Veronica Burton, guard for the Golden State Valkyries, made a shot that forced the defending champion Las Vegas Aces to hope for a miracle. In WNBA history, no team has ever come back from a 0-2 deficit in a best-of-five series.

Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon put the pressure on after losing 83-81 to Golden State in San Francisco.

Speaking in her postgame news conference, as relayed by the Associated Press, she said, "I can't convince them that this is not a must-win, because if we lose we go home, and we stay home."

Las Vegas managed to score only 11 points in the first quarter, the team's lowest playoff quarter this postseason, and was trailing 66-55 in the game heading into the fourth quarter when Chelsea Gray, a point guard, tied the game with a three-pointer.

Burton followed that up with her game-winning shot, which Nakase, Valkyries’ head coach, said was because of team depth.

In the team's postgame recap on the club's website, she said, "We had multiple closers. It's so valuable when you have multiple people that can score any given night."

The Golden State’s bench had an edge over the bench of the Aces by scoring 34-14 points. Gabby Williams, a forward, got 20 points for the fifth consecutive time in the playoffs, and the Valkyries nailed all four late free throws.

The fans’ reactions varied between cautiousness and skepticism since the Vegas team is now facing a deficit that has never been turned around before in the WNBA playoffs.

Fans React to Valkyries' 0-2 Lead

"Winning two in a row is cool, but let's see them close it out. History says the champs know how to fight back," said a fan.

Las Vegas became the 2025 champion following a 14-14 regular season record and a streak of 16 consecutive postseason victories. Las Vegas was able to overcome a 14-point deficit in order to tie Game 2.

"It would be a story if the Aces came back big time," read another reaction.

A comeback from 0-2 has never happened, making a Las Vegas comeback unprecedented in the history of the league. Hammon thinks that her team can win three consecutive games.

A user commented, "0-2 is a tough hole to dig out of for Vegas."

The Aces fell to the Valkyries in Game 1 with a score of 71-60 and at one point were down 17 in Game 2. In both games, the Aces have been playing from behind against the Valkyries right from the start.

Another said, "Still backing the Aces?"

In Game 2, the Aces' center, A'ja Wilson, had 24 points while shooting 9 out of 16, along with seven rebounds. Her performance is what is keeping their hopes alive despite the Golden State getting 18-10 on the boards in the first half.

Another said, "Gonna be hard to come back from this."

The Aces only managed 11 points in the first quarter, while the Valkyries' bench outscored theirs by 20. Closing the gap that much for three consecutive games seems very hard.

Fans concur that the team has a tough road ahead of them, but the 2025 championship run is proof to the contrary. Game 3 on Friday in Las Vegas will be a test for the team to rise up to the Valkyries’ challenge.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta