A star-powered collection of Las Vegas Aces led them to victory over the Connecticut Sun and crowned them as WNBA champions. The 3-1 series win is the first championship won by the Ace, who lost her 2020 Championship to the Seattle Storm two seasons ago and was just a few points away from her return to the WNBA Championship last season. A short point to the Phoenix Mercury. The win is also Las Vegas’ first championship in major sports history, and probably the first of many for the ace, based on its success to date.

What Ace has accomplished in just five seasons is impressive. Since his debut season, he has made the playoffs every season. Including this season, they have finished the regular season at the top for three consecutive seasons. The difficulty of that streak of dominance cannot be overstated, and this potential dynasty was made possible by their star player. Since then, he has been an absolute threat and one of the top talents in the entire league.

A longtime MVP candidate, Wilson is surrounded by three All-Star caliber guards. Kelsey Plum is one of them, a shooter and distributor who has been active in his new role as a starter this season. Jackie Young, who was named No. 1 overall in 2019, took a leap forward to play more efficiently to pair with elite scoring. Chelsea Gray seemed like the missing piece to this team’s puzzle. Her start to the season was slow after she was signed in the offseason, but Gray’s impact in her postseason was evident.

WNBA Finals MVP veteran Gray is clearly the emotional leader of this team, as evidenced by his fierce style of play. In the playoffs, she added excellent scoring to combine with a consistently stellar defense. Gray carried the team on their backs in these playoffs, and they were head and shoulders above the competition, largely due to her contributions.

Not that their journey was easy. The competition this year was fierce. The Connecticut Sun presented a difficult matchup due to their relatively large lineup. Frontcourt His players Alyssa His Thomas and Jon Kell His Jones’ unique talents were difficult for the ace to deal with, but first-year Becky His Hamon His coach highlighted the player’s strengths. He executed his plan brilliantly.

Throughout the series, the offense has been perimeter-oriented, leveraging Chelsea Gray’s playmaking ability to set teammates in easy sight. On defense, Ace dared to shoot for the Sun, forcing his players on the Sun’s wing to make difficult shots. The only game Ace ever dropped in the series was when Dewana his Bonner and Natishia his Heidemann led a very efficient away trip for the Sun and three points he made a whopping 53% of his attempts. .

The first-year coach really knew how to manage this star-studded team, so Hammon’s ability to get the most out of it must be given due credit. Throughout the season, each of the trio of guards had their moment, with Young, Plum and Gray each taking turns being the team’s heroes of the day. Matching their talents with Wilson’s has been phenomenal for this team, Hammon’s insight into her adjustments to keep her ball out of the paint and force the sun to create from the outside. showed.

This team is unusual in that all of its stars are currently under contract for next season, so unlike the usual turnovers that WNBA teams go through each offseason, the Aces are very close to being a team starting next season. may be similar. They’re arguably the favorites to win again when the playoffs return next year, perhaps starting a bona fide dynasty that could push this franchise into the basketball history books.

Image courtesy of Laurie Scholl