UNCASVILLE, Conn. — In the W.N.B.A. finals, where almost nothing has been constant, the Connecticut Sun’s 90-86 win on Tuesday over the Washington Mystics provided a window into what each team will need to do to earn that final victory in Game 5.

The two rosters, each with innumerable options to take over a game, will have 40 minutes to figure out the path to a title on Thursday night in Washington.

“When the ball tips up on Thursday, it’s going to be who stays true to themselves,” Sun Coach Curt Miller said, “who imposes their will on their style and their system, and who plays with more energy.”

Recency bias has not been the prognosticator’s friend in this series, with each game deviating sharply from the one before. The teams have alternated wins over the first four games.