The Aces finally got back on track with a victory over the Sparks the other day, and it couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. They had hitherto bookended a month-long break due to the Summer Games with losses to the underdog Sky and the pacesetting Liberty, leading head coach Becky Hammon to lament their seeming lack of purpose. Dribbling in place was what she effectively said her charges had done in taking the L, underscoring an alarming tendency to play hero ball at the expense of collective pursuits.
Significantly, the Aces’ latest triumph was far from guaranteed, what with the Sparks having already taken their measure twice so far through their 2024 campaign. Notwithstanding the cellar-dwelling status of the opposition, the defending champions were previously trumped by motivation borne of Dearica Hamby’s personal cause against them. This time around, through, their superior talent shone through; A’ja Wilson, Kelsey Plum, Jackie Young, and Chelsea Gray, Olympians all, made sure to take care of business early and often, culminating in a 16-point win.
It bears noting that Hammon’s positive comments in her post-mortem were interspersed with her emphatic denial of wrongdoing in connection with the federal lawsuit Hamby just filed against the Aces (and the Women’s National Basketball Association). Even setting aside an active probe against them for the improper provision of benefits to players in contravention of the collective bargaining agreement, the case cannot but be an additional hurdle in their quest for a third straight title.
The good news is that Wilson has never performed better. And so transcendent has she been that she is assured of taking home her third Most Valuable Player award three-fifths into the season. No one else comes close, and with Plum, Young, and Gray backstopping her, the Aces cannot be counted out. The cream rises to the top, especially in a drawn-out series. And unless and until they are formally ousted in the playoffs, they deserve the benefit of the doubt.
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.
