The New York Liberty eliminated the Atlanta Dream from the WNBA playoffs in short order.
Well-known New York Knicks superfan Spike Lee was on hand Tuesday night to watch New York’s WNBA team advance to the semifinals.
At one point in the third quarter, Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu high-fived the famous filmmaker, who was sitting courtside for the game.
Ionescu later joked about her interaction with Lee.
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New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates during a timeout against the Atlanta Dream during Game 1 of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Sept. 22, 2024. (Wendell Cruz/Imagn Images)
“Spike Lee gave me a high-five as I was going to take the ball out of bounds,” Ionescu said with a laugh. “And I felt like New York was just like injected into my veins.”
New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu (20) celebrates during a timeout against the Atlanta Dream during Game 1 of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y., Sept. 22, 2024. (Wendell Cruz/Imagn Images)
“At that moment, I was like, ‘We’re winning this.'”
Ionescu tied a franchise playoff record with 36 points, and the Liberty beat the Dream 91-82 Tuesday night. Jonquel Jones added 20 points and 13 rebounds for the Liberty.
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The Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces swept their first-round opponents and will meet Sunday in a semifinal showdown. New York has been on a mission all season to get back to the finals and win the franchise’s first WNBA championship.
Spike Lee poses for a picture during a game between the Atlanta Dream and the New York Liberty during Game 2 of the first round of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs Sept. 24, 2024, in Brooklyn, N.Y. (David L. Nemec/NBAE via Getty Images)
To accomplish that goal, they’ll have to beat the two-time defending champion Aces. They’ll meet in a semifinals best-of-five series that begins in New York Sunday.
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“They’ve been the best team all year. They played like a team … with an edge,” Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon said. “And we’ve worked our way there. I feel like we got our edge back probably in the last three to four weeks. I don’t think we’re the same team that New York has seen.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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