in last year's rematch WNBA The first game of the finals and semifinals will be the New York Liberty taking on the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday at 3:00 pm ET. The Liberty spent most of this year as the No. 1 seed and finished the season with a league-best 32-8 record, but the Aces overcame a slow start and ultimately secured the No. 4 seed with a 27-13 record. left behind. In the year. Both teams won all the first rounds of the best-of-three series, with Liberty defeating Dream in back-to-back games and Ace defeating Storm.
Liberty won all three regular season games this season, but the Aces won the final in September, so there is no clear favorite going into this game. On the one hand, New York is the most dominant team this season, opening with two games at Barclays Center, but on the other hand, it's hard to count back-to-back teams. The Aces are aiming for their first triple crown since the league's inception.
Let's take a look at five things to keep an eye on heading into Game 1.
Brianna Stewart and Aja Wilson — what will become of MVP?
For years now, Brianna Stewart and A'ja Wilson have dominated the WNBA. Stewart (two-time MVP, two-time championship) and Wilson (three-time MVP, two-time championship) are friends off the court, but they have a long history of entertaining clashes in the postseason. While Wilson dominated last year, leading the A's to a 3-1 win in the Finals, Stewart averaged 16.3 points per game in the Finals, nearly seven points less than his regular season average.
Stewie has had a great second half of the season and appears to be back to MVP form, but whether he can keep up with Wilson's production will be the deciding factor in this series. A'ja Wilson had a historic WNBA season, averaging 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game, and was unanimously named MVP last week. Both players are looking to improve their numbers, but who comes out on top in this matchup between the greatest players of all time could be the difference.
Sabrina Ionescu: Will she be able to continue producing this postseason?
Sabrina Ionescu is integral to the success of this Liberty team. Until her shooting slump late in the season, she was (somewhat) in the MVP conversation, and in fact, Aces head coach Becky Hammon was in the media for not including her in the first-team all-WNBA voting. vehemently criticized.
Ionescu shot 18 percent in the final three games of the regular season, capping off a post-Olympic break in which he shot just 33 percent from the field. However, she had a huge performance in Game 2, scoring 36 points on 12-for-23 shooting, erasing concerns about her shooting and tying the franchise record for most points in a playoff game.
She needs to face a better defender in this game. Jackie Young is one of the toughest guard-defenders in the league and will likely match up with Ionescu at times, and the aces have made life difficult for Ionescu before. But her game has evolved since the two teams met last fall, and if she can continue her postseason explosion, Liberty will be even tougher to contain.
Las Vegas Ace Guard Play: Which play will we see from Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, or Kelsey Plum?
Becky Hammon has pointed out many times how important the ace's guard play is to the team's success. After all, this is a backcourt that features three U.S. Olympians, including a Finals MVP (Chelsea Gray) and two former No. 1 picks (Jackie Young, Kelsey Plumb).
Gray missed the first 12 games of the regular season after recovering from a foot injury sustained in last year's playoffs and took time to get back into shape. However, teammates have emphasized that she is back to full health, which means she is one of the most important players in the league.
In the first two games of the 2024 postseason, she appeared to be back on track. Gray averaged 14 points and eight assists in the two wins against the Storm, prompting Kelsey Plum to praise his teammates.
“A lot of people put up numbers, but it's not their fault,” Plumb said. “But Chelsea affects winning. If you ask any player in the league, any high-level player, they'll want Chelsea Gray in the team with five minutes left.”
Kelsey Plump speaks highly of Chelsea Gray after the game:
“A lot of people put up numbers, it's not their fault. But Chelsea influence the win. If you ask any player in the league, any high-level player, with five minutes left Chelsea -You'll want to add Gray to your team. pic.twitter.com/P0pLW1a7Z7
— Noah Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) September 25, 2024
Meanwhile, Plum himself bounced back after falling behind by two points in Game 1, scoring 29 points on 11-for-15 shooting in the decisive Game 2. Young has been quiet since the Olympic break, averaging just 10.5 points on 34.8 percent shooting in two games. Playoff victory. She'll have her hands full defensively in this game, but if she can hit open shots (like she's done for most of her career), that will help as well.
Role players: Leonie Fievich, Bethniya Rainey-Hamilton, Tiffany Hayes, Alisha Clark
This game is as star-studded as any in the WNBA, with three former MVPs and eight Paris Olympians. But role players will also be important. The Liberty have the best player in the game, and the Aces have Tiffany Hayes, who is most likely to be the sixth player of the year candidate. Hayes averaged 9.2 points on 50.3 percent shooting this season, and in the first round of the playoffs he averaged 14.5 points on 63.2 percent shooting, including 75 percent shooting.
For Liberty, Leonie Fievich has been effective off the bench all year, but she's even better as a starter, and now head coach Sandi Brondello believes she's a good fit in the starting lineup in place of Courtney Vandersloot. He seems to like it. Bethnia Laney Hamilton is also one of the best two-way players in the game and appears to be healthy after missing several weeks with knee surgery. Fivic and Hayes are the only key rotation players not on last year's roster, and their performance will be critical.
“New York is much better than last year, plain and simple,” Plumb said. “They're getting bigger and shooting the ball at a better clip. Ultimately, pounding individually makes everyone a better basketball player.”
Which Jonquel Jones will you get?
Jonquel Jones could be the most dominant post player in the league. The former MVP has been a negative factor in previous wins against the Aces. In a game against Las Vegas in June, he exploded with 34 points and 8 rebounds, winning 90-82. However, there were some games where she only attempted a few shots and gave up a lot because she wasn't effective inside. Joan needs to bring her best self to this tournament, and she was a big reason why Liberty got a chance in last year's Aces vs. Finals. While conversations about New York's success typically center around Sabrina Ionescu and Brianna Stewart, Jonquel Jones has the ability to be the most dominant player on the floor at any given time.
