New York Liberty superstar Sabrina Ionescu said that the Indiana Fever playing her team was “their Super Bowl game,” but it didn’t come across nearly as patronizing as it reads when you watch the video.
After the Fever earned a stunning victory on Saturday over the Liberty, the team with the best record in the WNBA, Ionescu talked to reporters about why she felt Indiana had given them such a strong push to get the win.
To Ionescu, the Liberty lacked the urgency on Saturday afternoon needed to take on a rising squad like the Fever.
“Understanding, like… this is their Super Bowl game,” Ionescu said, per Winsidr reporter Myles Ehrlich. “We’ve beaten them three times this year already. We knew they were going to come into this game really hungry, and it’s tough to beat a team four times. Like, it’s just tough in our league, especially with how every team has just grown, and especially this young team.”
Here’s the video for a full context of the quote. I personally think Sab’s tone shows this wasn’t intended as a slight, but that’s just my takeaway. In live-tweeting, it’s not always easy to convey the entire scope of an answer. https://t.co/PTKg7nMt0T pic.twitter.com/FKXuA98e3d
— Myles (@MylesEhrlich) July 6, 2024
It’s fair to argue exactly what context Ionescu meant with that comment, as it comes across with an assumption that defeating a team like the Liberty could well be the high point of the Fever season.
Whether or not you find that to be insulting to Indiana or just an understandable filter for a league-leading team like the Liberty to have when playing a lesser opponent is fair game.
Perhaps this really was just an innocent slip of the tongue for how New York viewed Indiana’s intention going into Saturday’s contest. It just doesn’t come across as mean-spirited on the replay in any way.
Ionescu doesn’t seem to be anything but realistic with her team’s disappointing outcome and how the Fever might’ve had an extra chip on the shoulder to get the win after three losses to New York. She went on to praise Indiana’s growth throughout the season from their first meetings, which does show she has respect for the team and how far they’ve come.
This doesn’t seem to be nearly as big of a deal as it reads.
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