How to watch Aces at Liberty: New York raises banner and A'ja Wilson claps back

New York Times

17-05-2025

What is the coolest part of this Saturday afternoon duel between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty? There is just about no wrong answer here.
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Perhaps you're partial to A'ja Wilson, possessor of three MVP trophies, two DPOYs, two titles and an all-time great feel for the post-up. Maybe you want to see Jewell Loyd, self-fashioned 'Gold Mamba' and unmitigated bucket who arrives from the embers of Seattle's dynastic run.
You'd be right to center the rivalry narrative, too. Somewhere in the basketball multiverse, Sydney Colson grins and rubs her hands together. Las Vegas and New York exchanged animosities in a tense 2023 Finals, which the Aces took in four games. The proceedings were chippy once again in the 2024 semis, where the Liberty ultimately scored their revenge.
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Of course, you may see Breanna Stewart as the lead protagonist here. Or Sabrina Ionescu. Or Jonquel Jones. Or Ellie the Elephant. New York will raise its championship banner and distribute the bling on national TV Saturday, igniting a Brooklyn arena that's been packed out to the upper deck.
Game of the year in the opening weekend? Look, let's not rule it out. At their best, each side is capable of world-class hooping.
Best player to wear both jerseys: Kiah Stokes. The 11-year pro has spent her entire career with these two teams. Aces coach Becky Hammon would be the answer, but she played for the Vegas franchise's prior incarnation as the San Antonio Stars.
Sabreena Merchant's power rankings:
Las Vegas (No. 3) — 'Chelsea Gray was hyper-efficient in each of Las Vegas' two title runs, as the Aces captured the No. 1 seed during the 2022 and 2023 regular seasons. The perimeter-frontcourt duo of Gray and Wilson was impossible to defend when they were at the peak of their powers, and Gray's limitations in 2024 put an undue burden on Wilson to carry Las Vegas. They also made life more difficult for Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum, who each had their most inefficient scoring seasons of the quartet's four-year tenure.
The Aces roster isn't exactly teeming with individual shot creators, Deja Kelly's preseason explosion against Phoenix notwithstanding. They need Gray to set the table, and it helps when defenses are forced to treat her as a passer and a scorer. When Gray's true-shooting percentage exceeds 58, her teams make the finals, whether that was in Los Angeles or Las Vegas. She was at 51.3 last season when the Aces lost in the semifinals.'
New York (No. 1) — 'The Liberty have spent training camp emphasizing a shift in offensive identity that leans into pace and more five-out concepts. Five-out offense doesn't necessarily mean that New York is exclusively trying to create 3-point looks — the goal of spacing the floor and having credible shooting threats at every position is also to open up the lane as defenders come out to the perimeter. However, New York has led the league in 3-point attempts each of the last four seasons and finished second the year before (worth noting that 2020 was general manager Jonathan Kolb's first season with the Liberty). We should expect the Liberty to continue pushing the envelope from long range and become the first team in league history to exceed 30 attempts per game.'
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(Photo of Breanna Stewart and A'ja Wilson: Ethan Miller / Getty Images)