The 2025 WNBA Finals blasted off with an epic Game 1 between the Las Vegas Aces and the Phoenix Mercury, with the Aces outwrestling the Mercury 89-86 in a physical come-from-behind win. This Finals series is making history as the league’s first-ever best-of-seven Finals series. The Aces are just a year removed from a two-year reign as queens of the court, while the Mercury are newly-renovated after the Diana Taurasi – Britney Griner era came to an end last season.
The Las Vegas Aces are banking on their newly-proclaimed league MVP, Aja Wilson, along with fellow All-stars, Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray. Back-up support will come from veteran Jewell Loyd and the newly-acquired Nalyssa Smith. The Aces will be gunning for the third title in 4 years, having dominated the league in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, before falling to last year’s eventual champs, the New York Liberty. The Aces were seeded second at the start of the playoffs with a 30-14 slate including a dominating 10-0 run at the end of the season.
The most notable line-up switch for this year saw Kelsey Plum moving out, while Jewell and Nalyssa moved in. Jewell’s presence has bolstered the guard duo of Jackie and Chelsea, while Nalyssa has stepped in as the lead center for the team, with Aja sliding down to the power forward position. The acquisition of the 2 have significantly improved the Aces’ rotation, leading to their dominant late-season run that included a 16-game winning streak.
The Phoenix Mercury will also rely on new faces in their quest to regain lost glory. It was a big overhaul after the iconic Diana Taurasi retired and Britney Griner moved out. Taking over for the new-look Mercury are Alyssa Thomas, who was a close competitor in the MVP race won by Aja, and Satou Sabally, the team’s top scorer this year. DeWanna Bonner, returning from a brief stint with the Indiana Fever, provides great back-up along with Natasha Mack, recently re-signed. Second-year guard, Kahleah Copper, provides instant stability in the backcourt.
This team’s path to the finals was totally mercurial. They finished the season with a 27-17 slate, good enough to be seeded 4th. They then nipped last year’s champs New York Liberty 2-1 in round 1 of the playoffs, then outclassed this year’s regular season leader and playoff top-seeds Minnesotta Lynx 3-1 in the Semis. In both giant-killing series, the Mercury were the betting underdogs. Both were hard-fought campaigns which has clearly elevated the team’s playoff game as well.
As usual, it was Aja dominating Game 1 with a double-double (21 points, 10 rebounds); but the big surprise for the Aces was the emergence of Dana Evans, whose timely snipes collected a devastating 21 points in just 21 minutes of play. The Aces finally took the lead at 85-82 in the last 3 minutes on a Dana 3-pointer, and they never looked back. Another pleasant surprise for the Aces off the bench was Jewell, who connected for 18 points. The Mercury will have their hands full if there are more surprises like Dana and Jewell in the games ahead.
This series looks to be an exciting one, with both teams preferring the fast tempo. Whoever outspeeds the other, whoever wins the sprint battle to their respective frontcourts, will have the inside track to win this series.
Cover photo courtesy of the New York Times. Other pics courtesy of Ap News, Yahoo Sports, KJZZ, The Guardian, Athlon Sports, the Chattanooga Times Free Press, Arizona Sports ESPN and the Jamesville Gazette. For a closer look, pls click on the pics.
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