No, you don’t have to scratch your eyes. The Las Vegas Aces repeated as WNBA Finals champions Wednesday following a thrilling 70-69 Game 4 win over the New York Liberty.
Winning a championship in any sport is difficult. Winning two in a row is almost impossible. Yet the Aces carried the league's most talented roster and best-ever regular season record to a second consecutive title, becoming the third WNBA team to achieve that feat.
“This one's sweeter,” coach Becky Hammon said, via Alexa Philippou. “It just is. It's harder to do.”
Though the team was stacked with All-Stars the Aces had to go through some adversity this season. Las Vegas had to navigate through the second half of the season without Candace Parker. It was hit with another unexpected blow when two starters, Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, were unable to suit up for Game 4.
Despite that, the Aces triumphed in the final game of the season and became the first team to win a WNBA playoff game with multiple different starters from the previous game.
“This is a testament that your character, it will be like your culture,” Hammon said. “And if you have bad character, you don't have that culture. And we had plenty of time to fall apart. But because of their character and the culture we built, you can't crack this group. You just can't.”
The Aces carried a “next woman up” mentality throughout the season and it helped them conquer territory that few WNBA teams have seen before. The scary part? They'll return almost everyone, at least their core, next season as they try for a three-peat.
“This is probably the tightest group I've ever been around,” Hammon said. “And they're a special group. I don't know. I don't know what else you could throw at them.”
Follow Us
Subscribe