Becky Hammon wasn’t quite ready to think about the future after the Aces’ 76-62 loss to the Liberty, which ended their season in the WNBA semifinals. The loss was still too recent for her to process.
However, she recognized that if Las Vegas wanted to return to being champions, they couldn’t remain stagnant.
“We’ve never done exit meetings,” Hammon said, reflecting on her third season, which was the first without a championship title. “We’ve done exit partying. So we’re going to have to get together and figure it out, but obviously we have to get better. We have to really take a sharp look at ourselves in the mirror, see our shortcomings.
“You’ve got to make the moves necessary, whatever that means, to put (out) the best product we possibly can. 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 like that group.”
New York used the Aces as motivation to become the team that lifts the trophy at the end of the season. Last year, it was Las Vegas that celebrated on the Liberty’s home court.
Now the situation has changed, and Hammon often mentioned this season that her team didn’t play with the same drive that helped them become the first team since the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001-02 to win back-to-back titles.
She pointed out that she hoped this loss would inspire her team to work hard to get back to the top.
But it’s not just about determination; the Liberty exploited weaknesses in the Aces’ front line. A’ja Wilson was named MVP for the third time, but she needed support to compete against a Liberty frontcourt featuring Breanna Stewart and Jonquel Jones, who together scored 33 points and grabbed 20 rebounds on Sunday.
The Aces also faced inconsistent performances from their backcourt. Point guard Chelsea Gray had to take time to recover from a foot injury she sustained during last year’s WNBA Finals. In Game 4, she had some good moments, contributing six assists and scoring seven points.
