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The Aces are officially up 2-0 in the finals. Big games from A’ja Wilson and Jackie Young, who combined for 60 of the Aces’ 91 points, allowed Las Vegas to get the first dominant win of the series. Game 1 ended with a three-point win for the Aces. In Game 2, the margin was much bigger with 13 points. Both coaches even emptied their benches for the last few minutes of the fourth quarter.
With two wins, the Aces are heading to Phoenix in the best position they could possibly be in. Despite the win, Becky Hammon handed out a reality check after the game.
“We just don’t want to have a satisfied locker room because we’re not there yet,” Hammon told reporters during the postgame press conference. “All we did was do what we’re supposed to do. We’re supposed to take care of our home court.”
It’s still a long series
This year is the first time the WNBA finals are a best-of-seven series. So, the Aces still need two more wins to secure their third championship in four years. That also means that the Mercury still have plenty of opportunities to even out the series, and the Aces cannot take their foot off the gas.
The next two games will be played in Phoenix. During the regular season, Phoenix lost only seven games at home. In the playoffs, they lost one—Game 1 of their first-round series against the New York Liberty.
Game 3 will be a difficult challenge for the Aces. After two losses, Phoenix is desperate for a win, and the players will get to play in their home arena in front of supportive fans. There is no better time for the Mercury to turn things around and secure their first win.
Home-court advantage could be a deciding factor in this series
Teams always tend to play better at home than on the road. During the regular season, the Sparks were the only team that won more games on the road than at home. The Aces and Mercury are no exception. Both compiled a better record at home than on the road. Phoenix won on the road in each of the first two playoff series, taking Game 2 in New York in the first round and in Minnesota in the semifinals. So far, they haven’t done the same thing in the finals yet.
If the Aces want to avoid going all the way to Game 7, they will have to win in Phoenix—something they did twice during the regular season. Likewise, the Mercury will have to win in Las Vegas if they want to take home a championship. They did that once in the regular season, but must now replicate that success in a high-pressure situation and with a championship on the line.
