Of course, just as a team has to win a Finals, a team has to lose in the Finals as well.
And even though the Las Vegas Aces are learning the meaning of “to the victors belong the spoils” for the third occasion in four tries, that thrill of victory for Sin City (Win City) is met with the agony of defeat for the Phoenix Mercury.
The Mercury were a team that was built to arrive at where the Aces ascended to once again. Phoenix smartly saw issues in other franchises – namely the Dallas Wings, Connecticut Sun and Indiana Fever – and took advantage to help their team.
Phoenix has won championships in 2007, 2009 and 2014. The cornerstone to those three runs was, of course, Diana Taurasi. Another franchise cornerstone that was present for that 2014 run was Brittney Griner. For the better part of the last two decades, the Mercury have been synonymous with Taurasi and/or Griner.
But prior to the 2025 season, it was extremely likely Phoenix would enter said season without either DT or BG. And that was the case. The 2024 season was, in many ways, a celebration of both Taurasi and Griner’s careers in the purple and orange. After all, Phoenix hosted All-Star weekend that year.
Taurasi – bun and all – decided to call it a career. And Griner decided to call it a career with the Mercury as she moved east to the Atlanta Dream. BG may not have had the season she is accustomed to but her veteran presence in that Atlanta locker room was one element that made the Dream believe it could contend in 2025.
Phoenix’s front office had its work cut out for it. After losing its two franchise cornerstones in one offseason, the dreaded r-word typically comes front and center for said front office.
Rebuild.
The years-long process of losing seasons while looking to bolster a team through draft picks. In addition, as much as the X-Factor – arguably, the most passionate of all WNBA fanbases – had became accustomed to DT and BG, it had to be a lot for them to adjust to a season where neither was coming out of that tunnel in Mercury threads.
Except – the Mercury already had a Kahleah Copper who was a Finals MVP from 2021 with the Chicago Sky. In addition, Phoenix has an owner in Mat Ishbia who has already displayed an affinity for putting his money where his mouth is.
Ishbia invested into a new practice facility only a hop, skip and jump from the Mortgage Matchup Arena. That practice facility first debuted around the very All-Star weekend that the Mercury hosted.
The Mercury knew that Satou Sabally no longer wanted to be in Dallas and lured her to the Valley. The Mercury knew that years of postseason heartbreak led the Connecticut Sun to blow it all up and lured the triple-double Engine that is Alyssa Thomas to the Valley.
Phoenix even knew that midway through the 2025 season DeWanna Bonner – who previously played for Phoenix and was drafted by the Mercury in 2009 – was disillusioned by the Indiana Fever and wanted out of the Hoosier State. Bonner was welcomed back to the Valley.
Even though Dan Padover eventually won Executive of the Year, Mercury general manager Nick U’Ren had a strong case given the moves made in the offseason and during the season. In addition, Nate Tibbetts gained lots of credibility as a WNBA head coach this season.
Phoenix had plenty of impressive victories this season – including one during the regular season against the top-seeded Minnesota Lynx that put the league on notice that the Mercury wanted to add another championship to the three they won during the Taurasi era. Thomas had another MVP-caliber season and was an All-WNBA First Team recipient.
The Mercury entered this season’s playoffs as the favorite against a New York Liberty team that was not the same Liberty of 2024 – in part, because of injuries. Phoenix eliminated the defending champions in three games.
Then came the series with the Lynx which Phoenix reached a peak at the exact time that Minnesota crashed out – both on the court and on the sidelines. This set up a Finals clash between the Mercury and Aces that, perhaps would see Phoenix fare better than their regular season showing against Las Vegas where the Mercury was 1-3.
After all, it had players in Copper, Thomas and Bonner that have played in previous Finals.
Except, those teams had yet to play in a Finals as a unit as was the case with the Aces. That made a difference especially against a team with an A’ja Wilson who is simply in rarefied air in terms of WNBA greatness.
But – there is one way to not lose in a Finals and that is to not play in one.
The Mercury displayed resilience as a franchise by reloading instead of rebuilding after losing the two faces of its franchise. And because Ishbia is of the “invest and you’ll be blessed” mindset, Phoenix will be a destination for many a WNBA player for many years to come.
We also must acknowledge Kalani Brown for being an x-factor in her own right for what was a successful Mercury season. Even though Monique Akoa Makani did not garner the headlines of a Paige Bueckers, Saniya Rivers, Aziaha James, Kiki Iriafen or Sonia Citron, she proved that she will be a force to be reckoned with for many years in the W.
After many years being used to certain players in one uniform, it can be common for fans to develop emotional connections to said players. That was definitely the case for the X-Factor in terms of Taurasi and Griner.
That connection will always be there. This season displayed that winning basketball will likely be a staple of the Mercury for many years to come regardless of who is in those threads.
Life after DT and BG is still taking some getting used to – but the 2025 Mercury displayed it does not have to be so difficult. The Valley will be Together for a long time.
