The Liberty not only look the part of being the best team in the WNBA, they are stringing together what may end up being one of the best two-season runs in league history. It’s still a long way to go in this current campaign — the regular season continues until September 11— but after a resounding 95-67 win over the Golden State Valkyries at the Barclays Center on Tuesday night, the Liberty were 4-0 before they hosted Golden State again tonight in Brooklyn.
They are neck and neck with the 5-0 Minnesota Lynx, the squad they beat in last season’s finals. The Liberty are rolling in large part due to Natasha Cloud, a key offseason veteran addition. The 5-10 guard spent her first eight years in the WNBA with the Washington Mystics, winning a championship before moving on to the Phoenix Mercury last season. Last March, she was traded to the Connecticut Sun and then from the Sun to the Liberty.
Given the season-long absence of Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Cloud has been a tremendous addition. Laney, who has been a key component of the Liberty, joining the team in 2021, underwent surgery in late March to repair a meniscus injury in her left knee sustained playing in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league. The 33-year-old shooting guard has more than filled the void in head coach Sandy Brondello’s lineup, averaging 18.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 7.7 assists.
On Saturday, in a 90-88 road win over the Indiana Fever, Cloud had a stat line of 16 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Afterwards, her teammate, All-Star point guard Sabrina Ionescu complimented Cloud’s significant contributions.
“Everyone knows what she brings to this team and why she’s so valuable offensively and defensively, and she does it every single night,” said Ionescu.
While the win over the Fever wasn’t pretty, Ionescu observed it was a huge early season victory against the rising Fever, led by Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston, two of the best young players in the WNBA.
“On the road and a gritty win, I think it’s impressive,” said Ionescu. “Being able to see how we’re able to grind wins out, continue to stay together and win when it’s ugly. When you get to the end of the year, that’s kind of what it looks like.”
The Liberty will take on the Mystics tomorrow in Washington and play the Sun at the Barclays on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m.