"Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don't," said an indifferent Diana Taurasi after the game. She's not panicking, and nor should you.
We all know Diana is hilarious, but it was awesome to see an entire room of riggid reporters crack up when she was asked what the reason was behind the Fever winning. Taurasi responded, "They scored more points than us."
Sometimes, a little laugh and making things lighter is the best remedy for a loss.
Clearly, it was one of those games where shots were falling for the Fever and they just weren't going in for the Mercury. For example...
Indiana shot almost 50% from the floor, made 23 free throws, had 40 total rebounds, and 17 assists on 33 made shots.
Phoenix, on the other hand, shot just 39% from the floor, made just 18 free throws, had only 35 rebounds, and 15 assists.
Again, if you solely look at the box score, it's clear that the game was in the Fever's control for the vast majority of the night. Yet, Phoenix still cut the lead to within 5 points with 1:20 left in the game in spite of allowing 42 points in the paint by the Fever.
Again, I say, don't panic.
When is the last time that Diana and Cappie have shot anywhere close to a combined 12/38 (31%) two games in a row? Yes, Indiana is a good defensive team but the shots they were getting were open; it was just one of those nights where they weren't going in. Still, every time the Mercury have had their backs against the wall this season, they've responded with an unrivaled amount of energy and fervor.
I was at the game and can tell you (as will Corey Gaines) that it wasn't anything that Indiana did defensively that was different than Tuesday night. Quite simply, the Mercury just weren't hitting shots. Layups weren't even going in. "They weren't," said Gaines when asked if they were doing anything different. "We missed shots and instead of taking three's, we decided to go in and get to the basket."
The Fever, however, will tell you it was because of an increased focus on the defensive end and putting pressure on the ball. I don't necessarily see it the same way. I see it more of missed opportunities by the Mercury rather than stellar defense by the fever. "We just played with a lot more energy," Katie Douglas said about their defense. "A lot more effort and a lot more communication. Obviously, the rebounding numbers from the other night were overwhelming, 24 second-chance points. Everybody made a concerted effort to box out tonight. Also, to be able to disrupt them and get them to take some off-balance shots, not allowing them to shoot a high percentage was crucial."
Still, even with the so-called increase in effort and communication, the Mercury were within reaching distance with the game on the line. These kinds of things happen in basketball, and it's all about how you bounce back. "I mean, we just have to knock those shots down," said Cappie. "They weren't falling tonight. But we're confident in each other, and I know we haven't lost two in a row all year, and I don't think anybody's going to stop that."
Of course, the loss of Penny Taylor left a major hole since she made an instant impact off the bench for the Mercury with 14 first-half points before an errand elbow by Briann January made her bleed profusely and took her out of the game for good. Penny didn't lose any teeth, but her front tooth was pushed back and it sliced through her lip up to her gum line. The doc fitted her with a metal 'brace' and will fit her with a mouthguard for Sunday's game. "It definitely hurt," Gaines said about Taylor's absence. "She had 14 in the first half and she got hit in the mouth, I'm not sure, I haven't talked to the doctors so I don't know exactly what's wrong. I know for sure she'll play the next game. I know Penny Taylor and she'll play next game, for sure, 100%."
"It affected us a lot," Cappie Pondexter said about the loss of Penny. "Especially our rotation. It wasn't as deep as it normally is but some things happen like that, but we have to keep fighting no matter what."
Sometimes it's not about how often you get knocked down, it's how many times you get back up. "It came down to a lot of things, but we just didn't play the kind of basketball that we usually play. We weren't playing defense, missing free throws, missing shots that we usually make. That's stuff we can easily fix and we'll get on it for the next game."
Well its the start of week 3 of training camp! The Mercury court is down, freshly buffed and ready to go for our first home game of 2009!!! Practices have been really good and I think we are done with two-a-days thankfully :) but all the girls are still working extremely hard! So I know you amazing X-Factor fans like to know the skinny on the players! Well... Let me just tell you we always have a great bunch of girls, but this group is hilarious! The new dance that seems to get most of the players moving in the locker room is the stanky leg... Not my style! But.. I do enjoy watching them make fools of themselves. On the court.. During our stretch circle "B" better known as coach Bridget Pettis has a daily ritual of going around and giving each girl a hi-5. This season it has turned into a complete routine with each player having a different crazy action to do with B. I'll give you some examples... With Shin they give each other a karate bow, hi-5 then use their hands to symbolize flashing lights, with LeCoe they both do a dance that they've created, then slap hands. There's also jokesters on the team. One un-named player picked up a tiny disgusting critter found and chased one of our unexpecting rookies around the gym with it!
The team has also been doing a lot together outside of the arena. We've had a few team bbq's... Any excuse for some good food! Memorial Day we had a pool party and we've gotten together for the exciting NBA playoff games. I must say we have some good cooks on the team! Bridget makes the absolute best mac & cheese, our trainer Tamara always provides the delish crab legs and Quigley makes the most AMAAAZING cookie bars, which we've named "Q's intentionally extremely undercooked cookie bar" its like eating warm cookie batter with the tiniest crisp to it! :) I am definitely the biggest fan of desserts. Some players have also been supporting other local sports, a few of the players went to the Diamondbacks game last friday. Ohlde and Laurie Koehn took their former college coach from K. State.
