2023 WNBA Finals Game 4 Observations

Game 4 is complete and, after we finally had an exciting game, we have ourselves a series!  Vegas won 70-69 while shorthanded in an exciting game that came down to the final buzzer, despite Vegas missing Chelsea Gray (who I would consider their second best player) and Kiah Stokes (their starting center), straining a 6-player rotation prior to these injuries.

 

1^st Quarter

• Even before the game starts, I will say that if New York loses, that is a massive issue for them given Vegas’s lack of depth for tonight
• Even A’ja Wilson’s first basket was again an extremely difficult shot with Jonquel Jones’s shot.  That said, nice feed by Cayla George
• While that defense by Vegas on their first play was great, it’s worth noting that Courtney Vandersloot passed up a wide open 3
• I’m not quite sure how Jackie Young ended up open on that play
• Wow, I can’t believe that Jones ended up traveling on that play; it was a perfect mismatch or her
• Breanna Stewart missed the difficult shot, but it was really nice passing by her and Vandersloot.  In each situation, both players saw there was a better look (until there wasn’t)
• I think Jones in this role in New York makes so much sense given the fact that no plays need to be drawn up for her and she can st8ill get her points
• It looks like Young is still in a bit of pain.  I hope she’s okay overall
• In many situations, George driving into the paint while open is a good idea.  In this situation, it was the wrong idea since the passing lane was blocked.  When double teamed, the priority should be to cut towards an opening in the passing lane, though I think part of that is due to her not playing many minutes with this lineup
• I really like how Vegas has been good at exploiting mismatches.  I think there are a lot of opportunities to exploit the fact that Sabrina Ionescu is guarding Alysha Clark
• At around this time, Roger climbed on top of and is blocking my face.  I missed a few plays as a result
• I am interested how Vegas uses the 5^th player in the lineup.  I think you could realistically cause a lot of confusion by forcing inconsistencies
• After a couple minutes of passivity, Vandersloot has been more aggressive with her shot.  Even with Vegas shorthanded, they need this
• Even with Wilson picking up a second foul already, I expect they continue to play her.  I would at this point; if they take her out, they’ll be in trouble, and if she fouls out, they’re in trouble, so you might as well keep her in
• Stewart has had rotten luck with open looks today
• I think Sydney Colson played that drive perfectly.  With Ionescu running over, she is going to bite on the pump fake, which opens up the opportunity to bait her into a foul, take a shot after she goes past, or drive in.  Driving in was the right choice since there was an open lane all the way to the hoop
• Once Wilson came out of the game, Vegas got stagnant.  The broadcasters are talking about what New York did defensively on the late shot clock violation, but everyone who didn’t have the ball was just standing there.  That is a recipe for failure.  I’m not sure if it was a miscommunication in play drawn, no play was called, or if it was a poorly drawn play, but Becky Hammon needs to get involved in that
• Yeah, this has been rough.  Vegas’s offense seems off without Gray running the show and their defense seem rattled.  Their lucky that New York isn’t up by more since they’ve had some bad luck on open shots

 

