The Old Guard is Shaking
Real talk: the WNBA playoffs just got chaotic. The New York Liberty and Las Vegas Aces—teams that have dominated the last four championships—are officially down 0-2 and facing elimination. In the history of the best-of-five format, no team has ever come back from an 0-2 hole. The plot thickens.
Atlanta’s Big Moment
The Atlanta Dream beat the Liberty 101-98 in overtime, and Jordin Canada is lowkey the main character right now. With Allisha Gray out and Rhyne Howard struggling, Canada absolutely ate, dropping 23 points and 8 assists. Angel Reese was also in her bag, matching those 23 points and hitting two high-pressure free throws with 4.3 seconds left to seal the deal.
Controversy hit the court, though. Breanna Stewart claimed the refs told the Liberty they had no timeouts left during the final scramble, preventing them from setting up a play. The officials disputed this, but the vibe was definitely off.
Valkyries Rising
Out West, the Golden State Valkyries took down the Aces 83-81. The Aces clawed back from a 17-point deficit, but Veronica Burton silenced the comeback. Despite a rough night shooting, she drained a clutch 3-pointer in the final minute and followed it up with a game-saving jump ball. The Valkyries are now one win away from a Finals appearance in just their second season. Big W.
Why it matters
We are looking at a potential Finals without the Liberty or the Aces for the first time since 2021. If the current trend holds, the league's hierarchy is about to get a major shake-up.
