Being the back-to-back champions, the Las Vegas Aces were certainly on everyone’s radar this season. But the thirst the 1-3 defeat in the 2023 Finals left for New York Liberty was something not many saw coming. 4-1 to kick off the series and the team was in for some serious intensity and as Jonquel Jones notes, it was a new side on the familiar territory.

During a recent episode of ‘Kickin’ it with Dee’, Jones shared her experience playing A’ja Wilson, the defending champions, and just the intensity playing against them brought. “Honestly, I’m not a big trash talker… as a defender, it is just my job to make them feel as uncomfortable as possible. It’s a tough matchup. It’s one of those matchups you look forward to,” she says, speaking of the rivalry between her and the Aces’ star. But the Finals MVP goes on to note that when you are up against a team like the Aces, this physicality is expected. Something the Liberty experienced this year themselves.

“The Aces team, you know when you have been the top dog for so long, you’re going to be hunted, and every team was hunting them this year.”

But it wasn’t really the year Aces had hoped for. Incurring more losses than they did in the first half (8) than they did throughout the entire last season (6), Liberty were also the new focus. It wasn’t just their 32-8 regular season record, but previous year’s replicating numbers highlighted their stand. So in hunting the Aces, the Liberty tasted the drive of the rest.

“We felt that a lot this year too. Being like a newer team with so much success last year. Like their teams… they’ll have five really bad games, they play against us like they playing All-Star,” Jones admits. Being on the top draws more eyes and if you stumble, “they gonna make you look crazy.” But the Liberty held their ground, securing a 76-62 victory against the Aces for their spot in the Finals. All this proves that reigning at the top doesn’t come without its challenges and the Liberty did what they should’ve—stayed disciplined.

Even Becky Hammon admits.

Before joining the Aces as head coach, Hammon was an assistant coach under Gregg Popovich for the San Antonio Spurs. That was when the Spurs suffered a devastating loss to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. But with a lot of hard work and discipline, they made a comeback and triumphed over Miami in a rematch the following year, claiming the title.

According to Hammon, the Liberty were in a similar position. “The Liberty took a huge loss last year… They felt like they had it, and we walked away with it,” she said. Even New York General Manager Jonathan Kolb acknowledged the Liberty’s resolve last year, saying they were “hell-bent” after acquiring the four-time All-Star, 2021 league MVP, and other star players.

It all worked well for the Liberty, with Jones being named Finals MVP for her impressive averages of 17.8 points and 7.6 rebounds. What a showdown, right? Regardless of the rivalry, the two teams have immense respect for each other. “They were a pain in my a– but I was a pain in their a– too, and I like that group. I love that group,” Hammon had said. And it is a dynamic we love. Highly likely we see the two teams face each other in the playoffs again next season.