Liberty set sights on avenging bitter WNBA Finals loss to Aces

The Liberty don’t need to watch tape of last year’s WNBA Finals loss to Las Vegas, or their three-game regular-season sweep of the Aces.They don’t need film.They have feelings.The pain of that championship loss is a sting that has motivated them to the league’s best record this season and into a semifinal rematch.“No [we haven’t watched].

The feelings, yes, but the tape, no,” Breanna Stewart said.“Not being satisfied, we still have that chip on our shoulder.

And we know how important home-court advantage is these first games.”The Liberty can still remember their gut-wrenching loss to Las Vegas.They watched the Aces celebrate the title right by the Liberty logo in Barclays Center.

Now they will host Game 1 Sunday against the same foe they’ve become so painfully familiar with, the two supposed superteams of the WNBA.“Throw [the film] it out.I’m not even watching it,” Liberty coach Sandy Brondello said.

“It doesn’t mean anything to me.This is this year.

We’re a different team.We’ve learned from our things, but we know it’s going to be a tough series.

The semifinals of the WNBA.“No, I don’t need to go back to it.I know.

I remember it.We remember it.

That’s the motivation.That’s the past; we can’t control it.

But what we can do is control the present.I’m a stay-in-the-moment kind of gal.

Remember, motivate us.But knowing ‘OK, we know what we need to do.’ We’re more experienced now.

We handle our adversity.And we’re going to have to.”The Liberty were a league-best 32-8 this season and swept the Dream in the first round.

They also swept the fourth-seeded Aces in three regular-season games.But the defending champs have righted the ship after a slow 6-6 start.Behind MVP A’ja Wilson — who played alongside Stewart and guard Sabrina Ionescu on Team USA’s gold medal squad in Paris — Las Vegas has won nine of 10.The Liberty will be facing a team rounding into form.

But they say they’re a team with mo...