WNBA playoffs: Players to watch in the semifinal round

The WNBA playoffs are down to the final four teams, and it’s no surprise that they were the four teams with the best regular-season records.

The Las Vegas Aces are attempting to accomplish something that hasn’t been done in North American sports in more than 20 years: win three consecutive championships. With plenty of star power on hand in the semifinals, the New York Liberty and Connecticut Sun are each trying to break through and win their first title, while the Minnesota Lynx look to get back to their dominant ways when they won four championships in seven years in the 2010s.

Players to watch for hardcore fans and casual viewers:

For the love of watching the world’s best

A’ja Wilson, Las Vegas and Breanna Stewart, New York

Wilson’s dominant MVP season has put the Aces in position for a three-peat. It’s not just that Wilson (26.9 ppg, 11.9 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.8 spg) does it on the offensive end, she is a force defensively and makes it her mission to punish anyone who gets in the lane trying to score an easy bucket. Her ability to take over a game gives underdog Las Vegas a legitimate chance. Last year’s MVP, Stewart ,and the Liberty swept all three regular-season games, have home-court advantage for the series, and are more than capable of ending the Aces dynasty.

For the love of passing

Chelsea Gray, Las Vegas

Outside of Caitlin Clark, perhaps no player sets their teammates up better for high-percentage shots than Gray, with a flair for the dramatic. Gray, who averaged 8.0 assists a game, can also put the ball in the bucket when needed, and even though the Aces still won the championship last season after Gray was injured, her availability will be critical for any chance at advancing to the championship round.

For the love of logo 3’s

Sabrina Ionescu, New York

The most consistent long-distance shooter left in the postseason is Ionescu, who has the green light to shoot it once she is past half-court. Her outside shooting is key to neutralizing Las Vegas, but her 33% shooting from the 3-point line during the regular season shouldn’t be looked at as any sort of a disadvantage but an anomaly. Ionescu’s 36 points against Atlanta in Game 2 of their first-round series tells you all you need to know about her and her impact on the game.

For the love of great defense

The Minnesota Lynx and Connecticut Sun

Rewind a year, and the Lynx couldn’t stop a cold team, much less any team in the WNBA. A commitment to defense has Minnesota on the brink of another championship, led by defensive player of the year Napheesa Collier, who averaged 1.9 steals and 1.4 blocks. The Lynx’s defensive efficiency improved by 11 points. But it was the Sun who led the league in defensive rating, so don’t be surprised if there are some final scores in the best-of-five series in the 60s and 70s. An intriguing matchup could decide the series if Collier is up against perennial All-Star Alyssa Thomas. The Sun could be in trouble when Collier starts lighting it up as she did in Game 2 of Minnesota’s series-clinching win against Phoenix when she poured in 42 points.

For the love of trash-talking

Kelsey Plum, Las Vegas

Although the discourse of how fans talk to the players has become a focus this season, there are no such problems when the players talk to each other and use colorful language to gain a psychological edge.

Plum has said she doesn’t speak unless someone engages her first, but no one is immune, including fans, to the venom that comes out of her mouth once she gets going.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: WNBA players to watch in the semifinal round of the playoffs