The Phoenix Mercury went into Game 3 of the finals down 0-2 and desperate for a win. In previous years, losing three straight games in the WNBA Finals would have meant the end of a team’s season. This year, the finals are a best-of-seven series, meaning the Mercury’s title hopes are still alive. However, after another close loss, Phoenix finds itself in a hole so deep that no team has ever come out of it victorious.
Since this is the first best-of-seven series in WNBA history, we’ll have to look to the NBA, where seven-game series are the norm, for data. According to ESPN’s Michael Voepel, 15 NBA teams went up 3-0 in the finals and all of them went on to win a title. Nine of those teams swept their opponents.
The Mercury can either make history and win the next four games or join a long list of teams that lost the finals after falling to 0-3.
Phoenix was just one basket away from sending the game into overtime
Game 3 didn’t start off well for the Mercury. They fell behind early and lost Satou Sabally to a scary head injury in the fourth quarter. Nevertheless, the Mercury did what they do best and battled back from a seventeen-point deficit to give themselves a chance to win.
With a little under two minutes left, DeWanna Bonner hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 86. Chelsea Gray wasted no time putting the Aces back up and made a layup. As the clock wound down to one minute left in the fourth quarter, Bonner was fouled by Megan Gustafson on an offensive rebound. She made two free throws to tie the game at 88.
After that, A’ja Wilson lost a ball out of bounds, and Alyssa Thomas missed a layup. The Aces had five seconds left to secure a lead and potentially a win. Wilson delivered with a tough shot over Bonner and Thomas. The shot was timed perfectly, giving the Mercury only 0.3 seconds to tie the game. Bonner got as good a shot as one could hope for in that situation. She caught the ball at the free-throw line, immediately shot it, and almost made the basket.
The Mercury can still avoid an Aces sweep
Sweeps aren’t uncommon in the WNBA Finals. Since 2010, six final series ended with a sweep. Most recently, the Seattle Storm swept the Las Vegas Aces in 2020 and the Washington Mystics in 2018.
While the Aces have all the momentum they need to close out the series quickly and Satou Sabally may not be available for Game 4, the Mercury’s fate isn’t sealed yet. They will get to play another game on their home court and will have extra desperation and pride to fuel them. If the Mercury can carry the energy they showed in the fourth quarter into Game 4, that matchup might look much different. There hasn’t been an update on Sabally yet, but if she can’t play, role players will have to step up.