How Aces' Kelsey Plum persevered through tough WNBA season - ESPN

LAS VEGAS — Kelsey Plum wasn't herself. Projectile vomiting throughout the Las Vegas Aces' opening game of the WNBA playoffs will have that effect.

But the guard also knew she needed to push past her subpar performance, and found herself figuring out the path ahead the next day in a peculiar setting.

«I sat at a sushi bar,» Plum said at an ensuing news conference. «And was just like, 'You know what, I'm going to throw Game 1 out the window.'»

A'ja Wilson, seated next to Plum, stared at her Aces teammate and looked a bit queasy herself.

«After you threw up, you went and got sushi?» Wilson said.

«Hey,» Plum replied, «it worked.»

Indeed, Plum and the Aces overcame the Seattle Storm in the first round. But the semifinals have been a different story for the two-time defending WNBA champions. The New York Liberty lead 2-0 after taking the first two games at home in the best-of-five series. But whether it was Plum navigating a high-profile divorce and helping the Aces overcome their most regular-season losses in five years, or Las Vegas chasing a three-peat amid injuries and off-court controversies, the season has been defined by tuning out the noise.

Now the Aces must win three in a row against the Liberty, starting with Friday's Game 3 in Las Vegas (9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2). No WNBA team has ever rallied to win a series when down 0-2. And Las Vegas has lost five in a row to New York this year, including three regular-season meetings.

Plum and the Aces hope they can regain their magic in Las Vegas. But whatever the outcome of this season, Plum said she is glad she has battled through it.

«I'm proud I showed up this year,» Plum told ESPN. «The fact that I'm playing basketball now is a great achievement. Obviously, we really want