A'ja Wilson Has Special Message For Indiana Fever Center Aliyah Boston After Game 4

In any playoff series, the mind games are just as fascinating as the physical battle on the hardcourt. After the Las Vegas Aces lost Game 4 to the Indiana Fever, A’ja Wilson fired a salvo at a center whom she’s been battling all series long.

During the postgame media availability, both Wilson and the Aces' head coach, Becky Hammon, openly questioned the high volume of calls that went against their team. In this same media session, the four-time WNBA MVP took aim at Fever center Aliyah Boston, who had supposedly made a comment about Wilson getting many calls in her favor.

“Aliyah did say I have a special whistle, and she shot 13 today,” Wilson told reporters. “She said it last game, I have a special whistle. Which is cool.”

Though it isn’t clear whether Boston said the “special whistle” remark privately to Wilson or in a public setting, Wilson had her numbers right. The Fever center indeed took 13 attempts from the foul line and made 10 of them on Sunday. In contrast, the Aces superstar had just six free throws, going 50% from the charity stripe.

Heading into this game, however, Wilson had gotten significantly more free-throw scoring opportunities. In the first three games of this semifinal series, Wilson had gone 8-for-10 from the foul line. Meanwhile, Boston did not take a single free-throw attempt in Games 1 and 2, and she got only a pair of bonus shots in Game 3.

Though there is no definitive proof that either of these players has a “special whistle,” there’s no doubt that both of these players are vital to their teams’ success. As the Aces’ franchise player, Wilson is averaging 24.7 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.4 steals, and 2.6 blocks per game in the postseason. Meanwhile, Boston is putting up 12.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per outing to help the shorthanded Fever go on a deep playoff run.

In three out of the four games in the Fever-Aces series, the team that took more free-throw attempts went on to pick up the W. Both Wilson and Boston put up impressive numbers for their respective squads, but the number of free-throw opportunities they get might very well be the most interesting stat in Game 5.