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Has any team ever come back from down 0-2 in WNBA Playoffs? Closer look as Las Vegas Aces face uphill task
The Las Vegas Aces are facing a tough challenge in their quest to defend their title after losing the first two games of their best-of-five semifinal series against the New York Liberty in the 2024 WNBA playoffs.
They fell in Game 1, 87-77, and narrowly lost Game 2, 88-84.
Now trailing 0-2, the Aces are just one loss away from elimination after a difficult season that saw them finish with a 27-13 record, seven games worse than last year’s 34-6 mark.
They face daunting odds, as no WNBA team has ever come back from a 0-2 deficit in the playoffs.
Since 2005, the WNBA has used a best-of-five format for the finals and implemented it for the semifinals starting in 2016.
Similar to the NBA, where no team has ever overcome a 0-3 deficit in a best-of-seven series, no WNBA team has ever rallied back from a 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five.
Only one team, the 2018 Phoenix Mercury, has forced a Game 5 after being down 0-2. They lost the first two games to the Seattle Storm by four points each, then bounced back with wins by 20 and two points, but ultimately lost Game 5, 94-84.
How Las Vegas Aces have performed against New York Liberty this season
After defeating the New York Liberty in the 2023 WNBA Finals in four games, the Las Vegas Aces have struggled against them this year.
During the 2024 regular season, the Aces lost all three games against their former finals rivals.
Those defeats were by margins of eight, 12 and four points, respectively.
Two of the Aces’ top three scorers, A’ja Wilson, who averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game in the regular season, and Jackie Young, with 17.8 points per game, have underperformed against the Liberty.
Wilson’s numbers dip to 22.5 points and 10.0 rebounds per game, while Jackie Young’s scoring drops significantly to 8.7 points per game.
Kelsey Plum, who averaged 17.8 points per game during the regular season, has been the most consistent against the Liberty, averaging 20.0 points per game.
However, after a 24-point performance in Game 1, Plum struggled in Game 2, scoring just six points on 2-for-9 shooting with three turnovers in their four-point loss.
Sabrina Ionescu and Breanna Stewart have been stellar for the Liberty in the playoffs.
In Game 1, Stewart had 34 points, while Ionescu had 21.
Stewart struggled with just 15 points on 5-for-15 shooting in Game 2, but made the game-sealing free throws and dished out a playoff career-high eight assists, while Ionescu had 24 markers.
Game 3 will be on Friday in Las Vegas.
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