The playoffs in any sport are about either two things players stepping up and giving it their all and having just the right amount fortune on your side, last night the N.Y. Liberty had both and it has advanced them to the WNBA Eastern Conference Finals.
I blogged earlier in my preview of the game that it would be the front-court from the Liberty and the Fever that would be the X-Factor in determining who which team got the W. I also stated Center Kia Vaughn hadn’t given NY a boost off the bench yet this season and that in a win or go home game anything could happen. Simply put- the New York Liberty beat the Indiana Fever because Kia happened. I got a chance to speak with Kia’s College coach at Rutger’s University, Vivian Stringer after the game, she also wrote in her blog that Kia Vaughn would be the X-Factor for NY.
Kia Vaughn stepped up big making critical free throws down the stretch
Because of a freak inicident during shoot-around that sidelined starting center Janel McCarville center Kia Vaughn played more minutes than she had all season. The energy, fight, passion and the need to prove herself was displayed all over the court. She was instrumental in doing the little things-blocking shots, rebounding and the big things-hitting clutch free throws and finishing around the basket. She was the X-Factor in tonight’s game and the biggest reason for the Liberty’s win..
I’ll be continuing my coverage from of the Eastern Conference Finals in Atlanta next week so stay tuned.
I was able to get a few impromptu interviews after the game. Find out what her former coach Vivian Stringer, current coach Anne Donovan and teammate Cappie Pondexter had to say about her.