New York, the first to clinch a playoff spot, leapfrogged Las Vegas in the title odds. For the first time in two years, the Aces aren't the favorite.
Michael Voepel is a senior writer who covers the WNBA, women's college basketball and other college sports. Voepel began covering women's basketball in 1984, and has been with ESPN since 1996.are no doubt weary of reminders that they are an original WNBA franchise that hasn't won a league title. But that heartbreaking history is part of what makes the excitement about this season so palpable for Liberty loyalists. This could be the year.
Even the oddsmakers are getting on board with the Liberty, who remain No. 1 in ESPN's WNBA Power Rankings. On Sunday, ESPN BET listed the Liberty as +155 favorites to win the title.are +160, not far behind. But it's the first time in two years -- since Aug. 11, 2022 -- that Las Vegas hasn't been the betting favorite to win the WNBA championship.
Last season the Aces beat the Liberty 3-1 in the WNBA Finals after defeating Connecticut 3-1 in the 2022 Finals. But New York's run this season shows no signs of letting up. The Liberty have defeated the Aces in both regular-season meetings -- 79-67 on Saturday and 90-82 on June 15, both in Las Vegas -- with one more matchup set for Sept. 8 in Brooklyn.
"We're super excited to clinch a spot in the playoffs," Ionescu said."Our goal isn't to just make it there, but it's continuing to win these games that we have coming up. And continuing to just get better as a team. We're just getting back into it , but it's nice to see we've been able to pick up where we've left off and keep grinding away.
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