(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
In back to back games, the Las Vegas Aces defeated the New York Liberty and the Connecticut Sun, the two teams regarded as the next-best in the league after Vegas. Both victories were in convincing fashion as well, with a margin of 17 points against New York and 18 points against Connecticut. With the Aces on one of the most dominant stretches by a WNBA team in recent memory, what does that mean for the current state of the W? In short...not much. Here's why:
Fans are always quick to react
Yes, Vegas may have beaten their two toughest competitors by considerable margins. However, both of those wins contain considerable caveats. The Aces defeated the Sun just a week after Connecticut lost All-Star center Brionna Jones for the season due to a ruptured Achilles. Jones was having the best season of her career, averaging nearly 16 points and over 8 boards per contest. Regarding the Liberty, the amount of roster turnover they've had to build their superteam has, as expected, come with growing pains. As the summer progresses and their chemistry develops, it will be unlikely that we see double digit blowouts between these two teams in the future. Also, both of these wins by Las Vegas came at home. Their sole loss of the season came at the hands of the Sun in Uncasville, and they will be tested when they travel to New York to take on the Libs in early August. In a potential five game series, the Aces could easily run into some trouble.
The underdog slips our mind in the regular season
As the WNBA enters a new era of superteams, the public always forgets the success of previous underdogs. the 2021 champion Chicago Sky were the number six seed going into the playoffs, where things started clicking at just the right time. Even this year we've seen teams that the media has counted out play the top contenders competitively. Most notably the Fever coming within four points of the Aces, and the Dream both losing to Vegas by only five and beating the Liberty in New York by seven.
Look for two teams to be aggressive at the trade deadline in an attempt to challenge Vegas and New York: the Dallas Wings and the Washington Mystics. With an already solid big three in Arike Ogunbawale, Satou Sabally, and Natasha Howard, Dallas seems to be one piece away from a competitive run in the West. They currently sit at 8-8, even with this years number five overall pick Lou Lopez Senechal not having played a game yet due to a knee injury. With Connecticut losing Brionna Jones for the season, Washington may look to add another significant piece to add some firepower to one of the most balanced starting lineups in the league.
Only time will tell if the Aces can secure consecutive Commissioner's Cup and WNBA championships, but one thing is certain: their path to glory won't be as easy as you think.
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