Sabrina Ionescu: Aces Made Liberty 'Better'

The New York Liberty are back in the WNBA Finals after busting the Las Vegas Aces.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

Like any wise visitor to Las Vegas, the New York Liberty made sure to walk away from the table while they were ahead.

New York finally vanquished its Sin City rivals on a postseason stage, securing a 3-1 WNBA semifinal victory on Sunday with a 76-62 triumph over the Las Vegas Aces in Game 4 of the best-of-five set. Three more wins still sit between the Liberty and their first WNBA championship but vengeance resides in Brooklyn: last year's WNBA Finals saw New York fall to the shorthanded Aces in four games.

A strong closeout pushed the Liberty back to the Finals, as they limited the Aces to 24 points over the latter 20 minutes. Sabrina Ionescu helped hint at the celebration to come with a dozen points in the opening period en route to a team-best 22. The point guard has been New York's most consistent scoring weapon this postseason, averaging 20.7 points over the first six games.

Despite the ongoing rivalry between New York and Las Vegas, Ionescu said that the Liberty didn't take the semifinals personally, reasoning that there was "no hurdle besides just getting back to the Finals." Ionescu, in fact, lauded the Aces for their undeniable part in Liberty history.

Brandon Todd, NY Liberty

"They've made us a better team," Ionescu said. For me particularly, as someone who's kind of been part of this new generation, I wasn't able to watch the Minnesota Lynx and all those teams when they were on their run when I was younger. I wasn't really a part of the league. Now, being able to be a part of the league and see their excellence year after year, to do what they've done is not easy."

The Aces stood as the undisputed queens of the WNBA over the last two seasons, becoming the first team to enjoy consecutive parades since the 2001-02 Los Angeles Sparks. The latter two games of the semifinal set were the first elimination games the Aces had faced since Liberty legend Becky Hammon took over the head coaching duties in 2022. Purchasing Aces jerseys has been a safe investment, as the championship treks have been routinely led by a core headlined by Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, A'ja Wilson, and Jackie Young.

Ionescu hopes to follow Las Vegas' championship example when the Finals get underway on Thursday (8 p.m. ET, ESPN).

"We've gotten (to the Finals) and lost. They've gotten there and won twice. It's a testament to their togetherness, their experience, how hard it is that they're wanting to go out there and be their best every night," Ionescu said. They've laid down the foundation and they've continued to motivate everyone in the league to just want to be better and want to win championships."

"We've always respected them. We have the utmost respect for what they've been able to accomplish, what Becky's done here in a short amount of time. Thank them for helping us continue to get better."

Las Vegas had fallen to the fourth seed this time around thanks to early injuries but Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello maintained that her team maintained "appropriate fear" of the Aces, a feeling more than justified considering the last presence of Wilson fresh off a unanimous MVP campaign. Such history made a Game 4 victory, one that eliminated a winner-take-all showdown in Brooklyn, vital.

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