Seven months ago, well before the 2023 WNBA season began, the entire basketball world was predicting a Las Vegas Aces-New York Liberty Finals. Sure enough, after a record 40-game regular season and two playoff rounds, the long-awaited showdown has arrived. Starting with Game 1 on Sunday in Las Vegas, the league’s two superteams will meet to determine a champion.
The Aces cruised through the regular season, finishing 34-6 to set a new WNBA record for wins and clinch the No. 1 overall seed. Likewise, their playoff journey has been relatively stress free. They swept the Chicago Sky in the first round and the Dallas Wings in the semifinals, and have barely trailed along the way.
As for the Liberty, they were only slightly less dominant during the regular season, winning a franchise-record 32 games, which is also the second-most ever. Their road to the Finals has been much more difficult, however, in large part due to much tougher competition. But despite being tested in nearly every game, they swept the Washington Mystics in the first round, and took care of the Connecticut Sun in four games in the semis.
At stake in this matchup: the Aces attempting to become the first team since the 2001 and 2002 Los…
