WNBA playoffs: Aces take care of business and now a semifinal rematch against Liberty is on deck
The Las Vegas Aces Last year, the two.
and the New York teams met in the.
Liberty are poised for WNBA Finals as Las.
a rematch. Last year, the Vegas won its second.
two teams met in straight championship, topping New.
the WNBA Finals as York 3-1 in the.
Las Vegas won its series. This season, their.
second straight championship, topping face-off comes in the.
New York 3-1 in second round after the.
the series. This season, No. 1 Liberty swept.
their face-off comes in the No. 8 Dream,.
the second round after and the No. 4.
the No. 1 Liberty Aces did the same.
swept the No. 8 to the No. 5.
Dream, and the No. Storm in an 83-76.
4 Aces did the Game 2 victory Tuesday.
same to the No. night. It comes at.
5 Storm in an a different time in.
83-76 Game 2 victory the playoffs, but the.
Tuesday night. It comes at Aces expect the same.
a different time in intensity and an even.
the playoffs, but the better Liberty squad. “New.
Aces expect the same York is a lot.
intensity and an even better than last year,”.
better Liberty squad. “New York Kelsey Plum said. “Just.
is a lot better plain and simple. They’re.
than last year,” Kelsey bigger. They’ve shot the.
Plum said. “Just plain ball at a better.
and simple. They’re bigger. clip. Pound for pound,.
They’ve shot the ball individually, if you go.
at a better clip. down the line, all.
Pound for pound, individually, of them are better.
if you go down players. They’ve also beat.
the line, all of Las Vegas three times.
them are better players. They’ve this season. “They’ve played.
also beat Las Vegas like a team pissed.
three times this season. “They’ve off,” Las Vegas coach.
played like a team Becky Hammon said of.
pissed off,” Las Vegas the 32-8 Liberty. “They’ve.
coach Becky Hammon said played with an edge..
of the 32-8 Liberty. And we’ve worked our.
“They’ve played with an way there. I feel.
edge. And we’ve worked like we’ve gotten our.
our way there. I edge back in the.
feel like we’ve gotten last three to four.
our edge back in weeks.” Despite an up-and-down.
the last three to season, the defending champion.
four weeks.” Despite an up-and-down Aces like where they.
season, the defending champion are at. After earning.
Aces like where they No. 1 seeds in.
are at. After earning both 2022 and 2023,.
No. 1 seeds in Las Vegas has a.
both 2022 and 2023, more challenging road to.
Las Vegas has a a potential three-peat, a.
more challenging road to feat that hasn’t happened.
a potential three-peat, a since the Houston Comets.
feat that hasn’t happened won four in a.
since the Houston Comets row from 1997-2000. Las.
won four in a Vegas looked every bit.
row from 1997-2000. Las Vegas like a contender against.
looked every bit like Seattle. In Game 1,.
a contender against Seattle. the Aces held the.
In Game 1, the Storm to just two.
Aces held the Storm points in the fourth.
to just two points quarter, using the strong.
in the fourth quarter, defensive effort to surge.
using the strong defensive to victory. And in.
effort to surge to Game 2, it was.
victory. And in Game a hot-shooting start that.
2, it was a set the groundwork for.
hot-shooting start that set the victory. The Aces.
the groundwork for the led by as many.
victory. The Aces led as 16 in the.
by as many as first quarter, and shot.
16 in the first 5-of-6 from the 3-point.
quarter, and shot 5-of-6 line. The Storm mounted.
from the 3-point line. a comeback, but the.
The Storm mounted a deficit was too great.
comeback, but the deficit to overcome. “We know.
was too great to what it takes [to.
overcome. “We know what it win],” A’ja Wilson said..
takes [to win],” A’ja “We know that we.
Wilson said. “We know cant let the game.
that we can't let slip through our hands,.
the game slip through because we’ve been on.
our hands, because we’ve the other side of.
been on the other it. We know what.
side of it. We that feels like. It’s.
know what that feels come down to just.
like. It’s come down fighting through, being on.
to just fighting through, the same page and.
being on the same keeping the main thing,.
page and keeping the the main thing.” Wilson.
main thing, the main was a big part.
thing.” Wilson was a big of the victory over.
part of the victory Seattle, just like she.
over Seattle, just like has been in every.
she has been in Aces game this season..
every Aces game this While various aspects of.
season. While various aspects the Aces attack have.
of the Aces attack been inconsistent, Wilson has.
have been inconsistent, Wilson been a constant. Her.
has been a constant. 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds.
