"Brutally physical game down there": Becky Hammon claims using $190,820 center to take Aliyah Boston's "beating" endured by A'ja Wilson 

The Las Vegas Aces gave A'ja Wilson a break from Aliyah Boston by deploying Megan Gustafson to even the odds in the paint during Tuesday's Game 5 win. The adjustment played a key role in helping the Aces advance to the finals with a 107-98 overtime result.

Boston's night ended with 27 seconds left in the fourth after picking up her sixth and final foul. She never played in overtime, creating a lopsided advantage for Las Vegas.

Aces coach Becky Hammon revealed the deliberate plan to use Megan Gustafson more in the series finale with 18 minutes, citing two factors. The first was to get the Fever leave the paint and open room for A'ja Wilson to attack downhill with Gustafson's floor spacing ability.

The other reason was facing Aliyah Boston's physicality, which Hammon described as a "beating."

"She [Gustafson] can at times go in there and take a beating from Boston, so it takes a little of A's [Wilson's] plate as Lyss [NaLyssa Smith's] does," Hammon said.

"We have to try to find little breaks for A in there because she's doing so many other things. It's just brutal. It's just a brutally physical game down there."

At 6-foot-3, 200 lbs, Megan Gustafson's size makes her a tough matchup for opposing bigs. It's one of the key reasons why the Aces retained her on a two-year $190,820 contract in 2024.

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Aliyah Boston and A'ja Wilson's battles were in the spotlight for pretty much the entire series

Former Gamecocks Aliyah Boston and A'ja Wilson gave fans one of the best player battles in the playoffs during the Fever vs. Aces semis series. Many would have favored Wilson to get the better of Boston with a lopsided prediction. However, Boston didn't make it easy on her.

She used her size and strength to her advantage, causing problems for the four-time MVP. Boston limited Wilson to 16 points in Game 1 and 13 points in Game 3.

However, the physicality also frequently became a controversial talking point. The Aces fans were unhappy with Boston's methods, often calling her out for using her elbows to hurt Wilson and other players.

Meanwhile, the Fever fans criticized Wilson and the Aces for having a favorable whistle. Tensions also boiled over among the players. After the Aces dropped Game 4, Wilson called out Boston for saying she had a "special whistle" after the Fever star earned 13 trips to the foul line.

Becky Hammon's comments on defending A'ja Wilson from Aliyah Boston's "beating" after winning the series only added fuel to the fire in the beef between these teams.

Nevertheless, the WNBA has another rivalry brewing, which could only become more interesting once Indiana returns to full strength next year.