NY Liberty vs. Las Vegas Aces preview: Finals rematch!
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
The Liberty are back after a few days off and bring their seven game winning streak into a Finals rematch vs. the Las Vegas Aces. Things are looking up. The New York Liberty have a lot to play for and are feeling pretty good about things right now. They extended their winning streak to seven after beating the Washington Mystics on Sunday afternoon at Barclays Center. The seafoam have been off for most of the week as they got some much needed rest and relaxation following a jam packed week.
It's hard to stay on top of the mountain. Everyone's gunning for you and you're guaranteed to get an opponent's best shot every night out. After back-to-back championships, that's where Becky Hammon and the Las Vegas Aces find themselves these days. It came down to the wire, but they did just enough to outlast the Phoenix Mercury and end their three game losing streak. They are now 6-5 on the season.
Where to follow the game
ABC is the place to be. Tip after 3:00 PM.
Injuries
No Nyara Sabally. Courtney Vandersloot.
Kiersten Bell is out. Chelsea Gray was upgraded to questionable on Thursday, but didn’t play. We’ll see if she returns today.
The game
Now that the Commissioner’s Cup is officially over, who will the Liberty face in the Cup final on June 25?
CLINCHED With the Seattle Storm's win over the Dallas Wings, the @minnesotalynx have solidfied the spot to represent the Western Conference in the Commissioner's Cup presented by @coinbase Championship gameThe Lynx will face the New York Liberty for the title pic.twitter.com/m2ms93q3Jp— WNBA (@WNBA) June 14, 2024
Should be a fun one!
The Aces tend to find themselves in trouble a fair bit, and now they’re in some new mess. On Wednesday, Howard Megdal of The Next and The IX Sports reported that the WNBA league office is investigating the Aces for impermissible benefits against the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The entire story is a must read, and this part in particular jumped out to me:
For their part, the Aces have worked to conflate the idea that WNBA players should be paid more — something everyone interviewed for this story, no matter their feelings on the current investigation, agrees should happen and will under the new CBA — with doing so under any circumstances. Davis telegraphed his intention to do so by any means necessary early on as owner, both in his public and private statements, according to multiple people with knowledge of his words and actions after assuming ownership of the Aces.
And that’s the really important part, as so many around the league see it. The players are expected to opt out of the current collective bargaining agreement after the 2024 season, which would trigger an end to the current CBA following the 2025 season. There will be more money flowing in — both from expansion fees and a new media rights deal, though as the Washington Post’s Ben Strauss astutely points out, a lack of definition by the NBA over what those rights will be valued at will allow the WNBA to make that new revenue more opaque, and as I have previously written, that could have significant consequences for how much Terri Jackson and the WNBPA can negotiate for in those upcoming talks.”
We know all too well that the league office will threaten to bring the hammer down if they think you’ve gone against the CBA. We’ll see what happens here.
In the meantime, Vegas will try and get their defense back in order. After finishing top two in defense in four out of the past five seasons, the Aces are only ninth in defensive efficiency this season. That’s especially bad considering they’ll be facing the league’s top offense by offensive rating this season. The Aces are in the bottom tier when it comes to forcing turnovers, so the Liberty should have plenty of possessions to make good things happen.
That’ll start with Sabrina Ionescu. Sab has shot 47 percent or better from the field in five out of the last six games, and she’s made a killing in the painted area. Ionescu’s ability to get downhill and finish in traffic has opened up new avenues of her game and created easier opportunities for her teammates as well. With Vandersloot away from the team, Ionescu has taken on the point guard duties and done an admirable job.
The Liberty have more length and athleticism than they did in the Finals last season, and we’ll see how they do against Jackie Young. Young had been under the weather over the past week, but shook it off to the tune of a career high 34 points on Thursday night. Young is one of the best three level scorers in the league, and she is a lot stronger than she may look. Young is able to use that strength to find leverage and creat great scoring opportunities for herself. Kayla Thornton figures to get the first crack at Young, with Betnijah Laney-Hamilton and Leonie Fiebich getting turns on her throughout the game as well.
Player to watch: A'ja Wilson
Welcome to the Age of A’ja. Wilson has followed up on her 2023 Finals MVP and is having the best season of her career. She leads the WNBA in scoring at 28.6 points per game, leads in rebounding at 11.7 per game, and is third in blocks at 2.6 a night. Wilson can do just about everything well on a basketball court and is a matchup nightmare for anyone standing in her way. For the Liberty, they have to figure out how to minimize her impact while not deviating from their own plans too much.
Jonquel Jones and Breanna Stewart will get the bulk of the work against Wilson. Jones has continued to excel this season and is a sure bet to be named an All Star for the big game in Phoenix. JJ has been able to make life tough on players inside the paint as the Liberty have held teams to just 56.3 percent inside the restricted area, best in the WNBA. As for Stewart, when the game picks up, she's able to make the right plays and find her way to the basket. Over the past few weeks, the Liberty have made a more concerted effort to get Stewart the ball on the move so she can get to the cup. With an Aces team that's short on depth, look for the Liberty to emphasize the paint as they try to force the Aces defense to send extra help against their dynamic duo.
From the Vault
Ones in the air for The Logo
And one for Angela Bofill
More reading: Las Vegas Review Journal, Las Vegas Sun, Swish Appeal, The Strickland, The Local W, New York Daily News, New York Post, The Athletic. Fansided, Just Women’s Sports, SI All Knicks, Winsidr, Her Hoop Stats, CBS Sports, and The Next
New York Liberty Game Notes - New York Liberty
Las Vegas Aces Notes - Las Vegas Aces
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