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#ShrinkTheGame: Finals Previews
For the third time in four seasons, the Aces are back in the finals.....
Fred S
October 03, 2025
For all the people saying they won’t watch Mercury v Aces because DB, AT, and A’ja hurt your feelings, I heard Target has a sale on pacifiers and bibs just for you
Table of Contents
WNBA Finals
#ALLIN!
I cannot believe the Aces are in the f*cking Finals. They were HORRIBLE for most of the season, and then suddenly hit another gear after the Lynx beat their ass. The irony? That 50-point beatdown might have cost Napheesa both an MVP and a championship—while motivating the Aces to their third Finals appearance in four years. Talk about the Lynx winning the battle but losing the war lol.
There is not enough honey in the world to pour over the GOAT, A’ja Wilson. Beyond all the accolades, she’s able to stay consistent and elite even when her teammates aren’t. That standard has elevated the whole team into position to win Las Vegas’ third championship.
Yes, the Aces had an “easier” path than Phoenix to get here, but their struggles against Seattle and Indiana revealed the exact weaknesses Phoenix will look to exploit: swiss-cheese defense and poor rebounding. The Aces are the #2 seed, which means they do have home court advantage, but that hasn’t seemed to bother the Mercury at all lol.
Like I’ve been saying all season, it’s nearly impossible to count A’ja Wilson out. I mean, I was front and center at Barclays when she won her second championship with a broken wrist and a pack of bums around her. But, even with that, I’m still leaning Phoenix this time.
For the Aces to flip it, they’ll need Jackie Young to keep playing at her elite level. A’Jack was in full force in Game 5 against the Fever, when she and A’ja both dropped 30- a first in playoff history. And, of course, they’ll need Playoff Point Gawdddd. Chelsea Gray showed flashes of her old self in the semis, but if she goes full playoff mode, the Aces’ big three just might carry this team to another chip.
As I did with Phoenix, let’s revisit the questions I asked at the beginning of the season:
Will Becky actually play her bench this season?
This one’s funny, right lol. Pre-Lynx ass-whooping (Aces season can really be measured in BAW and AAW), the Aces were getting spanked so badly that Becky was forced to go to her bench to see what would work. Most importantly, Jewell Loyd played so poorly as a starter that she asked to come off the bench in favor of Kristen Bell (take a shot every time this is mentioned during the finals). After a few games to shake off the rust, Bell proved to be a functional player and saved her ass from being out of the league next year. Dana Evans has been AMAZING off the bench, offering a go-to midrange scorer when they need quick points.
Oh, and thank God Kiah Stokes was sent to the bench for Nalyssa Smith. We barely see Kiah play, and as much as she sucks, she’s still a solid defender and rebounder who will be essential in the matchup against Phoenix. So yeah, Becky’s playing her bench now… but only because she was forced to. 😅
With Chyenne Parker-Tyus out for most of the year due to pregnancy, will the frontcourt have enough depth?
No! That’s why Vegas made the trade for Nalyssa Smith. This was the most important in-season trade of the year. For years, the Aces haven’t had reliable frontcourt help for A’ja, and Lyss has provided points, rebounding, and defense. It’ll be fun to see how she’s used in the Phoenix series.
CPT is back after pregnancy, but hasn’t gotten many playoff minutes and hasn’t looked her best. But, to be fair, she did just have a whole human in July.
Does A’ja have another MVP/DPOY season in her? Lmfao she sure did. 2025 MVP and CO-DPOY!
Will Jewell finally bounce back and have a great year?
Hell no!! Jewell is officially WASHED. Can’t consistently hit threes, can’t even give you a reliable 10 points a game. Sure, she plays solid defense and sets good screens, but the Aces are paying her $249,000 American dollars!! She’s the second-highest-paid player in the league. Sports remain a business that pays people solely based on potential, lmfao. The Aces gotta let sis go at the end of the season.
The Storylines
Of course, the main storyline is that the Aces could be adding to the very successful A’ja Era if they win this year:
A’ja Wilson could win a Championship, MVP, and DPOY all in the same season for the second time. This time, she might even add Finals MVP to the list.
Chelsea Gray has been called “washed” plenty of times, mostly because she plays like a Harlem Globetrotter. But just like her playoff run to win the Unrivaled Championship, we could see CG flip into full Point GAWD mode again.
This would be the Aces’ 3rd title in 4 years, which would fully revive the “Aces Dynasty” narrative.
And of course, we’d get the A’ja vs. Alyssa Thomas 2022 rematch.
Hoops & Hype: Media Picks
Check out some of the cool podcasts, videos, reads, and fashion I saw this week.
@lvaces 𝐃𝐘𝐍𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐂 𝐃𝐔𝐎 🤞 A'ja and Jackie are the first duo in WNBA playoff history with 30+ points each in a single game. #ALLINLV #WNBA #LVAces
