By Cassandra Cousineau for LVSportsBiz.com
Before the Las Vegas Aces were about to play their third game in five days at the WNBA Pandemic Bubble in West Florida, Aces coach Bill Laimbeer’s gut was telling him something wasn’t right with his team as players warmed up to face the New York Liberty Sunday.
“I had a bad feeling about today’s game. When we got to the gym, I just felt that I didn’t see it in our players’ eyes,” Laimbeer said, sporting his famous hirsute look in the Bradenton, Fla. Bubble. “I thought we were going to choke.”
Indeed, perhaps not the ringing endorsement of confidence the team was looking for after winning four of the first six games entering the contest with the Liberty.
Yet, at 5-2 after a gritty, scrappy two-point win over New York after Las Vegas trailed most of the game, the Aces sit second in the Western Conference. Considering the season is 22 games, Las Vegas after seven games is just less than a third of the way towards completing the franchise’s third season.
At this point, there are more questions than answers for the team, which was purchased by MGM Resorts International in late 2017.
A lot has changed since the 2019 campaign, including the season-ending Achilles injury to starting guard Kelsey Plum.
Additionally, the Aces have been without Liz Cambage. The All-Star center opted to forgo the season due to COVID-19 concerns and remained home in Australia instead.
The highlight of the new additions to the roster has been veteran small forward Angel McCoughtry. The Olympian is averaging 14 points this season and has led the campaign to honor women who were victims of police brutality, like Breonna Taylor, which has an impetus for the WNBA’s “Say Her Name” jersey.
The Aces’ tough win over the Liberty lifted the team to a four-game winning streak. Starting Monday, Las Vegas will have one day off and then play another three games in five days.
It’s a different kind of grind — one that has challenged not just the Aces but every team in the bubble.
“All the coaches are struggling with the same thing,” Laimbeer said in a recent media session. “Every coach has the same problem.”
Fortunately, Laimbeer’s pre-game bad feeling didn’t come to fruition in the team’s win over the Liberty Sunday. Las Vegas overcame a sluggish start to best New York, 78-76, behind star A’ja Wilson’s 31 points. Wilson celebrated her 24th birthday Saturday, a day before her big game and win.
With the team approaching the one-third mark of the season, this was a perfect time for coach to be wrong.
The Las Vegas Aces return to action Tuesday at 4 PM against the Indiana Fever.