After the New York Liberty went up 2-0 against the Las Vegas Aces, it was more of a matter of when they would head to the WNBA Finals than if they could pull it off. Yesterday, the Liberty finally sealed the deal and eliminated the Aces to advance to the WNBA Finals.
The Aces didn’t go down without a fight. Facing elimination on Friday night, the Aces played arguably their best game of the playoffs. They kept their hopes of a threepeat alive with a 95-81 victory in Game 3 of its WNBA semifinal series against the Liberty. The reigning league MVP and Finals MVP, A’ja Wilson, scored 19 points to go along with 14 rebounds. Jackie Young was the firestarter in this game, scoring a much needed 24 points to help take the scoring burden from Wilson but she wasn’t the only one. Kelsey Plum pitched in 20 points and veteran point guard Chelsea Gray scored 10 points, all in the first quarter. This win ended the Liberty’s five game win streak against the Aces, which included three regular season losses and the previous two games of the series. Unfortunately, Sunday would be a completely different story.
In game 4, the Liberty came in with every intention to end this series and they did just that. They were able to end the series once and for all with a 76-62 win over the Aces. This was sweet revenge, too, as they were able to knock out the team that beat them in the WNBA Finals last year. Sabrina Ionescu led all scorers with 22 points, and Breanna Stewart pitched in 19 points and 14 rebounds. Becky Hammon, head coach of the Aces, had no answers for the dynamic duo.
“They’ve been the best team all year; let’s be real,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said after the game. “Their group earned it. They earned it all year.”
The Aces played well, as it was only a two-point game heading into the fourth quarter. But the Liberty quickly blew the game open with a 16-2 run, and the Aces just didn’t have anything left in the tank to force another comeback. A’ja Wilson finished her season with a 19 point, 10 rebound, and five block game. Her teammate Kelsey Plum pitched in 17 points. Despite the loss, A’ja and the repeat champion Aces have nothing to be ashamed of.
“It’s hard,” said A’ja Wilson. “Everybody wants to beat you. You’re everybody’s Super Bowl. [The loss] sucks; it stings, but I’m very proud about the group that we had.”
Now the Liberty will await the winner of tomorrow’s Lynx vs Suns game. The series is tied 2-2 and the winner is playing for a shot at the WNBA Finals.
Game 1 of the WNBA Finals tips off on Thursday, Oct. 10.
