Kelsey Plum responds to A’ja Wilson’s blunt criticism with ‘declarative’ performance as Las Vegas Aces win game 2 of WNBA finals

After Game 1 of Sunday’s WNBA Finals – a close, three point win by Las Vegas Aces via Connecticut Sun – MVP twice A’ja Wilson approach teammates in Las Vegas Kelsey Plum and “tell her she needs to get her — together.”

Plum, the team’s top scorer in the regular season (average of 20.2 points per game), struggled through most of the playoffs to find his groove, hitting only 39% of shots. Her shot from the field and 26% from the next 3 games after Game 1. And before that to hit a 3 at the end of the fourth quarter on Sunday, she started 0 for 8 from the field.

Rejected by Wilson, which Plum said she welcomed, led to a “declaration game,” in Wilson’s words, from the 2017 overall No. 1 pick on Tuesday night, helping propel the Aces to a 85-71 wins that gets them a win after winning their first WNBA title.

“[I made] Sure she understood that we needed her to do the scenes,” Wilson said, “and I know that sounds harsh, but KP is a professional, and she went out there and take care of the business. “

While the series now moves to Uncasville, Connecticut, for Games 3 and 4 (if needed), no team in the history of the WNBA knockouts has been able to come back to win the best series. .

Aces coach Becky Hammon said Plum’s downhill ability was the difference in Game 2. The former University of Washington star made six of seven shots in the paint to join Wilson and Chelsea Gray as a player who scored 20 points and created 7 assists tied to the highest personal achievement after this season.

“A lot of times, I give myself a hard time, and I feel a bit disappointed with the way I performed throughout the knockout stages,” Plum said. “I’m so glad they brought it, and I decided to join the party.

“I feel like in previous years I could have dropped my head and sunk deeper into a hole. But through the many things that I’ve been through over the years, it’s taught me what to do. that I’m always aiming to give back, and I know that about myself and will continue to shoot.”

Wilson and Gray continued the tears after their historic, former season (26 points, 10 rebounds) by scoring her fifth straight game with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds, tied for a streak longest such match in WNBA history, including both regular and playoffs. .

“You could say it was a run, but she only did it all season,” Plum said of Wilson. “I felt she was the most consistent player of the night, playing offensively and defensively in this tournament, and that’s why she’s the MVP. It’s amazing.”

Gray (21 points, 8 assists) got her fifth game in the knockout round with at least 20 points and 5 assists, one point off the record for most goalscorers. in a season after season.

“The Chelsea Gray Lobster does the challenges. She makes the tackles extremely difficult,” Sun coach Curt Miller said. “The present is just really separating her.”

The big trio of The Aces including Plum, Wilson and Gray (67 points) almost surpasses the Sun (71 points).

Las Vegas used big first and third quarters to build its lead, and although the Sun turned it into a three-point game early in the third inning, the Aces used a run 31-14 to take the lead by a mid-20 game high until fourth. .

“It starts at the top defensively,” Hammon said. “Our defense was sucked. They went out and didn’t suck.”

At one point in the game, a Hammon is caught saying she’s “very happy” when the Aces beat the Sun in the paint (24-12). Behind Plum and the others, Las Vegas continued to dominate that stage of the game, eventually surpassing the Inner Sun 46-28; with 54% of their score coming from paint, it marks the Aces’ highest paint scoring rate for any game after this season.

“They really wanted to clog the lanes, so I think we played taller, wider, set the screen well, had good angles and read well,” Gray said. “A lot of times they’ll put two people on the ball, and how we deal with it when we see that and take those actions. Once we have a good distance we can get it. lots of different things in paint or rock for shooters.”

Hammon’s former boss during her time as an assistant coach with San Antonio SpursNBA legend Gregg Popovich attended Tuesday’s contest and visited the Aces in the locker room after the win.

“You don’t need me, but it’s great to watch you guys play, it’s great to watch you guys on TV,” Popovich said as recorded in an interactive video posted on Twitter. “The way you perform, the way you play physically, it’s beautiful to watch, to be honest. You play great basketball, and it’s about consistency, so you have to keep going.”

He then reminds the team which wins are the sweetest: “wins on the road.”

The Sun currently has 10 losses in Finals, the most in WNBA history with Minnesota Lynx, while still searching for the first title of their franchise. But they are trying not to fix a 2-0 deficit when the series returns to their home ground.

“You’ve got to get into it,” Miller said, “and we’ll be back to work on the prep for Game 3, and all we’re talking about is Game 3. “In particular, all of those things. what we’re going to talk about is the first quarter, and that’s our approach. great.”