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#ShrinkTheGame: The House Always Wins
🎶 A'ja Wilson's on top, top, top 🎶
Fred S
October 13, 2025
Table of Contents
A’Dynasty
A historic 53-point loss to the Minnesota Lynx defined the Aces’ season in all the right ways. It represented an undeniable truth. The Aces were not playing up to their championship standard; frankly, they sucked.
So A’ja sent a text.
"If you weren't embarrassed from yesterday, then don't come into this gym. You're not needed or wanted here. We need the mindset to shift, because that was embarrassing."
The turnaround that followed may go down as one of the best responses in WNBA — or even sports — history. That day, A’ja told Chelsea that she should never have more assists than her, and from that game on, CG went from averaging 4.1 assists per game to 7.5. Jackie also saw a major jump in production, posting her first and second career triple-doubles. Kiah Stokes went from a starter to being benched for the rest of the season. Keirstan Bell got her first career start in four years. These four people have now won 3 championships together.
When the Aces beat the Liberty in 2023, Kelsey Plum was asked how they managed to win despite being without Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes. KP said, “They’re really good individual players, but they don’t care about each other.”
Of course, the talent and coaching go without saying. But it’s the buy-in that starts a dynasty, the adversity that defines it, and the resilience that cements it. It sounds corny, but they genuinely fuck with each other. And that’s the Aces’ secret sauce.
On the Court
As with all of the Aces’ championships, it took contributions from everyone to close out the series. They finished a tight Game 1 with 18 points from Jewell and 21 from Dana Evans! Arguably the most important game in the series because A’ja, Jackie, and Chelsea were buns and they still won.
In Game 2, the Aces’ big three stepped up — 21 points and 14 rebounds from A’ja, a double-double from Chelsea Gray, and a monster game from Jackie Young, who dropped 32 and 8. Jackie was on her Klay Thompson shit, setting the record for the most points in a quarter in a finals game with 21. Phoenix didn’t stand a chance.
I believe the series really ended in Game 3. The Mercury put up a valiant effort, especially after Satou Sabally went down, but A’ja — with 34 and 14 — hit the dagger game-winner over AT and DB to seal it and effectively kill AT‘s confidence.
Overall, the championship pedigree of A’ja, Jackie, and Chelsea shone through. They stayed aggressive and steady. And not to mention the now three-time champ, Jewell, who reminded everyone why she always shows up in championship moments. Fun Fact: Jewell is 10-0 in Finals games 🤯 That Strewie and A’ja effect lol
Becky Hammon also deserves some praise. In only her fourth year, she’s secured three championships and a semifinal exit. She has the highest playoff win percentage of any coach and put on a Hall of Fame–level display of coaching this year. Her willingness to use her bench and adjust her starting lineup was a clear shift from the more rigid coaching style of her earlier seasons. Coach Pop’s coaching tree is insane, man.
A’ja finishes this season with an MVP, (Co) DPOY, Scoring Title, Championship, and Finals MVP. Wow. She is the only player in WNBA or NBA history to accomplish this — even Hakeem Olajuwon did it without the scoring title. I think she has cemented herself not only as the best player in the league right now but as the greatest of all time.
The Runner Ups: The Mercury Meltdown
Boy, was I wrong about them winning the championship lol. I’d say I’ve never seen a meltdown like this, but I’ve seen the 2023 Liberty. The difference in both cases, falling to an Aces team they should have beaten, is that the Aces are completely bought into the process, into themselves, and they’re extremely resilient because of it.
This was Alyssa Thomas’ third trip to the Finals and her third time coming back empty-handed. It seemed like this time, they had all the pieces to finally win. Satou was leading the team in playoff scoring, Sami Whitcomb was playing lockdown defense and hitting big shots, and Kahleah Cooper provided bursts of energy that propelled the team to victories.
So what happened?
A common theme in AT’s career is the unmovable force that is A’ja Wilson. Over the season and in the playoffs, AT averages fewer points against A’ja. Against the Lynx, she averaged 20.3 points, but against the Aces, she averaged just 14. A key way the Aces limited AT was by letting her take shots while clogging the lanes so she couldn’t facilitate. With two torn labrums, she didn’t stand a chance. Not all was in vain. AT finished the series as the All-Time leader in postseason assists. DB finishes 6th in postseason blocks and 2nd in playoff points.
Satou Sabally was largely quiet in Game 1 but went on to lead the team in scoring. Unfortunately, a gnarly hit to the head kept her out of Game 4, though it likely would not have changed the outcome. Kahleah Cooper was frustratingly quiet this series, which severely hurt the Mercury. Sami Whitcomb also suffered a knee injury in Game 1 and managed only three points for the rest of the series.
Most obviously, A’ja’s Game 3 game-winner over Alyssa Thomas and DeWanna Bonner seemed to completely knock AT’s confidence. I have never seen her play more dejected and frustrated than in that game. It was all over her face and body language. I believe she went into Game 4 expecting to lose. I do feel sorry for her. Every year, she comes so close but cannot quite get over the hump.
This negative energy really came to a head in the final game, with the Mercury receiving four technical fouls. Nate got himself thrown out of the game, Kahleah fouled out, and both DB and AT picked up techs. All of this happened while Satou was at home with a concussion. They desperately needed an emotional leader, especially since most of the team were rookies, and it was the veterans who were crashing out.
Even though the team spent time together for family days and bonding at Unrivaled, this was still a completely new roster. As we are all learning, the SuperTeam experiment has never worked in year one. The chemistry needed to power through on-court adversity is built by first going through challenges together.When asked what she told her team after the Aces won on their floor
“I wanted us to feel it. I wanted us to hear the celebrations. I want us to really feel the moment, feel the hurt, and hear what was the celebration and to let it just fuel us for the future.”
This might be exactly what they need to get over the hump. But will DB want to play another year? Will AT finally get her labrum surgery after returning in Game 4 with a dislocated shoulder? The offseason raises many questions, especially about who will be back on the team. I think with a strong big or center, the Phoenix Mercury could make it over the hump. They didn’t reach the Finals by accident, despite being swept. We’ve seen a revenge tour work before.
Also, Coach Girl Dad… you can’t take timeouts home with you, man. Use them!!!
Updates: All WNBA and All Defense
Hoops & Hype: Media Picks
Check out some of the cool podcasts, videos, reads, and fashion I saw this week.
@bleacherreport Fans boo Cathy Engelbert after Aces win title 👀 #wnba #basketball #aces #ajawilson
“I definitely cried in that moment. Becky was definitely the person that believed in me from the start. I was kind of written off, but that’s how I ended up in the promised land. So, yeah.”
- Jewell Loyd on her journey in the last year
— christan (no i), ß (@ChristanWNBA)
3:46 AM • Oct 11, 2025
😂😂😂 it’s nothing like getting the last laugh LMAOOOOO
— Dana Evans (@Danaaakianaaa)
8:41 PM • Oct 12, 2025
