Gordon: ‘Plum Dawg’ punishes Liberty in the paint for Aces

Unsurprising: Aces guard Kelsey Plum scored 26 points Sunday in a 99-82 victory over the New York Liberty in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals.

Surprising: She missed 6 of 7 3-pointers — and still scored that many anyway.

“Mentally, it’s me and you and it’s a foot race to the block,” she said afterward, describing her unmitigated attack of the basket. “That’s what I train for. I’m trying to win. And I know during Game 2, (the Liberty) are not going to let me get there.”

Perhaps they won’t during Game 2 on Wednesday, but the Liberty on Sunday couldn’t keep the 29-year-old All-Star sharpshooter from the paint, where she made 9 of 11 field-goals — and 5 of 5 free throws — to render their Game 1 game plan ineffective.

Her scoring total Sunday represents a playoff career-high and a game high alongside teammate Jackie Young.

“I’ll play like this if its a pickup game or in the Finals,” said Plum, a maniacal competitor with unshakable confidence constructed through a lifetime of preparation and play.

“I understand the gravity of this moment, and I understand that it takes a full team effort for 40 minutes.”

Punishing the paint

Plum’s dogged mentality begat her nickname “Plum Dawg” — and corresponding barks from a sellout crowd after a nifty baseline drive and finish forced a fourth-quarter timeout.

Not content with camping around the 3-point line, she punished New York’s defensive game plan — tailored to slow A’ja Wilson and Chelsea Gray — by driving toward closeouts or abandoning unsuspecting defenders with cuts to the rim when the paint was devoid of a help-side defender.

She’s a far better finisher than she was before, blending speed, power and decisiveness to improve her efficiency and further demoralize defenses.

She made 72.9 percent of her shots from within three feet of the basket this season, compared to 59.2 percent in 2022, per data compiled by Basketball Reference, reflecting improvement in the skill of finishing and the understanding of when to attack.

“Me putting pressure on the rim really helps my teammates,” said Plum who at 5 feet, 8 inches is often one of the smaller players on the floor. “I might not get the ball every time, but I know I’m opening up lanes and opportunities for other people.”

If the Liberty assign to Plum a better perimeter defender than point guard Courtney Vandersloot, they further risk the wrath of Gray, who supplied 20 points and nine assists despite the hounding of Betnijah Laney, New York’s best defensive guard.

When Plum is off the ball, she remains a threat with her 3-point shooting and the spacing it creates. She’s made 40.5 percent of her triples the last two seasons.

Said Plum: “There will be adjustments made. They’re great players. And we’re in a war.”

‘About time’

Among those in the sellout crowd was recently retired seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback and Aces minority owner Tom Brady, long Plum’s favorite football player.

She greeted him with the warmest of welcomes and a sentiment he surely understood: “About (expletive) time you show up.”

“What I love about him is he just was like, ‘You already know,’” Plum added. “Just super excited for his investment in our franchise and understanding what that means for us and the growth, not just us, for the league. I joke around but … it’s been awesome to have him. I know he cares. He has (a daughter) and nieces that play women’s sports, so he understands the investment that it takes.

“It’s cool to be a part of.”

Dawgs recognize dawgs.

Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.