Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts heralded the “pride and togetherness” of his team as they clinched their sixth WNBA finals berth, and first since 2021, with an 86-81 win over the Minnesota Lynx in the fourth game of the semi-finals, sealing the series 3-1.
The Mercury trailed by 14 early and by 13 entering the fourth quarter, yet they stormed back with a 31-point final frame to complete a series-clinching victory.
They became just the third team in WNBA history to overturn a 13+ point deficit in the fourth quarter of a playoff game — and the first ever to rally from multiple 14+ point holes in the same series.
They will now face the winner of Las Vegas Aces and Indiana Fever in the championship round.
Alyssa Thomas always delivers
She dropped her 28th playoff double-double in the Mercury’s dub — the MOST in WNBA history, passing Tamika Catchings and Candace Parker!
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“No one has had expectations for us except ourselves,” coach Nate Tibbetts said. “The pride and the togetherness for such a new group, it’s pretty impressive.
“We could have just said, ‘You know, we’ll go to Game 5 in Minnesota and figure it out’ … but we kept fighting.
““That’s what we do … we just kept playing, and when you do that, especially with this group, good things happen.”
Alyssa Thomas starred with 23 points, 10 assists, and her 28th career playoff double-double, breaking her own WNBA record. She also became the first player to record 20 points and 10 assists in multiple series-clinching games in a single postseason.
“I believed in the franchise; I believed in the team they were putting together,” Thomas said.
“For me, it was a fresh start to play with people who want the same thing as I do and a franchise that’s known for winning — winning championships. That’s been my goal: trying to get a championship.”