Aces head coach Becky Hammon was in a quandary. Her charges had played nine games in 19 days, and she figured they deserved a rest. The constant traveling, which included a stop in the White House honoring their championship last year, was bad enough. That she had needed to ride her starters given her roster’s lack to depth and the absence of vital cogs Candace Parker and Riquna Williams made the situation even worse. At the same time, however, she knew she had to defend their spot atop Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) standings with the regular season drawing to a close — which meant keeping an all-hands-on-deck approach to their remaining matches.
In the end, the decision was out of Hammon’s hands. The players voted to keep playing, in large measure because the next two contests were against top-flight competition. In other words, bragging rights were at stake, and far be it from the defending titleholders to back off from a challenge. And so they competed. First up were the Mystics, finally at full strength with the return of former Most Valuable Player awardee Elena Delle Donne. Then came a trip to the East Coast, where the rival Liberty awaited. In each case, they looked ready at the start, only to falter as the encounters progressed.
In the aftermath of the defeats, Hammon indicated some regret, and with reason. After all, the Aces got nothing from their exertions; they still absorbed losses even though their First Five did not play sparingly. Unfortunately, what’s done is done. And, now, with the Liberty just one and a half games behind their pace-setting slate, they need to leave nothing in the tank in order to stay ahead. The good news is that they will be hosting three of their final four regular season set-tos at home, with the lowly Storm and Mercury on tap. Simply put, their fate remains in their hands.
First things first, though, and the Aces will be angling to prevent a three-outing slide by prepping well for the Mystics. The Michelob ULTRA Arena will, no doubt, be rocking; not for nothing are they tops in attendance figures. And, to their credit, they’ve been able to turn the intense fan support into 16 victories through 17 contests. Should they manage to take care of business, it won’t matter if the Liberty get to run the table; homecourt advantage in every round of the playoffs will be theirs. Meanwhile, outside of hoping for the return of Parker and Williams to active duty, they would do well to brace themselves for tough times as they move to retain their crown.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and human resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
