“Fortunately for us, it’s best to seven…. We’re going home, we have two home-court advantage games, and we have to be better,” said Alyssa Thomas after the Phoenix Mercury’s 2nd consecutive loss. The Las Vegas Aces’ chances of securing their 3rd championship title have now increased following the 91-78 victory. However, unlike the previous WNBA championships, this series now has a ‘Best of 7’ instead of ‘Best of 5’, meaning that Alyssa Thomas and co have an additional chance to recover. And even though the Mercury has home court advantage for the next 2 games, the Aces also have an advantage: Consistency.

‘We Need To Talk’ hosts Alicia Jay and Erica L. Ayala recently touched base on the WNBA Finals after the Aces’ Game 2 win. During the same, Ayala highlighted that Mercury aims to make full use of their home court advantage after the Aces did the same. In light of this, Jay believes that the Aces have to continue to do what they have been doing till now. They have to maintain their momentum.

“I don’t really have anything to say of like things that they should change because they played these…. these last 2 games in an amazing way. They’re playing Aces basketball, the basketball that we know them to be able to play, and they’re just in rare form right now,” said Jay. “And so, I wouldn’t even say that anything needs to happen on the Aces’ side, except for being who they have been in these last two games.”

Going into the Finals, the odds were pretty close between the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury. For Game 1, the Aces only had a slight advantage of -3, according to Bleacher Nation. During Game 1, the Mercury were ahead for more than 27 minutes on Friday, and had a lead of 9 points at one point in time – after Monique Akoa Makani hit three consecutive free throws to give them a 66-57 advantage with 3:36 left in the third quarter.

Becky Hammon then looked to optimize the pace and skill by switching to a zone defense. As Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts recalled, “They went zone, kind of made us stand a little bit. I thought we had some good looks. Give them credit for mixing up their defense; that was a good adjustment.”

For Game 2, Aces once again prioritized defense. As a result, A’ja Wilson single-handedly outscored Phoenix by the 2nd quarter. Chelsea Gray, who finished with 10 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds, kept players like Satou Sabally at bay. She anticipated potential Mercury drives and forced 3 steals.

Another consistent thing was the defensive breakdown from the Phoenix Mercury. A’ja Wilson and Dana Evans each scored 21 points in Game 1. In Game 2, Jackie Young and A’ja Wilson dropped a combined 60 points, marking the 2nd most points made by a duo ever in the Finals, right behind the 65 points Jewell Loyd and Breanna Stewart recorded in 2020 with the Seattle Storm.

Not everyone can boast of consistency to be their X-factor. Then again, A’ja Wilson and co are not just like everyone. Though the Aces now have a 2-game win advantage, the 2025 WNBA MVP is now allowing herself to get too cocky. After all, home-court advantage is a real thing.

A’ja Wilson Warns Aces Squad To Buckle In When Playing In Phoenix

During the post-game presser, A’ja Wilson addressed what it would be like to play the next 2 games at the PHX Arena, dominated mostly by Phoenix Mercury fans. Taking to the mic, she said, “I mean, it’s just the situation of going into their place. This is going to be tough. This is a hard place to play at, but we gotta make sure that we can just stay solid in what we do in our system, and just…. you’re just playing on the…. just human emotions as well.”

According to Sports Illustrated reporter Chris Harrison, “The Mercury have one of the best home crowds in the league and a strong home record”. Alyssa Thomas and co have won 7 of their last 10 games held at home. At the same time, they have won only 1 of the last 10 games in which they faced off against the Las Vegas Aces in Phoenix! Additionally, the Aces have won 8 of their last 10 games as a visiting team. Though this speaks well in favor of A’ja Wilson and co, nothing can be left to chance in the Finals.

“Uh, we can’t get too high with our highs, can’t get too low with our lows and we just got to play defense,” Wilson added. “We got to buckle in and get ready to just weather storms.”

Do you think staying consistent will benefit the Aces? Or do we finally see a victory on the horizon for the Phoenix Mercury? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.