Yahoo Sports Daily hosts Caroline Fenton and Jason Fitz discuss whether the Phoenix Mercury can bounce back in Game 3 and Game 4 of the WNBA Finals or if the Las Vegas Aces will end up sweeping the Mercury en route to their third WNBA Finals in four years. Watch the full episode of Yahoo Sports Daily on YouTube or YahooSports.TV.
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Video Transcript
Is there some hope in your mind that Phoenix can make this a series?
Can make this a series.
I, I do think so.
I mean, going back to Phoenix, I do think that, you know, the Mercury are able to make some adjustments.
They’re backing into the comfortable confines of their home arena.
I don’t think it would be crazy to think that Phoenix can win either game 3 or game 4.
I think though what’s incredibly dangerous about the Aces.
I’ll start with their mentality.
This is the Aces’ 3rd trip to the WNBA finals in 4 years.
You might think that a less experienced or a younger team might get ahead of themselves, might feel like they’ve already won a championship after going up two nothing.
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This Aces team will not do that.
I do not expect that in the slightest.
If anything, I only expect the Aces to put their foot on the gas even more.
They’ve been there.
They’ve been in this position before.
They have won championships.
They have 2 championships in the last 4, they have an opportunity to win their 3rd in the last 4 years.
So this is an experienced team that has been there before.
I also think the depth of the Las Vegas Aces has been really the difference, honestly, that fits in these first two games.
I mentioned the Mercury’s bench and how Sammy Whitcomb and Dewana Bonner, two veterans in this league, they have come up big time in the 4th quarter.
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Maybe when Alyssa Thomas or Satu Sabally might be getting gas in the 4th quarter, they’ve been able to step up big time and make some clutch shots late.
Well, Dewana Bonner had 4 points, uh, coming off the bench in game 2.
Sammy Whitcomb didn’t have any.
That this Mercury team is not built to win when they’re only getting 8 points off the bench versus the Aces who got 16 from their bench, 28 from A’ja Wilson, 32 from Jackie Young.
Jackie Young had 21 points in one quarter alone.
So it’s the championship mindset, it’s the depth, it’s the bench scoring, it’s the physicality, it’s the defense that the Aces were able to hold Alyssa Thomas in check really for the better part of the last two games.
There’s just so much about this Aces team that just feels like there’s not much for the Mercury to really do enough to make this a 6 or 7 game series.
