New York Liberty Madeline Kenney Liberty staring down first dose of playoff adversity with little margin for error By Madeline Kenney Published Oct. 4, 2026, 10:34 p.m. ET Breanna Stewart #30 of the New York Liberty drives against Naz Hillmon #00 of the Atlanta Dream during the third quarter of game one of the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs at State Farm Arena. Getty Images ATLANTA — Jonquel Jones said the Liberty felt something “weird” — a sense they’re not used to experiencing — heading into Sunday’s Game 1 of their semifinal series.
“We had like … a little bit of like the jitters of this first semifinals, which we normally don’t have,” Jones admitted.
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Sunday’s 92-82 loss to the determined Atlanta Dream was a reality check.
The Liberty may have waltzed through the first round by beating the Minnesota Lynx by an average of 16 points. But the Dream are in a far different position.
