead 2-1. Jones’ defensive presence will once again be key inside, but New York will need forward Breanna Stewart to replicate her double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. The performance of Sabrina Ionescu, Vandersloot and Laney on Wednesday in Game 4 will also be critical in determining the Liberty’s fate.

Jones knows she also needs to match Sunday’s effort. By the third game, she was feeling energized and didn’t “want to let the moment pass.” Feeding off the energy of the crowd, she was relentless and imposing. Jones’ final adjustment of the night might have occurred at the Liberty’s postseason press conference. Initially, Jones was seated on the media stand to the left of Brondello. But when Stewart and his daughter Ruby walked in, Jones slid across two seats. The trio answered questions while Ruby played on the steps leading to the stage. Perhaps Ruby was on Jones’ mind when she reflected on her own journey.

“To be honest, (Coach Yo) has probably known me since I was Ruby’s size,” Jones said.

A lot has changed since the two met, and Jones showed why she is one of the best players in the league.

“That’s the level I’m going to have to play at and maintain it,” Jones said. “I felt great tonight.”

(Photo by Jonquel Jones, left, and Kelsey Plum: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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