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The Las Vegas Aces have not beaten the New York Liberty so far this season. The Eastern Conference powerhouse swept the regular series 3-0, yet here they are taking on their archrivals in what promises to be humdinger semifinals starting Sunday (Sep 29) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
The teams got past the Atlanta Dream and the Seattle Storm respectively to book a semifinal date. The Liberty have been the team to beat this season finishing with an elite 32-8 record in the regular stretch. Las Vegas stuttered in between, dropping 13 games, but finished their season with a 9-1 record in their last 10 games, including a 5-0 run to finish on a high.
The advantage the Liberty holds is the three wins they notched up against the Aces, giving them a sense of confidence that the defending champs can be beaten. But the latter are out for revenge. Can the Las Vegas Aces put away the dominant New York Liberty side in the much-anticipated semis clash?
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3 things Las Vegas Aces should do to beat New York Liberty in 2024 WNBA Semis
#1, Beat the Liberty at their own game: Offense
Their 106.1 rating sees the Aces as the team with the second-best offensive rating in the WNBA so far, and they play an opponent marginally better than them on the same front (107.0).
Las Vegas will need to get their offense rolling from tip-off if they intend to keep their nose in front. The good news is Kelsey Plum's timely return to form as the guard dropped 29 points in a key matchup against the Seattle Storm in the first round.
#2, Win individual matchups
Breanna Stewart vs A'ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu vs Jackie Young — these are matchups that will dictate the wins in the next round between the two heavyweights. Wilson has been a force on both ends of the floor and has been dominant in scoring throughout the season while Stewart has been hungry to win a championship with her hometown team.
As for the second player battle, Young has been one of the better defenders for Las Vegas Aces, and head coach Becky Hammon will most likely pit her best against a sharpshooter who needs all but one swish from downtown to get the ball rolling. Her scoring will matter as well and Las Vegas Aces 'Big 4' will all need to play their roles to perfection.
#3, Keep A'ja Wilson firing
Such was the clinic A'ja Wilson put up in the regular season that she was the unanimous choice to win WNBA MVP this season. The three-time winner will have to bring in her experience and consistency to ensure that the Aces stay ahead on the scoring front.
As the Storm vs Aces showdown showed, triple-teaming Wilson is not the answer, and expect the Liberty to look and keep her quiet in any manner possible.
Wilson averaged 23.8 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in her nine playoff games last season — a run that translated to the Las Vegas Aces winning their second title in a row. Another similar run will not just help achieve their three-peat, but will also put the talented forward in the legends conversation.
