The Las Vegas Aces got an early opportunity for playoff revenge in the first round of the playoffs, facing off against the team that knocked them out of the 2021 postseason and dispatching the Phoenix Mercury (or what was left of them) in two games.
Now, the top-seeded Aces get a second opportunity to even the score against the fourth-seeded Seattle Storm, who defeated Las Vegas in the 2020 WNBA Finals. The Aces were the no. 1 seed in that matchup as well, but since the entire season was contested in Bradenton, Fla., homecourt wasn’t really an advantage.
Even though only two years have passed since that series, Las Vegas looks dramatically different. A’ja Wilson is the only starter remaining from the starting five (Danielle Robinson, Kayla McBride, Angel McCoughtry, Carolyn Swords, and Wilson) who took the floor in the 2020 Finals, and only Jackie Young remains from the rotation. Dearica Hamby and Kelsey Plum were both injured, and Chelsea Gray, Riquna Williams, and Kiah Stokes had yet to arrive in free agency. The Aces drafted Iliana Rupert after those Finals and then changed coaches from Bill Laimbeer to Becky Hammon this past offseason.
The enemy on the other side looks mighty familiar, though. The Storm retain three of their starters, and they’re the most important ones: Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd, and Sue Bird. Epiphanny Prince still runs the second unit, and Ezi Magbegor has graduated from bit player to third big. Noelle Quinn was the associate head coach for Seattle that season and has since been promoted to head coach, providing some continuity on the bench as well.
Maybe Wilson and Young are the only current Aces who individually bear the scars from that series, but the way they brought the hurt to a Phoenix team that had one remaining starter from last year’s semifinal round makes it seem like Las Vegas doesn’t forget easily. The Storm won a title in 2020 that the Aces are still searching for, and it’s only fitting that the path to this year’s championship goes through Seattle.
Semifinals series schedule
Game 1: Seattle at Las Vegas, Sunday Aug. 28 at 1 p.m. PT, ESPN
Game 2: Seattle at Las Vegas,…
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