Liberty rally around Breanna Stewart's leadership, as star starts Game 2 against Phoenix

It was there in the way Breanna Stewart strode confidently onto the court at introductions and eschewed concerns about the sprained MCL in her left knee. It was there in the way that Natasha Cloud spoke disdainfully about the idea of going to Phoenix for a deciding Game 3 against the Mercury. And it was there in the way the entire team seemed loose and jovial at the end of their morning workout at Barclays Center.

The Liberty was determined to bring their first-round playoff series against Phoenix to a quick end on Wednesday night in their building and in front of their crowd.

“We know that we stole one on the road [and] that's the biggest thing in any series,” Stewart said Wednesday morning of the team’s overtime victory in Sunday’s Game 1 of the best-of-three series. “Now we play in front of our fans . . . where we're going to thrive and be our best and finish this thing out.”

“For me, it's like there's no tomorrow,” Cloud said. “That's my mindset as I go into [it]: even if there is an opportunity for a Game 3, I don't want there to be a Game 3. . . . I do not want to go back to Phoenix.”

Stewart’s status for Wednesday night was the biggest concern hanging over the Liberty since she grabbed her knee after getting fouled on a drive, had to exit Sunday’s win during overtime and took a seat on the bench with a deeply troubled look.

Stewart’s MCL sprain was revealed in an MRI exam on Monday and though she was just an observer at  practice that afternoon, she was feeling better. With assurances from the team medical staff that there had been no structural damage putting her mind at ease, all that was left was to go full speed on Wednesday morning.

Asked if she was ready to play, Stewart replied, “I wanted to make sure I tried it in shootaround so barring anything crazy happening between now and [game time], that's my plan.”

Stewart was asked whether she had concerns about re-injuring the knee and replied, “With injuries, there’s probably always a chance, so I’m willing to take that because I want to be out with my team.”

Unlike the Liberty, the Mercury were actually facing elimination and as DeWanna Bonner described the mindset as “play desperate.”

“We had a chance to close [Game 1] at home so, of course, we feel confident going into Game 2,” she added.

Stewart had 18 points but her second-half defense on Alyssa Thomas was crucial in limiting Phoenix to 22 points in the third and fourth quarters. Asked if the Mercury would be looking to test her defensive mobility, coach Nate Tibbetts answered “probably.”

Certainly her presence on the floor in Game 2 should not be compared Willis Reed hobbling out of the tunnel for Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals, there is little doubt that Stewart’s determination to play was having a galvanizing impact on her teammates and solidifying their determination to end the series fast.

“What excuse are you going to make if we got a player playing on a sprained MCL?” Cloud said. “When that’s [a] leader, too — one of your vocal leaders, one of your leaders by example — you really just follow suit. So that toughness [is] going to come tonight.”

Stewart said the anguished look she wore on her face as her teammates closed out the Game 1 win was fear.

“What I felt in that moment scared me more than anything,” she said. And when the team returned to New York she added, “Everybody in my circle was kind of just holding their breath a little bit, just because the symptoms that I had and the way everything felt.”

“It’s always very indicating when players are upset, that they feel something,” Cloud said of seeing how distraught Stewart was when she came out of the game. “I know everyone really like focused in on that as a fan base, too. But Stewie is really tough. Sometimes the emotions of . . . the fear can sometimes get in the way of what's next. ‘What happens for me next?’ But I'm glad everything worked out for my 'dog' and for us ultimately, too.”

By Roger Rubin

roger.rubin@newsday.com@rogrubin

Roger Rubin returned to Newsday in 2018 to write about high schools, colleges and baseball following 20 years at the Daily News. A Baseball Hall of Fame voter since 2011, he has covered 13 MLB postseasons and 14 NCAA Final Fours.