SEATTLE — You could hear players NaLyssa Smith and A’ja Wilson and coach Becky Hammon joking and laughing in the hallway as they made their way toward the media room following the Aces’ postseason opener Sunday night at Michelob Ultra Arena.

The 102-77 score in Game 1 of the best-of-three first-round WNBA playoffs series against the Seattle Storm didn’t quite tell the story of how exciting the Aces looked on both ends of the court. The same was true for Smith’s stat line of 11 points and nine rebounds.

It put the 6-foot-4-inch forward one rebound shy of the description Aces president Nikki Fargas offered when the organization gave up a first-round pick to acquire her from the Dallas Wings at the end of June: a “walking double-double,” who could provide the necessary consistency to help p

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