There will be no three-peat for the Las Vegas Aces. The back-to-back champions were eliminated from the 2024 WNBA playoffs on Sunday with a 76-62 loss to the New York Liberty in Game 4 of their semifinal series. The Aces’ defeat ensures that the Houston Comets, who won the first four titles from 1997-2000, remain the only team to ever pull off a three-peat.
After a huge effort in Game 3 to keep their season alive, the Aces didn’t have the juice in Game 4. They shot 7 of 30 from behind the arc and 32.8% overall, and were really only in the game in the first three quarters because of the Liberty’s mistakes. When the Liberty tightened things up in the fourth quarter, the Aces couldn’t match them.
The Aces’ issues started before the season even began. Candace Parker re-signed during free agency, but then announced her retirement at the beginning of training camp, leaving the Aces with no way to truly replace the future Hall of Famer. Furthermore, Chelsea Gray was not cleared from the foot injury she suffered in Game 3 of the Finals last season.
Without Parker and Gray, the Aces got off to a 6-6 start, losing as many games in the first month as they did in all of 2023. Once Gray returned and they convinced
