On the latest episode of Locked On Women’s Basketball, host Howard Megdal breaks down the Las Vegas Aces’s current situation. At 0-2 against the New York Liberty in the WNBA semifinals, they are on the brink of elimination. Megdal goes back to conversations he had with head coach Becky Hammon, Chelsea Gray, and Alysha Clark to understand how the Aces are dealing with their current circumstances. He also speaks with New York Liberty head coach Sandy Brondello about her team’s journey through the semifinals.
Megdal opens the show with a question he asked Hammon after Game 2. “What are you saying to your team right now?” Megdal asks Hammon. “This is a two-time defending championship team. Why is it not happening the way it did in the 22 or 23 playoffs?”
“Quite frankly, we haven’t had the edge all year,” Hammon says in response. “We found it last month. I feel like we’ve gained a lot of ground, but the feeling was different from the jump. Three-peating is hard.”
Later on, Megdal refers back to a conversation he had with Brondello after Game 2. Megdal specifically wanted to discuss Brondello’s bench, and asked her how important it is that she’s managed her bench the way she has throughout the season.
“We’ve all talked about [Courtney Vandersloot] coming off the bench,” Brondello says. “We just thought that was the best thing for the team, and the best thing for her, because now she’s playing with that second unit where we could get her downhill a little more.”
Megdal finishes the show by acknowledging the high level of competition between the Aces and the Liberty. “I never count out a champion until they’re done,” he says.
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