New York Liberty. Las Vegas Aces. A tantalizing Commissioner’s Cup matchup, simultaneously a potential preview for two teams perhaps on a much bigger collision course, but also a long-awaited showdown in and of itself. The Liberty defeated the Indiana Fever on July 12th to clinch their spot in the Cup, so we’ve known that these would be the two teams for over a month. Then, the Liberty provided the WNBA world with even more intrigue, wiping Vegas off the map in their most recent matchup, a 99-61 drubbing on August 6th.
Nobody, nary a player nor coach, pretended they had a just-another-game mindset entering Tuesday’s affair.