BROOKLYN TO PARIS: Liberty’s Olympians see mixed results in quarterfinals

Marine Johannès is one of the world’s most entertaining athletes, the embodiment of the perennial Bruce Lee “be like water” quote: “Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way around or through it. If nothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclose themselves.”

And yeah, the quote was over-recycled even before it became the bulk of Lee’s legacy to a soundbite-sized media landscape, and Lee was discussing mental fortitude rather than physical ability anyway, but it’s still the clearest way to describe Johannès’ game. Listed at an obviously false 5’10” and 134 pounds, she flows through cracks and around obstacles with a grace that is only matched by her flair.

I don’t mean ‘flair’ in the LeBron James way. When he’s already embarrassing you and then starts spinning the ball in his hands before shooting or pulls out a windmill dunk on a fast-break or takes a couple left-handed floaters or starts looking away when passing the ball or whatever. He can Do Anything, and he, like every great athlete, is an asshole sometimes. I love him for it.

The way Marine Johannès plays is the only way she can play. There are times when a bounce pass may get the job done but she reaches behind her head for a sling-shot type dish that’s become one of her trademarks...

Occasionally, it results in a turnover that could’ve been avoided with a “simpler” decision; occasionally she makes her own shot attempt more difficult by fading away or jumping off one leg when a jump-stop and pump-fake would have worked, or something.

But her game is her game, and it’s allowed to take over the opening half of the WNBA Finals with 14 points by raining down threes over longer, more athletic defenders that would’ve been able to block any other like-sized guard who isn’t Marine Johannès...

Coaches, parents, hide her film from your young hoopers. You can shoot off one leg and throw over-the-head passes at the rec, but when it hits the fan and you’re playing the best competition possible your instincts will fight like hell against all of that.

Unless you are Marine Johannès, a small, skinny, soft-spoken hooper who plays like she watched Jason ‘White Chocolate’ Williams’ performance at NBA All-Star Weekend in 2000 and then cut out her amygdala.

Marine Johannès is not playing for the New York Liberty in 2024. There are conflicting reports about whether she’s affected by the W’s prioritization rules or her commitment to Team France in this Olympic cycle, but the bottom line is that she has not and likely will not join New York this season.

The Liberty have been okay without her. For all of Johannès’ greatness, she was not overly productive off their bench in 2023, a bench that is much improved in 2024. With Sabrina Ionescu playing more point, New York plays a bunch of athletic wings and forwards off the bench, and it’s been a blast.

Two of those key reserves are Nyara Sabally and Leonie Fiebich, two Germans helping their national squad make an Olympic debut. And Team Germany, despite injury scares to Sabally and Fiebich, emerged from the group stage, and were rewarded with a Wednesday matchup against host country France, led by who else but Marine Johannès?

Sabally struggled mightily from the floor, but was a different level of athlete against a smaller French front-court, and put up a monster 20-and-13 double-double behind 14 made free-throws. Fiebich put up 9/3/3 in one of her quieter statistical performances of the tournament, but played 38 minutes while frequently matched up with Johannès on the other end. Tough assignment.

The dazzling French guard led all scorers with 24 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 5-of-10 from deep. She didn’t have an assist. She had one turnover. Becky Hammon’s comments from a 2023 regular-season game against the Liberty came to mind after watching this one: “She’s like a little assassin, a sniper that comes in, bang bang. Then she’s out before you even see her.”

Because of a brutal combination of draconian copyright enforcement from NBC and the Olympic Committee as well as general incompetence, it is tough to dig up highlights from the Germany-France matchup, even Johannès’ brilliance. Here’s a taste...

Johannès led France to a semi-comfortable 84-71 win over Germany, who represented themselves well in their first Olympic appearance. The French will take on Belgium in the semifinals, another chance to catch one of the most exciting players in the world do her thing.

Next season, she should be back in New York, now playing for a Turkish club whose season ends before WNBA training camp. Johannès was asked about her plans to join the Liberty next season after Wednesday’s contest, to which she said, “I hope so.”

We hope so too.

On the other side of the bracket, it will be an All-Liberty showdown in the semis.

Team USA cruised past Nigeria, never trailing in their quarterfinal win, though the green-and-white often gave the heavy favorites some pause. Nigeria shaved the lead down to six midway through the second quarter, making Team USA a bit uncomfortable with constant ball-pressure, but that’s when Breanna Stewart stepped up.

A spot-up 3-pointer and a transition layup were in the middle of a big run that pushed the Americans’ lead to 19 by halftime, and from there it never got within single-digits again. Stewart finished with another clean game, 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including 2-of-3 from deep...

Though a pair of Las Vegas Aces in A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young led the way with 20 and 15, respectively, Sabrina Ionescu was able to get on the board late in the contest, hitting a pair of freebies. She only played six minutes, her fewest of the tournament so far, though all dozen players saw the court on Wednesday, and all scored at least one point.

It was a total team win through-and-through for the Stars and Stripes, 88-74, and now they advance to face Sandy Brondello and Team Australia in the semifinals.

Liberty Head Coach Brondello saw her Australian side avenge the men’s loss to Serbia on Tuesday by cruising to an 85-67 victory, in which, like Team USA and France, they won each of the first three quarters. The Opals had four double-digit scorers, led by 22 points from Minnesota Lynx standout Alanna Smith.

Now, Brondello faces her toughest test yet against a stacked American side featuring two of her New York Libs. However, Stewart, Ionescu, and company have their work cut out for them as well. Team Australia boasts a starting five complete with WNBA talent, and sixth player Cayla George, who helped kill the Liberty’s title hopes in 2023 for the Aces, came off the bench on Wednesday to score 18 points.

The women’s basketball tournament continues on Friday, with USA-Australia tipping at 11:30 a.m. ET, and France-Belgium tipping at 3:00 p.m. ET.