When the Liberty (0-1) host Indiana at 4 p.m. today in the Garden, it will be their home opener, and one of the first steps in a quest for their first WNBA title. But for Rebecca Lobo, it will be something more personal: her first home game in two years.

The 6-foot-4 Lobo played just three minutes in Thursday’s 68-59 season-opening loss in Miami, and won’t play major minutes today. But just having Lobo fight back from not one, but two torn ACLs has bolstered the Liberty’s loaded frontcourt and boosted their soaring morale.

“It’s great to have her back and see her smiling again. Not putting the ball in the basket, not rebounding, but seeing her happy again: That’s what matters to us,” said point guard and unofficial captain Teresa Weatherspoon, who’s convinced the Garden crowd will give Lobo a heartfelt reception.

“New Yorkers, they understand. The one thing they love more than anything is effort, and she’s definitely given an effort just to get back. To put those sneakers and that uniform on again, she had to give a tremendous effort.”

Lobo had torn her left ACL in the first minute of the 1999 season opener. Then, after undergoing surgery, she suffered a complete tear of the reconstructed ligament that Dec. 12.

Her rehab and journey back to health has been a slow, arduous process. She played just three minutes in Thursday’s loss, but Lobo, once the team’s star, has adjusted to the reality of coming off the bench, and everyone in the Liberty’s deep nine-player rotation has accepted their roles.

“That’s not a concern on this team. Everybody here understands we have one goal,” said Lobo, who took small, measured and often painful strides to get back on the court.

“To me it was a gradual process, things other people wouldn’t notice but that would make me feel good: landing, making a hard cut, making a quick move on the left leg. When I was able to get that first preseason game, [it] meant a lot to me. Humpty-Dumpty was all together, and I felt pretty good.”

The same can’t be said of her squad, which committed 20 turnovers Thursday, trailed by 13 in the first half and lost to a second-year club. Guard Vickie Johnson scored 20 points, but the Liberty struggled mightily against what was the WNBA’s top defense last year.

But playing an inexperienced Fever squad could be the cure for their scoring woes.