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The Las Vegas Aces are going back to the WNBA Finals for the second time in three seasons after dispatching the Seattle Storm in the semifinals, 3-1. They won three straight games after losing Game 1 at home, and closed things out with a hard-fought win in Game 4 in Seattle. 

While the final series line will read 3-1 in favor of the Aces, the truth is that both teams could make a legitimate claim that they should have swept the series. Three of the five games were decided by five points or less, and the only one that wasn't went to overtime after one of the most incredible closes to regulation we've ever seen. In the end, the Aces made more plays when it mattered, and that's why they're moving on. 

(1) Las Vegas Aces def. (4) Seattle Storm, 3-1

Players to watch

Aces: Chelsea Gray

After getting snubbed from the All-Star Game, Gray has played some of the best basketball of her career over the last month-and-a-half. She had a career-high 33 points against the Storm on the final day of the regular season, and likely would have surpassed that mark in Game 2 against the Mercury if she hadn't sat out much of the second half due to the Aces' massive lead. While Gray has long been one of the league's top point guards, she usually isn't a big scorer. That's changed since the All-Star break, however; including the playoffs she's had six 20-point games compared to just one before the break. Gray scoring at this clip makes the Aces' offense even more difficult to contain. 

Storm: Jewell Loyd

Loyd is often the barometer for the Storm, as we saw yet again during the first round. She didn't make a basket until the fourth quarter of Game 1, but the Storm were able to escape with a win once she turned it on down the stretch. And when she put up a solid 19 points in Game 2, the Storm won comfortably. Including the playoffs, they are now 16-6 when Loyd has 16-plus points and 8-8 when she has 15 or fewer. Loyd is a brilliant shotmaker and has the talent to win a game by herself, but she can be quite inconsistent. The Storm cannot afford the latter in this series if they want to keep up with the high-powered Aces. 

Three keys to the series

1. An MVP battle

You may have been wondering where A'ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart were in the "players to watch" section, well here they are. Given the level both of them reached this season and the fact that they will often be guarding each other it felt necessary to devote an entire section to their matchup. 

Though the award won't be announced until Sept. 7, we already know that one of Wilson or Stewart will win MVP and join the historic club of multi-time winners. There's a good chance they'll finish 1-2 in the Defensive Player of the Year award voting as well. 

Wilson led the Aces to the No. 1 overall seed, while averaging 19.5 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks; she was the only player to finish in the top-five in all three categories. She also expanded and improved her game on both ends of the floor, notably becoming a knock-down 3-point shooter. 

Stewart, meanwhile, won the first scoring title of her career by putting up 21.8 points per game on 47.2/37.9/83.7 shooting splits. In terms of high-level scoring and efficiency, no one was better. Of course, she also did her part in other facets of the game, adding 7.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals. 

A series where two MVP candidates are not only playing but going head-to-head on both ends of the floor is a special treat. This matchup has a chance to be special and decide the series. If one of these two superstars significantly outplays the other, it will give their team a major advantage. 

2. Injury concerns on each side

Near the end of the regular season, Aces All-Star forward Dearica Hamby suffered a knee contusion in the team's win over the Atlanta Dream. She has not played since the Aug. 9 injury and was expected to miss 2-4 weeks. The beginning of the semifinals will be right in the middle of that timeline, but there has been no official update on her status. If she does end up playing at some point in the series it could be in a limited capacity. 

While Hamby struggled towards the end of the season to the extent that she was removed from the starting lineup shortly before her injury, the Aces will want to be at full strength for such an important series -- especially one against a team with a strong frontcourt like the Storm. 

Speaking of the Storm's frontcourt, their series-clinching win over the Mystics last weekend was marred somewhat by Gabby Williams leaving in the third quarter with a concussion. The team has obviously not played since then, so she hasn't missed any time so far and it's unclear if she'll be ready to go for Game 1 on Sunday. 

If Williams is unable to go or is less than 100 percent that would be a blow to the Storm. She is one of the best, most versatile defenders in the league and also offers some much needed secondary playmaking and athleticism on the offensive end. Though not one of the Storm's biggest names, she's a key part of their team. 

3. Who wins the 3-point contest?

The Aces finally joined the 21st century this season and started shooting 3-pointers under new head coach Becky Hammon. As for the Storm, they've long been happy to launch from distance regardless of who was in charge. In a series that looks have many fine margins, the team that wins the 3-point contest just may win the series. 

For the season, the Aces were third in 3-point attempts per game (26.4) and tied for first in 3-point percentage (36.1). The team they were tied with was the Storm, who for their part took the fourth-most 3-point attempts per game (25.6). This is the first time that the two best 3-point shooting teams have met in a playoff series since the 2019 semifinals between the Aces and Washington Mystics. (The Aces were last in attempts that season, though, so it wasn't quite the same as this matchup.) 

Already this postseason we've seen how dangerous each team can be from behind the arc. The Aces set a new WNBA record for most 3s made in a game -- regular season or playoffs -- when they poured in 23 against the Phoenix Mercury in Game 2. Even more impressive is that they weren't chucking recklessly; they went 23 of 36 that game. The Storm didn't reach those heights in terms of volume, but they also used a big night from downtown to eliminate the Washington Mystics in their first-round series; in their Game 2 win they went 12 of 23. 

It's worth noting that the Storm had the best 3-point defense in the league this season, holding opponents to 32 percent from behind the arc. The Aces, meanwhile, struggled in that department, allowing their opponents to shoot 35.6 percent -- a mark that was 10th in the league and worst among playoff teams. 

Prediction

This is a tough series to call. Both teams looked excellent in the first round, have electric offenses capable of putting up points in a hurry and their regular season matchups were all competitive. The Storm's big three of Breanna Stewart, Jewell Loyd and Sue Bird have not lost a series together when all three of them are healthy since their first championship run in 2018, while the Aces have consistently underperformed in the playoffs. This is a new Aces team with a new system and attitude, however, and they have home-court advantage. We'll lean towards Vegas in a hard-fought series. Pick: Aces in 5