2^nd Quarter

• An early turnover on a moving screen is not what Vegas wanted to start out
• Anytime Vandersloot makes a risky pass, I’m shocked since she is so good
• Wilson never ceases to amaze me with her finishing ability.  I loved the ability to get into the paint, but I probably would have pooped myself if I had to go against Jones (another reason I have so much respect for pro athletes)
• Vandersloot and Stewart have such beautiful chemistry.  Even though they’ve missed a couple looks, I enjoy how they’re able to get amazing looks
• While George is in a tough situation by being thrown into the Finals, Kelsey Plum is a great player to play alongside.  She is a brilliant mover both on and off the ball, which makes her life as a passer a bit easier (and more fun)
• There have been several plays where I have questioned a lack of foul calls.  I get allowing them to play, but eventually you have to realize that a blatant hit is a foul no matter the philosophy (I wrote that and literally Jones slapped Young on the hand while shooting and it wasn’t called)
• I do hate the foul call on Wilson when she initiated contact, but by the letter of the law, Wilson was already set
• I feel like Vegas has been aiming for foul calls and not the best shot at a lot of times.  I don’t love resorting back to that since that means they are relying on the refs
• I hate the idea of double teaming Ionescu outside the 3-point line.  They’ve done this a few times now and one time resulted in an open Stewart shot (it missed, but still) and then an open 3 by Stephanie Dolson.  Both are great shooters, so that is a terrible decision
• I feel like I’m preaching to the choir, but Wilson is so good at exploiting mismatches.  Vegas has several players who are great with mismatches and court awareness, which makes it so difficult to defend them.  These are massive reasons they have the best offense in the WNBA
• This has been a bit of a rough shooting game for both teams.  On top of that, there has a lot of turnovers and outright sloppy play, which has made it tougher
• I feel like George would fit in with so many teams due to her passing and shooting ability.  She and Plum already have nice chemistry
• I can’t believe that Stewart just missed that drive in.  She has not shot well this series, which is so rare
• I’m surprised that was a charge on Clark.  I think it was controversial and I would probably lean towards a blocking foul given the slight movement backwards
• George’s shot is a little inconsistent right now, so New York has been leaving her wide open.  Out of the 5 on the court, that is 100% the right move when the shot isn’t falling
• Betnijah Laney’s drive and then dish to Jones was absolutely brilliant.  Both of them are such smart players; that has got to be difficult to defend
• Vegas came back a bit in this quarter, so we might have an exciting game!  Of course, I am knocking on any wood I can find.  Normally I would say that New York should drive right at Wilson to force her into extended foul trouble, but the refs have been so inconsistent this game that I wouldn’t love that.  Even though it has gotten close, I wouldn’t change much from New York’s defensive play to be honest.  I believe they have set up several matchups and are good at picking up any other changes they can make in game.  I feel like they are going to win at this point

 

3^rd Quarter

• I never really noticed just how nice Ionescu’s pump fake is
• That was a risky decision for Plum to leave Vandersloot open near the rim.  It worked, but still
• I really liked Plum’s reaction defensively against Laney.  She had horrible position, but when there was a lob pass in, she just stuck her hand up and knocked the ball away
• Does Ionescu know how to shoot a 3 while standing still?  Of course I say that facetiously, but she’s always moving on her shots, even if it’s a slight step forward or back
• New York just had a really nicely drawn play that I liked.  Stewart handed the ball off to Vandersloot, who ran to the top of the key.  While she rotated, Ionescu and Laney both drove towards the rim and were close enough to each other that Vegas was hesitant to not run into each other, allowing both players to get by while one drove to the middle of the paint and the other drove to the rim
• For anyone saying the midrange is dead (and has decided that DeMar DeRozan isn’t playing basketball), they need to watch Wilson.  Her stroke is so smooth; I don’t mind that she takes so many more shots from there than from 3
• There have been a lot of missed layups.  I was shocked that Ionescu just mad that one
• Some people watching might be confused why players are sometimes letting the ball go out of bounds instead of getting the rebound.  If a defender is the only one close to the ball and the ball is going out of the ball, it makes sense to just let the ball go out of bounds instead of risking not getting a good grip and losing it out of bounds
• While entirely possible I have forgotten how to count, it looks like Vegas was missing a player on offense
• It is refreshing to see Stewart make a jumper.  Even that one wasn’t an easy one by any means
• Wilson has had so many shots that I’m not sure how she got it off, let alone scored.  She had one where it looked like she almost threw the ball to the hoop
• It’s ironic that the time they finally call a foul where Wilson can go to the line might not have actually been a foul
• After struggling all game with decision making, Young had one of the best passes of the Finals to Clark inside the paint.  The fact that she had a steal on the next play is even more insane
• This doesn’t relate to anything in the game, but I love the WNBA’s way of doing timeouts with 3 in the first half and 4 in the second
• Oof, Colson picking up her 5^th foul in the 3^rd quarter is not what Vegas wanted, but it’s possible to finish
• Vegas had a near perfect quarter in my opinion.  Their finishing ability on difficult shots, but it’s been their defense that I think has been crucial.  In particular, Clark has done very well at limiting Stewart.  I’m excited to see what adjustments New York comes back with in the 4^th quarter

