The New York Liberty haven't shied away from talking about the "scars" left over from last season's loss in the WNBA Finals to the Las Vegas Aces. But in the 2024 playoffs Sunday, the top-seeded Liberty took a crucial first step toward exorcising those demons.
New York led almost wire-to-wire to win Game 1 of the semifinals 87-77 in a blockbuster rematch against the Aces in front of a crowd of 14,015. Breanna Stewart, the 2023 regular-season MVP, and Sabrina Ionescu combined for 55 of the Liberty's points, while Kelsey Plum and 2024 MVP A'ja Wilson combined for 45 points to pace the Aces.
The game felt like a statement for the Liberty: New York went 3-0 against the Aces in the regular season, though Las Vegas' Chelsea Gray sat out the first matchup and Wilson was sidelined in the third.
But on Sunday, the Liberty looked the part of the best team in the league, one better positioned than last year to finally win the franchise's first championship. New York led by double figures for large stretches and jumped ahead by as many as 18 points in the third quarter. Though Las Vegas made several runs to get to within striking distance, the Aces never got closer than eight points in the fourth.
How big was the Game 1 result? Throughout WNBA postseason history, teams that go ahead 1-0 in a best-of-five series win 77% of the time (27-8 record). But the Aces aren't any regular playoff team, either, as the two-time defending champions boast the three-time MVP -- and before Sunday had lost only one game since the end of August.
Las Vegas previously bounced back from an 1-0 deficit in the 2022 semifinals against the Seattle Storm, then led by Stewart in her final season before leaving for New York.
ESPN takes a look at how the Liberty took Game 1 and what the Aces need to do to even the series Tuesday.
How did New York hold MVP A'ja Wilson in check?
For most players, Wilson's Game 1 stat line -- 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting -- would have been an outstanding performance. For the three-time MVP, who set a WNBA record by averaging 26.9 points during the regular season, it was a relatively quiet outing.
Wilson's 16 shots tied her fewest in a playoff game since Game 1 of last year's Finals, and four of those came in the final 4 minutes with the Liberty in command. Wilson had to work hard for the nine makes. Of her 16 shots, 14 were contested (87.5%), according to ESPN Research, as compared to 80% of Wilson's attempts against New York in 2023.
Based on Second Spectrum tracking, Wilson's quantified shot quality of 47% -- the effective field goal percentage we'd expect from an average shooter based on the location and type of attempts and distance to nearby defenders -- was her fifth lowest in any game this season.
The Liberty used 6-foot-6 Jonquel Jones as a primary defender on Wilson, making it difficult for her to score in the post. And when Wilson looked to shoot turnaround jumpers, Stewart -- 6-4 with a reported 6-10 wingspan -- came over to provide late help and bother the shot.
To her credit, Wilson took advantage of the attention to hand out five assists, her most in a playoff game since 2022. But the Aces will need to find more ways to set up Wilson the rest of the series to get her production back at an MVP level. -- Kevin Pelton
Sabrina Ionescu finds some space at the top of the key and drills a 3-pointer for the Liberty.
What worked so well for the Liberty on offense?
Their Big Three. Though New York's depth is generally better this season, its superstars in Stewart, Ionescu and Jones did most of the damage on offense Sunday. The trio scored 68 points, with Stewart and Ionescu both shooting 60% or better from the field.
Stewart was unstoppable in the first half with 20 points, taking advantage of mismatches when guards mistakenly switched onto her (an issue Aces coach Becky Hammon brought up postgame) and when going up against the undersized Alysha Clark. In the first half in particular, Stewart shot 4-for-5 against her former Storm teammate. According to ESPN tracking, Stewart made 6 of 11 of her contested shots overall, 6 of 8 open shots and scored 10 points in transition.
Jones battled in the lane all game, dominating the glass and helping New York come away with a 42-38 edge in scoring in the paint. Ionescu started strong with 3-for-3 shooting in the first quarter and then used an eight-point spurt in the fourth -- featuring a pair of deep 3-pointers in quick succession -- to essentially put away the Aces. Ionescu's strong postseason run after a dip in her efficiency following the Olympics is massive for the Liberty's championship prospects.
They wouldn't keep it up at the same pace all game long, but New York's 28-point first quarter, where it assisted 10 of 11 baskets and had seven fast-break points, set the tone for what the team was able to accomplish most of the game. -- Alexa Philippou
Kelsey Plum gets by her defender with a superb move to get a nice layup for the Aces.
What does Las Vegas need to do Tuesday to avoid an 0-2 start?
The biggest problem for the Aces can't be fixed between now and Tuesday: They don't have a viable way to match up with both Stewart and Jones. New York's all-star forwards combined for 47 points Sunday. That is tough for Las Vegas to overcome.
Playing the 6-3 Kiah Stokes to guard Jones makes sense from a size perspective, but Stokes is such a liability on offense (1.4 PPG) she allows New York to continually double-team Wilson. Unless Stokes can completely lock down Jones -- hard to do against a player of Jones' caliber; she has 32 double-doubles since joining the Liberty before last season -- she is a tough play for anything more than spot minutes. With her on the bench, Gray or Jackie Young were sometimes matched up with Jones. Or when Wilson guarded Jones, Clark drew the Stewart assignment. All of those scenarios put the Aces at a significant disadvantage on defense.
The solution for Las Vegas must come on offense. It's overly simplistic to say the Aces need to outscore the Liberty, but they will need to score more than 77 points. The offense needs a better flow and Las Vegas needs to do more in transition. It begins with more balanced production from the backcourt. The Aces need more than four points and one assist from Gray. Her playmaking and ability to hit big shots were an essential part of the past two championships.
Plum was outstanding Sunday with her 24 points, but Young needs to be more of a factor. She finished with 17 points, but it took her 16 shots to get there. Her impact on the game was minimal. She didn't do much defensively against Ionescu. All three guards must be significant contributors if Las Vegas is going to even this series. Gray has to play more like the version of herself who was seen in the first-round series against Seattle. -- Charlie Creme