The stage is set for the two WNBA titans to square off in what should be an epic Finals for the ages. As expected, the A'ja Wilson-led Las Vegas Aces will defend their throne against the Breanna Stewart-led New York Liberty in the 2023 WNBA Finals. Ahead of Game 1 between the Aces and the Liberty, we'll be making our Aces WNBA Finals predictions.

You can view this Aces-Liberty series in any way you want. A superteam showdown? Sure. Wilson versus Stewart? Why not? However way you want to perceive it, this upcoming WNBA Finals series has all the ingredients to become an absolute bloodbath. From the Liberty building their own juggernaut in the offseason, to New York winning the Commissioner's Cup and Las Vegas wanting to exact revenge for the loss, to Stewie edging out A'ja for the 2023 WNBA MVP — all the storylines are there.

The best part about it? We're only in the first inning. This budding Aces-Liberty rivalry is just starting to heat up and this Finals will only turn it up a notch even further.

The Aces enter this series as the favorites — and rightfully so. They're the defending champions. They're also the No. 1 seed. Las Vegas even breezed its way to the Finals with a clean slate through the first two rounds and won its games by an average of 14.8 points. With Las Vegas rolling, let's make our bold Aces predictions for their WNBA Finals showdown against the Liberty.

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1. The Aces will slow down the Liberty from beyond the arc

The 2023 New York Liberty finished the regular season as the greatest three-point shooting team in WNBA history. They set the record for most threes in a season with 444 made triples and converted a league-best 37.4 percent from beyond the arc. The three-point shot is also New York's bread and butter. Over 40 percent of their shots come from beyond the arc and 37.3 percent of their total points were generated from three-pointers. It's safe to say they love shooting the three.

With Las Vegas fully aware of this, we predict the Aces to game plan well to slow down the Liberty from beyond the arc.

The Aces, though they had the best defense in the WNBA during the regular season, weren't particularly a top team in defending the three. They ranked sixth in opponents' three-point percentage (34.3 percent) and seventh in opponents' makes per game (7.7).

Nonetheless, with more focus and opportunities for game-to-game or even quarter-to-quarter adjustments, look for the reigning champs to impose their will defensively and put more effort into running the Liberty off the three-point line.

2. A'ja Wilson will average 30 points per game

A'ja Wilson is pissed. And she is playing like someone who's absolutely angry that she did not win the 2023 WNBA MVP, which went to Liberty superstar Breanna Stewart. With Wilson having something to prove against everyone who chose Stewie over her, we predict the 2023 Defensive Player of the Year to average at least 30 points per game in this 2023 WNBA Finals series.

Wilson, who is a two-time league MVP, had her best individual campaign yet. The 27-year-old turned in career-bests in points (22.8), rebounds (9.5), and blocks (2.2) while also making a career-high 55.7 percent from the field. She also tied the WNBA record for the most points in a game with a 53-point explosion against the Atlanta Dream in late August.

 

Stewart did have a stellar individual campaign as well and averaged career-bests in points and assists herself. But Wilson's efforts in leading the Aces to the best record in the league should have warranted the lefty her third MVP trophy.

Nonetheless, losing out on that feat could have sparked Wilson's play throughout the postseason. The Aces superstar is averaging 25.8 points on 59.5 percent shooting in the playoffs so far. She also turned in three straight 30-point games as well, including a monster 38-point, 16-rebound performance in Game 2 win over the Chicago Sky in the first round.

With Wilson rolling and having something to prove against the Liberty superstar she will inevitably be matched up with, we expect the two-time MVP to go bonkers in the Finals.

3. The Aces will SWEEP the Liberty

With the Aces putting the clamps defensively on New York's three-pointer and Wilson playing out of her mind, we also boldly predict Las Vegas to sweep the Liberty en route to winning its second straight WNBA championship.

As much as Wilson has something to prove against Stewart, this entire Aces team also has a vendetta against the Liberty. Las Vegas certainly has not forgotten what happened in the Commissioner's Cup Finals, where New York came into the Michelob Ultra Arena and spanked the defending champs 82-63 to win the 2023 Commissioner's Cup.

That should be enough motivation for the Aces to play their A-game throughout the Finals and prove to everyone that, while there's a super team in New York, they are still the best team in the WNBA by far.

Moreover, Las Vegas has also looked sharper in the playoffs, having won its games by nearly 15 points a night. Meanwhile, New York has shown signs of struggle, which was most evident during its loss to the Connecticut Sun in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semis. If there is a team who can smell blood it in the water and go for the kill, it's these Las Vegas Aces.