LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson had the thought more than once as she watched a video about the 2014 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs.
“These guys,” she thought, “are a lot like us.”
Center/forward Tim Duncan, small forward Kawhi Leonard, shooting guard Manu Ginobili and point guard Tony Parker were the core of that Spurs team. Wilson and guards Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young are the core of the Aces, the defending WNBA champions driven in their quest to repeat their title this year.
Las Vegas coach Becky Hammon thought it would help the Aces to watch how the Spurs played and supported one another in 2014, when San Antonio won its fifth and most recent NBA title.
The Aces’ championship under Hammon last year showed the players’ ability to bond together. They haven’t needed external motivation this year in trying to run it back. Still, Hammon wanted the Aces to take note of how the Spurs rallied around one another in 2014.
“I see lots of similarities in the character of the teams,” Hammon said. “The care factor that 2014 team…
