Mark Schindler
For the first time in over two decades, the WNBA has a repeat champion as the Las Vegas Aces won Game Four of the WNBA Finals presented by YouTube TV in dramatic fashion.
Down three starters, the Aces threw out the kitchen sink defensively, including a scheme they hadn’t run all season that Becky Hammon devised during practice between games. In many ways, that defines the Aces and the direction that they’ve spurred the WNBA towards; adaptability and versatility are paramount.
Las Vegas has shifted an unreal amount this season, starting with Candace Parker’s addition to the lineup, working through her addition, hitting one of the great regular season stretches in league history, and then having to rework themselves yet again after her injury mid-season. Relative to their play and expectations for themselves, they hit the mud in August, losing four of their six losses total on the season.
They then went on to have one of the greatest postseason runs in league history, finishing with the 5th highest net rating (+14) in a postseason run that lasted 5 games or more per Her Hoop Stats. A dominant month of basketball from the reigning champs to become the repeat champs: The Las Vegas Aces went 48 days without losing a game.
A’ja Wilson, the 2023 Finals MVP, put together a historic run to will the Aces to the title with a herculean 24-point 16 rebound Game 4, punctuated with some of the most clutch contested shots we’ve seen given the moment and intensity. None were bigger than Wilson’s fall-away jumper around the 1:30 mark of the fourth quarter.
Sitting in the lower bowl of Barclays Center, watching A’ja nail that shot live, there was an immediate sense of “the Aces have this game.”
The defense had been suffocating from them the past few quarters; they had the Liberty discombobulated on the offensive end with their ball pressure, and a 6-point margin felt insurmountable. That proved correct as the Aces were able to stifle an inbounds play from New York with just over 8 seconds remaining on the shot clock, scrambling and closing out across the court repeatedly as the Liberty struggled to get a shot up.
On the final play of the game, the Aces silenced a building at capacity, with nearly 18,000 fans all standing. People had leaked into standing room only from the bowels of the arena to watch the final minutes, to get closer to the greatness on the court.
It’s hard to describe how eerie and unreal that feeling was hearing the collective gusto jettison from the arena as the final buzzer sounded.
All I could feel and think about last night was that we were witnessing greatness. Greatness from a team. Greatness from individuals. The elevation of the game personified on the biggest stage.
Alysha Clark, filling in as a starter, played one of the finest defensive games I’ve ever seen, frankly. Jackie Young found her rhythm and altered the course of the game in the fourth quarter, scoring 9 points that felt like 30 given their impact. Kelsey Plum was pestering defensively, pressuring like mad, and willing her way to the line late in the game when the Aces needed to even the score. Vegas’ bench mob chipped in heavily, Cayla George letting it fly with confidence from deep, and Sydney Colson providing a stout defensive and frenetic impact.
At 27, A’ja Wilson keeps building on and expanding an elite resume, one of the all-time greats already.
- She’s a 5x All-Star
- 4x All-WNBA
- 2x Defensive Player of the Year
- 2x Most Valuable Player
- 2x WNBA Champion
- 2023 Finals MVP
And all of that is without even mentioning her national team and collegiate accolades. Any player is more than the hardware they accumulate, but what Wilson has done in her six years in the league, leading the Aces to the Finals three times, is breathtaking.
It took time for the Aces to come together, the core group of Wilson, Young, and Plum all going through their own trials and tribulations as players and people to become three of the best players in the league. Las Vegas steadily built, retooled, added complimentary players and stars, and has worked its way into rare air after repeating.
While much can be projected about what’s on the horizon for the Aces and their bright future as a core, it’s imperative to stop in the moment, recognize what we just watched, and smile and laugh at just how damned impressive this group is and what they’ve accomplished collectively.
WNBA reporter Mark Schindler writes columns onWNBA.comthroughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at@MG_Schindler. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.
