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Stewart, Jones, Ionescu Combine for 60 as Liberty Knock Off Lynx



The No. 8 seed New York Liberty took the court on Tuesday night to face off with the No. 1 seed, Minnesota Lynx.

 Off the backs of strong performances from Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones, and Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty sent the top-ranked team in the WNBA playoffs packing with a two-game sweep, 87-71.

The upset capped one of the weirdest paths to the semifinals, maybe ever. It was surprising that New York was able to finish the season the way they did with a 26-18 record. Their regular season was marred by injuries and a lot of inconsistent play. 

On the other hand, Minnesota ended their season with a league-best record of 33-11. However, once the series between these teams arrived, it became hard to tell who was No.1 and who was No. 8.

Starting with Breanna Stewart, she had quite the last couple of games. Coming off her Game 1 performance, where she notched 34 points, 12 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks, Stewart once again proved to be a difference-maker for New York.

In Game 2, Stewart tallied equally impressive numbers, including 21 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.

A major positive for Stewart in Game 2, as opposed to Game 1, was her turnovers, or lack thereof. In Game 1, despite a magical game, she had a game-leading five turnovers. 

Fast forward to Tuesday, Stewart only managed to have two, a fairly steep drop-off heading in the right direction. 

However, her shooting took a minor step back as she just connected on six of her 16 shots, for 38%, as opposed to 11-for-18 in Game 1, for 61%. However, thankfully, while Stewart may not have scored a ton, she once again had a lot of help from the dominant Jonquel Jones and Sabrina Ionescu.

In Game 1, Jones had a rather quiet outing. She finished with eight points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal, and a block, to her credit. Jones took a giant leap forward and had a monstrous performance in Game 2, tallying 21 points, 13 rebounds, two assists, and a block. 

Jones also shot the ball extremely well and was excellent cleaning up the glass, tallying six offensive rebounds.

After having a game she'd probably like to forget in Game 1, Sabrina Ionescu got back on track in Game 2, picking up 18 points, four rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. Ionescu's seven assists were a game-best, and her three steals were tied for a game-best.

The Liberty also had the benefit of experience, with Stewart, Jones, and Ionescu all playing major roles on New York's 2024 championship team. They were at the center of the franchise's first title run, and again when the stakes rose this week.

The Liberty made history, becoming the first WNBA team ever to be ranked as a No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. This win saw the Liberty become the favorites to win the WNBA Championship this season. With this sweep, the Liberty are set to face either the Atlanta Dream or the Washington Mystics. 

Preseason opener in doubt for Nets' prized rookie



 The Brooklyn Nets open the preseason slate on October 6 at the Spectrum Center as they take on the Charlotte Hornets. 

They'll likely being doing so without number 6 overall pick from the 2026 NBA draft in Mikel Brown Jr. 

The Nets point guard tweaked his ankle this past week and is currently working his way back to full health as the team opens up training camp. 

Sean Marks and the training staff are notoriously conservative in ramping up injured players and getting back onto the court. The rookie will need to clear a number of benchmarks, despite the injury not being a serious concern in the bigger picture.  

Brown Jr. missed large portions of the Louisville Cardinals season during his freshman year with a lower back injury. His inability to stay on the court likely saw his draft stock take a hit and fall outside the top four and land in the Nets' lap. 

Beyond his health ailments, Brown Jr. has a high ceiling as a scorer and facilitator, while he generates enough gravity offball to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. 

In a physically and emotionally demanding league that runs an 82-game schedule, it will be intriguing to see whether the former Louisville standout has the durability to not just survive but thrive in the NBA. 

So, while Nets fans are chomping at the bit to see the flashy 19-year-old toe the hardwood, they may need to wait a bit longer for him to make his preseason debut. 

The Nets have a total of four preseason contests before gearing up for the October 21 opener with the Hornets at Barclays Center. 


Michael Porter Jr. doubles down on absurd prediction for upcoming season




 Leave it up to Michael Porter Jr. to make headlines. 

Earlier in the off-season, the Nets shooting forward raised a lot of eyebrows with his comments that the team would win 50 games.

 

Brooklyn went into tank mode in 2025-26 and won merely 20 games with the hopes of securing the top pick. 

The Nets dropped to the number 6 pick and selected Mikel Brown Jr. out of Louisville. 

While veterans Julius Randle, Mo Wagner and Porter Jr. will certainly help bring experience, it's absurd to think that Brooklyn will more than double its win total in a more competitive Eastern Conference. 

An unfiltered Porter Jr. is never shy to touch a number of topics, but now he's set the bar far too high for this young Nets squad. 

A realistic number of wins to shoot for would likely be around 40 and to hover around the .500 mark

Even that might be somewhat ambitious, given this young group that needs to learn to play together and develop chemistry. 

