A year ago, all four WNBA first-round playoff series ended in sweeps and without much drama, with the closest game decided by six points.

But 2025 has been a year of parity, and the playoffs have been decided by razor-thin margins. The three closeout games leading into Friday’s Game 3 between the Phoenix Mercury and New York Liberty all came down to the final possession.

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Although the final game of the first round wasn’t decided at the buzzer, the Mercury were nursing a three-point lead in the final minute before 2021 finals MVP Kahleah Copper barrelled her way into the lane, scoring the decisive bucket to earn the 79-73 win. Phoenix advances to the semifinals to play No. 1 seed Minnesota on Sunday. The defending champions’ snakebit repeat bid comes to an early end.

Breanna Stewart, five days removed from spraining her MCL, was a woman possessed in the elimination game. She led both teams with 30 points, adding nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Unfortunately for the three-time champion, what was supposed to be the deepest roster in the league failed to provide much support. Sabrina Ionescu had 22 points, but the rest of the Liberty combined for 21.

That wasn’t enough against a balanced Phoenix attack, which had four players in double figures. Satou Sabally was hot from outside, draining four 3s, three of them coming when the Mercury were trailing or up by one possession. Alyssa Thomas had another triple-double and found her own offense despite mostly being defended by Stewart. Copper brought Phoenix home with the basket to go up five in the final minute.

The Mercury were 1-3 against the Lynx during the regular season, but Copper missed all four games. Sabally and Thomas each also missed two. Although the two teams met in the 2024 postseason, only two players (Copper and Natasha Mack) remain from that Phoenix roster.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

New York Liberty, Phoenix Mercury, WNBA

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