As Breanna Stewart walked off the Barclays Center court for the final time this season, she looked out into the crowd and was overcome with emotion. 

“Just frustration,” Stewart said after experiencing her first 3-0 sweep in her career, “because I believe that, no matter what cards are dealt, you can always, like, I can always make something happen. And coming up short with the team really sucks.” 

Stewart wasn’t just frustrated that the Liberty fell short of their championship expectations. She’s frustrated because she knows how difficult it is to get there, how much has to go right and how rare it is to have a legitimate opportunity to make something special happen. 

This season, she believes the Liberty came close. But that doesn’t make accepting the season’s outcome — the wrong end of a semifinals sweep — any easier. 

“What I’m thinking about right now is just missed opportunity,” Stewart said. “We went to the Finals two years in a row and haven’t gone since, but it’s really hard to get to the Finals. It’s really hard to win a WNBA championship, and I feel like because we did it, we went there twice early on, it was almost like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be an every year thing.’ You guys know, this s–t isn’t easy.” 

Stewart finished third in MVP voting this season after averaging 20.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. She carried the Liberty throughout a turbulent season, missing only two of 44 games. She put the team on her back countless times. With a new coaching staff, she took on an even more vocal leadership role. 

Stewart, who earned her eighth All-Star selection, performed at a peak level all season. But another season of Stewart’s prime has ended without the Liberty accomplishing what she came to New York to do. She wanted to win championships and build a dynasty. 

After back-to-back seasons ending before the WNBA Finals, the Liberty have some serious decisions to make in order to better capitalize on this window. 

Entering Friday, with New York on the brink of elimination, all Stewart could think about was extending the Liberty’s season. If she could just will the Liberty to one more win, then New York would have another opportunity to potentially force the series back to Atlanta and the team’s championship hopes would stay alive. 

That didn’t happen. 

“All of us wanted more,” Rebecca Allen said. “All of us wanted to get to the Finals. So I mean, yes, obviously, I want more for Stewie, but I want more for myself. I want more for the girls — everyone in the locker room — [I] want more for the coaches as well, and I think it’s something that we had every potential of achieving.” 

Sue Bird used to tell Stewart all the time as teammates with Seattle, where they won two championships, to not take the moment for granted. Winning a championship is a privilege, not a guarantee. 

There’s so much that goes into getting there in the first place. It’s not just talent and chemistry; there’s luck, too. 

The Liberty will be contenders as long as Stewart is in New York. This offseason, though, could be an inflection point for the franchise. 

Stewart said she’ll “definitely” share her thoughts on the roster and team needs with general manager Jonathan Kolb. 

“Unless you’re in a rebuild, which we’re not, everybody should be in a win-now mindset,” Stewart said. “Selfishly, like, listen, I plan on playing for I don’t know however many more years. I have Olympics and World Cups that I want to win and stuff, but especially after being injured last season, I don’t take for granted a healthy season, and that’s what really pisses me off is — not that it was wasted — just like I couldn’t fulfill my full opportunity to make something spicy happen. Almost. Almost did.”