June 8, 2023 CT Sun star DeWanna Bonner is in the bag. Seriously, in a bag that looks like a 41-piece double combo fly on the side. Cut into the paint area for an easy two points? Go ahead. Beat everyone on the floor? Allowed. Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon was furious and told her team after the game. This seemed to be a wake-up call for the Aces.
There were few bumps in the road until an early-season trip to Connecticut, which was exactly what the franchise needed to understand what it needed to do to get back to last year’s level.
The whole team Hamon’s statement After that game, the mission was to take the next step defensively. Nobody has been better at it since June 11.
That theme of relentless resistance has been central to their postseason record so far: The Aces have scored 90 or more points in three of their last five games but haven’t allowed an opponent to score more than 85 points since Aug. 28 at New York.
With a spot in the finals on the line, the Aces held on. The pressure on the ball was intense. With A’ja Wilson leading the way and providing backup in shifts, Vegas held one of the W’s best scorers, Arike Ogunbowale, to just 25 percent shooting in the final 10 minutes.
Leading by one with under 1:30 to go, the defending champions put together several special defensive possessions. All five players were communicating and working as one. It was Hammon’s dream. The Wings didn’t make a field goal in the final 4:58 of the game. The Vegas coach couldn’t contain her excitement. Her smile after the game was the smile of a coach’s pride as she watched her team accept the challenge and dominate.
Hamon told the truth “It just proves that we can win with our defense. It’s not always going to be a pretty game. In these games, you’ve got to find a way to win,” he said after a close win on the road.
She continued, “When the ball is bouncing and we’re scoring 90 or 100 points, it’s easy for us. When we win like this and we really have to prove to ourselves that we can win like this, it’s not just about offense, it’s about rebounding and defense, and we did that really well down the stretch.”
If Vegas can maintain that level of defensive efficiency, they’ll become just the second team since 2015 to finish with a defensive rating below 90 in the playoffs. The versatility on that end of the court starts and ends with Wilson, who was named WNBA Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year. The former South Carolina star is the only player in the W to average more than two blocks per 40 minutes.
You can see it live during the game. Her emotion on the court truly tells the world how important defense is to her. She attacks you defensively like a mom with a camera on a family vacation.
It doesn’t end with number 22.
Remember the 2020 Seattle Storm championship team? Now an Aces member, Alysha Clark was a key part of that team’s success, especially on the defensive end. Her inclusion of the 2020 All-Defensive First Team forward was an early sign that Hammon wanted to emphasize defense. It paid off. Clark came off the bench and did everything Vegas asked of her.
Guess who was Sato Sabari’s primary guard in the final 10 seconds of Game 3? It was the Middle Tennessee native.
And don’t overlook Kiah Stokes. The 2023 WNBA Player of the Year No. 6 tied her career high in steals and recorded more than 0.9 blocks per game for the first time in three years. Stokes and Clark were the only Aces players with at least 20 games in 2023 to post a defensive rating below 96.
They’re joined by Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young, a trio of perimeter players who are constantly wreaking havoc. Both Young and Plum have increased their steal numbers since 2022, and “Point Gud” is matching last season’s totals.
That’s the true definition of a complete team, and while Hammon’s squad nearly accomplished that against Dallas, the task will be even tougher when the Liberty is the opponent.
This year’s WNBA Finals is shaping up to be historic, we’re excited, are you ready?
Action photo by Getty Images. Portrait by Atiba Jefferson.
