Tag: 2023 wnba finals

Aces’ Becky Hammon blames herself for A’ja Wilson not receiving MVP

The WNBA Finals are heading toward a decisive Game 3, but head coach Becky Hammon is still heated over MVP voting from the regular season.

The WNBA Finals are heading toward a decisive Game 3, but Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon is still heated over MVP voting from the regular season. Aces’ starter A’ja Wilson finished third in MVP voting despite dominating both sides of the court all season.

New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart won the award in front of Connecticut Sun’s Alyssa Thomas in second and Wilson.

“This lady has been ridiculous, and she’s heard it all,” Hammon said of Wilson. “Third in MVP voting? OK. Rest on that. It’s a joke. She’s been off-the-charts efficient. She got – and I love Stewie – but her efficiency on both ends, it’s been ridiculous.

“If I would have played her as many minutes, she would’ve averaged 28 and 13. And that’s all anybody in here would’ve been talking about, but she got screwed because her coach didn’t play her in fourth quarters.”

However, Wilson and the Aces might take home the bigger prize of back-to-back WNBA titles. After decisively beating the Liberty in Games 1 and 2, the Aces look to seal the sweep with a Game 3 win. No team has ever come back from a 0-2 deficit in the WNBA Finals, but the Liberty could potentially make a push to be the first in history to do so.

Game 3 is on Sunday at Barclays Center in New York.

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The Liberty are getting destroyed in the WNBA Finals and the memes are equally ruthless

Somebody come look at this. A beatdown is happening in Las Vegas.

With Knuck If You Buck playing as the team took the court Wednesday, the Las Vegas Aces put the New York Liberty in the blender, sparking countless memes.

The rivalry between the Aces and the Liberty is great for basketball fans. It features some of the best talent in the league and is a must-see showdown. During the regular season, the Liberty owned the series 3-2 and hadn’t lost back-to-back games at any point until Wednesday night.

The Aces have been cooking with fire, reminding the Liberty they can hoop, too. The best ingredient they’ve brought to the table is having an absolute dog mentality.

In Game 1 and Game 2 of the WNBA Finals, four starters have been in double-figures, and the Aces are rolling through the Liberty using mainly just six players. Absolute madness.

They’ve been breaking out moves that have fans shook along the way. The team has made it rain with 3-pointers, sick no-look passes, and even shots that seemed too good to be true.

Las Vegas is beating New York at their own game, sparking ruthless memes about the beatdown.

Aces leave head coach Becky Hammon speechless after Game 2 win

The Aces are just one win away from becoming the first WNBA team to win back-to-back titles since the Sparks in the early 2000s.

The Las Vegas Aces are showing they are prepared to win back-to-back titles. After winning Games 1 and 2 of the WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty, they are just one win away from becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles since the Los Angeles Sparks (2001-2002).

The series heads to New York after the Aces hosted the first two games of the series. The Liberty are fighting for a Game 3 win to avoid a sweep. No team has ever come back from a 0-2 deficit in the WNBA Finals, but the Liberty could potentially make a push to be the first in history to do so.

“The character of this team and their absolute buy into the person to the left or right’s success is authentic,” Hammon said. “And it’s tough to deal with when you share the ball and people are skilled and competitive. They were good tonight. They don’t leave me speechless very often, but they executed defensively, offensively shared it – everything we’ve been asking them to do.”

Aces center A’ja Wilson led the team with 26 points and 15 rebounds, which included her 26th double-double of the season. Wilson is the third player in WNBA Finals history to have at least 25 points and 15 rebounds in a game. The Aces had three other players score in double digits, including Chelsea Gray, who recorded her first Finals double-double with 14 points and 11 assists.

Liberty forward Jonquel Jones had 22 points and 10 rebounds, but they couldn’t overcome the momentum of the Aces. However, the series shifting to the Liberty’s home court could make all the difference.

Game 3 is on Sunday at Barclays Center in New York.

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Game 1 of the WNBA Finals saw record viewership numbers on ESPN

A record audience saw the Aces defeat the Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday.

The 2023 WNBA Finals are underway: The New York Liberty and the Las Vegas Aces are going head-to-head. The Aces took Game 1 on Sunday, 99-82, and the contest boasted impressive viewership numbers. It was the most-viewed WNBA Finals Game 1 ever on an ESPN network.

The game peaked at 885,000 viewers with an average viewership of 729,000. The Aces have benefited from playing the majority of their games at home since Aug. 31 and will host Game 2 on Wednesday at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

“You’re also sleeping in your own bed, you’re eating your own food,” said Aces star Kelsey Plum of playing at home. “There’s just things that, it’s a familiarity, but it really does make a difference. We work really hard to be the No. 1 team, to be able to be home to benefit from that stuff later in the season. … It’s really cool that everyone cares enough to really lock in, and that’s why we’re in the position we’re in now.”

Both Plum and guard Jackie Young scored 26 points on Sunday, setting personal playoff highs. For the Liberty, Breanna Stewart had a team-high 21 points and nine rebounds, Jonquel Jones produced 16 points and 10 rebounds and Courtney Vandersloot had eight assists.

The game attendance boasted basketball greats LeBron James and Sheryl Swoopes among the 10,300 people in attendance.

