One reason the Aces are in the finals right now is that they have a proven veteran core that has been in battle together many times. A’ja Wilson, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray won two titles together with the Aces in 2022 and 2023. While the Aces lost another staple of those title teams when they traded Kelsey Plum to the LA Sparks, they got another championship guard in return.
Jewell Loyd is no stranger to playing and winning at the highest level. Loyd won two championships with the Seattle Storm in 2018 and 2020. She didn’t get off to the best start with the Aces, but has thrived since coming off the bench and is one of the driving forces behind the Aces’ dominant finals outing. Loyd scored 18 points in Game 1 and 16 points in Game 3, helping the Aces get out to a 3-0 start.
With that 3-0 advantage, the Aces are in the perfect position to close out the series with a sweep and a third title in four years. For Loyd, a sweep would keep a unique streak alive. Loyd has never lost a finals game in her WNBA career.
Loyd is currently 9-0 in the WNBA Finals
This is Loyd’s third trip to the WNBA Finals The first time she made it that far was in 2018. Together with Breanna Stewart, Natasha Howard, and Sue Bird, Loyd led the Storm past the star-studded Phoenix Mercury to a final series against the Washington Mystics. The Storm won all three games. Loyd scored 42 total points in the 2018 WNBA Finals, grabbed 15 rebounds, and dished out eight assists.
Two years later, the same core group led the Storm back to the 202 Finals. This time, they swept the Las Vegas Aces in A’ja Wilson’s second postseason run. None of the games were particularly close, as the Storm won each matchup by at least 13 points and blew the Aces out by 33 points in Game 3.
The Aces’ first three wins over the Mercury this year improved Loyd’s finals record to 9-0.
Las Vegas is in a good position to close out the series quickly
The Mercury played incredibly well coming into the finals, but the Aces’ starpower, experience, size, and ability to make adjustments quickly have visibly bothered them. After three wins, the Aces have momentum and the knowledge that they can beat this team on their side. The Mercury, however, won’t go down easily and will try their best to avoid a sweep. They already came close to winning in Game 1 and Game 3. So, while the Aces are in the best position possible, winning Game 4 won’t be easy.