WNBA Playoff Preview: Aces vs Sun - Game 1 - 9/20/2020

WNBA Playoff Preview: Aces vs Sun – Game 1 – 9/20/2020

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Las Vegas Aces (18-4)  |  Connecticut Sun (10-12)

 

2020 WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson leads the Las Vegas Aces into game 1 of the WNBA semi-finals against the Connecticut Sun

 

On Thursday, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert informed the winners of season awards such as MVP, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year. Minnesota Lynx rookie Crystal Dangerfield and coach Cheryl Reeve took their respective awards while Aces’ very own A’ja Wilson was rewarded league MVP.

A’ja Wilson received first-place votes on 43 of 47 ballots while getting second on the other four ballots. Seattle Storm’s Breanna Stewart got three first-place votes, and Chicago Sky’s Courtney Vandersloot got the other.

 

“I was overwhelmed with emotion,” Wilson said. “I was probably crying before Cathy finished her speech. In the offseason, in quarantine, I really focused on my game without a lot of distractions because the world was stopped because of COVID. I got a chance to hone in on little things to help me be more consistent all the time.

“I needed my teammates to know I’m going to produce X amount of things every game, because that’s how you win, when you can count on people. That’s probably the biggest thing for me being MVP.”

 

Wilson, although earning every bit of the MVP award, remains humble and grateful

 

The 2018 number 1 overall pick from the University of South Carolina averaged 20 points, 8.5 rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal per game. She led the league in blocks and was second in scoring.  She did everything for the Aces on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball while scoring 20 points or more in 15 of 22 games.

A’ja Wilson was a big reason why the Aces went 18-4 and secured the top seed in the league, but Wilson says she couldn’t have done it without her teammates as she spoke to them after hearing the news.

“I can’t thank you all enough, honestly. I wouldn’t be this without you guys… I wouldn’t be who I am if it wasn’t for the Aces organization. If it wasn’t for the [WNBA] like, I’m truly grateful. I’m blessed. I’m just so glad to have y’all as my teammates, y’all my road dogs for real.”

Dearica Hamby, Wilson’s teammate, was named Sixth Woman of the Year for the second consecutive season, while Aces head coach Bill Laimbeer was second in voting for Coach of the Year.

 

A’ja Wilson led her team to the number 1 seed in the playoffs and will now try to lead her team to the championship.

 

 

The Las Vegas Aces will play the Connecticut Sun in Game 1 of the WNBA Semifinals on Sunday, September 20th. The Sun come in as the number 7 seed off two upsets. They defeated the Chicago Sky in the first round and the Los Angeles Sparks in the second round, winning both of those games by a total of 27 points. DeWanna Bonner (17 points) and Alyssa Thomas (19 points) led the way for Connecticut against the Sparks, as 5 Sun players scored in double figures.

Both teams have very similar styles of play. The Aces were last while the Sun were second to last in 3 pointers per game, and both teams were in the top 5 of the league in defensive rating. Las Vegas beat the Sun in both of their meetings this season by a combined score of 35 points. That doesn’t matter. This is the playoffs. The Los Angeles Sparks defeated the Sun in both of their regular-season matchups too. Yet Connecticut took them down on Thursday. The Aces come in having won their previous six games, including two big matchups against the Sparks and the Seattle Storm to take over the top seed in the league.

A’ja Wilson, as happy as she was to win the WNBA MVP award, doesn’t want to stop there, “So many people doubted us, wasn’t in conversations and we did it… Of course, the job’s not done, but we put a lot of people on notice.”

 

The #1 seed Las Vegas Aces open up the series against the #7 seed Connecticut Sun on Sunday at 10 AM. You can watch the game on ESPN.

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-Jarret Thompson – Franchise Sports Media 

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