No WNBA team has ever come back from an 0-2 deficit. Here’s what the Aces need to do to avoid it.

brooklyn — The New York Liberty will host the Las Vegas Aces in Game 2. WNBA Tuesday night's semifinal, a rematch of last year's final. This is one of two series remaining in this year's playoffs, and it's a pivotal game that will determine whether Las Vegas can settle it before returning home.

Last time out, in Game 1, Liberty defeated the Aces 87-77 with Brianna Stewart's 34 points and Sabrina Ionescu's 21 points. Liberty held a double-digit lead for most of the way and was still able to at least partially contain A'ja Wilson, who finished with 21 points, nearly six points less than her regular season average.

Meanwhile, New York currently holds a 1-0 lead in the series and has a chance to extend that lead on Tuesday at 7:30 PM ET. No WNBA team has ever come back from a 2-0 deficit in five straight games. So this match is very important for Las Vegas.

There's a reason why Ace is the two-time defending champion, and he's probably feeling good about his lackluster first game. There's a lot to improve on, and it's possible that Liberty won't perform as well as it did in the series opener.

But if Las Vegas wants to even out this series, here are five things that (probably) need to happen.

Ace will have to get better at shooting 3-pointers.

Ace's margin of error is very thin considering the level of talent and weapons on the Liberty side is so high. In Game 1, Las Vegas made just 7-25 of its 3-pointers and shot 28% from behind the arc. Kelsey Plumb made more than half of those shots — she went 4-8 from downtown — but Las Vegas will need to improve its overall shooting quality if it is to stay. New York shot 8-19 (42.1%) from 3-pointers in Game 1.

Tiffany Hayes will be key to filling that gap — Hayes shot 40.2 percent from downtown this season, but went 0-for-2 in Game 1. Chelsea Gray and Jackie Young didn't have the best shooting seasons (33.8% and 33.7%, respectively), but both have the ability to get hot despite going 2-10 from Game 1. Masu. No easy games went down Sunday, but that will have to change for Las Vegas to have a chance.

Aja Wilson and the rest of the cast need to include Brianna Stewart (somehow)

Brianna Stewart was active in Game 1, scoring 34 points on 12-for-19 shooting. Game 2 will be even more difficult for the Aces for the two-time MVP, but what makes it difficult is that A'ja Wilson, the Aces' best defender, is busy with Jonquel Jones. That's what it means. Jones had 13 points and 12 rebounds in Game 1, and the former MVP could definitely do some damage if slowing down isn't a priority. But Stewart made it look too easy in the opener, with points in transition, wide-open threes and baskets on mismatches. Las Vegas will need to get rid of them.

Las Vegas will need to get better on the glass or transition defense or both

Aces head coach Becky Hammon admitted after Game 1 that her team lost both battles on the glass and was outpaced in transition. Liberty outrebounded the Aces 31-22 and had 16 fast break points to the Aces' six points.

One or both of these things will need to change for Game 2. A'ja Wilson grabbed the most rebounds of any player in the WNBA this season, but had a season-low six boards in Game 1. Not a single ace player had more than six rebounds.

Addressing this may require lineup changes. We didn't see Megan Gustafson or Queen Egbo in Game 1, but both could provide much-needed size to Liberty's length. It may also become a point of emphasis overall. Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum each had just two rebounds, and Chelsea Gray had three. The aces are expected to launch more aggressive attacks on the glass from the jump.

Vintage Chelsea Gray will (probably) need to return

Aces point guard Chelsea Gray had four points and one assist in 26 minutes. That's not enough. Gray needs to be more aggressive and more involved, but we've already seen how she can impact the game when she's at her best (see: 2022 Finals MVP).

After the first round series against the Seattle Storm, Kelsey Plumb said Chelsea Gray is back to her usual self — and should be the same here in Game 2 against New York.

“A lot of people put up numbers and it's not their fault. But Chelsea affects the win,” Plumb said. “If you ask any player in the league, any high-level player, they're going to want Chelsea Gray on their team with five minutes left.”

Gray has shown flashes this postseason, averaging 14 points and eight assists in the first round, and will need to assert himself in this game. Las Vegas has won a lot of games this year with Chelsea Gray playing more of a role player role, but if Gray lives up to her nickname, “Point Gord,” this team's ceiling will be different. The reality is that it will come.

A'ja Wilson should make a case for being the best player on the floor.

There's a reason Wilson was the unanimous MVP last year, averaging 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.8 steals. She scored over 40 points multiple times and set career highs in nearly every category. And while she has had solid performances in these playoffs, she can still step into the next gear. She has averaged 22 points and 9 rebounds in three postseason games so far, and has a respectable field goal percentage of 50%, but compared to Stewie and Nafeesa Collier in Game 1. I haven't seen big performances like 38 points and 42 points yet. Points out against Mercury. Wilson clearly has the ability and will be off to a great start tonight.

There's a reason this Liberty team has been the best all season, so it's going to be tough for any team to beat them in five straight games. Becky Hammon said Game 2 was “do-or-die,” and while it's not a perfect elimination game, the fact that no team has come back from an 0-2 hole makes it hard to treat Game 2 as such. He said that was a good reason. It's going to take a lot for Vegas to pull off a win, but this ace team has shown time and time again that that shouldn't be a consideration.