When a team is down in a Commissioner’s Cup final and looking for answers, where better to turn than a Hall of Famer sitting courtside? That was the scene at the Barclays Center on Tuesday, when a viral exchange between Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young and WNBA legend Sue Bird made the rounds across social media during the closing stages of a 93-85 Liberty win.

With around six minutes left on the clock, Young was seen talking to Bird, who was watching courtside. The broadcasters caught the moment live.

“It looks like Sue Bird is giving Jackie on some pointers here in late game. Let’s see if she can imitate whatever that was,” the commentator said, as per ESPNW.

“She sees those assists numbers creeping up. She said Jackie hold on now. I know you have a career high assist, but that’s my thing.”

The reference was to Bird’s standing as the league’s all-time assists leader, with 3,234 career assists. The broadcasters were guessing at the content of the conversation. However, with the Aces trailing by a handful of points and searching for a way back, the context suggested Young may have been looking for some direction.

If she was, it did not change the outcome. Young delivered everything she could individually, finishing with a game-high 31 points and 7 assists. Her second-half explosion, which produced 25 of her 31 points, helped the Aces outscore the Liberty 25-14 in the third quarter and briefly take the lead early in the fourth. But the Liberty steadily pulled away, and Las Vegas could not close the gap.

A’ja Wilson’s absence shaped the entire game. The Aces entered without their leading scorer after she was ruled out with a right leg injury before the tipoff. The structural gaps that created were hard to get over. Chelsea Gray added to the difficulty early, leaving the game for several minutes in the first quarter following a head-to-head collision with Leonie Fiebich before returning. The Aces went 6-of-26 from three, missing their first 13 attempts and were outrebounded 42-30. All of these differentials reflected what Gray had flagged before the game.

“Everybody’s got to just be that much more better … 10 percent better, whatever that looks like for each,” Gray said, as per the New York Post. “Everybody has to come with that kind of focus, rebounding especially. We’re going to have to have guards up in the six, seven range and get it done by committee.”

All of that did not materialize on the floor. Gray shot just 25% from the field and despite a near comeback, the Liberty’s firepower proved decisive. Sabrina Ionescu finished with 26 points and hit two dagger threes in the final minutes to deal the deal. Breanna Steward added 25 points and 11 rebounds to be named the game’s MVP.

Given that Bird was the one courtside when Young stopped for a word, what she carries into that role is worth considering.

Sue Bird Was Clutch Under Extreme Pressure

The reason anyone would take Bird’s advice in a close game is inseparable from what she has done in close games herself. In the 2010 WNBA Western Conference Finals, the Seattle Storm trailed the Phoenix Mercury by 19 points in Game 2 before a staggering comeback. With the game tied and two seconds left, Bird caught a pass and hit a 24-foot three-pointer to win the game and the series.

A few days later in Game 1 of the 2010 WNBA Finals against the Atlanta Dream, she hit another game-winning jump-shot with two seconds remaining to put Seattle up 79-77. The Storm swept that series. Young sought advice from a player who had two clutch shots in the same postseason run, both with the clock expiring.

Whether the conversation had any bearing on what followed is impossible to know. What is not in question is that the Aces will now return to regular-season play, looking to re-establish the form they showed before the final. As of now, Wilson’s recovery timeline is the most pressing question around the team going forward.