A lot can change in a couple of months. In August, Defector's contingent of New York Liberty fans was acting high and mighty after beating the Las Vegas Aces for the Commissioner's Cup. The Aces won the subsequent meeting, but on Aug. 28, in their last matchup of the regular season, the Liberty took a 94-85 win in Brooklyn. Said contingent gloated, as if real championships are won in August. In the interest of journalistic responsibility, it would be accurate to say that the Aces looked gassed and overmatched in that loss. They needed rest.
The Aces received that rest at the conclusion of the regular season, then burned through the playoffs while losing just a single game and beat the Liberty in a four-game WNBA Finals. Even on the road, without two starters (including the 2022 Finals MVP), they sealed a championship with a one-point win. The Las Vegas Aces have back-to-back titles, a fact emphasized at Monday's victory parade, and the doubters as well as the haters are beside themselves. The only reason it took us an extra day to acknowledge this development is because we were busy drinking martinis out of a pitcher.
The main plot of this WNBA season was whether this superteam would finally meet its match. Now that it's over ... where is it? Can anyone find the matches? Are the matches in the room with us right now? All we can see instead is an extremely sauced Becky Hummin' [sic] refusing to relinquish the mic:
There was Chelsea Gray, who shouldn't be walking, strutting around and talking shit. There was the strategically manufactured adversity that the Aces used when A'ja Wilson received one fourth-place MVP vote, a slight she turned into a T-shirt for the championship parade. For her efforts, she'll get the opportunity to see Usher (Sydney Colson won't, though).
There was Jackie Young smiling and having a good time. That's nice.
Breanna Stewart went 3-for-17 in Game 4. Sabrina Ionescu carries her groceries in her hands because she has no bag. Vegas's core is under contract until 2025. Night night. Let's go Aces.
