There are the Liberty that were so tough last season.
The Liberty that are expected to be a superteam carrying title expectations for the second straight year.
The Liberty that they expect of themselves.
That version of the Liberty that had troublingly gone missing early this season.
The Liberty entered Wednesday in the midst of something they hadn’t experienced as a group since much of the superteam was assembled last year — a losing streak.
Back-to-back losses, to the Sky and Lynx, marked the first time the Liberty had lost two consecutive regular-season games since they lost two straight on Aug. 6 and 8, 2022.
Sabrina Ionescu had no interest in adding a third loss to the skid. And her energy was contagious, as the Liberty (5-2) beat the Mercury, 81-78, Wednesday night at Barclays Center.
It didn’t come easily, however.
The Liberty took it on the chin and wobbled.
Using a 23-11 run, the Mercury pulled within one in the final minute of the second quarter and then took a 59-58 lead — their first since a 6-5 advantage with 7:24 left in the first quarter — with 1:03 left in the third quarter.
The Liberty then quickly found themselves down, 65-60, with 7:52 left in the game.
But that’s the beauty of a superteam — there are so many different options at its disposal, and it was too much for the Mercury.
Liberty’s win. Noah K. Murray-NY Post
While Ionescu paced the Liberty early, it was Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton who closed down the stretch.
The Liberty responded with an emphatic 9-0 run to take a 69-65 lead with 5:17 left in the game. Then they stumbled again, down 74-71 with just over two minutes left.
But there was Jones again, and then there was Courtney Vandersloot with a steal and foul, hitting one of two free throws to tie the game at 74 apiece. Jones was fouled and hit two free throws, and Laney-Hamilton iced the game with a contested jumper to give the Liberty a 78-74 lead with 31 seconds left.
After being on the ropes, a historic two-game skid went no further.
Fired up from the opening whistle, Ionescu helped spark what was a chippy affair. She even earned a technical foul with 1:18 left in the first quarter after hitting a jumper and unleashing an animated first-pump and a few choice words for her opponent.
No bother — Ionescu subsequently drilled a 3-pointer the following possession.
Such was the way her night was going. She finished with a game-high 22 points and nine assists.
Head coach Sandy Brondello defended her team’s 3-point ability before the game despite entering Wednesday shooting just 30.4 percent from behind the arc — second-to-last in the league. In fact, Brondello wanted her team to shoot even more of them.
The Liberty responded by shooting a red-hot 42.1 percent from behind the arc in the first half before coming back down to earth in the second half.
Their early shooting helped build their original lead. Trailing 6-5 midway through the first quarter, Jones, Ionescu and Betnijah Laney-Hamilton drilled 3-pointers on three straight possessions to give the Liberty a 14-6 lead.
A Laney-Hamilton midrange jumper and another Jones 3-pointer later, and the Liberty had a 19-6 lead via a 14-0 run. The Liberty finished the first quarter on a 28-14 run, and led, 36-21, with 8:10 left in the second quarter before the Mercury punched back.
Jones finished with 20 points and Laney-Hamilton chipped in 15.
Kahleah Copper, who entered Wednesday averaging 25.5 points per game, which was tied for second-most in the league, struggled early and finished with 20 points for the Mercury.
Natasha Cloud added 19.
It was far from perfect, but the Liberty are back on track.