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The Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty will go head-to-head in the next round of the 2024 WNBA playoffs after both teams earned series victories on Tuesday. The Aces defeated the Seattle Storm 83-76 to complete a first round series sweep, but Las Vegas understands that upsetting New York will be difficult.
“They've been the best team all year,” Aces head coach Becky Hammon said of the Liberty, via Noa Dalzell of SB Nation.
The Liberty finished as the No. 1 overall seed during the 2024 season. New York cruised to a series win over the Atlanta Dream in the first round. The Dream gave the Liberty some trouble early in Game 2, but New York ultimately got the job done and booked their ticket to the next round.
The Aces, meanwhile, also earned a sweep in their first round series. However, Las Vegas was not quite as dominant during the regular season.
“New York is a lot better than they were last year, plain and simple… if you go down the line like pound for pound, individually, all of them are better,” Aces guard Kelsey Plum added, via Dalzell.
Liberty seeking revenge after Aces won 2023 WNBA Finals
The Liberty may be the favorite following their tremendous regular season, but the Aces have won back-to-back championships. They most recently defeated the Liberty in the 2023 WNBA Finals.
Las Vegas ultimately earned their second consecutive championship in four games. With that being said, Hammon and Plum both acknowledged that the Liberty have displayed signs of serious improvement. Las Vegas certainly won't take them for granted.
It projects to be a competitive series. Many WNBA fans likely wish these teams would have rematched in the WNBA Finals. However, that did not come to fruition based on the postseason seeding. Nevertheless, this series will draw no shortage of attention.
In fact, whichever team emerges victorious may end up being the championship favorite.
