If it were last year, then the Aces would have already lifted the trophy. With a ‘Best of Seven’ series being implemented this year, the Mercury still has a chance. However, if a team has lost 3 consecutive games in a row, how can you expect them to win all 4 needed to secure the championship title? Well, Nate Tibbetts still has some hope that they can.

ESPN reporter Alexa Philippou asked Mercury HC about what the biggest things he wants to see from his team. Tibbetts replied, “I don’t know how many teams have come down from 03. Not many, right? So, I’m not going to sugarcoat that. Uh it’s we got a tough road ahead, but we got to take it one game at a time. Um, like I said, this group has been a group that has continued to compete at a high level. Um, you know, we’re going to expect that we’re in front of our fans, Uh, you know, we’ve got a certain level of pride that we’re going to continue to keep fighting.”

The Phoenix Mercury had seen major defensive breakdowns in the previous matchups. After reassurance from the players and the coach, it seemed that they would work on that. It seemed that they had, at first, since the Mercury squad held a comfortable lead at least before the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, the Aces soon recovered on the offensive front, broke the defense, and erased a 17-point deficit. The combination of A’ja Wilson’s scoring prowess, along with Chelsea Gray’s assists, propelled their offense forward. As for the Mercury’s offense, it didn’t help that the team lost its star player, Satou Sabally, after the player sustained an injury with 4:26 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter.

Even though the game was tied 88-88 in the final minute, the Phoenix Mercury squad still had a chance to turn things around. After all, with 20 seconds remaining, the Aces turned the ball over, and Alyssa Thomas had it in her possession. Unfortunately, she failed to make a layup. Multiple Mercury defenders then gathered to prevent A’ja Wilson from making a shot. The ball went in with 0.1 seconds remaining, leaving Mercury in despair.

While it is good to have hope, the Phoenix Mercury certainly need more than that to win the next 4 consecutive games. They need motivation by highlighting just where they went wrong in the recent matchup. While Nate Tibbetts didn’t choose to do that, one of his players did.

Alyssa Thomas Sends A Stern Message To the Mercury Locker Room: “shame on us”

Whatever the offense and defense plans the Phoenix Mercury had planned for Game 3, A’ja Wilson and co just seemed to have followed better. Natasha Mack, who was reportedly put in charge of guarding the 2025 WNBA MVP, instead allowed her to shoot 11-20 field goals. The Aces’ 9 3-pointers were tied for the second-most in any half in WNBA Finals history. According to ESPN tracking, 7 of them were open 3s! Meanwhile, the Mercury shot only 33% from the 3-point line, were out-rebounded by the Aces, and committed more turnovers. With these lapses, it was a miracle the game remained tied in the final minute.

During the post-game presser, Alyssa Thomas highlighted her frustration by saying, “You know, it took us too long to wake up and play defense. I think the second half is our basketball and how we play. So, shame on us for not coming out the way that we needed to come out.”

Alyssa Thomas was supported in her remarks by her teammate and fiancée, DeWanna Bonner. This was seen when she added, “I feel like that’s what we’ve been doing all playoffs, just fighting our way back into it. … Like Alyssa (Thomas) said, we can’t start that way, especially not against them.”

No team in the history of the WNBA has won the final game after being down 0. Then again, there never has been a ‘Best of 7’ series. Whether Nate Tibbetts and his players bring in the right determination during Game 4 and achieve success is something that remains to be seen.