The Aces, who lost to Seattle in the 2020 WNBA Finals, were on the verge of a comeback last year before losing Game 5 of their semifinal series to the Phoenix Mercury on home court under former coach Bill Leimber. This time, under first-time coach Becky Hammon, Las Vegas ensured there would be no such stumble, winning three straight after dropping Game 1 of the series at home. In the process, the Aces ended Sue Bird’s legendary WNBA career. The Storm point guard, a 13-time All-Star and four-time champion in Seattle, announced in June that this would be her final season.
1 Related Looking to extend Bird’s career, the Storm got dominant performances from both of their other stars. Breanna Stewart’s career-high 42 points tied Angel McCoughtry for the most ever in a WNBA playoff game. Fellow All-Star Jewell Loyd added 29 points, surpassing the 26 she scored in Game 1 as a new career high in the playoffs. Lloyd and Stewart’s combined 71 points were the most ever by a teammate in the postseason, surpassing their own record of 65 set in the 2020 Finals against the Aces. However, Las Vegas countered the Seattle Stars with deeper offensive contributions and huge shots from guard Chelsea Gray during a fourth quarter that saw three ties and three lead changes. Gray made three straight jumpers in the final 2:03 of the game, the first two giving the Aces the lead after Seattle tied the game and the last extending it to five with 30.7 seconds left. The Storm never got closer than three points again. With 31 points and 10 assists — the first such game in WNBA playoff history, according to ESPN Stats and Information Research — Gray led four Aces players with at least 15 points. A’ja Wilson (23 points, 13 rebounds) had her second double-double of the series, Jackie Young scored 18 points and Kelsey Plum had 15. Lloyd and Stewart were the only Seattle players to score in double figures.
