After an historic regular season, the Las Vegas Aces have capped it off with a dominate championship run not seen since the '02 Los Angeles Sparks. The Aces are now the first team in over 20 years to repeat as champions and just like the Sparks who had Lisa Leslie, the Aces have a superstar big of their own in A'ja Wilson. Wilson clearly took her MVP snub personally as she raised her game to even higher heights as she averaged 23.8 points and 11.8 rebounds per game in the postseason. Those numbers were even better than her impressive regular season numbers of 22.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. With the win, Wilson adds even more hardware on her already impressive resume as she captures her first Finals MVP and second championship in a row. As a team, the Aces have put themselves in a rarified air as the team that was dubbed a "superteam" has lived up to the hype in a major way. In the 27 year history of the WNBA, they could arguably be the greatest team in the history of the league.
Historically, when you think of all-time great WNBA teams there is no team that has been mentioned more than 2000 Comets who capped off their fourth title in a row which may never be done again. Like the Aces today, the Comets were a team stacked with talented players including Hall of Famers in Cynthia Cooper, Sheryl Swoopes, and Tina Thompson. Their last of four championship runs ended up being their most outstanding as they finished with a 27-5 record in the regular season and went undefeated in the playoffs to capture their yet another championship. The Comets swept the Liberty in the Finals and Cynthia Cooper captured her 4th Finals MVP in a row.
When comparing what I believe to be the top two teams in WNBA history in the 2000 Comets and the 2023 Aces what I believe sets them apart is how they were able to be an ever better team than they were in 2022. In 2022, the Aces went 26-10 and won their first ever championship but managed to put together a season for the ages in 2023. In a season where the WNBA expanded to a 40 game regular season the Aces were able to win 34 game resetting the record for the most wins in a single season in WNBA history. Their dominance was reflected on both sides of the floor as they ranked #1 in both scoring and defense in the regular season. From a talent perspective, they have a roster that stacks up with any team in league history as they have a future Hall of Famer in her prime in A'ja Wilson. They also have a plethora of dynamic guards in Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, and Jackie Young along with impactful veteran pieces in Candace Parker and Alysha Clark who make up the most talented team from top to bottom in WNBA history.
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