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The entire WNBA season, everyone assumed that the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty were on a crash course to the Finals. Those assumptions have finally been made true, as the two teams come to blows in the biggest event in women's basketball starting this weekend. Both teams are considered super-teams and possess star-studded lineups, making for one of the most anticipated WNBA Finals matchups in the history of the league. Below is everything you need to know before tip-off.
WNBA Finals schedule
The WNBA Finals are a best-of-five series that starts on Oct. 8. The Aces are the higher-ranked team and have home-court advantage. Game 1 and Game 3 will be on ABC, while Game 2 and Games 4 and 5 are on ESPN. FuboTV will also have live streaming. You can click here for a free trial.
Game 1: Liberty at Aces, Oct. 8 at 3 p.m. ET – ABC
Game 2: Liberty at Aces, Oct. 11 at 9 p.m. ET – ESPN
Game 3: Aces at Liberty, Oct. 15 at 3 p.m. ET – ABC
Game 4: Aces at Liberty, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. ET – ESPN (if necessary)
Game 5: Liberty at Aces, Oct. 20 at p.m. ET – ESPN (if necessary)
Aces storylines
Last year's champions, the Las Vegas Aces, look to become the first team to go back-to-back since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001-2002. The Aces only lost six regular season games, and they've won all five of their playoff games.
The Aces are motivated, and their best player, A'ja Wilson, is clearly fueled by not winning the MVP award. “It hurt like hell, it really did, ” Wilson said in regards to finishing third in MVP voting. The winner of the MVP was Breanna Stewart, the player Wilson will likely match up against in the Finals.
Despite not winning MVP, Wilson received Defensive Player of the Year honors for the second straight season. In the playoffs, Wilson is second in scoring (25.8), third in rebounding (11.2), and first in blocks (3.2). Wilson is a monster in the paint, and she makes it hard for other teams to score in the interior.
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Wilson isn't alone on the Aces. She has one of the game's great point guards in Chelsea Gray, who is averaging 6.4 assists per game. The team also has Kelsey Plum, whose 18.7 points per game in the regular season were in the top 10 in the WNBA. Jackie Young rounds out a star-studded lineup. Gray, Plum, and Young are all shooting over 40 percent from deep in the postseason. The trio's highly efficient shooting, along with Wilson's interior presence, has made the team unstoppable in the playoffs.
They carry a lot of momentum going into the WNBA Finals, but not everything is perfect in Las Vegas. Candace Parker – who was signed in the offseason to be the team's fifth start – is out with a foot injury. The team has played well without her, but the two-time champion's experience would surely have helped in the Finals.
Liberty storylines
While there are a lot of similarities between the Aces and the Liberty, one major difference between the organizations is that the Liberty is not coming off a championship from last season like the Aces. In fact, quite the opposite. The organization remains the only original WNBA franchise that has still yet to win the championship. The team lost in the Finals in four of their first six seasons, and they haven't been back since 2002.
Since winning MVP, Breanna Stewart's numbers have dipped in the playoffs. After shooting 46.5% from the floor and 35.5% from three in the regular season, Stewart's shooting numbers have dipped to 35.6% overall and 20.7% from deep in the playoffs. While this is a short sample size, Stewart will need to improve in the Finals in order for her team to come away victorious.
While improvement from Stewart is necessary, she does have a super-team around her as well. Jonquel Jones and Betnijah Laney have both stepped up their games during Stewart's slump. Jones is a former MVP whose numbers dipped this year as she adjusted to a new role on a deeper team. She still has all of the talent in the world, and that has been on full display in the postseason. Laney only averaged 12.8 points per game in the regular season, but that number is up to 17 in the playoffs.
Sabrina Ionescu is already one of the best shooters the game has ever seen. While her range extends well beyond the line, Ionescu also is a triple-double machine.
The point guard battle will also be one of the most exciting parts of the WNBA Finals series. Matching up against Chelsey Gray will be Courtney Vandersloot, a floor general averaging 6.8 assists per game.
There are three former MVPs and five former first-overall picks in these Finals, and these are the top two teams in the WNBA, but only one can walk away as champions.