Her 26.9 points, 11.9 and 2.6 blocks per.
rebounds and 2.6 blocks game earned Wilson her.
per game earned Wilson third MVP award, and.
her third MVP award, her 24 points and.
and her 24 points 13 rebounds on Tuesday.
and 13 rebounds on helped Las Vegas advance.
Tuesday helped Las Vegas to the semifinals. Las.
advance to the semifinals. Las Vegas also received a.
Vegas also received a lift from Plum, who.
lift from Plum, who bounced back from a.
bounced back from a poor performance in Game.
poor performance in Game 1. On Sunday, Plum.
1. On Sunday, Plum scored just 2 points,.
scored just 2 points, going 1-of-8 from the.
going 1-of-8 from the field. But between Games.
field. But between Games 1 and 2, Plum.
1 and 2, Plum sat at a sushi.
sat at a sushi bar and gave herself.
bar and gave herself a mental pep talk..
a mental pep talk. “I “I was like, ‘I’m.
was like, ‘I’m throwing throwing this whole game.
this whole game out out the window.’” Plum.
the window.’” Plum said. said. “And it worked.”.
“And it worked.” Plum finished Plum finished with 29.
with 29 points on points on 11-of-15 shooting.
11-of-15 shooting in Game in Game 2 to.
2 to lead Las lead Las Vegas in.
Vegas in scoring. Perhaps the scoring. Perhaps the biggest.
biggest difference between the difference between the Aces.
Aces that struggled at that struggled at times.
times during the regular during the regular season.
season and the Aces and the Aces that.
that defeated the Storm defeated the Storm is.
is Chelsea Gray. Gray missed Chelsea Gray. Gray missed.
the first 12 games the first 12 games.
of the season with of the season with.
a foot injury she a foot injury she.
suffered during the 2023 suffered during the 2023.
WNBA Finals. She came WNBA Finals. She came.
back before the Olympic back before the Olympic.
break, and then helped break, and then helped.
Team USA to a Team USA to a.
gold medal, but it gold medal, but it.
took most of the took most of the.
season for Gray to season for Gray to.
look like the player look like the player.
that was named Finals that was named Finals.
MVP in 2022. Against Seattle, the Aces Seattle, the Aces got.
got prime Gray. In prime Gray. In Game.
Game 1, she finished 1, she finished with.
with 16 points and 16 points and 7.
7 assists, and in assists, and in Game.
Game 2, the veteran 2, the veteran point.
point guard recorded 12 guard recorded 12 points.
points and 9 assists. and 9 assists. But.
But most importantly, she’s most importantly, she’s taking.
taking — and making — and making —.
— the kind of the kind of high-difficulty.
high-difficulty shots that have shots that have propelled.
propelled Las Vegas through Las Vegas through the.
the last two postseasons. “Chelsea last two postseasons. “Chelsea.
impacts winning,” Plum said. impacts winning,” Plum said..
“And ask any high-level “And ask any high-level.
player in the league, player in the league,.
and I guarantee they’d and I guarantee they’d.
want Chelsea Gray on want Chelsea Gray on.
their team with five their team with five.
minutes left in a minutes left in a.
tie game. They’d pick tie game. They’d pick.
her any time. I her any time. I.
mean, I know I mean, I know I.
would.” New York knows what would.” New York knows.
it’s getting into with what it’s getting into.
Gray at full health. with Gray at full.
Before her foot injury health. Before her foot.
last season, Gray led injury last season, Gray.
Las Vegas to two led Las Vegas to.
victories over the Liberty, two victories over the.
finishing with 20 points Liberty, finishing with 20.
and 9 assists, and points and 9 assists,.
then 14 points and and then 14 points.
11 assists. The Liberty also and 11 assists. The.
know about Wilson and Liberty also know about.
Plum and Jackie Young. Wilson and Plum and.
But they have their Jackie Young. But they.
own set of stars, have their own set.
with two former MVPs of stars, with two.
in Jonquel Jones and former MVPs in Jonquel.
Breanna Stewart, and one Jones and Breanna Stewart,.
of the league’s brightest and one of the.
young stars in Sabrina league’s brightest young stars.
Ionescu. Both teams are playing in Sabrina Ionescu. Both.
their best basketball. It’s teams are playing their.
a second-round matchup, but best basketball. It’s a.
the semifinals series between second-round matchup, but the.
Las Vegas and New semifinals series between Las.
York has the makings Vegas and New York.
of an instant classic.