It's always great to have veteran leadership and high expectations, but it seems that Porter Jr is writing checks that his team probably can't cash. 


Nets face prospect of disastrous start to season




 One look up and down the Brooklyn Nets early season schedule and it's clear wins may be few and far between for Jordi Fernandez and crew. 


CBSSports.com

Brooklyn will be facing some Eastern Conference heavyweights in the early stretch, followed by a trip to the Lone Star State to round out a grueling 10 game opening schedule. 

Many pundits are expecting the Nets to be in the play-in hunt after tanking the 2025-26 season. 

Ironically, the Eastern Conference is stacked with playoff contenders, and the Nets will have an uphill climb to even crack the top eight teams. 

So while Nets fans are looking forward to a more competitive team, with proven veteran leadership, it may not necessarily translate to many more wins this year. 


About Damn Time Nets honor their history, roots in LI, NJ

 



Brooklyn, Brooklyn, Brooklyn! 


Hello, Brooklyn! 


That's all long-time Nets fans were force-fed when the franchise relocated to Brooklyn ahead of the 2012-13 season.

Founded as charter members of the ABA, the then-New Jersey Americans played their first season at the Teaneck Armory. 

The team then shifted to Long Island and played at three different arenas over eight seasons, playing in three ABA Finals, and winning two championships. 

 Julius Erving served as the poster child for those teams and the ABA. Overall, there were more than a few seminal moments in the franchise's history.




Upon the ABA- NBA merger, the Nets were forced to sell off Erving to offset merger fees and territorial rights fees paid to the Knicks. 

The team spent 35 total seasons in the Garden State, including qualifying for the 2002 and 2003 NBA Finals with Jason Kidd leading the charge.

So while there were more disappointment moments than proud ones to that point in time, upon the team's move to Brooklyn, it was being framed as the start of an entirely new franchise. 

"Established in 2012", was plastered all over the newly minted Brooklyn Nets merchandise. Former Chief Marketing Officer, Brett Yormark, held disdain for New Jersey lawmakers who made things difficult for the final few years in New Jersey, including a 2-year pit stop at the Prudential Center in Newark.   

Yormark's pettiness left a small, but loyal New Jersey Nets fan base in the dust. As soon as team's final game in New Jersey was complete, the staff grabbed all of the team's division, conference, NBA championship banners, along with retired numbers and were off and running to Brooklyn. 

The signature red, white, and blue banners were swapped out with the trendy black and white color scheme to match the Brooklyn branding. 

The Nets tried two failed big-3 eras, and are now left rebuilding and trying to grow the fan base in the shadow of the New York Knicks Championship after 14 years in Brooklyn. 

The Nets were left with no other choice than to go back to their roots and to honor their time in the ABA and in New Jersey. 

The team will be holding several theme nights to honor the different decades of the Nets franchise.

This is a long time coming and a special treat for Nets fans of all ages.

It's a crime that it took this long, but better late than never.  





Michael Porter Jr.'s latest controversial interview last straw for Nets



 The Brooklyn Nets have a problem on their hands.

He wears #17 for the Black and White, but the urgency to trade this player has nothing to do with his on-court performance. 

Michael Porter Jr. hasn't been shy in dabbling in a variety of controversial topics. 

Most recently, Porter publicized a sit-down interview with an adult film star that must have caused angst with the powers that be in Brooklyn. 

Many of the points of discussion are not kid nor family friendly, but a quick search of his media tour of interviews, and it won't take long to come across an eye-popping or mind-numbing discussion. 

The Nets public relations department, according to Porter Jr., has requested that he steer clear of certain polarizing topics that would attract negative attention to him and to the team for the wrong reasons.

For a brief time last year, he complied with those wishes.

All that went out the window this offseason with an unfiltered Porter Jr. openly discussing sensitive political, social and even sexual topics on several occasions. 

Brooklyn failed to reach an extension with the dead-end vet and his off-the-rails discourse is making it seem even more apparent that he'll likely be playing elsewhere as soon as February's trade deadline. 

Nets to hold free fan fest on Oct. 4




The Brooklyn Nets are making a concerted effort to honor their history and to reach out to their fans. That's what happens when you spend the better part of the last two seasons tanking.


 In fact, with the Knicks raising the Larry O'Brien trophy, the Nets of becoming afterthought in their own market.

 Now, not by choice, but by circumstance, the Nets are holding theme nights to honor their ABA Roots, two ABA Title teams, as well as legendary runs as the New Jersey Nets to the NBA finals. The franchise is taking it a step further by holding a Nets fest event that will be free for fans.


 



 



Now the question remains, will the Nets still hold their Practice in the Park event? 


For the time being, the team is doing damage control for a fan base that has been through the ringer the past few years. It will take a bit more than free merch and a pep really to get Brooklyn Nets fans truly excited. 

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