Alyssa Thomas isn’t ready to give up on her championship dream. The Mercury may be down 0-2 in the Finals heading into Game 3, but confidence is still high. “We love an underdog story. We love when people count us out. Of course, we put a tall task in front of us being down two [to] nothing, but there’s still a lot of basketball left to play. [It’s just been] two of a seven-game series. Still a lot of confidence here. We just know we have a lot of room to improve.” The question now is how they plan to make those improvements.

Well, ESPN’s Ryan Ruocco laid out how the Mercury can still mount a comeback in this series while speaking on the Bird’s Eye View podcast hosted by Sue Bird. “I like to ask coaches, all right, we’re going to play fill in the blank. We will win today if blank happens. What’s the blank? He(Nate Tibbetts) always says he was like, ‘if we defend with physicality’….I think that if they can defend with that same level of tenacity and physicality…that’s what they need.”

Throughout the season, we’ve seen just how effective the Mercury’s physical style can be, especially with their flat-screen plays run by Alyssa Thomas. The play is essentially an inverted pick-and-fade: Thomas handles the ball above the three-point line, while a guard — usually the point guard — sets a screen, then slips and fades in front of her, drifting out to the three-point line as Thomas drives hard to the rim. Coach Cheryl Reeve even joked about it, calling it the WNBA’s version of a “tush-push.”

Phoenix’s high-ball pressure is the backbone of their defense. Mercury defenders swarm opposing ball handlers, disrupting their rhythm and shutting down plays before they can start. A collective effort to throw the offense off balance. Another key weapon in their arsenal is the “trap the box.” Here, a defender rotates from the weak side to the strong-side block to contest a shot, keeping opponents guessing and constantly on their toes.

Becky Hammon has made sure the Mercury can’t dominate the middle, using a zone defense that has clearly limited Alyssa Thomas’ impact and given Phoenix plenty of problems. After missing crucial free throws in Game 1, Thomas followed it up with her least productive outing of the postseason, finishing Game 2 with just 10 points, six rebounds, and five assists. It goes without saying: if the Mercury want to win the next game, they’ll need to find a way to get Alyssa Thomas back in the groove.

It wasn’t just Ruocco urging the Mercury to get more physical — several athletic journalists have made the same point.

Journalists urge Alyssa Thomas and co get more physical

Sabreena Merchant of The Athletic highlighted the blueprint set by the Indiana Fever on No Offseason: The Athletic Women’s Basketball Show, suggesting the Mercury could take a few notes if they want to shake things up and make a comeback. “Well, I think your hope comes from the fact that we just saw a series where the Aces were really struggling against the Indiana Fever, right? Like there was a level of physicality that Indiana was able to reach that was giving Las Vegas difficulty,” she said.

We’ve all seen just how physical the series between the Aces and the Fever really was. You could even argue that the undermanned Indiana Fever were the only team this postseason to give the Aces serious trouble, pushing the series to Game 5 and taking it to overtime — all thanks to the level of physicality they brought to the floor.

Game 4 alone featured a jaw-dropping 41 fouls between the two teams. Aliyah Boston was in the thick of it, going toe-to-toe with A’ja Wilson all series. In Game 1, Wilson missed 14 shots near the basket, including four from inside the restricted area. Not all were easy looks, but Boston’s relentless effort — guarding Wilson for 35 possessions — kept her to a mere 16.7% effective field goal percentage, according to Swish Appeal’s Josh Felton.

On the same podcast, Marcus Thompson II urged the Mercury to shoot better. But with the Aces’ zone defense in full effect and Thomas unable to dictate the tempo like she usually does, Phoenix is struggling, shooting just 43.2% from the field and 28.4% from beyond the arc.

If Alyssa Thomas and co. work on these issues, there is no reason why they can’t make another memorable comeback like they have so far in the postseason. Not to forget, they will also have the support of their home crowd for the next two games. So count the Phoenix Mercury out at your own peril! This series is far from over.