LAS VEGAS — The Phoenix Mercury have already erased two separate 0-1 deficits on their way to the WNBA Finals, but the circumstances in which they lost Friday’s series opener make this situation feel a bit more precarious.
Those circumstances loom large as the Mercury prepare to face the Aces in Las Vegas in Game 2 of the WNBA Finals on Sunday.
The Mercury controlled the first 34 minutes of Game 1 and nearly held the lead for the entirety of the first three and a half quarters. They got a historic first-half shooting performance from star Kahleah Cooper to the tune of five 3-pointers and held Aces stalwarts A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young to a combined 34 percent shooting.
And yet, after a pair of missed free throws from perennial MVP candidate Alyssa Thomas with 24.6 seconds remaining, the Mercury are down 0-1.
That’s not to mention the rest advantage Phoenix entered with, as Phoenix got four days of rest after an early dismissal of the No. 1 seed Minnesota, while Las Vegas entered on just two days’ rest after being pushed to the absolute brink against a short-handed No. 5 seed Indiana team.
“I think, as competitors, we’re disappointed,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “This is two great teams. I thought it was a hell of a game (Friday). Both teams were in position to win. We would have loved to be up 1-0, but like, that’s a great team over there, right?
“We’re going to have to win on this court at some point, maybe twice, but we got it. We can’t hang our head today. It’s a new day, and our approach needs to be the same way we’ve approached those other series.”
Despite injury scares to Alyssa Thomas (wrist) and Sami Whitcomb (knee) in Game 1, Phoenix had a full roster for shootaround Saturday.
On the Aces’ end, star guard Jackie Young was held out of shootaround due to what Becky Hammon called fatigue, jokingly suggesting Young’s back hurt from carrying the Aces in their Game 5 semifinals win over the Indiana Fever. Regardless, she’ll be a full go Sunday.
Young (10 points) and Wilson (21 points) each looked a bit spent in the Aces’ Game 1 victory, which was the primary reason for the lackluster shooting performances. However, Wilson also credited the Mercury’s ability to provide a presence in the paint consistently.
“It felt like someone had a foot in the paint at all times,” Wilson said. “When it comes to defenses like that, you have to let the offense develop. We can do a better job of letting ours develop a little bit more because, yes, the first look may be there, but is that the greatest look? I was going crazy last night because I felt like late game, I did not make the right decisions.”
In lieu of Wilson and Young’s usual dominance, the Aces got significant boosts off the bench from Dana Evans and Jewell Loyd. Evans scored 21 points, including nine in the fourth, while Loyd tallied 18 points after a 13-point first half.
–By Will Despart, Field Level Media
