WNBA playoffs: Aces take care of business and now a semifinal rematch against Liberty is on deck

The Las Vegas Aces |A| and the New York |B| Liberty are poised for |C| a rematch.

Last year, the |D| two teams met in |E| the WNBA Finals as |F| Las Vegas won its |G| second straight championship, topping |H| New York 3-1 in |J| the series. This season, |K| their face-off comes in |L| the second round after |M| the No. 1 Liberty |O| swept the No. 8 |P| Dream, and the No. |Q| 4 Aces did the |R| same to the No. |S| 5 Storm in an |U| 83-76 Game 2 victory |V| Tuesday night.

It comes at |Y| a different time in |Z| the playoffs, but the |A| Aces expect the same |B| intensity and an even |C| better Liberty squad.

“New York |D| is a lot better |E| than last year,” Kelsey |F| Plum said. “Just plain |G| and simple. They’re bigger. |H| They’ve shot the ball |J| at a better clip. |K| Pound for pound, individually, |L| if you go down |M| the line, all of |O| them are better players.

They’ve |P| also beat Las Vegas |Q| three times this season.

“They’ve |R| played like a team |S| pissed off,” Las Vegas |U| coach Becky Hammon said |V| of the 32-8 Liberty. |Y| “They’ve played with an |Z| edge. And we’ve worked |A| our way there. I |B| feel like we’ve gotten |C| our edge back in |D| the last three to |E| four weeks.”

Despite an up-and-down |F| season, the defending champion |G| Aces like where they |H| are at. After earning |J| No. 1 seeds in |K| both 2022 and 2023, |L| Las Vegas has a |M| more challenging road to |O| a potential three-peat, a |P| feat that hasn’t happened |Q| since the Houston Comets |R| won four in a |S| row from 1997-2000.

Las Vegas |U| looked every bit like |V| a contender against Seattle. |Y| In Game 1, the |Z| Aces held the Storm |A| to just two points |B| in the fourth quarter, |C| using the strong defensive |D| effort to surge to |E| victory. And in Game |F| 2, it was a |G| hot-shooting start that set |H| the groundwork for the |J| victory. The Aces led |K| by as many as |L| 16 in the first |M| quarter, and shot 5-of-6 |O| from the 3-point line. |P| The Storm mounted a |Q| comeback, but the deficit |R| was too great to |S| overcome.

“We know what it |U| takes [to win],” A’ja |V| Wilson said. “We know |Y| that we can't let |Z| the game slip through |A| our hands, because we’ve |B| been on the other |C| side of it. We |D| know what that feels |E| like. It’s come down |F| to just fighting through, |G| being on the same |H| page and keeping the |J| main thing, the main |K| thing.”

Wilson was a big |L| part of the victory |M| over Seattle, just like |O| she has been in |P| every Aces game this |Q| season. While various aspects |R| of the Aces attack |S| have been inconsistent, Wilson |U| has been a constant. |V| Her 26.9 points, 11.9 |Y| rebounds and 2.6 blocks |Z| per game earned Wilson |A| her third MVP award, |B| and her 24 points |C| and 13 rebounds on |D| Tuesday helped Las Vegas |E| advance to the semifinals.

Las |F| Vegas also received a |G| lift from Plum, who |H| bounced back from a |J| poor performance in Game |K| 1. On Sunday, Plum |L| scored just 2 points, |M| going 1-of-8 from the |O| field. But between Games |P| 1 and 2, Plum |Q| sat at a sushi |R| bar and gave herself |S| a mental pep talk.

“I |U| was like, ‘I’m throwing |V| this whole game out |Y| the window.’” Plum said. |Z| “And it worked.”

Plum finished |A| with 29 points on |B| 11-of-15 shooting in Game |C| 2 to lead Las |D| Vegas in scoring.

Perhaps the |E| biggest difference between the |F| Aces that struggled at |G| times during the regular |H| season and the Aces |J| that defeated the Storm |K| is Chelsea Gray.

Gray missed |L| the first 12 games |M| of the season with |O| a foot injury she |P| suffered during the 2023 |Q| WNBA Finals. She came |R| back before the Olympic |S| break, and then helped |U| Team USA to a |V| gold medal, but it |Y| took most of the |Z| season for Gray to |A| look like the player |B| that was named Finals |C| MVP in 2022.

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