Las Vegas “Aces” the Liberty, in win for Back to Back WNBA Championships!

Before the Las Vegas Aces’ first game at The Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn against the New York Liberty, Becky Hammon said out loud what everyone already knew, or at least suspected: “This team over here,” Hammon said, referring to the heavily remade New York Liberty, “was put together to take you out.”

It was a reference to the frenzied free agency of last offseason that pushed the WNBA into its first Super Team era. The Aces, a favorite to repeat, didn’t take too kindly to the notion that a roster could be put together overnight to contend with them.

“A lot of people picked Liberty in five (games),” said Aces star A’ja Wilson. “We know, we see it. That (stuff) fueled us.”

And Wednesday night, they showed just how good they are — even without some key pieces.

Behind 24 points and 16 rebounds from Wilson, a (significantly) shorthanded Las Vegas team came back from as many as 12 down to defeat the New York Liberty in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals, taking the series 3-1. It is the Aces’ second consecutive championship under Hammon, and they are the WNBA’s first back-to-back champions since the Los Angeles Sparks won it all in 2001 and 2002.

“This one’s sweeter,” Hammon said. “(Repeating) is hard to do. We went from darling to villain real quick.”

It was an especially impressive win for Las Vegas considering what the Aces were missing. They were down All-Star point guard Chelsea Gray and forward Kiah Stokes — who combined to average 17.5 points, 8.4 rebounds and 7.9 assists for the Aces this season as they compiled a 34-6 record — and the team struggled to adjust to life without its floor general early.

The Aces turned the ball over eight times in the first quarter, which New York turned into seven points, before calming down. They finished with just 13 turnovers but the Liberty got going too, ending the half on an 8-0 run to take a 39-30 lead into the break.  However, staring face to face with adversity, the Aces’ called on its “championship DNA” to survive and clinch their 2nd WNBA title in 2 years. Four Aces scored in double figures, including Clark (10) and Cayla George (11), who both started with Gray and Stokes out. Clark also grabbed eight rebounds. Jackie Young chipped in 16 points. And even though Kelsey Plum finished with 7 points, she added 5 assists and 8 rebounds in a gutsy, closeout performance. In a New York City night full of star-power, the Aces’ came on top in historical fashion.

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