Phoenix Mercury forward Alyssa Thomas, center, is pressured by Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, left, and forward NaLyssa Smith during WNBA Finals competition in Las Vegas. (Photo by John Locher/Associated Press)
LAS VEGAS – Preparing for Mercury All-Star Alyssa Thomas, aka “The Engine,” poses challenges for players and coaches alike when it comes to duplicating her playstyle in practice.
For Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon, Thomas’ aggressive play is about as hard to replicate as it is to plan against.
“I think Alyssa Thomas is probably the one player in the league that could switch and play professional football,” Hammon said. “I can’t really simulate her. She’s just a different animal in our league.”
Maybe Hammon could have called upon Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby for advice, if not for his team’s trip to Indianapolis to face the Colts. But Sunday was around the corner, and there was little to no time to prepare for what was to come.
Or was there? In Game 2 of the WNBA Finals Sunday at Michelob Ultra Arena, the Aces dominated the glass in a 91-78 victory to give Las Vegas a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series as it seeks to capture its third championship in the past four years.
The Aces limited Thomas to 10 points, five assists and six rebounds, all postseason lows for the Mercury forward. In nine postseason games, Thomas is averaging 36 minutes, 17.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 8.7 assists.
Thomas’ aggressiveness in Sunday night’s loss was not received well by officials, who ultimately tagged her for four personal fouls, which reduced her time on the court to just 30 minutes. At halftime, Thomas could be seen walking off the court yelling at officials for what she believed to be inconsistent game-calling.
“The thing that I just get disappointed in is hearing our officials say that she’s hard to officiate because she plays so physical,” Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said. “AT is going to be AT, and we want her to be AT. She’s a hell of a player and we want her playing with that downhill force.”
It’s not the first game where Thomas has run into foul trouble against the Aces. In the regular season, Thomas racked up a season-high five personal fouls in an 83-61 loss Aug. 21 that saw Las Vegas outscore Phoenix in points off turnovers, 21-0.
At the time, Tibbetts credited the struggles his offense had against Las Vegas with the unpredictability of its defense, something that has stayed true so far in the postseason as well.
“They play a switching defense,” Tibbetts said. “Not a lot of teams switch as much as they do, and it got us a little bit stagnant to be quite honest.”
The stagnation followed Phoenix into Game 2, where the Mercury shot just 5-for-28 from behind the arc (17.9%) and 0-for-7 in the second quarter where the Aces took the lead at 5:33 and never let it go. Forward Satou Sabally, who shot 2-for-9 in 3-point field goal attempts, called for more teamwork on the court moving forward.
“We just didn’t share the ball as much,” Sabally said. “We have to play together and just zip the ball a little bit more and play side-to-side.”
Ultimately, the Mercury’s defense was a key factor in the team’s playoff berth and their path to the WNBA Finals. Since the series began, however, the defense has not shown up for Phoenix and they’ve paid the price with their first losing streak of the postseason.
“We’re here because of our defense,” Tibbetts said. “To give up 89 points in Game 1 and 91 in Game 2. … I know they’re a really good offensive team, they’ve got great players, but we have to be better on the defensive end.”
Thomas represents a large portion of the defensive equation with her ability to compile defensive rebounds for fast-break points that spark the Mercury’s offense. But with just three on the night, the Aces were able to keep possessions longer while outrebounding Phoenix 43-34.
Between the turnovers and lack of rebounds, Thomas stands at the center of an important discussion around the WNBA that is attempting to establish a distinction between fair and foul play. In Friday’s press conference with league commissioner Cathy Engelbert, much of her prepared marks centered around reforming officiating and drawing that line.
“Every major sport goes through this,” Engelbert said. “Rules evolve, officiating adapts, standards shift. Alongside the growth of the game, the WNBA is no different.”
The question that begs asking is whether or not the new landscape of officiating will welcome a tougher level of basketball or leave playstyles like Thomas’ behind. Until the new collective bargaining agreement is finalized, the answer is still up in the air.
Despite the struggles, Thomas surpassed long-time Chicago Sky guard Courtney Vandersloot for the all-time leader in postseason assists (391), a stat indicative of her ability to lift up those around her.
Nicknamed “The Engine” for a reason, Thomas still has enough left in the tank to help the Mercury make another comeback, something the team has had a knack for all postseason.
And just as Dorothy will tell you during the screenings of “The Wizard of Oz” at the Sphere, there’s no place like home. The Mercury will head home to face the Aces on Wednesday in front of the faithful “X-Factor” for Game 3, an environment that has paid dividends for Phoenix all year.
For Mercury guard Kahleah Copper, the love the Valley has for the Mercury is a sigh of relief for the team.
“I think the X-Factor is a huge part of the success we had this season,” Copper said. “It’s just always good to be home.”
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