WNBA Finals Are Here

The 2022 WNBA Finals matchup is set as the Las Vegas Aces will clash against the Connecticut Sun. There will be history made this year with neither team winning a championship before. Both teams have looked incredible all season and with the Aces having the record in the regular season. Connecticut was hot on their tails by the end of the season. They ended with the number three seed only one game back from the Aces.

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Las Vegas Vs Seattle Top Performers

The Aces were able to put away the Storm in 5 games this year. After losing to the Storm in the 2020 Finals, the Aces got their revenge with the help of their two stars. Chelsea Grey was the difference maker during this series.

In the closeout game on Thursday, she put up a stellar 31 points. She would add 10 assists to that stat line and 6 rebounds. The Aces would also have a huge contribution from the league MVP, A’ja Wilson. She dropped over 30 points in games three and four of the semi-finals. Performances that catapulted them through the Storm and sent them to the Finals.

Sun Vs Sky Top Performers

The Connecticut Sun shocked many by knocking down the defending champion Chicago Sky on
Thursday. Although Chicago won all four regular-season meetings, they were not able to
replicate their success in the postseason. Despite being down 2-1 and facing elimination at one
point, Connecticut eventually prevailed in a group effort.

Each starter reached double figures, as Jonquel Jones led the way with 15 points and 10
rebounds. Veteran forward DeWanna Bonner added 15 points and 9 rebounds while dishing out
5 assists.

The group contribution wasn’t just a one-game fluke. When facing elimination on Tuesday,
Courtney Williams and DeWanna Bonner both went for 19 points. Star Alyssa Thomas put up 17
points and 8 rebounds.

After coach Curt Millers’ “can we make a layup” rant during Game 3, the Suns responded in
Game 4 by setting a WNBA record with 66 points in the paint. In the process, they set franchise
records for points in a game and field goal percentage.

Connecticut hopes to carry this momentum over to the Finals, where they face the Las Vegas
Aces. 2-time MVP A’ja Wilson has established herself as an outside scorer this season after
primarily operating in the paint. She only shot two 3-pointers in her first four seasons, compared
to 83 this season. The Suns will have to acknowledge that she is a threat from any part of the
floor.

However, the Suns have a former MVP of their own in Jonquel Jones. Jones led the Suns to the
finals in 2019, where they fell to the Washington Mystics. After an impressive semi-final, she
hopes to gain the upper hand on Wilson.

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Aces Finals Preview

When head coach Becky Hammon leads the Las Vegas Aces onto the floor Sunday afternoon, she will have a chance to bring herself and her franchise redemption.

Hammon’s number is retired in Las Vegas after she played for the team from 2007-2014 when it called San Antonio home. She led the then Silver Stars to a WNBA Finals appearance in 2008, falling to the now defunct Detroit Shock in a sweep. The opposing coach? The man who would eventually step down in Las Vegas to make way for her: Bill Laimbeer.

Becky Hammon is perhaps the greatest player in the history of her franchise. The Aces held a ceremony to retire her jersey in 2021, five years after the then Stars had done the same in San Antonio.

Excellence follows her wherever she goes. She was an All-WNBA first-teamer during her first season with the franchise as a player. As a first-time head coach, she won the WNBA’s coach of the year award after leading the team to a league-best 26-10 record. Now, she will again have a chance to bring the team its first title.

It is a redemption story for the Aces as well. The team has not been able to get over the hump during its last few seasons, fielding great teams but seeing the grand prize elude them. Last season’s Aces finished playing in the semifinals, losing a decisive game five against Diana Taurasi and the Phoenix Mercury.

Reigning two-time WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson will lead first-time All-Star Kelsey Plum and four-time All-Star Chelsea Gray on the court Sunday. All three members of the team’s dynamic trio have stuck near or above 20 ppg during this year’s playoffs. Plum’s 18.8 ppg trails Wilson’s 20.5 and Gray’s 24.0. They poured in 15, 23 and 31, respectively, as the team put the icing on Sue Bird’s career and knocked the Storm out in four.

Thank you, @S10Bird ❤️ pic.twitter.com/gBVCOoX63I

— ESPN (@espn) September 7, 2022

Sun Finals Preview

After the Sun took down the number one seed Sky in a 3-2 series victory to advance to the finals. Connecticut held the second spot in the eastern conference with a 25-11 record, one game behind Chicago.

The Sun have looked strong with four of their players averaging in double digits in the playoffs. They are led by 2021 WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones, averaging 14.4 points per game shooting 47.8% from the field this postseason. Jones is supported by four-time all-star DeWanna Bonner averaging 13.9 points per game, three-time all-star Alyssa Thomas averaging 11.0 points per game, and two-time all-star and 2022 Sixth Player of the Year Brionna Jones averaging 10.0 points per game. Chicago will need to rely on these players to compete with Las Vegas’s high-powered offense. Las Vegas leads any team this postseason with a 114.7 offensive rating.

Connecticut thrives on defense, holding a 91.9 defensive rating. This rating leads any team in the postseason. Alyssa Thomas leads the team on the glass averaging 9.4 rebounds in the playoffs. DeWonna Bonner leads Connecticut averaging 1.6 steals per game. Jonquel Jones isn’t just a scorer, as she leads the Sun averaging 1.2 blocks per game.

It will require a team effort for Connecticut to win the title this year against a formidable opponent in Las Vegas. Two-time WNBA coach of the year Curt Miller will look to lead Connecticut to its first-ever championship. He joined the team in 2015. Connecticut has the second most wins all time by a WNBA team but has never grabbed the title

It Begins Now

The WNBA season is nearly at its end. It will be either the Aces or the Sun crowned the 26th champion of the WNBA. The Aces are the betting favorites to win game one and the series. They have home court advantage in this best-of-five series. They were the higher seeded team and are 3-1 in playoff home games this postseason. While the Suns have seen success on the road in these playoffs. Going 3-1 as the visitors. Will the Aces defend home court today or will the Sun come in and steal game one?