Liberty star Breanna Stewart is close to putting the 2023 WNBA Finals loss behind her

Since the start of the regular season, Breanna Stewart had admitted that the 2023 playoffs were still on her mind – and that it would probably always be with her.

A year ago, the two-time MVP didn't look the same during the Liberty's first run to the WNBA Finals since 2002.

Against the Aces, she averaged just 16.3 points in the four-game series and shot 3 of 17 for just 11 points in the decider.

Since then, Stewart has vowed to make amends for the poor performance in the finals, saying she still needs to reach another offensive level in the tied 2-2 series against the Lynx, which forced a winner-take-all Game 5 at Barclays on Sunday Center after an 82-80 win in Game 4 on Friday night.

Still, it was an up and down series for Stewart.

She averaged 20 points in the Finals and scored 30 points in Game 3, but she shot just 25 percent from the field in the Liberty's two losses.

On Friday night, Stewart didn't score until three minutes into the second quarter and entered the fourth quarter with eight points and three personal fouls.

She finished Game 4 with 11 points and shot 5 of 21 from the field.

“I think I went a little too fast. I just had to slow down,” Stewart said Friday after the loss. “They send several people when I’m preparing a screen. Just a little more awareness on my part.”

Game 5 on Sunday will be a legacy for the Syracuse native, who came to New York hoping to bring her home state and the Liberty their first WNBA championship.

If Stewart comes up short again in the final game, it's not hard to imagine: If not now, then when?

Stewart is only under contract through the 2024 season, but said during the Finals that she will sign another one-year deal in the future.

She will likely receive a core designation from the Liberty again, meaning Stewart will only be allowed to talk, negotiate or sign with New York during the free agency period – no outside teams.

Stewart won two championships with Seattle in 2018 and 2020 while also winning both Finals MVP awards. She shot a career-best 53.8 percent in the 2020 playoffs, while this year she's just 39.1 percent from the field — slightly better than 2023's 35.8 percent.

“I think as a team we do a really, really good job of bouncing back after a loss and making sure everyone is on the same page going forward,” Stewart said. “There will be momentum shifts in a series in the playoffs. … Like (Liberty head coach) Sandy (Brondello) said in the locker room, we haven't won anything yet. We haven't lost anything yet. And we have the opportunity to do that on Sunday.”