we begin with the Las Vegas Aces, who on Wednesday night won their second straight WNBA title, defeating the New York Liberty 7869 in Game four of their championship series and in doing so became the first WNBA team to win back to back championships in more than two decades.

Following the Aces entire season has been Melissa Faris, co-host of Girl Chat Sports with Mo and Mel.

Couldn't get Mo, but we've got Mel.

Yes, a good part of the dynamic.

Thank you for having us or having me on, Amber.

And I appreciate she's with us in spirit and happy to have you on because it means a big win for the Aces.

Not only do they come from behind to pull off this victory, but they do it without two of their starters, including the point guard.

Who is the point guard?

The point guard, Chelsea.

Great.

How did they do this?

How did they pull it off?

Who stepped up?

Well, I think with what Becky had said all along, when we we lost Game three was like we just got to pull together.

Like we've been through more adversity through the entire season than just this game.

They've been through so much.

I mean, even losing Candace Parker over two months ago and then of course, yesterday, Chelsea Gray and then Kiah Stokes came up, comes up injured as well.

It's like everybody was thinking the worst but that people the team had positive thoughts.

The team was praying.

The team was ready to take this challenge.

And of course, I mean, A'ja Wilson steps up.

Who else?

You know, Alisha Clark had a big game.

She paid 37 minutes last night, which is like more than ever.

She played probably the season for the team.

So she did phenomenal.

The whole team really puts together.

It was a real team effort.

And it's interesting because throughout the season we've been talking about the lack of bench for the Aces, right?

Correct.

And then in this, you know, I mean, these we saw Cayla, George, she maybe played a few minutes a game was out there for I don't know if it was ten, 15, 20 minutes.

Sidney Coulson had I think ten or 12 minutes.

She might not even play some games.

I mean, it was using everybody because we really didn't have a bench.

We barely even had relief players to come off to help the rest of the team.

So amazing amazing game.

Yeah.

Asia Wilson recording 24 points and 16 rebounds.

She wins finals MVP does that make up for her not getting league MVP I mean we talked about last night it's like you know I feel like a championship is always better than getting a league MVP.

However, I think come next season, too, she's got it in her mind that you guys got it wrong.

Becky's been saying it for since the vote came out.

They got it wrong.

Everybody knows you got after seeing last night's game and Breanna Stewart struggles so bad, I think we all earned who earned the MVP.

And she got you know, now she's a back to back champion in back to back finals MVP.

I'm an Olympic champion Olympian.

I mean, you know, her her her her trophy.

Her trophy closet isn't too bad.

No, I'd like to see that.

I wonder if it's all right if you brought up coach Becky Hammon.

She has made it clear that, you know, if I had played A'ja Wilson more minutes during the season, I think she would have gotten MVP.

But she held her out, rested her in some of the fourth quarters as a good coach would do that to have resources.

Do you think the ACES would have repeated as champions if they did not have coach Becky Hammon Well, and I don't mean to say this in a bad predicament, but it's I don't know if Aces would have won if it wasn't for Becky to begin with.

I mean that even the first the first time I mean, even, you know, the addition of Chelsea Gray as well, we saw some changes between when Bill left and Becky came on as far as the roster went as well.

But between, you know, Becky as a player, as a former NBA assistant coach and then now coaching a WNBA level, I feel like she's kind of had the whole gambit and she can relate to these players however they need to be related to to perform their best.

So better than Bill Laimbeer, did you think?

I mean, you know, I mean, I was there since the beginning.

I've been covering the Aces since they came to Las Vegas.

I think Bill is, you know, Columbia is a great coach.

I think he was a great player.

I just think that he maybe didn't have the ability to talk to the players sometimes, like they need to be talked to or how that would best how they receive that information.

The best, I think Becky does.

And I think when you see her on social media with the team and when you see her in interviews now, she's getting emotional like she deeply cares for these girls.

So these ladies we mentioned in the intro, the Aces are the first team to win back to back championships in more than two decades.

The other teams that have done it, the Houston Comets from 1997 to 2000 and the Los Angeles Sparks in 2001 to 2000.

To where do the ACES rank in terms of greatest WNBA team of all time?

Well, I mean, that was a conversation we had in our show last night, too, about the Houston Comets that they won four straight.

They were initially one of the initial teams there.

They won four straight championships, but there was also only eight teams back then.

And you're also thinking about the players, too.

They had a heavy point guard status there.

They didn't necessarily have a hybrid player like A'ja Wilson or their Breanna Stewart, so that you see these days.

So can you compare and contrast them?

Yeah, but it could be like apples and oranges.

I mean, you know, people might say that the aces need to win another championship to make it into that, you know, who's the best of of the of the of the WNBA conversation.

But they're definitely on the right track and the chances of a three peat.

What do you think?

I mean we've got these ladies our starters are in until 2025 or 2026.

Becky's here on that one on the contract.

Why is Becky's here for five years?

She's got a five year contract.

So really, we're not changing a whole lot in these next couple of years.

So depending on how the bench may change or what may happen in regards to, you know, if Candace wants to come back because she only signed a one year deal and you know, she was injured.

So she wants to probably come back and give it one more go, if nothing else.

I would think so.

Right.

But you are concerned past 2024 because of the expansion.

Why?

Well, there's an expansion that hasn't happened in I don't know how many years, not since the dream.

I think it was like 2008 or something.

But they've already announced that the Warriors are going to have an expansion team in in San Francisco, and then there'll be a second team.

They're still debating on the second City, but that's in 2025.

Okay.

So an expansion comes just like most of us knew from the Golden Knights experience, is that we're taking players from other teams, right?

So who make it?

Take it?

Oh boy, she But we will be rooting for a three peat this upcoming season.

Move to Paris with Girl Chat Sports with Mo and Mo available wherever you get your podcasts on YouTube as well.

Thank you for joining us, too.

Thank you.