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Thump In The Morning

Thump In The Morning

Thump In The Morning

Aces On Losing Streak, Way Too Early For Panic

Author DJ THUMP
Alysha Clark #7, Jackie Young #0, Kelsey Plum #10, A'ja Wilson #22 and Kiah Stokes #41 of the Las Vegas Aces walk back onto the court after a timeout in the second quarter of their game against the Minnesota Lynx at Michelob ULTRA Arena

The Aces are on a losing streak, and it seems as if they can’t get it together. The walls are closing in on the team fast, and the target on their back is getting bigger.

The two-time defending champions are striving for their third championship, but every team is out to shut them down!

Aces Are Struggling To Get A Win

We have talked about A’ja Wilson, and we have spoken of the Aces 3-peating. Now we have come to that point where all champions hit, especially two-time champions. The Las Vegas Aces seem vulnerable now. With a 5-5 record and a losing streak we are not accustomed to, should we fans need to worry? Right now I’m at the point where worrying is pre-mature. However, there are some issues that need to be addressed.

The Elephant In The Room

Every night it’s a lineup change. Olympian Chelsea Gray is injured and the Aces struggle to find the right lineup to compete. Leader and MVP front-runner Aja Wilson continues to shine averaging 28.3 points,11.4 rebounds, and 3 blocks per game. Yet her supporting cast each night hasn’t been as consistent as her. With their point guard, aka “The Floor General” injured, coach Becky Hammond has tried numerous lineups every night trying to spark her team. According to Fox Sports, Las Vegas has been playing without starting guard Chelsea Gray, who is still recovering from a leg injury she suffered in the WNBA Finals last season. There is still no timetable for her return.

Has the Aces hit the championship slump? Are they bored from winning and the hunger to chase another title is not there? Everyone who has played high-level sports knows it’s extremely difficult to win one championship let alone two. Now they have done it, the drive and hunger for three seems not to be there. There are still four months left in the season so it’s plenty of time to right the ship but no one fears the Big Bad Aces right now.

Related Story: Caitlin Clark Wants To Now Join The Aces In Olympics

The Aces Spotlight Perhaps Is Too Bright

With so much attention on the WNBA maybe the spotlight is too big. Maybe not. A lot of parity right now with the Connecticut Sun looking extremely tough and New York Liberty looking dominant. Teams are seeing the Aces as just a mediocre team struggling to find their identity. It’s as if the strategy is to let A’ja Wilson get hers and stop everyone else.

It’s prime time for Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young to show how good they really are. Those two are Olympians too and should be enough to at least be 8-2 right now. They just need to get healthy and show the rest of the league that the title still belongs in the 702 and all roads lead to Vegas if you want to be the new champs.  

Marlon "DJ Thump" Rice is a morning show host on Jammin’ 105.7 "Thump In The Morning!" He has been with the station for the past six years and has been inducted into the Nevada Broadcasters Hall of Fame class of 2019. DJ Thump has toured with R&B legend Al B. Sure! As his music director. As a content creator for Jammin’ 105.7, DJ Thump writes articles on sports, preferably the Las Vegas Raiders and the world champion Las Vegas Aces. DJ Thump writes about the local community (which he is heavily involved in) as well as local Black-owned businesses.

NBA In-Season Tournament: Fans Lose It Over Courts and Jerseys

The NBA’s first-ever in-season tournament kicked off on a Friday night, and teams donned their NBA City Edition jerseys. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers were among the first teams to compete at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

It seems like some people who follow pro basketball are a bit puzzled about how this tournament works. In an interview, even one NBA player was super honest about not really understanding what’s going on. Los Angeles Clippers guard Bones Hyland told the media, “I ain’t even gonna lie, I don’t even know what’s going on. I don’t even know how it works. I don’t know anything honestly.”

How do you tell which games are for the In-Season Tournament?

For those curious about how to identify In-Season Tournament games, the NBA has made it quite clear. Home teams will wear new City Edition jerseys during these games, and each team will play on a different court.

Teams are introducing fresh court designs for the tournament. The Pacers’ court at Gainbridge Fieldhouse has departed from its usual brown hardwood look, opting for a vibrant blue and yellow design to match the city jerseys, which this year pay tribute to street art and feature a combination of black, white, blue, and yellow, departing from the standard uniforms.

This is a major change in the visual department for viewers tuning in to the first NBA Cup action of the season, and it’s stirring up mixed feelings among basketball fans.

While most NBA teams will adhere to an 82-game regular season schedule in 2023-24, not all games carry the same weight. The NBA in-season tournament will consist of 67 games in the Group Play and Knockout Rounds, with only the championship game not affecting the regular season standings.

Group Play games for the In-Season Tournament will be scheduled on Tuesdays and Fridays in November, while the Knockout Rounds, including the quarterfinals, semifinals, and championship, will occur in early December.

Social media reacts to in-season tournament jerseys and courts.

Viewers have been taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their thoughts on the new look. Check out some fan reactions below.

  • What's going on?

    Similar to many reactions, this person found themselves resorting to the timeless meme of the woman in the pink blazer gazing into the distance. The flashy yellow and blue colors on the court seemed to grab their attention away from the game. This made them blurt out what most of us were probably thinking “Tryna see wtf is going on.”

  • "I actually like them."

    Surprisingly, there were individuals who appreciated the appearance and style of both the courts and uniforms. One person hesitated a bit before admitting their genuine liking for the visuals. They humorously remarked, “Me trying so hard not to get jumped on X because I actually like them,” followed by a sweaty Jordan Peele GIF.

  • NBA 2K

    Somebody pointed a finger at the NBA, suggesting that they were specifically targeting a younger audience. They went as far as drawing a comparison between the courts’ vibrant colors and those seen in the NBA 2K video game, commenting, “They got this from 2K to get the kids to watch.” After watching the game, they’re pretty spot on.

  • Passion

    This response was too good to ignore. Someone handed out a hefty compliment to the court designers, using the word “passion” to describe their work. They commented, “Pacers got that ‘Graphic design is my passion’ court”

  • "I thought it was just my eyes bleeding."

    This court design for the Bulls went all in with a single theme and color: red. It generated a variety of reactions. Some people commented on how the court resembled a “sunburn,” while others thought it looked like blood.

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