Semifinals preview: New York Liberty vs. Las Vegas Aces

And then there were four. After a first round that resulted in sweeps in all series, we have advanced to the semifinals.

Both contests are compelling, but the No. 1-seed New York Liberty (32-8) taking on the No. 4-seed Las Vegas Aces (27-13) has to be the most anticipated of the two. The fun begins on Sunday, Sept. 29 at 3 p.m. ET (ABC).

The Liberty have been the best team in the WNBA all year, but they have never won a WNBA championship. The Aces are on the opposite side of that coin, with two titles in hand, looking for their third-straight. They defeated the Liberty in the 2023 WNBA Finals, but who will win this rematch now that the Aces aren’t in the driver’s seat?

How the Aces can win

A couple of playoff games and, suddenly, a season of mediocrity is erased. Chelsea Gray is making Point Gawd passes, Kelsey Plum looks like one of the best guards in the league and A’ja Wilson is still playing like the unanimous MVP she is.

The Storm were a respectable first-round opponent, but the Liberty will be much harder to beat. The Aces know they can count on Wilson, which means their guard play will be pivotal.

Plum and Gray will need to have big games offensively and find ways to make Sabrina Ionescu work for everything she gets. Tiffany Hayes will also be important coming off the bench. She had a huge 20-point performance in Game 1 of the opening round. With play like that, Hayes can push Las Vegas over the hump if things get tight against New York.

How the Liberty can win

New York has consistently been the best team all year long. So why does it feel like this is a 50/50 series? Mainly, it’s just historical paranoia, and although we know the Aces are mortals, they haven’t seemed like it the last two seasons.

For the Liberty to knock off the Aces’ mystique, they’ll have to get consistent play from Jonquel Jones. During the regular season, she had a couple of weaker scoring performances versus Las Vegas; they need her to be a reliable threat from the post. Ionescu has been sensational all year, but this is her moment. She can demonstrate growth and the ability to rise to the challenge to take down a titan. If the first round is any indicator, she’s ready. Against the Dream, she went nuclear, scoring 36 points to take out Atlanta.

This matchup has been most anticipated, and regardless of the victor, it will be entertaining and lead to high-level basketball.