With a 34-6 regular-season record and thus far undefeated playoff run, the Las Vegas Aces find themselves one victory away from back-to-back championships—and the ability to stake the claim as the greatest WNBA team ever.
The job’s not finished, however, as the New York Liberty are unlikely to go quietly as they host Game 3 in New York. And while have yet to show it this series, the Liberty have the talent to not only win Game 3 but win out and be the first team to come back from an 0-2 deficit in the Finals. Here are the things Las Vegas has to do to ensure their stay in the Big Apple doesn’t extend past Sunday night:
Make Jonquel Jones work
While many of the Liberty players have struggled, Jonquel Jones has not. During the Finals, Jones has controlled the glass and scored more than any other Liberty player. Can the Aces keep her off the glass and slow her down offensively? If Jones gets hot from the field and gets the home crowd going, it could spell trouble for the Aces, just like it did in the Commissioner’s Cup, when Jones had 16 points and 15 rebounds and took home the MVP award.
The task of interrupting Jones’ offensive flow will fall on A’ja Wilson and Kiah Stokes. It’s hard to ask Wilson, who has been so good in these Finals, to step up more, but that is…
