This is the online version of our daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning. Here’s Mike Sykes.
The WNBA still runs through Las Vegas and it doesn’t look like that’s changing anytime soon if the league’s “super team” faceoff from Thursday night is any indication.
The Aces and Liberty went head-to-head for the first time this season last night. We’ve all been waiting on this matchup for months, salivating just thinking about it like a kid in a candy store. These two are the clear favorites throughout the league to make it to the WNBA Finals. And why wouldn’t they be? The rosters are stacked.
On one side you’ve got a squad led by A’ja Wilson. Behind her are three star guards Chelsea Gray, Jackie Young and Kelsey Plum. Oh, yeah, and they signed Candace Parker in the offseason to boot.
But then, on the other, you’ve got Breanna Stewart — who might be the league’s best player — along with Jonquel Jones, Sabrina Ionescu, Courtney Vandersloot and a bunch of talent behind them.
This matchup is the stuff of dreams, man. These are two of the most talented teams that we’ve ever seen in the WNBA with the two best players in the league on their rosters. Thursday night two prize fighters going head to head in the ring, at last. We’d all been waiting so long for it.
And then the Aces just had to go in and tear the Liberty apart. They beat New York 98-81.
We had a close first half, sure. But it never truly looked like the Aces struggled. The Liberty on the other hand? Man, was it hard for them to get buckets.
Breanna Stewart shot an uncharacteristic 6-of-15 from the floor. Ionescu only scored eight points and could only shoot two 3-point attempts. Betnijah Laney’s -16 plus-minus in the box score was the best out of every player in the starting lineup. New York was absolutely dismantled.
The Aces looked like champions. That makes sense because, well, that’s what they are. They know how to play together — the core has been together for years at this point. It shows. There’s a reason this team will probably set the league’s wins record.
The Liberty will probably be better the next go-round. These teams play each other three times in August. I don’t expect the matchup to be this lopsided again.
Now, once again, I cannot wait to see it.
Quick Hits: James Harden on the move? … NASCAR taking it to the streets … That’s a whole lotta hail … and more.
— Our Charles Curtis has seven potential trade destinations for James Harden, who somehow has decided he wants to be traded. Again.
— Here are six things to know about NASCAR’s first-ever street race coming to downtown Chicago, from our Michelle Martinelli.
— THIS IS A WHOLE LOT OF HAIL ON COORS FIELD. WHAT IN THE WORLD?
— Charles Barkley surprising Ernie Johnson by giving him the news that he’s going into the broadcast Hall of Fame is so cool. Cory Woodruff has the moment here.
Be kind to one another.
