Teammates console Las Vegas Aces forward A’ja Wilson bottom center, after the Aces were defeated by the Phoenix Mercury in Game 5 of the semifinals of the WNBA playoffs at the Michelob ULTRA Arena Friday, Oct. 8, 2021. The Mercury defeated the Aces 87-84.
Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 | 10:20 p.m.
The Aces thought this was their year.
Exactly 366 days after their 2020 campaign ended with a championship-round sweep at the hands of Seattle, the Aces fully believed they would win Game 5 of their semifinal matchup against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday night, clinching a return trip to the 2021 Finals — where the result would surely be different this time.
Las Vegas had done everything in its power to ensure a title this season. The team added championship moxie in point guard Chelsea Gray. They made their bench a weapon with Kelsey Plum’s emergence as the league’s Sixth Woman of the Year. They coaxed another strong season out of center Liz Cambage, who teamed with reigning MVP A’ja Wilson to form a dominant post duo. And the deciding game was at home, in front of a franchise-record 9,680 fans at Michelob Ultra Arena.
Everything was aligned.
And still, the Aces faltered in the final minutes, squandering an eight-point fourth quarter lead as Phoenix legends Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner led the Mercury to a stunning 87-84 road victory.
The Mercury will advance to face the Chicago Sky in the WNBA Finals. The Aces’ season is, almost incomprehensibly, finished.
Aces players were visibly emotional as they went through their postgame press conference. The scene had the distinct feel of a group who just knew the championship was theirs for the taking this time around — and that they failed to take it.
“I think we were so close and that’s why it hurts,” Plum said, pausing several times to maintain her composure. “But I wouldn’t want to do it with another group, and I do know that we’ll be back. I have no doubt in my mind. And the result will be different.”
Las Vegas started slow and trailed by double digits in the first quarter, but Plum and Wilson got hot in the middle quarters to give the Aces a 66-58 lead heading into the fourth.
They couldn’t hold on.
Phoenix opened the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run as Taurasi nailed back-to-back 3-pointers to push the Mercury ahead, 68-66, with 7:31 to play.
The Aces trailed until Plum converted a driving and-1 bucket to regain the lead, 75-73, with less than four minutes to play. After Phoenix tied the game, Plum drove for another layup to put Las Vegas up, 77-75.
Griner hit an elbow jumper to knot the score at 81-81 with 1:40 to play, and that’s when things started to fray at the seams for the Aces.
On Las Vegas’ next possession, the Aces ran a play that forced Phoenix to switch Taurasi onto Cambage under the basket. Getting the defensive mismatch they wanted, they threw the ball in to Cambage for an easy finish — except Cambage exposed the ball just a little too much, and the much smaller Taurasi swatted at it from behind, either getting a piece of it or bothering Cambage just enough to make her miss.
Cambage then gathered her own offensive rebound but rushed the putback and missed again. Phoenix collected the board and the ball found Taurasi on the other end for an open 3 from the wing, which the 17-year veteran and all-time WNBA scoring leader swished to give the Mercury an 84-81 lead with 1:12 remaining.
Gray answered back in a hurry, burying a triple from the top of the key to tie the score again, 84-84. The teams traded empty possessions, and with time winding down, Phoenix let Taurasi dribble out the clock for the final shot.
Taurasi had trouble making her move, however, and the ball was tipped away with less than 10 seconds remaining. Players from both teams scrambled for the loose ball, but it was Mercury guard Shey Peddy who came away with it. Peddy rushed a long 3-pointer to beat the buzzer, and in the process drew an untimely foul from Aces guard Riquna Williams.
Peddy made two of three from the line and Las Vegas called timeout with 4.8 seconds left to set up a final play, trailing 86-84.
The inbound went to Wilson on the left wing, and she drove along the baseline for seemingly open look at the basket. As she released her layup attempt, Griner elevated and blocked the shot. Griner collected the rebound and was fouled with 0.7 seconds on the clock.
Game over. Season over.
Las Vegas head coach Bill Laimbeer gave Griner credit for making the play that ended the Aces’ season.
“They took away our first option,” Laimbeer said of the last play. “We went to A’ja. She’s very capable of scoring. She had a good move, she had a good opening, [Griner] made a good play and got a hand on the ball.”
Wilson finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Gray and Plum led Las Vegas with 22 points apiece. Cambage posted 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Those numbers were all fine. But in the end, the Aces had no answer for the all-time twosome of Taurasi and Griner.
Griner played 38 minutes and notched 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting, including several key baskets down the stretch. Taurasi played possum for the first three quarters, conserving her energy for the deciding final period as she scored 14 in the fourth to finish with 24 points.
“We have Diana Taurasi and they don’t,” Phoenix coach Sandy Brondello said. “That’s what it comes down to. She’s done it many, many times. I’ve seen that, I’ve coached her for a long time, but she was dead tired. They were all dead tired. We didn’t always execute, but actually we scrambled enough and were able to come up with stops, and Diana made shots.”
Laimbeer had to begrudgingly agree that Taurasi and Griner were the deciding factor.
“Someone has to lose. We did,” Laimbeer said. “They went to their two big guns that made all the plays down the stretch. We didn’t. And yeah, we lost.”
So now the Aces head into the offseason to contemplate another campaign that came up short.
Laimbeer believes that for Las Vegas to get over the hump, they’ll have to learn a lesson from Phoenix’s legends.
“We’re still a young team that’s growing up,” Laimbeer said. “This is our third year in the conference finals, so we’re learning. We’re just not there yet. We ran into a matchup problem with Griner and Taurasi, who are there already, and make those plays and can will that on their team.”
