Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images
Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Jonquel Jones battle A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young in Game 1 of the WNBA Semi-Finals.
In a rematch of last year’s WNBA Finals, the New York Liberty host the Las Vegas Aces for Game 1 of the Semi-Finals, on Sunday at 3pm ET. The Liberty have been the No. 1 seed for most of the year, finishing the season with a league-best 32-8 record, while the Aces overcame a slow start to ultimate secure the No. 4 seed, posting a 27-13 record on the year. Both teams swept their best-of-three first round series, with the Liberty beating the Dream in back-to-back games, and the Aces defeating the Storm.
The Liberty took all three regular season games this season, but the Aces won the Finals at their hands in September, so there’s no clear favorite going into this one. On one hand, New York has been the most dominant team this season and is kicking things off with two games at Barclay’s Center, but on the other, it’s hard to count out the back-to-back champions. The Aces are going for the first three peat since the league’s inception.
Let’s take a look at five things to watch for ahead of Game 1.
Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson — how will the MVPs fare?
For years now, Breanna Stewart and A’ja Wilson have dominated the WNBA. Stewart (two MVPs, two championships) and Wilson (three MVPs, two championships) are friends off the court, but have a long history of fun postseason clashes. Last year, Wilson got the upper hand, leading her Aces team to a 3-1 Finals victory, while Stewart averaged 16.3 points per game in the Finals, almost 7 points less than her regular season average.
Stewie has had a great second half to the season, and seems to be back in MVP form, but whether she can keep up with Wilson’s production will help determine the outcome of this series. A’ja Wilson has had a historic WNBA season, averaging 26.9 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game, and was unanimously named MVP last week. Both players are going to put up number, but who comes out on top in this match-up of all-time greats could be the difference
Sabrina Ionescu: can she keep up this postseason production?
Sabrina Ionescu has been critical to this Liberty team’s success. Until a late-season shooting slump, she was (somewhat) in the MVP conversation, and Aces head coach Becky Hammon actually blasted media for not including her in their First Team All-WNBA ballots.
Ionescu shot 18% in the final three games of the regular season to cap off a post-Olympic break that saw her shooting just 33% from the field. But, she quelled any concerns about her shooting with a massive Game 2 performance in which she exploded for 36 points on 12-23 shooting, tied for a franchise record for most points in a playoff game.
She’ll have to face better defenders in this one — Jackie Young is one of the toughest guard defenders in the league and will likely have the Ionescu match-up at times, and the Aces have made Ionescu’s life difficult before. But, her game has evolved since the two teams faced off last fall, and if she can continue her postseason explosion, the Liberty become much more difficult to contain.
Las Vegas Aces guard play: which Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray, and Kelsey Plum will we see?
Becky Hammon has noted time and again how critical the Aces’ guard play is for the teams success. After all, this is a backcourt that includes three U.S. Olympians — including a Finals MVP (Chelsea Gray) and two form former No. 1 picks (Jackie Young, Kelsey Plum).
Gray missed the first 12 games of the regular season after recovering from a foot injury she suffered in last year’s playoffs, and it took her a while to get back into form. But, her teammates have stressed she’s back in full form, which means she’s one of the most important players in the league.
In the first two games of the 2024 postseason, she looked to be back in the swing of things. Gray averaged 14 points and 8 assists across two wins against the Storm, prompting Kelsey Plum to sing her teammate’s praises.
“A lot of people put up numbers — and that’s no fault of them,” Plum said. “But Chelsea impacts winning. Ask any player in the league, any high-level player, I guarantee they want Chelsea Gray on their team with five minutes left.”
Kelsey Plum with high praise for Chelsea Gray postgame:
“A lot of people put up numbers — and that’s no fault of them. But Chelsea impacts winning. Ask any player in the league, any high-level player, I guarantee they want Chelsea Gray on their team with five minutes left.” pic.twitter.com/P0pLW1a7Z7
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) September 25, 2024
Meanwhile, Plum herself bounced back after a two-point Game 1 showing, posting 29 points on 11-15 shooting in the deciding Game 2. Young has been quiet since the Olympic break, and has averaged just 10.5 points on 34.8% shooting in two playoff wins. She’ll have her hands full defensively in this one, but if she can hit open shots (as she has for the majority of her career) that helps too.
The role players: Leonie Fiebich, Betnijah Laney-Hamilton, Tiffany Hayes, Alysha Clark
This game is as star-studded as any WNBA matchup, boasting three former MVPs and 8 Paris Olympians. But, the role players will be critical, too. The Liberty have some of the best in the game, and the Aces have the most likely Sixth Player of the Year candidate in Tiffany Hayes. Hayes averaged 9.2 points on 50.3% shooting this season, and was massive in the first round of the playoffs, averaging 14.5 points on 63.2% shooting, including 75% from three.
For the Liberty, Leonie Fiebich was effective off the bench all year, but was even better as a starter, and now, head coach Sandy Brondello seems to like her fit in the starting lineup in place of Courtney Vandersloot. Betnijah Laney-Hamilton is also one of the best two-way players in the game, and seems to be healthy after missing several weeks due to knee surgery. Fiebich and Hayes are the only main rotation players who weren’t on last year’s rosters, and their output will be critical.
“New York is a lot better than they were last year. Just plain and simple,” Plum said. “They’re bigger, they shoot the ball at a better clip. If you go down the line, pound for pound individually, all of them are better basketball players.”
Which Jonquel Jones are we getting?
Jonquel Jones can be the most dominant post player in the league. The Former MVP has been the x-factor in previous wins against the Aces — in June, she exploded for 34 points and 8 rebounds in a 90-82 win over Las Vegas. But, she’s also had games where she’s been a lot more quit, attempting just a few shots and not exerting herself in the interior. Jone will have to be her best self in this one, and she was a big reason why the Liberty even had a chance in last year’s finals against the Aces. Conversation around New York’s success generally centers around Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart, but Jonquel Jones has the capability to be the most dominant player on the floor at any moment.
