We had a Game 7 last night in the NBA, and today we get … well, one game in the WNBA.
I’m all for basketball whenever I can get it. However, I always wonder how the scheduling works where we only have one game some days and 10 another. Either way, I’ll take it, and I’m going to bet on it as well. This one is between the Las Vegas Aces and the Golden State Valkyries.
The Aces have been the dynasty of the WNBA, and they still have their window very much open. I suppose any team with an annual MVP and Defensive Player of the Year Candidate, A’ja Wilson, will have the potential to win a championship. The Aces, however, have done a great job of surrounding Wilson with talent, even if they got rid of one of their best players (Kelsey Plum). They got off to a slow start last year before they ultimately went on a run for their third championship in four years.
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This season has seen them drop the opener against the Mercury (the team they beat for the championship last season), and then win four straight games. They have lost their last two games, though, dropping one to Plum and the Sparks, and the other to the upstart Dallas Wings. This is a team that knows they can turn it on whenever they want, and May games really aren’t going to do that for them, normally.
The Valkyries put together a solid season last year, their first in existence. They set records for attendance and proved this was a good spot for a franchise. However, if you want to keep fans, you need to win games. So far, this season, they are delivering on that as they are 5-2 for the year. They’ve already beaten the Indiana Fever, Phoenix Mercury, and New York Liberty. All of those are expected to be postseason teams this year, and they were last year.
I’m curious to see how they build this team and look to improve it. Right now, the team is built on a trio of Veronica Burton, Gabby Williams and Janelle Salaun. All three combine to average about 45 points per game. That’s a little more than half of their team’s average. Salaun is a bench player and comes into games with scoring as her main intent. The rest of the team is built on solid role players who don’t turn the ball over much.
If you don’t follow the news with the WNBA much, you probably are unaware that the refs in this league are substantially worse than the NBA referees, who also take regular criticism. In the last game for the Aces, head coach Becky Hammon blasted the refs for their performance. She, as usual, was fined. However, what typically happens is that the team gets some makeup calls the next game, so expect to see a favorable whistle for the Aces.
They probably won’t need it, though. Wilson is hard to guard for every team in the league, but the Valkyries are not really equipped with someone who can stay with her. Wilson has averaged 23 points and 11 rebounds against them in her four games against them, and honestly, two of those games were not very impressive shooting performances.
Expect Wilson to torch them today and get whatever she wants offensively. Give me her over points and rebound total (33.5).
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