The 2025 WNBA finals series had been a one-sided dominance so far, with the Aces answering to every challenge and piling up pressure on the Phoenix Mercury with their own plays. Game 3 at the PHX Arena felt a bit different as the hosts came close to winning their first game of the series until the game-winner from A’ja Wilson broke their hearts. HC Nate Tibbetts, though, had a different view of the loss.
Tibbetts was confident about his team’s chances despite the 2-0 deficit before the start of the game, but as for the Mercury HC, his team lost the game because of the ‘inconsistency’ in officiating.
Nate Tibbetts Slams Officiating In Game 3
The PHX Arena was behind its squad, with the fans once again looking to play the sixth player’s role to defeat the Aces. But it was visitors who took control of the game with a strong start. The Mercury nearly crawled back with another fourth-quarter turnaround. The 29-14 shoreline in the last phase of the game would have won them a game against any other side, but not against the Aces, who exited the arena with a 90-88 win.
As for the 48-year-old coach, a few referee calls went against his side, where his star player, Alyssa Thomas, didn’t get a whistle for a foul on her. In the press conference, he opened up on refereeing and demanded consistency.
“Yeah, I mean, we are competitive group, we are physical. I feel like AT got downhill getting into the paint quite a few times and didn’t get rewarded. But unfortunately, this is what it is. You’d love to have consistency (with officiating), but that’s not always the case,” Tibbetts told reporters.
Phoenix Mercury coach Nate Tibbetts said, “You’d love to have consistency (with officiating), but that’s not always the case.”#WNBA pic.twitter.com/bTJSiapAYs
— Desert Wave Media (@DesertWaveCo) October 9, 2025
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It is important to note that the Aces shot 92% from the free-throw line, whereas the Mercury were 74% accurate from the charity strip. Alyssa Thomas criticized the team’s first-half defense as the reason for the loss in the press conference, as the Mercury prepares for the possible knockout game.
Nate Tibbetts Keeping It Positive After Third Straight Loss
For a team, going down 3-0 in the finals is a very challenging task in a best-of-seven series. Now there is no scope for error in coaching or execution to stay alive in the series. The series could well end on October 10 at the PHX arena, but the coach is confident in his players and points out that the side has achieved this before.
“I don’t know how many teams have come down from 0-3. Not many, right? I’m not gonna sugarcoat that. We got a tough road ahead, but we gotta take it one game at a time. Like I said, this group has been a group that has continued to compete at a high level. We’re going to expect that we’re in front of our fans. We’ve got a certain level of pride that we’re going to continue to keep fighting,” Tibbetts said in a press conference.
One important roadblock in their dream of winning the championship is the form of the Las Vegas Aces and A’ja Wilson. The 2023 Finals MVP is on her way to clinch the third WNBA Championship with her second Finals MVP accolade following the flawless series performances so far.