Every player I spoke with on WNBA Finals media day each said the same thing - energy will be the difference in this series.
When you look at each team's roster, there are a lot of similarities between the two teams and the make-up of the Fever and Mercury are eerily alike. "You have the duo in Diana and I, then they have Tamika and Katie," Cappie Pondexter said. "They have Sutton-Brown we have Tangela. We bring Ketia off the bench for energy and they have January. The match-ups are very similar."
Thus, it's truly going to come down to who wants it more - and it starts and ends with energy.
We saw that type of intensity and energy in game 3 against the Sparks. "We just had so much energy that game," Ketia Swanier told me. "We threw the first punch and just kept punching and punching. We kept the defense and energy coming."
Ketia makes a great point; it's really about throwing that first "punch" and keeping it going throughout the game. We hear a lot about how good a defensive team that Indiana is, but the Mercury held Candace Parker to below double-digits in game 3 and certainly kept some explosive scorers in check throughout the entire series. The Fever unquestionably don't have as many weapons as the Sparks, but the way they counteract that is by playing extremely hard on both ends of the floor, and never relenting.
You'll hear a lot about the contrasting styles, but Corey Gaines doesn't necessarily see it that way. "Everybody says they're a defensive team," Gaines said on Monday."But they can score a lot of points. We have to be ready for that." At the same time, don't expect the Mercury to change their run & gun ways anytime soon. It's what got them to where they are now, and it's worked. The key for Gaines and the Mercury will be to sustain that tempo against a re-energized Fever defense.
There's no doubt that the Mercury received a much needed day off yesterday. Playing 3 games in 5 days for the past few weeks, the players used Sunday to relax and get their mind right heading into the finals. "Having that day off really helped," Swanier said. "Just to get some rest and get prepared." Tangela Smith said the same thing. "Oh my goodness, it was great," Smith told me. "I just chilled all day and rested."
Make no mistake about it, the Mercury are pumped and ready to play. "We'll be ready," Tangela told me. "I wish we could play now!"
Energy really boils down to heart, and the Mercury is comprised of some of the best human beings I've ever been around. As I've said multiple times throughout the year, there is something special surrounding this team that almost can't be put into words. The chemistry they've been able to develop on and off the court with each other is inspiring to be around. The team truly enjoys being with each other and are definitely not ready for this season to end and all go their separate ways.
Media Day Randomness
- There was a great turn-out for the WNBA media day, especially considering the Phoenix Suns media day was going on at the same time. Seeing so many people come out is fantastic and a testament to the rising popularity of the WNBA.
- Based on the reviews of multiple players I spoke with, 'Fame' isn't the best of movies...
- Players were all smiles and in good spirits, they also looked like they had an extra 'pep' in their step at practice which is encouraging.
- The Fever got into town this morning, and also had a full day off on Sunday.
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