Call it the Battle of the Titans. Both franchises, located nearly 300 miles apart, have won championship titles but have never faced each other in the championship series before. The Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury will meet in the WNBA Finals. While the Aces are coming off outlasting Indy in Game 5, the Mercury eliminated the No. 1 seed Lynx 3-1 in the semis. So, the upcoming best-of-seven finale is going to keep spectators on the edge of their seats. And if you want to know what to expect, Jackie Young’s got an answer for you!

They still have the Mercury standing in their way before a third championship title, but if Jackie’s words are any hint, the Aces already have plans in store. “Yeah, obviously they’re a great team, we’ve played them a few times this season, but yeah, looking forward to Friday,” she shared in the post-game press conference when asked about the upcoming game.

Yes, the Aces have played the Mercury four times in the regular season. And Jackie’s words seem to be a jab at the opponent team, as Phoenix is 3-1 in the regular season series. So if Young’s words are any hint, the Aces know how to overcome the Mercury, as they already did it thrice.

Both teams are close to each other in all major categories. So, Aces and Mercury are 83.6 and 82.8 in scoring average, plus-3.7 and plus-3.4 in net rating, and 50.6 and 50.2 field goal percentage, respectively. But what makes the Aces stronger is that the team has five players, Wilson, Gray, Young, Kiah Stokes, and Kierstan Bell, who were on LV’s 2022 and 2023 title teams.

But the worst for Mercury could be the Aces’ defense. As Young shared, “Once we play our defense, we’re a completely different team.” Well, yes, the Aces had a mere eight turnovers in today’s game that allowed just seven points for Indy to add to its total. Meanwhile, Indy had 21 turnovers and allowed 31 points off of them. The major difference was also the Aces’ 10 blocks and nine steals, paired with 21 total rebounds, including 15 defensive boards.

So the next defensive target can be Mercury, too. While the Mercury has a defensive rating of 102.5 and the Aces are at 104.4, the Aces have historically been the better defensive team compared to last year. As of now, the Aces are putting up an average of 80.8 points per game against the Mercury this season. So yes, it’s going to be a tough battle!

What to Expect in the Finals

While the Aces and Mercury go head-to-head in the Finals, they have one thing in common: their big threes. For the Aces, it’s Wilson, Young, and Gray, whereas the Mercury feature Thomas, Sabally, and Copper. To understand them better, let’s rewind to the semifinals this season. Wilson put up 35, Young added 32, and Gray hit 17, combining for 84 of the 107 points the Aces scored in tonight’s game.

Mercury, on the other hand, had Thomas at 23, Sabally at 21, and Copper at 13 points, all three leading the team in the comeback win over the Lynx in Game 4. So the advantage will go to the trio that separates itself. Most likely, it will be the Aces, as the only regular-season game they won against the Mercury was when Wilson did not play. In the other three meetings, when the Aces faced Mercury, the four-time MVP had averaged 25 points per game.

“This team, we’ve been through so much early on—so much adversity… Maybe it’s for this reason. We have no idea why we had to take the long way around, the harder path, but for whatever reason, we’ve figured out how to do it together,” shared Jewell Loyd. Makes sense—it’s the same team that started below .500 as recently as July 25 and is now standing in the Finals. So if history repeats, the Aces will be winning their third title in four years.