Aces' Scoring Machine Has Come to a Grinding Halt - What's Behind the Shocking Collapse?

The Aces' playoffs performance has been phenomenal for the past two seasons but something seems amiss this year. Last season’s impressive playoff run culminated in a WNBA championship win, buoyed by their exceptional backcourt guards. This season however, is a different story altogether. Kelsey Plum, Chelsea Gray, and Jackie Young, dubbed “the three-headed monster” of the Aces’ backcourt, seem to be struggling to find their footing in the playoffs.

“It’s a great combo when they’re all clicking,” Aces coach Becky Hammon said. But so far, that hasn’t been the case. It’s almost as if the Aces have been trying to look for answers to a puzzle that they once seemed to solve effortlessly. The team’s abysmal performance has been sending shockwaves throughout the league with fans and analysts scratching their heads trying to figure out what’s behind the slump. Was it just a case of overconfidence after their championship win? Or did they face a much tougher opponent this time around?

For Kelsey Plum, the slump couldn’t have come at a worse time. After all, the team’s victory last year was largely due to her stellar performance. So what happened? Teams have been quick to pick up on the Aces guards’ weaknesses and have been working overtime to develop winning strategies against them. Also, when you have top players like Plum, Gray, and Young on your team, opposing teams know they need to put in the extra effort to take them down. With a high-pressure game on the line, you would want your top players to step up and shine, but so far the pressure has seemed overwhelming for the usually reliable trio.

More alarming for fans of the team is that some are wondering whether their beloved side will get out of this rut in time to mount a meaningful championship defense. Can Hammon and her team resolve their backcourt woes in time to salvage their hopes of back-to-back wins?