It’s not the same this year! When the New York Liberty faced the LV Aces in the finals last year, A’ja Wilson and her squad swept their opponents from the playoff run. But the tables have turned this time around. The Aces have been eliminated after a disappointing 4-1 series against the Liberty. Following Game 4, the No. 1 Liberty advanced to the finals, winning 76-62, and with it, comes a new chapter for Aces; a little part of which, Becky Hammon might not be excited about.

Once again, the same process will start over. However, there will be something different this time: the roster. After the October 6th showdown, Becky Hammon revealed, “It’s not going to be the same group probably next year; it just won’t. And I’m sad about that because I really liked that group,” in a post-conference interview.

The Aces will witness three of their star players in the binds of uncertainty after this season. Alysha Clark, the team’s reliable veteran, and Tiffany Hayes, the 2024 Sixth Player of the Year, will both become unrestricted free agents. With the possibility of the franchise focusing on its future, age and lucrative contracts are speculated to come in the way.

Kelsey Plum’s — another unrestricted free agent — return remains a question despite being one of the biggest role players for the Aces, considering she did not sign a contract extension alongside A’ja Wilson and the rest previously.

So in what could have been a last game of this star-studded roster, for the first time in three years, smiles weren’t shared, champagne wasn’t popped, and a championship title wasn’t celebrated. After a dominant showing in Game 3, the Aces couldn’t keep up with the ‘hungry team’ Liberty was. A 5-3 lead picked up in the first quarter was never compromised. Though the Aces ensured to deliver a better defense, it would have required a lot more, says Hammon, considering the deficit they were in.

“We needed back-to-back, really great games because their sense of urgency was going to be different,” added the HC. The Aces weren’t able to overcome Liberty’s shooting accuracy—32% from the field and 72% from the line—leading to their loss. However, one of them did end up making history.

Not in a positive way, though

Aces’ star forward A’ja Wilson entered the record books as the first MVP, in both the NBA and WNBA, to not advance to the finals. In today’s game, she contributed 19 points, 10 rebounds, and an impressive 5 blocks. While this might be a solid performance for most players, for her, it wasn’t enough to secure a win for her team. Her points marked a significant drop from her regular-season average of 26.9 points per game.

In fact, her playoff average of 21.8 points per game reflects a five-point decrease from her regular-season performance. Of course, it’s that same insane productivity that earned her the third MVP title in unanimous fashion. She earned all 67 first-place votes, so there was no question that it wasn’t well-deserved. Yet, she ended up slightly on the wrong side of the record books.

Though she stands alone as an MVP eliminated in the semifinals, it’s important to note that there are only two others who’ve won unanimous MVP titles in both WNBA and NBA history. Before her, it was Cynthia Cooper, who earned the honor in 1997 in the WNBA. In the NBA, it’s only Stephen Curry who has ever been a unanimous MVP, achieving it in 2016. So, while the list of unanimous MVPs is minuscule, Wilson stands out for an unfortunate season.