‘Bench Mob’ helps push Aces across finish line to second-consecutive title

By Danny Webster

Friday, Oct. 20, 2023 | 2 a.m.

NEW YORK — The day before the Las Vegas Aces would play in Game 4 of the WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty, coach Becky Hammon called reserve post player Cayla George with some news: We need you to start.

George was lifting weights at the gym inside the team hotel with her husband, Kailou. It was about 7:30 p.m. She wasn’t working out because of a feeling she was going to play extended minutes in place of the injured Kiah Stokes.

Rather, that’s just who the 34-year-old George is — always training to stay ready for when her number is called.

That time came Wednesday in Las Vegas’ series-clinching 70-69 win.

“I’m a big believer in prayer,” George said after the game. “I’ve been a professional since I was 16, 17 years old. Over half my life. I’ve been in different situations in big games. This was a huge game; Game 4, a chance to take it home in front of 17,000 people.

“I didn’t even look at the crowd. I just had to stay in the moment, keep my feet where they were, and understand that the girls have my back.”

George played a WNBA career-high 30 minutes and scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds, had three assists and three steals as the starting center.

She made just 4 of 14 field goal attempts, including going 3 for 10 on 3-pointers. On the surface, the percentages make it seem the impact wasn’t there.

But the threat of shooting is the biggest difference between George and Stokes, who was ruled out with a foot injury. Chelsea Gray, last year’s Finals MVP, was also out for the Aces with a foot injury.

Hammon pulled off a coaching masterpiece, and much of it dealt with how she used George.

She told George to keep shooting if she had an open look, knowing it only took a few makes from the outside to change the complexity of the game.

That’s because George’s shot-making ability forced the Liberty to change their defensive structure, bringing standouts Breanna Stewart or Jonquel Jones away from the paint and allowing Aces forward A’ja Wilson, the MVP of the Finals, to have a more favorable one-on-one matchup.

Wilson again shined, finishing with 24 points and 16 rebounds.

“Whenever I’ve been out there, I love to give A’ja more space so they can’t double-, triple- or quadruple-team her,” George said. “Standard A’ja, really. We’ve become accustomed to it. To give her that space, even so sometimes on offense I’ll stand in the corner, that’s alright. I’ll stand in that corner if it gives them more space. Whatever is necessary to win, and here we are.”

George admitted her tenure in Las Vegas wasn’t easy after the success she had previously enjoyed overseas. She was the MVP last season in her native Australia with the Deakin Melbourne Boomers and a four-time league champion.

But over the years she said she’s learned how to be adaptable in all situations. That included knowing playing time wouldn’t come easy with the Aces.

That changed quickly when Las Vegas had to go into all-hands-on-deck mode for Game 4.

Along with George, 34-year-old point guard Sydney Colson played 15 minutes off the bench and was instrumental in slowing the game down after it went haywire early. The Aces had eight turnovers in the first quarter; they finished with 13.

The “Bench Mob,” as they dub themselves, was an integral part in the Aces crossing the finish line. Alysha Clark, the league’s Sixth Player of the Year, was moved to the starting lineup and had 10 points and eight rebounds in 37 minutes. Colson took, and made, one shot, but her defense was key down the stretch. The Aces outscored the Liberty by 17 points while she was on the court.

The perception of the Aces’ bench has been a group that likes to joke around and create laughs. Wilson said prior to Game 4 that it might appear that way on the surface, but they’re professional basketball players at the end of the day. She and her teammates had a belief that they would come through when called upon.

“People don’t understand: Sydney and I, we share clips, we watch clips, we talk about defensive things all year,” Clark said. “I ask for a lot of things when I’m studying film, and they were right there with me watching it. ... I ride for my Bench Mob.”

The Aces held the Liberty to 36.1% shooting. Jones, who was averaging 21 points and almost 10 rebounds through the first three games, was held to just six points. Stewart, this year’s league MVP, had the worst shooting performance in her postseason career, going 3 of 17.

The Liberty was held to 17 fast-break points, a drastic drop for a team that likes to capitalize on transition offense.

George was a key contributor to that in disrupting whomever she was guarding.

“She’s been part of our fabric,” Hammon said. “She stayed ready. She had no idea when or how her number was going to be called.”

George joked that she’s not even the biggest star of her family. That honor goes to Pearl, her year-old daughter. Each player has held the title of unofficial aunt to Pearl. She’s traveled everywhere with George this season, “going on 80 different planes and having 30 different aunties that are amazing humans and completely powerful women,” she said.

When Pearl is older, there will be a lot of stories to tell based off this season alone. None might be better than her mom talking about the night she helped the Aces become the first team since the 2001-02 Los Angeles Sparks to win back-to-back championships.

“Pearl has given me this mother strength to be resilient to life,” George said. “Everyone has just rallied around me. We’ll be on road trips; KB, Chelsea, A’ja, they’ll all take her, they’ll all take her and just hang out with Pearl and give me all the help I need. It’s just how it’s been from Day One. They’ve always had my back, on and off the court. (They are) a great group of women I can now call sisters for the rest of my life with this amazing experience.”