NEW YORK -- The crowd at Madison Square Garden was loud -- deafening even. Close to 10,000 people on their feet, screaming for Liberty star Tina Charles after her layup gave New York a three-point lead with 27 seconds to play against the Washington Mystics.
A lesser team, on the road and against the top team in the WNBA, might have folded at that point.
But if we learned anything about the Mystics on Friday night, it's that they're pretty comfortable at Madison Square Garden.
Washington forced overtime thanks to an Ivory Latta 3-pointer with 27 seconds left in regulation and then made all of the key plays in the two extra sessions to earn an 86-83 double-overtime win in Game 1 of the best-of-three playoff series.
"I think a lot of players like the bright lights and playing on a stage like this, but some have a tough time with it," Mystics coach Mike Thibault said. "Our players have embraced it this year."
Have they ever.
The Mystics improved to 4-1 this season against the Liberty with Friday's win. They have a chance to knock top-seeded New York out of the playoffs on Sunday at home.
The way things are going, though, the Mystics might be better off playing the game at the Garden. They are 3-0 when playing in New York this season.
"This is going to sound weird, but we haven't been intimidated by playing here because we had some success here earlier in the year and I think that probably helped us," Thibault said.
The Mystics' comfort level at the Garden was evident late in Game 1. The Liberty, on the other hand, looked a little tight and a little tired late in the game.
It's fair to wonder if Bill Laimbeer, the WNBA Coach of the Year, played his stars too many minutes on Friday.
Tina Charles (45:19), Epiphanny Prince (44:09) and Tanisha Wright (41:24) all set season highs in minutes in Game 1. The minutes seemed to catch up with Prince (26 points) and Charles (22), who combined to shoot 2-for-11 in the two overtimes.
New York as a team shot 28 percent in the extra sessions. Washington, on the other hand, seemed fresh late in the game.
It's no coincidence that none of the Mystics were on the floor for more than 37 minutes.
Washington also had a more balanced attack on Friday night. The Mystics got 33 points off the bench; Liberty reserves scored just six.
"We're kind of different from any team in the league," veteran Kara Lawson said of the Mystics' superstar-less approach. "It's really collective."
Liberty fans are now holding their collective breath that this season -- one that seemed filled with so much promise -- doesn't end prematurely.
New York found itself at the center of controversy at the beginning of the season when owner James Dolan hired Isiah Thomas as team president. The move drew widespread backlash because of Thomas' role as a defendant in a sexual harassment case when he was team president of the New York Knicks in 2007.
None of the negative attention impacted New York on the court, though. The club finished with a franchise-record 23 wins and earned home-court advantage throughout the playoffs for the first time in team history.
In 2½ hours on Friday night, any home-court advantage the Liberty had was lost.
"Now we've got to go win on the road," an exasperated Laimbeer said after the game. "We've been the best road team in the league. Now we've just got to go out and show it."