The Las Vegas Aces took down Seattle with authority, but they had a certain air about them. This wasn’t a team that had gotten comfortable, or complacent, or too big for their boots. They were hardened professionals looking to handle business. A’ja Wilson, Jewell Loyd, and Jackie Young were clinical in how they went about everything, and the result? A 25-point blowout.

Their performance was the perfect example of how championship experience matters in a playoff series. Las Vegas has two chips under its belt thanks to Becky Hammon’s militant mindset, and it’s gunning for a third. And honestly? It’s safe to say that the Aces head coach is keeping the standards high and the ship tight, even after decisively winning the first game. She even admitted to it in the post-game presser!

When asked by a reporter how Hammon is helping her players celebrate this win while being cognizant of the challenges ahead of them, the Aces coach cracked a joke. “I’m on that a–,” she said, much to the amusement of A’ja Wilson and all of the press. Her process is strict, unforgiving, and yields results like nothing else, and her focus? To make her players self-reliant and alert. She had an important five-word reminder for her team ahead of an important game two. “I just tell them all the time [to] just win the moment. Be present in the moment. You know, the next play doesn’t care about the last play. You got to be on the next play, next play.”

Las Vegas’ offense is something akin to a finely-tuned orchestra. There are layers and layers of notes, coming together to create a beautifully destructive harmony. A’ja Wilson’s 29 points and 8 boards, Young’s three-point masterclass, everything melded together into the 102-77 win for the Aces. But the coach’s goals for the team go beyond capitalizing on their elite talent and focusing more on the mental and tactical side of things.

After all, the playoffs are a different thing! Becky Hammon wants all of her players on their toes and being active students of the game. “If you’re following us, I was talking about reads a lot of times. And this team is starting to read at a very elite level, and that’s very important in the playoffs because you’re getting scouted. They’re getting to know the first actions,” she said, and this is something her players are extraordinarily good at.

However skilled she may be, A’ja Wilson’s MVP campaign has been about smart shots and percentages this year. This season, the six-foot-four center has stepped up in situations where others would try to statpad and showboat. Instead, she focused on making the right plays and making sure the team wins above all else. So, when we see her name alongside Napheesa Collier’s in the MVP race, everything starts to make a lot of sense.

A’ja Wilson’s honest MVP admission resonates in her game-1 performance against Seattle

A’ja Wilson’s motivations for doing what she does are a bit different. Why? Because she has nothing left to prove. The six-foot-four center for the Las Vegas Aces has won two championships and three MVPs already, so her place as one of the greatest basketball players of all time is quite cemented. But, if not to win awards, what makes her put in the work every night?

Simple: She loves what she does, and she’s trying to win. While talking to ESPN’s Malika Andrews, A’ja Wilson revealed her motivation, saying, “I love what I do every single day. So, if it brings another MVP, let’s do it, let’s go for it, but if it doesn’t, we still going to do it and go for it again. So I’m grateful, I’m blessed to be just surrounded by an amazing team that helps me just be who I am.”

Team-first basketball is a dying breed in today’s day and age, so to see one of the greatest players of all time trusting the process? It brings a smile to every basketball fan’s face across the globe. Wilson’s 29-point performance last night was nothing short of exquisite. The Aces center made sure to let the entire league know why she’s in the running for an MVP award, and that she’s already a champion.

After all, Las Vegas’ second-half comeback in the regular season is something to write home about. Both Wilson and Hammon are basketball geniuses, and when they’re working in sync? The league should be scared. Even though Seattle is a strong team, the sheer layers behind the Aces’ offense have a strong chance to dismantle their opponents’ championship chances this year.