Sue Bird says goodbye as Las Vegas Aces advance to WNBA Finals

The Las Vegas Aces won a thriller against the Seattle Storm in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Tuesday night. Chelsea Gray had a spectacular performance that had never been seen before in the WNBA Playoffs. She had 31 points and 10 assist in the game to lead Vegas to victory and into the WNBA Finals. Nothing has stopped her so far in these playoffs.

Perhaps the biggest storyline of the night came from the losing team. The loss, of course, ended the Storm’s season, and with it ended the career of legendary future Hall of Famer Sue Bird. One of the best players in women’s basketball history, her retirement will be hard to get used to after her illustrious 22-year-career. Bird had eight points and eight assists in what ended up being her final game.

Breanna Stewart was incredible on Tuesday night, scoring 42 points in the game. The 26 she had in the first half was the most in the first half of a playoff game in WNBA history. Her 14-22 shooting was great too, as were her seven rebounds. Not to be overlooked is the 29 points that Jewell Loyd had on the night.

What’s next for the Seattle Storm?

The offseason starts now for Seattle. It could be an interesting one for them. For starters, the team is looking for a new point guard for the first time in 21 years.

In addition, Stewart is an impending free agent, but one would have to think that the Storm will do everything in their power to keep the superstar with them.

As for the Aces, Chelsea Gray was not the only great performer for them in game four. A’ja Wilson had 23 points and 13 rebounds, and both Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young scored in double-figures too.

First year head coach Becky Hammons’ squad will now start preparing for the WNBA Finals. It is the franchise’s third trip to the Finals and their second in three years. They were unsuccessful in their first two attempts: they lost to Seattle in the bubble in 2020 and lost to Detroit in 2008 while the team was still in San Antonio.

Their opponent will be determined on Thursday night when the Sky and Sun face off in Game 5 of their series. Game 1 of the 2022 WNBA Finals will be at their place in Vegas on Sunday.