With a 70-69 road victory, the Las Vegas Aces secured their second WNBA title in as many seasons. After a double-digit loss in Game 3, the Aces bounced back to take a one-point win in front of a hostile and sold-out New York home crowd. A'ja Wilson had a game-high 24 points as injuries to key starters limited the Aces' dominance but did not relegate them to silver scrapes. With the win, the Aces became the first team since the 2002 Los Angeles Sparks to win back-to-back titles. They were also the first defending champions to even make the Finals since the Sparks in 2017.
"This one's sweeter. It just is. It's harder to do," head coach Becky Hammon said after the game. "This is what it's all about, to have your name etched in history right now with other teams. We never gave up, and this is a moment that we need to celebrate. This is a moment that not a lot of people get a chance to do it, and for us to do it shorthanded, it is truly amazing. It just makes winning that much better," Wilson, who was named Finals MVP, added.
Aces Solidify Their Dynasty
The Aces became just the third franchise in league history to win back-to-back titles. What's more, they did over the one team that was seen as having the ability to stop them. The New York Liberty went all-in in the offseason, amassing talent to build a 2023 superteam that broke the scales of the league. Betting markers weren't for individual teams - it was Aces/Liberty or literally any other team in the league for champion odds.
But come the best-of-five finals, they Aces showed up the Liberty at every turn. They raced out to a 2-0 lead, including a 28-point blowout in Game 2. The Liberty hit back on their homecourt in Game 3 as the Aces lost key players in Kiah Stokes and Chelsea Gray to injury. Veteran Candance Parker was already out with an injury. And yet, the Aces persevered. After the Liberty dropped 23 in the first quarter, they didn't surpass 18 points in a quarter for the rest of the game. It was a tough-fought win, but it was a win all the same. Now the Aces can turn to the much-vaunted three-peat, something that hasn't been seen in the WNBA since it's very first years in existence.
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