Jonquel Jones and the New York Liberty went by way of a shootaround on Tuesday morning forward of the WNBA’s Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game.
But as an alternative of going by way of the pregame routine contained in the pleasant confines of the Barclays Center, the Liberty warmed up at UBS Arena, the house of the New York Islanders.
While the Liberty have been a number of miles from their conventional house courtroom, there have been a number of indications all through the sector that the Liberty have been the designated house workforce. But Jones was not happy that the league determined to host the deciding recreation of the in-season match away from the Liberty’s house turf.
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“To me, it seems like a highway recreation,” the Liberty star stated. “Having to pack my [outfit] in a suitcase and all that stuff, get on a bus.” The Barclays Center was not out there to host Tuesday’s recreation as a consequence of a scheduling battle. The area is the positioning of Wednesday’s NBA Draft.
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The Liberty elected to remain within the Elmont, New York, space within the hours main as much as Tuesday evening’s recreation as an alternative of commuting again to Brooklyn.
Jonquel Jones is interviewed after the New York Liberty gained Game 3 of the WNBA Finals on Oct. 15, 2023, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City. (Mike Lawrence/NBAE by way of Getty Images)
Jones shared her emotions in regards to the state of affairs forward of the shootaround, saying she was “irritated” earlier than including that she was “slightly bit annoyed, particularly as a result of the Commissioner’s Cup schedule was robust.”
The Liberty earned “home-court benefit” after going 5-0 in video games that have been designated as Commissioner’s Cup matchups.
Jonquel Jones (David Dow/NBAE by way of Getty Images)
Jones stated the workforce pushed to earn the proper to play house video games.
“We needed to cement that home-court benefit, and we understood that the sport in opposition to [the Mystics] was massive due to that,” Jones stated. She additionally famous that she was disillusioned the league didn’t discover all avenues in an effort to maintain the sport at Barclays Center.
Jones’ teammate and two-time WNBA MVP, Breanna Stewart, additionally voiced frustration with the circumstances surrounding the title recreation.
“I feel we labored actually onerous for home-court benefit, and it might be good if our house courtroom was truly out there earlier than we select the date that the occasion was going to be,” Stewart stated.
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Jones was named the MVP of the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup.
The Minnesota Lynx led the Liberty with simply over two minutes remaining within the championship recreation.
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