Just a short flight separates Phoenix from Las Vegas, and now the Mercury and Aces, two franchises with contrasting histories but scorching recent form, are set to collide for the league’s ultimate prize.
It’s a matchup that feels both familiar and fresh. The Mercury, once considered an afterthought after overhauling their roster and parting ways with franchise legends Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, clawed their way through two league powerhouses to get here. Phoenix has fully taken on the “Mercury vs. Everybody” underdog mentality.
“We have been overlooked all year,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “I think we’ve embraced it, it almost motivates our group. I hope they keep talking about the other teams and we’ll just keep fighting.”
Meanwhile, the Aces, loaded with stars and led by league MVP A’ja Wilson, know this stage better than anyone: they look to add their third championship banner in four years after going back-to-back in 2022 and 2023.
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Alyssa Thomas’ Final Test
No player embodies Phoenix’s underdog identity more than Alyssa Thomas. Long praised as a hard-nosed competitor and versatile player, Thomas has often been overlooked when lists of the league’s brightest stars are made. This postseason, though, her individual performance against the game’s biggest superstars has become the throughline of the Mercury’s run – and the gauntlet keeps getting tougher.
In the first round, Thomas drew the responsibility of checking Breanna Stewart, the reigning Finals MVP and face of the defending-champion New York Liberty. Thomas won that battle, although Stewart was playing through an injury, as Phoenix took down New York in three games after losing Game 1 at home in overtime.
Thomas’ semifinals matchup was again front and center: she squared up against Napheesa Collier, the of the No. 1 seeded Minnesota Lynx. Like Stewart, Collier poured in points in spurts, but also went down with an injury. However, that didn’t take away from the fact that Thomas set the tone of the series, particularly in Phoenix’s dramatic 20-point comeback win in Game 2 – the victory that completely reversed the series momentum.
Now, in the Finals, the challenge reaches its peak: Thomas now has to deal with Wilson, fresh off her fourth MVP award and gunning to add another championship to her resume.
For Thomas, this is more than just a defensive assignment. It’s a chance to redefine how her career is remembered and earn the ring that’s eluded her. If she can navigate Stewart, Collier and Wilson, three of the most decorated players of this generation, and help lead Phoenix to a title, the conversation about her place in WNBA history changes forever.
“I’ve been saying it since training camp – for me, it was a Finals year…,” Thomas said. “…It’s just a great group. We’re excited. We believe in each other. [we’re] Finals bound and [have] four more to go.”
Phoenix’s Resilient Run
The Mercury’s path has been anything but smooth. They opened both of their playoff series with losses: a crushing overtime defeat to New York at home and a double-digit loss in Minnesota. But each time, they responded with grit and resilience.
Against the Liberty, Phoenix stole Game 2 on the road, then leaned on Thomas and a Satou Sabally scoring outburst to finish the job in Game 3. Against the Lynx, the Mercury earned the defining win of their postseason, erasing a 20-point deficit in hostile territory to even the series. Two gutsy home wins later, they were celebrating a trip back to the Finals.
“It feels great. I’ll never take it for granted,” Mercury wing Kahleah Copper said. “I know how hard it is to get here. I’m super proud of this group and proud of how we responded through adversity throughout the entire year. To be standing here now is super special, but [we] got four more.”
Copper’s impact goes beyond her 15.6 points per game, second on the Mercury. As one of only two returning players from Phoenix’s 2024 roster, she has provided leadership for a largely retooled team. Her Mercury teammates have referred to her as the “thermometer” of the team, ensuring they never get too high or low.
Despite missing much of the early season with injury, she’s played a massive role in helping the Mercury establish the chemistry and identity that propelled them through two punishing playoff series.
“I don’t think anybody thought we could do it so quickly, especially with me jumping in there halfway through the season, us kind of being in and out with injuries,” Copper said. “But it’s a testament to who we are as players and the sacrifices we’re willing to make for each other.”
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Las Vegas looking vulnerable
On the other side are the Aces, who look as mortal as they have in years but still carry the edge of champions. Like Phoenix, their run to the Finals was not straightforward.
In the opening round, they survived a do-or-die Game 3 against the Seattle Storm, pulling out a 74–73 win that came down to the final possession. In the semifinals, they needed all five games, plus overtime in Game 5, to outlast a resilient Indiana Fever team that was playing without a fully healthy roster.
For Aces coach Becky Hammon, it’s been a lesson in adjusting on the fly.
“Looking at Phoenix … you’re looking at Satou [Sabally] and Kahleah [Copper] – very different [than Indiana],” Hammon said after the Fever series. “So I’ll be diving into them tonight, and we just got to move on. We play again in two days. It’s a really quick turnaround.”
Las Vegas has an advantage in continuity. Wilson, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, have played together on this stage before, winning titles in 2022 and 2023. Jewell Loyd, NaLyssa Smith and Dana Evans are newcomers who have contributed behind Las Vegas’ “Big Three” as the team’s next leading scorers – playing big minutes in the playoff stretch run.
The Aces didn’t look like their usual selves for much of the 2025 season, however. They flirted with the .500 mark for most of the year before exploding with a 16-game win streak to end the regular season. That stretch made them good enough for the league’s second-best record, 30-14, and gave them a wave of momentum that was ridden all the way to this point.
“We had to sit down, have a talk and figure out if this is really what we wanted,” Young said. “We have a lot of stars on this team, a lot of great players, and so just being able to be unselfish and just making the right play – coach talks a lot about ‘good to great’ … once we got to play that way and play our defense, we’re a completely different team.”
A historic series
That sets the stage for what shapes up to be a grueling Finals matchup. The Mercury are thriving on a physical style of play that has overwhelmed their playoff opponents, while the Aces are rediscovering their balance and championship mettle.
Phoenix wants to make the series physically draining, muddy the pace and let Thomas control the game. Las Vegas wants Wilson to continue to orchestrate its high-octane offense that recently set a WNBA record with 22 3-pointers in a game.
That makes it a tough series to predict, and it gets even tougher when you consider it will be the first best-of-seven series in WNBA history. The 2-2-1-1-1 home-court advantage structure means both teams will be traversing the desert over a possible two-week series.
“This is the first seven-game series in WNBA history,” Tibbetts said. “That’s pretty special. I think in a seven-game series, you get annoyed with the other team even more. They know your stuff better than you know it yourself. The cool thing about [it] is the best team wins.”
It truly could go the distance: Phoenix wasn’t picked to be here, but its postseason run has made it impossible to overlook. Las Vegas was the favorite on its side of the bracket, but the Aces struggled through it more than one might expect.
Still, Las Vegas’ championship pedigree and star power remain undeniable, even if the path here was rocky. With Wilson anchoring the frontcourt and Hammon’s group battle-tested, the Aces won’t be caught off guard by the moment.
“The Aces are a great team,” Tibbetts said. “They’ve won championships … they’re going to be ready. I think it’s going to be a hell of a series.”
Game 1 of the WNBA Finals tips off Friday at 8:00 p.m. EST.
