The Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty met for the title last season. Now they are playing in the postseason one round earlier, vying for the opportunity to reach the WNBA Finals. The Liberty have said they are using last season’s loss as motivation this year, but aren’t dwelling on the defeat in four games. The Aces are only the No.
Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson grabs a rebound against the Seattle Storm during the second half in Game 2 of a WNBA basketball first-round playoff game Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in Las Vegas. Atlanta Dream guard Rhyne Howard drives past New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart during the second half of first-round WNBA basketball playoff game, Tuesday, Sept. 24, 2024, in New York. The Liberty won 91-82 to clinch the series 2-0.
The Aces were only the No. 4 seed but have been playing a lot better over the last month, winning nine of 10 heading into the postseason and sweeping Seattle in the first round. The lone loss in that stretch came against New York, but league MVP A’ja Wilson didn’t play in that contest while she was resting her foot. The Aces rallied from a 20-point deficit in that contest to almost stun the Liberty.This is the first time in the history of the league that the finals participants met in the semifinals. It wasn’t possible until 2016, when the league changed its format to go to the top eight teams regardless of conference affiliation making the postseason.
“Obviously the goal isn’t just to win in the semifinals, so that’s something that’s I think kind of weird because we’re in a rematch of the final series, which is a little bit unheard of,” Ionescu said. “This is a team we have to get through in order to get to a finals again.” Minnesota and Los Angeles played in the 2018 opening round after meeting in the finals the year before. The Lynx won the title in 2017 but lost to the Sparks in 2018.Wilson and Breanna Stewart have been friendly off the court for years, playing together with USA Basketball at the Olympics and World Championship level.
Las Vegas Aces New York Liberty Womens National Basketball Association NYC State Wire NV State Wire Aja Wilson Seattle Sports WNBA Basketball S Sabrina Ionescu
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