The 2025 WNBA Finals promise to be a thrilling "duel in the desert" as the two-time champion Las Vegas Aces take on the red-hot, underdog Phoenix Mercury in the league's first-ever best-of-seven championship series. Featuring a marquee matchup between four-time MVP A'ja Wilson and triple-double phenom Alyssa Thomas, this series matches up the Aces' high-octane offense against the Mercury's league-best defense.

The Aces’ Road to the Finals

After a slow start to the season, the Aces hit their stride with a historic 16-game winning streak that propelled the team to the second seed in the playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs, the Aces needed a decisive Game 3 to defeat the Seattle Storm and an overtime Game 5 victory over the Indiana Fever to advance to the Finals. With a win in the series, the Aces dynasty will forever be cemented with three championships in four years. In a media session on Thursday, Jackie Young spoke about returning to the Finals.

“It means a lot, obviously. It was a long season. It took a lot to get here, but we’re here now, and we’re looking forward to the game tomorrow,” Young said. “We’ve been here before. We have a team full of vets, but they do too. I don’t think you can take that for granted. Every Finals experience is different, but it does help having been here before.”

“This season was completely different. We lost a lot of games early on. It took a lot of grit and toughness to get here, just being resilient. In the past, we were probably a top three [team] all season,” Young continued.”This year, it was different. We really had to fight to get where we wanted to be in the playoff standings.”

The Mercury Have Relished Being Underdogs All the Way to the Finals

Making their first Finals appearance since 2021, the Mercury have embraced their status as underdogs. They stunned the New York Liberty, the defending champs, in the first round and then bounced the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx in four games. Phoenix's trademark has been fierce defensive intensity and a relentless clutch-time mentality, highlighted by a historic 20-point comeback in their semifinal series.

Thomas spoke about the never-say-die mentality of the team.

“It speaks volumes about the team and how we stay composed, how we can go on runs and ride the wave,” Thomas said. “You don’t know what each game is going to bring, but the biggest thing is us staying composed.”

All eyes will be on the match-up between A'ja Wilson and. Alyssa Thomas. Wilson, the league's top scorer and shot-blocker, and Thomas, the WNBA's all-time triple-double leader and masterful playmaker. These two titans, 2024 Women’s National team teammates, will go toe-to-toe in what will be an exciting series.

Also, Chelsea Gray and Young will try to set the pace against Phoenix's top-rated defense, led by Kahleah Copper and defensive specialist Monique Akoa Makani. 

Series Outlook

While the Aces will be the favorites, they should not take the Mercury lightly. As the previous series of this postseason has shown us, anything can happen. Beyond the Xs and Os, the team that can best impose its style—Aces' offense and pace vs. Mercury's defense and grit will win the best-of-seven series.