On the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, hosts Howard Megdal and Jackie Powell break down the New York Liberty‘s championship-winning performance in the WNBA finals. They dive into the chaos of the game, Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve’s feelings about the game’s officiating, and more.
Megdal starts the show by asking Powell to “start at the end,” having her explain what it was like to see the members of the New York Liberty — forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton in particular — celebrating after the game. “Well she was, I mean, glowing,” Powell says. “She was glowing with gratitude and joy, and she couldn’t stop talking about it meant for the team, it was for everyone, you know.”
Megdal and Powell also reflect on some of the powerful moments that made the win just so special for the Liberty. “Courtney Vandersloot came back and she was emotionally in a place to help this team,” Megdal mentions. “She was willing to come off the bench to win her team a championship.”
Later on, Megdal and Powell move onto one of the bigger controversies of the finals — the officiating. “I’m not sure there was any consistency to the officiating, and it affected different teams at different times over the course of this series,” Megdal says. “This has been a WNBA issue for a long time.”
Megdal and Powell close the show by reflecting on what a memorable journey the New York Liberty went on to win this championship. “I mean, the fact that even Ellie the Elephant is profiled in every major news publication,” Megdal mentions. “They did a lot to make this championship happen.”
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