NEW YORK — Last season, as the Las Vegas Aces searched for an edge that could carry them to a second consecutive championship, a slogan found its way onto T-shirts, social media posts and eventually a parade float: Aces vs. Everybody. It served as Las Vegas’ motivation.
Each player and coach carried a chip on their shoulder. Advertisement But on Tuesday night, after the Aces lost to the New York Liberty 88-84 — a defeat which pushed Las Vegas to 0-2 in the series and to the brink of elimination — coach Becky Hammon crafted another slogan: “It was Aces vs. Aces tonight.
We were beating ourselves.” She also compared the Aces’ Game 2 defense to “a layup clinic.” Las Vegas was outscored 44-24 in the paint, and she said the Aces’ unwise fouling and other self-inflicted wounds put them in a hole.
BATTLED IT OUT AND PROTECTED HOME COURT #SEAFOAMSZN | #LIGHTITUPNYL pic.twitter.com/aNidqedAZk — New York Liberty (@nyliberty) October 2, 2024 Las Vegas committed three more fouls than New York, and more importantly missed seven of its 19 free throws.
Perhaps most notably, Las Vegas became the first defending champion to trail 0-2 in a WNBA playoff series — a disadvantage no team has overcome in league history. Hammon said the Aces are in “for a war. And a big one.
” “You can’t make mistakes. They’re too hurtful,” she said. “They’re too hard to recover when you’re playing the best team in the league.
Let there be no doubt. They’re the best team. T.