The New York Liberty knocked out the Las Vegas Aces in a heated weekend showdown, officially ending the Aces’ run in the WNBA playoffs. The defeat comes with a heavy dose of humble pie, as the Liberty avenged last season’s loss to Las Vegas, where trash talk and personal jabs left lingering tension between the two teams.

In last year’s WNBA Finals, Kelsey Plum of the Aces stirred controversy, claiming that the Liberty were “individual players” who didn’t play like a team, adding fuel to the budding rivalry. New York’s Briana Stewart had been dealing with personal hardships at the time, and after the Liberty’s victory this season, she made it clear her team had “receipts” on everything the Aces said.

The rivalry grew after Becky Hammon, the Aces’ head coach, took an unprovoked shot at Stewart’s shooting performance last season. This year’s win by the Liberty may have silenced some of that chatter.

Becky Hammon acknowledged the trash talk in a postgame interview, stating, “We talked our crap, now they get to talk theirs,” admitting that banter is part of the game. But it seems the Aces couldn’t handle the heat, with Hammon reportedly blocking critics on Twitter after the loss, fueling online chatter.

The Liberty’s savage response on social media included posting a meme of Timberland boots on the Aces’ logo, referencing the team’s protest over Asia Wilson not winning Defensive Player of the Year.

With the Liberty now surging into the Finals, the stage is set for a thrilling conclusion to a WNBA season filled with drama, rivalries, and jaw-dropping moments.