Experienced Las Vegas Aces open WNBA title defense against Chicago Sky
LAS VEGAS (AP) — It's the same starting five as last season when the Las Vegas Aces won their first WNBA championship.
And despite getting every opponent's best shot this season, the Aces captured the league's top playoff seed and set several notable records. That postseason experience from last year should serve Las Vegas well when it opens the playoffs Wednesday night against the Chicago Sky.
The Aces, however, downplayed the importance of experience.
“No playoff run is the same,” cautioned point guard Chelsea Gray, last season's WNBA Finals MVP.
There are several reasons for the Aces to be on high alert.
They have struggled to get much production from their bench, forcing the Aces to rely heavily on the starters. That wasn't the plan entering the season, but Riquna Williams hasn't played because of a back injury and then was accused in July of domestic violence before charges were dropped last week. Marquee free-agent pickup Candace Parker, a two-time MVP, went down early in the season with a broken foot.
Even without those players, the Aces set league records with 34 victories, 11 100-point games and 25 double-digit wins. They also led the WNBA in offensive rating (113.0.) and defensive rating (97.7).
“It's resilience," two-time MVP A'ja Wilson said. "We try to hang on to one another. Man down, man up, and that's the approach we took. Who the hell can do what Candace Parker does? No one. Whoever is in that locker room, we go together.”
The lack of depth, however, did catch up with the Aces during one late-season stretch. They lost four of seven games over a 14-day span, though the defeat to the New York Liberty in the Commissioner Cup Championship didn't count in the standings.
That work overload shouldn't be an issue in the playoffs when games are more spread out. After playing the Sky on Wednesday, the teams don't meet again until Sunday.
“It might get a little tighter on the rotation depending on what the game calls for,” coach Becky Hammon said. “But if you look, we don't have anybody in the top 10 in minutes played. We have heavy minutes, but there are so many games they did even play (many minutes), so load management I feel like we're OK and, obviously, the spaced-out days will definitely help us.”
The Aces and Liberty — the league's two so-called super teams — appear to be on a collision course for the WNBA Finals. New York made a strong late run at trying to catch the Aces, finishing two games behind at 32-8.
They meet three times during that stretch where the Aces stumbled, and the Liberty won twice to potentially expose some Las Vegas weaknesses.
Hammon said, however, there were some things she took from those games that could assist her team during the postseason.
“I didn't want to unload a whole bag of tricks just to try to win a game,” Hammon said. “(The Liberty) are going to have their hands full (with Washington). That is a tough 7-2 matchup. So we'll continue to gain information just like they'll watch our games and continue to gain information on us, but we're not worried about New York. We're worried about Chicago.”
As historical as the regular season was for the Aces, it would be largely forgotten if they're not able to raise another championship banner. The 2002 Los Angeles Sparks were the last team to repeat, and before them the Houston Comets won four titles in a row.
The Aces have a chance to be considered among history's top teams.
“We've put ourselves in position to make a good push,” Hammon said. “Now it's about taking advantage. It doesn't matter who we're playing. If the Aces are the Aces and we're playing the way we're supposed to be playing, I think we are tough to beat no matter what round and what arena.”
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