A'ja Wilson, Aces overcome slow start in Game 1 win vs. Storm - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — On the day she was announced as unanimous WNBA MVP, Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson had a first half to forget: just 4 points on 1-of-8 shooting.

But, of course, there was a second half for her to flourish in, and there was also a big lift off the bench from guard Tiffany Hayes. The Aces benefitted from both Sunday to beat the Seattle Storm 78-67 in Game 1 of their best-of-three first-round playoff series.

«The basketball gods have a funny way of showing me that sometimes you've just got to get out of the mud,» Wilson said of shaking off the poor start to finish with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. «I love doing that, because it keeps my mind going. My teammates continue to never let me doubt myself. And I sometimes do… and they always pick me up.

»In the second half, the game kind of settled down for me and I really started to dissect the defense. That was kind of when I got rocking and rolling."

Earlier Sunday, Wilson spoke of being moved to tears watching a video tribute to her from the other players who previously won the league's MVP award three times: Lisa Leslie, Sheryl Swoopes and Lauren Jackson, all Naismith Hall of Famers. Then WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert was on hand at Michelob Ultra Arena to present Wilson, 28, with her third MVP trophy.

Wilson was third in a very tight MVP race last season, and the fact that one voter gave her a fourth-place vote took on almost epic proportions. Wilson said she wanted to make sure she left no room for doubt this season. And she didn't, finishing with the highest scoring average in WNBA history (26.9 PPG) and becoming the first player to top 1,000 points in a season.

Seattle, playing without forward/center Ezi Magbegor (concussion), was still able to