WNBA: Aces Defeat Liberty for a Back-to-Back Championship
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK — Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson’s explosive performance crowns her MVP in this year’s WNBA Final against the New York Liberty.
“This is a moment that we need to celebrate,” said Wilson.
PHOTO CREDIT: WNBA
The Finals MVP finished with 24 points and 16 rebounds for the short-handed Aces in the Game 4 clincher Wednesday night. The nail-biting finish ended with the New York Liberty struggling to score with only seconds left of the heated match-up. The final score was 70-69. The Libs were off to a solid start. Aces’ A’ja Wilson was already in foul trouble early in the second quarter of the game. Reluctantly, Aces Coach Becky Hammon immediately sat Wilson out, who was the leading scorer that night. Despite Wilson being in foul trouble, and having an injured Chelsea Gray, it did not alter Ace’s drive as point guard Kelsey Plum (7 points) kept hope alive while explosively zigzagging through the paint to score and maintained intense defense. It only made matters worse for the Liberty; the Aces’ defense held Jonquell Jones (JJ) to only 6 points.
Coming from an outstanding game 3 scoring 27 points, Jonquell Jones looked like she could not be stopped! Breanna Stewart added 20 points to help the New York Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces 87-73 on Sunday in the WNBA Finals and force a Game 4. But the Aces said, hold my beer, in Game 4 and completely locked the MVP Stewart down, and locked down Jones. Jones was noticeably frustrated as she struggled to break free in the paint. The lockdown defense and double-teaming from the Aces surely dimmed JJ’s light on elimination night when they needed her the most. Liberty star and MVP Breanna Stewart was 3-17 at one point in the game, so it’s safe to say JJ was not the only one struggling to connect with the net. Stewart finished off with 10 points, and Sabrina Ionescu only scored 9 points as she did not have many open looks battling against the Aces’ hard close-out on defense. No matter how many pick-and-rolls and hard lobs, the Liberty team struggled significantly to score ultimately costing them the game.
BRI’S HOT TAKE
Breanna Stewart should not have been the one to shoot the winning shot. Despite being the league’s MVP star, it was evident it was not her best night. Was Stewart shooting 3-17, not a clear indication that perhaps it was just not her night. Apparently not. Liberty’s coach, Sandy Brondello, chalked up the last play and set Stewart up for a one-on-one that turned into a quick double-team. Aces’ lockdown defense didn’t even allow Stewart to attempt to shoot as she dribbled to the paint, cutting a large chunk of 4 seconds off the clock. Stewart noticed she did not have a clear shot and tossed the ball to the top of the key to Laney who had a solid night, finishing with 15 points. After catching Stewart’s pass, Laney unfortunately did not have a solid view as Aces’ Jackie Young readjusted and closed out on Laney immediately. Laney swung the ball to her left to a wide-open Vandersloot for a corner three. The crowd watched in excitement as Vandersloot launched the shot and… airballed it. JJ retrieved the rebound, but Liberty fell short as the time trickled down to zero. It all came down to who was the better-coached team, in this case, Becky Hammon despite Candace Parker being out for the season, Chelsea Gray injured for the remainder of the season, and star player A’ja Wilson in foul trouble early in the game, proved that she’s THAT girl. Hammon has 2 titles in 2 seasons. Need I say more? Liberty was outcoached and did not take advantage of the Aces’ star players being out. A’ja Wilson alone is a powerhouse that could not be stopped, no matter how intense the defense was. Wilson won the league’s MVP title last year, and it’s arguable to say she should have won consecutively. Nonetheless, she reclaimed her title and the Finals trophy.
PHOTO CREDIT: WNBA
The Aces are unstoppable, and with a healthy Candace Parker, it only makes me question just how much better they’ll be in her return next season.
