At the beginning of the WNBA 2024 season, A’ja Wilson and the Aces marked three-peat as their target. However, once their campaign started, the Aces seemed to suffer from one problem after another. Sometimes it was a missing Chelsea Gray, at other times it was a lack of defense, relying mostly on Wilson. Hence, when the Aces have finally advanced to the semi-finals against the Liberty, the 4x WNBA Champion Sheryl Swoopes pointed out their weakness while also revealing that she didn’t want the Aces to win.

“So, the selfish person in me is hoping they don’t. Like we won four in a row, I don’t want anybody else to. I don’t. The realist in me is honestly I don’t know. Yeah, I don’t know I think.. I think New York is playing really well right now. I think Minnesota is playing really well right now…. To me the player that I am a little worried about is Jackie Young. I think Jackie seems to be the player that is in her head for some reason right now. I think New York is a little salty still for what happened last year. And they’re like we ain’t going to let that happen this year,” Swoopes stated.

Swoopes was drafted with the Houston Comets during the first season of the WNBA and helped her team bag the title four consecutive times from 1997-2000. During the 2000 season, Swoopes was instrumental in taking her team to the trophy for the last time, scoring 20.7 points per game with 6.3 rebounds per game. For this, she also won her first MVP title, an accomplishment she would repeat two more times in the future. Hence, the Hall of Famer doesn’t want the Aces to win and get a chance at the fourth consecutive title the next season. Plus she also shared her take on the Aces’ weakness this season.

Coming into this season, the Aces star Jackie Young signed a contract extension in May. To make complete use of the opportunity, the 27-year-old stood like a firm pillar through the regular season when Gray wasn’t performing up to the mark. Her 34 points against the Phoenix Mercury still stand as one of her finest performances this season. However since the start of the playoffs, Young looks to be in her own ‘head’ as per Swoopes. The Indiana-born has hit an average of 10.5 points per game with 8 rebounds per game and 3.5 assists per game. But if analysts are to be believed, the Aces need Young to perform her best during this time, if they want to seal the deal. But with her performances, it doesn’t seem that Young is anywhere close to her regular season display.

The New York Liberty looks to beat the Las Vegas Aces

While the Aces want to bag the three-peat, the New York Liberty have their own motivation. The Liberty had made it to the Championship Finale series against the Aces last year only to lose by a 3-1 margin. Therefore, coming into this season they were sure to avenge their defeat. The New York-based team decimated the Aces ruthlessly during the regular season with a 3-0 margin. As for their title dream is concerned, the Liberty didn’t let any problem hold them back as they finished as the top-seeded team this season. While all this has kept their hopes alive, as per their star Sabrina Ionescu, the Liberty looks to take one game at a time.

“The ultimate goal is what it is. But, you know, every single game is a championship game to get to that final goal. And obviously, our goal is to not lose at home. So this was really important for us to come out, take these two and have a couple days off and kind of rest, recharge and get ready for whatever it is we’re going to play,” Ionescu stated after a clean sweep against the Atlanta Dream on Tuesday.

With the semi-final best-of-five series starting on Sunday between the Aces and the Liberty, it will be interesting to see which team ultimately comes out on top. And perhaps it is this energy that will fuel both teams to give their best.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.