LAS VEGAS — The New York Liberty has been waiting nearly 12 months for this. From the moment Courtney Vandersloot missed a jumper near the end of Game 4 of the 2023 Finals, Liberty was chasing revenge. It was a chance to redeem themselves after a missed opportunity and also a chance to score against the Las Vegas Aces.
“Remember what that feels like,” coach Sandy Brondello said early in the series. “It’s in the past. But we never forget how we felt in that moment. So, if you need motivation, please remember how you felt after Game 4.”
The opportunity for redemption came earlier than expected, leaving New York still short of the final prize. But after saying they had accomplished nothing over the past few weeks, Liberty achieved one goal Sunday. They toppled the two-time defending champions.
It was personal for New York, who addressed the Ace’s trash talk after winning the 2023 title. Liberty won’t consider this season a success until they win three more games. That can’t be the case, considering they already made it to the finals a year ago. Still, the emotions poured out.
“I have receipts for what was said, and the whole team has receipts,” said Breanna Stewart.
After struggling in an elimination loss this time last year, Stewart led off the encore with 19 points, 14 rebounds, five assists and four blocks. In a tense and arrhythmic Game 4 on Sunday, New York held off the Aces all afternoon before going on a 16-2 run in the fourth quarter to win 76-62 and advance to the semifinal series. The Liberty advanced to the WNBA Finals for the sixth time in franchise history, while the Aces fell short of the title for the first time since Becky Hammon took over as coach.
New York entered the Michelob Ultra Arena and took the game as the home team. Following Jackie Young’s 3-pointer, Liberty fell behind 10-0 and never trailed again. The Aces pulled within one point on a few occasions but never got over the hump. New York’s veterans always found a way to end a rally, whether it was Jonquel Jones hitting a 3-pointer, Vandersloot driving to the basket or Stewart hitting impossible runners with his endless arms.
Sloot is on the move! 🏃♀️ She powerfully moves towards the rim with a large bucket.
NYL leads by 8 points in the 4th quarter.
📺 Liberty Aces on ABC | #WNBA Playoffs publisher @Google pic.twitter.com/2D3KiCOavp
– WNBA (@WNBA) October 6, 2024
Liberty’s length surprised Las Vegas all night long. The Aces looked from open shots to shadows. Young did not hit another basket the rest of the night. Her only potential came in the halfcourt after the third quarter buzzer, and Las Vegas shot 21 of 64 from the field, including 7 of 30 on 3 seconds. Three of those came in the final 3:20 when the Aces were already down by 14 points and were running out of time to complete the comeback. At that moment, home fans were leaving the building with New York fans standing behind the bench calling for a return to the finals.
Before the series began, Las Vegas acknowledged that the Liberty had been the best team all year, and Hammon reiterated this after the game.
“Their group got it, they got it all year long,” Hammon said. “(The) team was put together to take us out, and they did that.”
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(Photo: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
