Storm, Aces set for battle in Finals
The WNBA Finals will feature the top two teams in the league when the Seattle Storm and Las Vegas Aces square off in the best-of-five series that starts Friday (7 ET, ESPN2) in the WNBA bubble in Bradenton, Florida.
The teams finished the shortened 2020 season tied for the best record at 18-4.
Seattle clinched its ticket to the championship round for the second time in three seasons after a threegame semifinals sweep over Minnesota.
The Storm have reached the Finals three times before and won each time in 2004, 2010 and 2018.
For Las Vegas, the Aces are making their first championship appearance since 2008, when the team was located in San Antonio and known as the Silver Stars. They were swept in three games by the Detroit Shock.
Seattle is led by 2018 MVP Breanna Stewart. The 26-year-old forward averaged 23.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game in the team’s 3-0 semifinals win over Minnesota.
In a potential blow to the team’s depth, guard Sami Whitcomb announced her early departure from the WNBA bubble to be with her wife for the birth of their first child in Australia. Whitcomb averaged 8.1 points and 2.0 assists in 22 games this season.
All-Star guard Sue Bird, who turns 40 on Oct. 16, has a career playoff average of 12.1 points and 5.6 assists per game.
Las Vegas will pack a punch of its own with 2020 MVP, A’ja Wilson. The forward averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game this season.
The Aces will be without Dearica Hamby. Hamby suffered a right knee injury in Game 3 of the semifinals against the Connecticut Sun.