SEATTLE — Coming through in the same round where they fell short a year ago, the Las Vegas Aces returned to the WNBA Finals for the second time in the past three years with a 97-92 victory Tuesday in Game 4 of their semifinal series against the Seattle Storm, winning 3-1.
The Aces, who lost to Seattle in the 2020 WNBA Finals, were on the verge of returning last year before losing Game 5 of their semifinal series with the Phoenix Mercury with home-court advantage under former head coach Bill Laimbeer.
This time around, under first-year head coach Becky Hammon, Las Vegas ensured there would be no such stumble, winning three consecutive games after dropping Game 1 of the series at home.
In the process, the Aces ended Sue Bird's legendary WNBA career. The Storm point guard, a 13-time All-Star and four-time champion in Seattle, announced in June that this would be her final season.