New York Liberty outmatched by Las Vegas Aces in Game 1 of WNBA Finals
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 08: Jackie Young #0 of the Las Vegas Aces forces Sabrina Ionescu #20 of the New York Liberty to stop her 3-point shot attempt in the fourth quarter of Game One of the 2023 WNBA Playoffs finals at Michelob ULTRA Arena on October 08, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Aces defeated the Liberty 99-82. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Credit: Getty Images/Ethan Miller
LAS VEGAS — Hours before her Las Vegas Aces team tipped off against the Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals, Becky Hammon shared a hunch with reporters.
“I don’t anticipate a blowout in either direction," the Aces coach said. “This one’s going to go down to the wire.”
Hammon is either a really good liar or a really bad prognosticator. Because, despite being one of the most anticipated WNBA Finals in recent memory, there was nothing close about the way the Aces were able to roll to a 99-82 victory Sunday at Michelob ULTRA Arena to go up 1-0 in the best-of-five series.
No, it was not an ideal way for the Liberty to open up their first WNBA Finals appearance in 21 years. Yet, the recent history between these two teams should be enough to give Liberty fans confidence that their team can weather a first punch like this.
The game marked the sixth time the two teams have met this year with each having won three times. Not one of those games was decided by less than nine points. Game 2 is Wednesday in Las Vegas, meaning the Liberty have two practice days to figure out how to deal with the superior play of the Aces guards.
The Aces backcourt of Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray are in their third year playing together. All three were All-Stars this season, and some consider them the best backcourt in league history. Everyone considered them the best backcourt at Michelob ULTRA arena Sunday. Young scored 26 points, shooting 5-for-8 from beyond the Arc. Plum also scored 26 points while Chelsea Gray chipped in 20.
You knew things were not going the Liberty’s way when their highest-scoring guard was Marine Johannes, a bench player who had totaled five points in the playoffs. Johannes finished with 14 points, all in the first half.
The Liberty’s starting guards struggled to get anything going, particularly Sabrina Ionescu whose defensive play is quickly turning into a liability for a team that is trying to win the franchise its first title ever. Ionescu scored just seven points and was 1-for-5 from the field. Courtney Vandersloot finished with 10 points.
The guards played a big role in turning a close first half into a one-sided game as the Aces went on an 11-2 run that gave them a 78-65 lead early in the fourth quarter. At one point in the final period, the Aces led by as many as 22 points.
“They just had a little bit of a tough night,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said of her guards. “That’s not going to happen two games in a row. We believe in them. They’ve carried us all season long. We will still put the ball in their hands. We want them to be comfortable and do what they do and help them.
“We need to help them get more comfortable, making shots and going to the rim. In Sabrina’s case, getting more wide-open threes. They’re going to be fine. They took the first punch and now we have to respond.
Vandersloot believes the loss boiled down to six minutes of poor play where mistakes just snowballed. She said it is a mark of a great team that the Aces could take advantage of that. But she also believes her team has what it takes to regroup and fix their mistakes in Game 2.
“This is a series for a reason,” she said. “We didn’t do what we need to do to take care of business. But we learned a lot. Now, we have a good point of reference going forward and we have to learn from it.
“We weren’t going to sweep them. We knew that. It’s going to be a battle. It’s all about adjustments.”
No one this postseason has figured out how to adjust to the Aces as they attempt to become the first WNBA to repeat since the Los Angeles Sparks did it in 2001 and 2002. With the win Sunday night, the Aces are now 7-0 in the playoffs.
Not sure if Hammon predicted that or not.
Barbara Barker is an award-winning columnist and features writer in the sports department at Newsday. She has covered sports in New York for more than 20 years.