 

4^th Quarter

• Even though it resulted in a foul, I liked doubling Stewart in the post.  While New York is so dep with talent, mostly everyone else has been inconsistent
• I would honestly watch it so much if someone made a highlight real of Wilson’s game tonight.  She looks like it’s been a clinic
• New York already called a timeout with less than 2 minutes gone in the quarter.  That said, that 3 by Young was so smooth.  She has a smooth jumper
• I’m surprised a foul was called on Stewart for the push off.  It absolutely was a foul, but it was called so late that I thought they were waiting if she made or missed it.  Interesting that she missed it and they called it
• There was another play where a mismatch went well for Vegas on defense.  Jones had amazing position on Young in the post, but Young just went up at the last minute for the steal
• It’s weird how Vegas’s offense can have moments where nobody is moving.  They had back-to-back plays where everyone cleared out for a Clark isolation and just stood around (normally that’s not an issue, but some movement around the arc is smart since it could confuse the other defenders).  After, the only movement was a drawn play where Young and Plum switched positions (though they ran different routes, which I thought would result in one of the defenders being lost based on how they ran).  I know some people miss the days of isolation ball when everyone else gets out of the way, but it’s honestly not exciting offense in my mind (let alone good or efficient in most situations)
• Ionescu has had a few shots that were just wild shots, but she has been quiet throughout the playoffs.  Even tonight, they broadcast is acting like she’s thriving, but she is 4-10 with 11 points.  I’ve written a lot about how Trae Young is really streaky with his jumper; I feel the same way about Ionescu.  They play incredibly similarly in my opinion (though I think Ionescu is someone who is better at playing winning basketball)
• The defense has been very good for both teams.  While there have been good looks by both teams, I think that it has been difficult to come by for them in many situations and resulted in missed due to being worn down in others
• Jones has been really quiet today.  I suddenly realized that I genuinely didn’t know if she was on the court.  That is a far cry from how she played in the previous games
• My volume is off since Roger and Victoria are trying to sleep.  As such, what happened with Clark?  I’m not sure what’s going on that resulted in her being held back
• Wilson had an excellent defensive play against Stewart, but she needs someone to help on the rebound on that play.  She left Jones to guard to help (which was the right play in this situation), but Jones was able to get an easy rebound
• Okay, Stewart just missed a wide open 3.  This is not her night.  That said, I wonder if there’s starting to be a sense of exhaustion
• I don’t understand how Wilson’s footwork operates like it does.  I know I keep commenting on this, but she honestly might have the best footwork I have ever seen.  She can make such absurd shots with that
• That Vandersloot 3 was critical, especially since she was so willing to take it despite not being totally wide open.  Even though she has had inconsistencies with her shot tonight, her aggressiveness with her shot is a big part of why New York is even in this game right now
• While a nice steal by Vandersloot, she might have gotten away with a little bit of a push…that said, it was nice
• I’m kind of torn on whether Vegas calling their last timeout with 20 seconds left was the right decision.  The play was breaking down a bit, but they’re kind of limited if New York makes a basket with a bit of time left
• That was brilliant defense by New York on the inbounds pass.  Since there was only 3 seconds on the shot clock, once everyone saw Wilson go down with the ball, 4 players crashed on her and made it almost impossible to make that shot
• On the other hand, I think New York calling a timeout with 8.8 seconds left was absolutely the right call.  Ionescu was looking to make a quick basket, but Vegas was set on defense, so it probably would not have been the right play.  That said, I’m not sure who I would give the ball to on the final play.  Probably a couple motion plays to whoever is open
• Well, that was quite the final play and was oddly similar to what I was thinking might be good.  Starting with Stewart, having a double come in was interesting, but the kick to Laney and then to Vandersloot was absolutely the right play; it was just bad luck that Vandersloot missed
• That was quite the exciting game!

 

And that’s the series!  After Vegas won that game, we finally have an exciting and fun game!  Congratulations to the Las Vegas Aces on winning and to the New York Liberty on their successful season!

 

What did you think of the game?  Let me know in the comments!