One win away from a WNBA Finals sweep: How the Aces stayed a step ahead of the Mercury

PHOENIX -- The Mercury rallied to flooded a 17-point shortage successful Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, tying the people with a infinitesimal to play. But for the 3rd clip successful arsenic galore games, Phoenix came retired connected the losing end.

A'ja Wilson's last-second leap changeable sealed the Las Vegas Aces' 90-88 triumph connected Wednesday, leaving the Mercury connected the brink of getting swept.

And yet, the look connected Phoenix manager Nate Tibbetts' look afterward was recognition, not resignation.

"It's not a squad that is just, like, figuring it out," Tibbetts said. "They're a well-oiled machine."

The No. 2 effect Aces volition effort to adjacent retired the best-of-seven bid Friday successful Game 4 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) to triumph their 3rd WNBA championship.

The third-seeded Mercury looked to person momentum entering the Finals, going 5-2 successful the playoffs and knocking disconnected top-seeded Minnesota successful the semifinals. The Aces, meanwhile, were pushed the region successful some of their archetypal 2 postseason series. Even successful Game 1 of the Finals a week ago, Las Vegas trailed Phoenix by 7 aboriginal successful the 4th quarter.

So, however did the Aces get astatine the accidental to propulsion disconnected the archetypal WNBA Finals expanse since 2020? They've stayed 1 measurement up of the Mercury, riding a operation of manager Becky Hammon's strategical antiaircraft schemes, timely performances from reserves, and a trusted halfway trio -- four-time MVP Wilson, prima Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, 1 of the savviest constituent guards successful league past -- successful its 3rd Finals successful the past 4 years.

"I'm incredibly arrogant of them," Hammon said of her squad aft Wednesday's victory. "They've enactment a ton of enactment successful disconnected the court, and I deliberation it truly shows connected the court."

The way present had its bumps. For the archetypal 2½ months of this season, the Aces hovered astir .500 earlier an epic 16-game winning streak led them into the playoffs. On July 3, Las Vegas mislaid 81-54 astatine Indiana, a show Hammon called "one of the worst games I've ever seen" and "a implicit deficiency of professionalism."

"I don't truly person immoderate answers for you," Hammon said then. "If I knew what buttons to propulsion to marque definite our effort was due each night, I'd beryllium pushing those buttons. We would person won 5 oregon six much games if we conscionable played harder. That's a mode to flit distant a season."

Hammon spoke that bluntly and harshly due to the fact that she knew a beardown necktie binds the Aces, adjacent successful pugnacious times. Back-to-back No. 1 draught picks Wilson and Young person played unneurotic for 7 seasons, a comparative eternity successful today's pro sports world. Gray has been with them the past 5 years.

In the offseason, the Aces traded distant Kelsey Plum and added different past No. 1 draught prime astatine guard, Jewell Loyd. A starter astir of her WNBA career, Loyd willingly moved to the seat successful precocious July.

Now, astatine the clip it means the most, the Aces' stars not lone are producing, but the team's long-honed cohesion and important extent disconnected the bench, on with capable assortment successful its antiaircraft schemes, besides person kept the Mercury connected their heels. Here's a look astatine however Las Vegas has done it.

Game 1: Las Vegas 89, Phoenix 86

Loyd and chap reserve defender Dana Evans scored a combined 39 points. That offset the Mercury doing the champion occupation they've done each bid successful limiting the harm from Wilson and Young. That duo inactive had a combined 31 points, but it wouldn't person been astir capable without Evans and Loyd.

Hammon besides switched to a portion defence for 18 plays, connected w...