Sloppy Liberty stretch bringing questions as matchup with rival looms

LAS VEGAS — Think back to the early part of the WNBA season.

Those were better days for the Liberty, weren’t they? They had yet to lose a star player to injuries and were consistently dominating opponents.

Sandy Brondello’s squad opened the season with a franchise-best 9-0 record, and there was no question that the reigning champions were the WNBA’s best team.

The only competition that came close to the Liberty during that hot start was last year’s runners-up, the Lynx.