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Kelsey Plum took a playful dig at Tom Brady during Game 1 of the WNBA Finals: ‘It’s about [expletive] time you showed up’

Your seven Super Bowl Rings mean nothing, Tom Brady!

In the words of Bone Crusher, Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum ain’t never scared. Even one of the greatest NFL quarterbacks of all time, Tom Brady, isn’t safe.

Plum has earned a reputation around the WNBA for unapologetically saying what she thinks. Earlier this year, she defended fellow teammate A’ja Wilson on Showtime’s All The Smoke podcast in response to the respect she thinks Wilson deserved. Plum named a laundry list of Wilson’s accomplishments and, without flinching, said, “She gets shorted all the time.” Cold-blooded.

But that’s how Plum and the Aces roll. They aren’t scared of anyone, and en route to a huge WNBA Finals Game 1 victory over the New York Liberty, Plum stopped to make sure she had words with one of the team’s owners.

According to Jack Maloney of CBS Sports, that owner was future Hall of Famer Tom Brady, who was sitting courtside.

Post-game, Plum says she walked up to Brady during the matchup and told him, “It’s about [expletive] time you showed up.” Brady reportedly responded with, “You already know.”

(Warning: NSFW language in the media below.)

In explaining the conversation, Plum clarified that she was joking and appreciated Brady’s support: “Just super excited for his investment in our franchise and understanding what that means for us, and not just us, but the league. And putting eyes on us.”

Reflective, Plum followed up with, “I joke around, but man, it’s been awesome to have him, and I know he cares.”

Of course, Plum’s words made their way back to social media, prompting the seven-time Super Bowl winner to respond.

This is awesome, but I can’t help but wonder: In a 3-point shootout, who wins between Plum and Brady? We already know Brady is good at basketball, and I’d be willing to bet he’d give Plum a run for her money.

Somebody make this happen! Do it, “Tommy B” (the “B” stands for buckets).

I’ll show myself out now.

Aces sweep Sky, head to fifth consecutive WNBA semifinals

A’ja Wilson scored 38 points and set the franchise playoff record for most points in a single playoff game.

The Las Vegas Aces only needed two games to push past the Chicago Sky and seal their place in the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs for the fifth straight year.

In their 92-70 win on Sunday, center A’ja Wilson contributed 38 points and set the franchise playoff record for most points in a single playoff game. The player who formerly held the scoring record is current Aces head coach Becky Hammon, who set it with 35 points in the 2008 Western Conference finals against the Los Angeles Sparks.

Three other Aces players had double-figure scoring, including Jackie Young (15), Kelsey Plum (10) and Alysha Clark (14). Aces guard Chelsea Gray tallied nine assists and brought her career playoff total with the franchise to 118, which surpassed the previous franchise record also held by Hammon.

The Aces host the winner of the first-round matchup between (No. 4) Dallas and (No. 5) Atlanta. The series begins Sept. 24 at Michelob ULTRA Arena at 2 p.m. PT.

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Predictions: Winners and losers from the first round of WNBA playoffs

This season has been the longest to date with 40 games on the schedule.

The 2023 WNBA regular season is over and the first round of the playoff bracket is set. The road to the championship will begin on Wednesday with a best-of-three series format to determine the four teams that will advance to the semifinals.

The two highest seeds, the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty, are paired up against the two lowest seeds, the Chicago Sky and Washington Mystics, in the first round. The Mystics beat the Liberty in a buzzer-beating performance on Sunday and are heading into their matchup on Friday with a healthy roster and confidence.

This season has been the longest to date with 40 games on the schedule. Players are understandably tired, so stamina and coaching decisions will be a huge deciding factor in which teams advance to the semifinals.

Here are my predictions for which teams will advance:

Which 8 WNBA teams are heading to the 2023 playoffs?

The eight teams will begin postseason play on Wednesday with their sights set on advancing to the WNBA Finals.

The stage is set and the final team to make the 2023 WNBA playoffs has secured its spot. The eight teams will begin postseason play on Wednesday with their sights set on advancing to the WNBA Finals.

The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-three series. The semifinal round consists of a best-of-five series with the finals mirroring the semifinal format.

While the New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces clinched their spots early, teams like the Atlanta Dream and Washington Mystics snagged some of the last spots in postseason play.

Here are the eight teams vying for a spot in the finals:

Which WNBA teams have already clinched a playoff spot?

The WNBA playoffs begin on Sept. 13 as eight teams will compete for a spot in the finals.

Five teams have clinched a 2023 WNBA playoff spot with just a week remaining in the regular season. The playoffs begin on Sept. 13 and eight teams will compete for a spot in the finals.

Thus far the Indiana Fever, Seattle Storm and Phoenix Mercury have officially been eliminated. There are three more spots available in the playoffs and four teams are battling it out including the Atlanta Dream, Washington Mystics, Los Angeles Sparks and Chicago Sky.

The regular season ends on Sept. 10 with player awards being announced starting on Sept. 11. The first round of the playoffs is a best-of-three series. The semifinal round consists of a best-of-five series with the finals mirroring the semifinal format.

The five teams that have already qualified for the playoffs: