A'ja-Stewie showdown, 3-pointers and guard battle:...

Becky Hammon said it plainly. When it comes to Tuesday's Commissioner's Cup championship (7 p.m. ET), a meeting between the two winningest teams over the last three seasons is a pretty good midseason showcase. "People want to see New York versus Vegas, so I think it's good for the fans," the Las Vegas Aces coach said. "Barclays has been a tough place for us to play the last few years. So it's going to be a great battle. "I know Barclays is going to be rocking." The New York Liberty will host the Aces in a matchup between the winners of the last four WNBA championships. It will also be a rematch of the 2023 Commissioner's Cup title game and the Finals that same season. The Liberty won the Cup 82-63 and the Aces won the Finals 3-1. New York won the organization's first WNBA championship in 2024 and the Aces earned their third in four years last October. Not surprising, the two teams with the most recent success feature nine all-stars between them, including the last six MVPs in A'ja Wilson (four in her career), Breanna Stewart (two) and Jonquel Jones (one). Making things even more interesting: The Liberty defeated the Aces 87-76 in Las Vegas on June 23. "I feel like we'll have a greater sense of urgency coming back playing them in New York next week," Hammon said at the time. As entertaining as the matchup might be, the Cup has also been a pretty good barometer for playoff success. On two occasions, the same two teams from the Cup championship advanced to the Finals. Of the 10 teams that have played in the in-season championship, five reached the Finals that same season. The Aces won the 2025 WNBA championship, but still have feelings about missing last season's Commissioner's Cup. "We didn't even give ourselves a chance last season," Wilson said, "so it's kind of good for us to have a chance to compete for a championship midway through the season. "It also sets us for October. It sets us for August when we really have to buckle in. So, we'll get a taste of that. Obviously, New York is rocking and rolling doing what they're doing." The Liberty, however, have lost four of their last five games, with the only victory coming against the Aces. Meanwhile, the Aces have won three of their last four, with the only loss coming against the Liberty. For a pair of teams with title aspirations, the Cup can be a starting block for a run deep into October. "It's a good place to start," Jones said. Michael Voepel: Statistically, these teams aren't that much different, except for two areas: New York makes more 3-pointers per game (10.2 to 8.5) and shoots better from the free throw line (84.6% to 76.6%). In the teams' June 23 game, both those things came into play. The Liberty made five more 3s than Las Vegas, and they had the edge at the line, 14-6. Wilson also was held to 16 points, nine below her WNBA-best 25.7 PPG season average. Tuesday, the Aces need to guard the 3-point line better -- the Liberty were 13-of-31 there in the previous meeting -- and they need to be stronger defensively to keep New York from getting so many points from free throws. If Las Vegas is better -- or at least even -- in those areas, that could win the Cup for the Aces. The winners of the past six WNBA MVP awards -- A'ja Wilson (2020, '22, '24 and '25), Breanna Stewart (2023) and Jonquel Jones (2021) -- will be on court in Tuesday's Commissioner's Cup final. David Becker/NBAE via Getty ImagesWhat key matchup are you most interested in seeing?Kareem Copeland: Wilson versus Stewart is the easiest and most obvious answer, but there's a reason for that. The two players are at the height of their powers and have six MVP trophies between them, including the last four straight. Wilson is the best women's player on the planet, has a league-record four MVP trophies, and does it on both ends, with three Defensive Player of the Year awards. Stewart is a three-time champion who led New York to the first title in franchise history in 2024. When the duo is guarding each other, the matchup is as good as it gets in the entire league. Andrews: I'm also going to be watching the point guards closely. Chelsea Gray is one of the best passers and floor generals the game has ever seen, and averaging 7.4 assists per game, she's as dominant as ever. The Aces' Jackie Young also has been a tremendous facilitator this season. Download the ESPN app and enable Alexa Philippou's news alerts to receive push notifications for the latest updates first. Opt in by tapping the alerts bell in the top right corner. For more information, click here. On the other side, rookie Pauline Astier is averaging nearly four assists per game and has been an incredibly quick, shifty guard for the Liberty. I'm excited to see how the young Astier looks against some of the best point guards in the league. Voepel: How will forward NaLyssa Smith match up against the Liberty this time? She had a season-low one rebound in the June 23 loss to New York, plus seven points -- both below he

A'ja-Stewie showdown, 3-pointers and guard battle:...

Key takeaways

Also covered by

A'ja-Stewie showdown, 3-pointers and guard battle:...

Key takeaways

Also covered by

More in sports