Pissed off Breanna Stewart vows to make up for ugly Liberty collapse

Breanna Stewart wants the smoke.She wants the responsibility of helping deliver a championship, which is why she was brought to New York in the first place.The two-time WNBA MVP and two-time league champion doesn’t need to be reminded that she was a key factor in the Liberty’s historic giveaway defeat in Game 1 of the Finals, missing a crucial free throw at the end of regulation and then a potential game-tying layup at the end of overtime for a staggering 95-93 loss on their home court to the Minnesota Lynx.Stewart and the top-seeded Liberty are staring now at what feels like a must-win in Game 2 on Sunday at Barclays Center before the best-of-five series shifts to Minnesota.“I’m pissed off about it,” Stewart said after practice Saturday in Brooklyn.

“But perspective is I want to be taking these shots.I think what really is kind of driving and motivating me is we have an opportunity to change it.

I have an opportunity to change it.“We’re addressing it, facing everything head on, and taking accountability from all actions.And that’s why we’re pros.

S–t happens, and now what are we gonna do?”The Liberty built an 18-point lead in the second quarter of Game 1, squandered all but two of that cushion, then led by 15 with five minutes to play.WNBA teams had been 183-0 in that scenario in postseason history, but the Lynx stormed back to grab an 84-83 lead on Courtney Williams’ converted four-point play with 5.1 seconds left in regulation.Stewart was fouled with under a second remaining and sank the first free throw for the tie before clanking the second to force overtime.She also missed all three of her field-goal attempts in the extra session, including a layup in traffic as time expired to finish the game 6-for-21 from the floor.All-Star guard Sabrina Ionescu also missed 18 of 26 attempts, and starting forward Betnijah Laney-Hamilton had another quiet game with five points on 2-for-7 shooting for the Liberty.“Look, Stewie didn’t lose the ...