Aces and Fever took unconventional paths to WNBA semifinals
LAS VEGAS (AP) — A Las Vegas Aces-Indiana Fever semifinals matchup would have been far from a surprise in the preseason.
But how the teams reached this point has been anything but conventional as they prepare to play each other in a best-of-five WNBA playoffs series that opens Sunday.
Las Vegas was fighting for a playoff spot in early August and coming off a record-setting 53-point home loss to Minnesota. Then the Aces seemingly out of nowhere reeled off 16 consecutive victories to close the regular season, tied for the second-longest streak in league history, to become the No. 2 seed.
Indiana went from expected title contender to an afterthought thanks to the loss of several key players, beginning with six-time All-Star forward DeWanna Bonner, who played in just nine games before forcing a release. The Fever were soon hit with a rash of season-ending injuries — to star Caitlin Clark and fellow guards Sydney Colson, Aari McDonald and Sophie Cunningham.
The teams might not even recognize each other given their previous game was July 24. Indiana won two of three meetings, the last two by a combined 27 points.
Aces coach Becky Hammon said what most excited her about this series was “they haven’t seen the real Aces yet. They caught us when we were in a bit of turmoil.”
The Aces also haven’t seen this version of the Fever.
“This group has been through every situation imaginable,” Indiana coach Stephanie White said.
Silent but effective
Aces four-time All-Star guard Jackie Young is called the “Silent Assassin” because the soft-spoken veteran is capable of taking over games.
And she is why the Aces are still playing.
Facing a potential season-ending loss in Thursday’s Game 3 first-round series against Seattle, Young rebounded A’ja Wilson’s miss and put the ball in the basket before her feet hit the floor. The shot with 12.4 seconds left put the game away, 74-73.
“I saw (Wilson’s shot) was a little bit off to the right,” Young said. “I thought it was either going to bounce in or it was going to come off, and it came off just right. I didn’t think I had enough time to come down because there were three (defenders) there. I just made a play.”
Like Wilson, Young is a former No. 1 overall draft pick, but she often plays in the reigning MVP’s shadow.
“Everybody talks about me, but let’s not forget who Jackie Young is and why we drafted her and how she has evolved into this perfect two-way player,” Wilson said. “We don’t do anything without Jackie Young.”
Fever living the dream
No. 3 seed Atlanta had home-court advantage over the sixth-seeded Fever, and the Dream opened with a 12-point victory.
But instead of fading away, the Fever kept their season alive with a 17-point home win and then took the series with Thursday’s 87-85 victory in which they scored the final seven points.
“After the shootaround, I think we put it in perspective this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said Kelsey Mitchell, who scored 24 points. “You just want to seize it as much as possible.”
Aces coming through late
Las Vegas’ long winning streak was kept alive at various points because the team made key plays in late-game situations.
But when the Aces appeared headed to a two-game sweep of the Storm, it was the other team that made the necessary plays. Seattle came back to win Game 2 86-83 to force a winner-take-all matchup.
“That game in Seattle where we let that lead slip away, I’m not used to seeing that from this group,” Hammon said. “That actually surprised me. Us closing doesn’t surprise me.”
Long wait for the Fever
Indiana is coming off its first postseason series victory since 2015, a team coached by White. Natasha Howard, the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year who was part of three title winners elsewhere, was one of her players.
“I’m excited to be back with this group of young women,” Howard said. “The job is not done yet.”
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AP Sports Writer Michael Marot in Indianapolis contributed to this report.
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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball
By MARK ANDERSON
AP Sports Writer
