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In a game worthy of the winner’s nickname, it was only fitting that it boiled down to the thread.
With a game tied at 84, Phoenix’s Shey Peddy fouled on a 3-point attempt and reversed two of her three free throw attempts. But it was Brittney Griner on the other end who sealed it with a block during A’ja Wilson’s last-second layup attempt.
Griner was then fouled and delivered a free throw as the No.5 seed Mercury hung on for the 87-84 win over the No.2 Las Vegas Aces to close the streak. semi-finals in front of an Ace record of 9,680 fans at Michelob. Ultra Arena in Las Vegas on Friday night.
The Mercury will face the No.6 seed Chicago Sky in Game 1 of the WNBA Finals at 3 p.m. ET Sunday on ABC in Phoenix. The Sky were in Las Vegas on Friday and ready to make the short trip to Phoenix, ESPN reported during the Game 5 broadcast.
Diana Taurasi gets chippy and starts big run in Q4
At the end of the third quarter, Aces forward Jackie Young and Diana Taurasi exchanged words, prompting guard Mercury to lead his team on a 12-0 run to open the fourth quarter.
Taurasi knocked down three straight points, his first of the game, over time to help erase the Aces lead and reverse momentum. The game remained close until late.
Griner led the Mercury with a high of 28 points and nine rebounds. Taurasi finished with 24 points. She is 16-2 all-time in win-win games.
There were six lead changes and several big runs by both teams. In the first four games of the series, there were only six combined leader changes.
The Mercury started hot and led late in the first quarter, which they accomplished in every semifinal game. After holding a two-point lead at halftime, the Mercury nearly succumbed to another big third quarter led by the Aces.
The Aces went on a 14-0 streak during the quarter after a 24-0 streak in the third quarter of Game 4, which forced Game 5 to win or come home on Friday.
The Mercury struggled in depth without two of their best 3-point shooters namely Kia Nurse (ACL tear) and Sophie Cunningham (calf strain). Phoenix missed his first eight shots from beyond the arc and finished 5 of 21 (23.8%).
Kelsey Plum shines again on the bench for Aces
For the Aces, Kelsey Plum and Chelsea Gray each scored 22 points.
Plum was electric on the bench again, proving his mettle as the sixth person of the year. She hit her first three 3-pointers and was a key part of the Aces’ runs midway through the game. She also got three rebounds and three assists.
Gray, who was the spark in Game 4, had six assists and four rebounds.
Wilson and Liz Cambage contributed in the doubles-doubles. Wilson had 21 points and 10 rebounds, while Cambage scored 10 points and 11 boards in his best game since returning from a fight with COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated.
Aces overtook Mercury, 38-29.
Mercury, Sky ready for WNBA Finals rematch
The Mercury and Sky Finals game is a rematch of the 2014 Finals, the last time either team advanced this far. Phoenix won the third of its three titles this season.
This is Mercury’s fifth final appearance in franchise history; the Sky will be in its second final. The Mercury won titles in 2007, 2009 and 2014; the Skies have never won a title.
Phoenix could have the advantage in the series, both thanks to the experience of the Finals and the results of this season. The Mercury won all three games against Sky and limited Chicago to 39% of shots from the field.
Phoenix won 84-83 at Wintrust Arena on June 1 and 77-74 at the Footprint Center on June 3 without Taurasi, who was absent with a broken breastbone. Taurasi played in Game 3, a 103-83 victory over Mercury on Aug.31 in Phoenix.
Another interesting note comes on the sidelines: Mercury head coach Sandy Brondello will face her husband, Olaf Lange, who is an assistant coach of Sky.
The Mercury also reached the WNBA Finals a few months after the Phoenix Suns, who also play at the Footprint Center, reached the NBA Finals. This is the first time that a WNBA and NBA team from the same market have appeared in their respective finals since the Los Angeles Lakers and Sparks both won titles in 2001 and 2002. The only other time It was in 1999 when the New York Knicks and Liberty lost in the final.
2021 WNBA Finals Schedule
Game 1: Sky at Mercury, 3 p.m. ET Sunday (ABC)
Game 2: Sky at Mercury, 9 p.m. ET Wednesday (ESPN)
Game 3: Mercury at Sky, 9 p.m. ET Friday (ESPN2)
Game 4: Mercury at Sky, 3 p.m. ET October 17 (ESPN) (if needed)
Game 5: Sky at Mercury, 9 p.m. ET on October 19 (ESPN2) (if needed)
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