And just to keep you guys in the know.... Here's player nicknames currently being used. Of course you guys know our returning players: DT or Dee, Diana CP, Cap or Cappa, Cappie Maz, Kelly Mazzante Tan, Tangela Smith Coe, LeCoe Willingham B-Rock or 'brook the hook', Brook Smith Shin, Yuko Oga Q, Allie Quigley Here's the new ones: Ali, Alison Bales Meek, Temeka Johnson O or Ohlde, Nicole Ohlde Page, Murriel Page Laur, Laurie Koehn DB or 'go getta', DeWanna Bonner Sha pronounced 'shay', Eureka Brooks
There's a lot of great things happening with the Mercury right now and I personally can't wait for that first game on June 6th!!!! Hope to see you there.
Well, hello everyone! It certainly has been awhile since I blogged, so I thought I would check in while we are on this long road trip and fill you in on what's been going on.
Since starting off the trip with a 7-hour layover in the worst terminal in the Phoenix airport, things have definitely picked up, starting this roadie 2-0! Let me just tell you about our adventure…right at home! We got to the airport around 10 a.m. on Saturday, got on the plane, and everyone was all pumped about the 36 direct tv channels which would make the 5-hour flight a little less painful. We all couldn't believe that there was no ABC to watch the WNBA All-Star Game, though! Seriously, they had the Food Network, MTV and not ABC?!
Keshia was my plane partner and I was really trying to avoid digging into my lunch until we at least took off, but I heard her bag rattling and could smell her sandwich, and just as I went for mine, the pilot came on the intercom.
“Well ladies and gentlemen…” Everyone knows, that always leads to bad news! Off the plane we went, and we ended up sitting at the deli for 7 hours in the Jet Blue terminal until 6 p.m., when we finally left.
One thing that was accomplished during that time span was the debut of the Mercury 5 (Bridget, Keisha, LeCoe, Tan, Sticks), which was performed in front of the entire terminal before take-off. Amazing!
Needless to say, New York was a whirlwind first game, considering our 4 a.m. arrival, the time difference, and playing an early game. Good thing Cappie and Dee arrived the night before, and we got enough rest to get the W. It didn't take us long to find our groove again, and start the trip off on the right foot. Sidenote: I will take 115 degree weather over humidity ANY DAY!
NYC was also cool because my brother got to see me play for the first time in my WNBA career, and a lot of my family was there too, which always is nice when we head East. Unfortunately, my shooting woes continued in that game, but thank goodness I shot out of my little 'slump' against Connecticut. My brother kept telling me to “let it rain,” sooooo I do apologize for Brick City the few games prior to Connecticut, but I will always keep letting it go! :) Never fear X-Factor!
Hopefully, all of you saw the Connecticut game on ESPN2. We played really, really well. There were some moments that all of us looked at each other on the bench and just said, “Wow!” Here are a few reasons why the trip has started off so well…
1. We are 2-0!
2. No one lost luggage yet (despite the bus driver taking off with the luggage compartment wide open the other day
3. No one wants to kill anyone
4. We are heading to the Swanier residence today for some home cooking tonight
10. My first blog of 2009 (on this lovely bus ride on the Peter Pan)...
I will check in again later. Talk to you soon X-Factor! And let me give a little shout out to Mizo Pecs X-Factor. Thanks for your long distance support of the Mercury.
Those were the proverbial words spoken by UConn head coach, Geno Auriemma, before the Huskies played in the 2003-2004 National Championship game.
Tonight, Corey Gaines could've said the exact same thing.
It wasn't just her 30 points on 11-17 shots. It wasn't the additional 6 assists. It wasn't just her being active on the glass with a solid 5 rebounds.
It was much more than that.
It was her leadership and confidence that inspired this Mercury team to prevail over the Silver Stars, advancing to the Western Conference Finals. You could tell by watching her activeness on the court that she wasn't going to let the Mercury lose. Every single time the Mercury needed a big shot, or simply just to settle down, Taurasi was there to send a spark (pun intended) through the team and inspire confidence throughout the entire game.
As always, Taurasi deflected any individual credit to the entire team. "That's the way we want to play, we want to play unselfish," Diana said. "We want to make the extra pass, we want to create problems for people and you can only do that when you have people who are confident in taking and making shots and today was a perfect example of no matter what point in the game, whoever was in, those are the people we have confidence in. There were five people in double figures tonight, that is the way we want to play."
Still, it is hard to ignore the phenomenal game Diana had. "She's being modest," Cappie said about Taurasi. "But the way she played is team basketball. I had to tell her to go a couple times. That's what we do for each other." It's also hard to ignore the huge emphasis the X-Factor had in the game tonight. Over 7,000 loud fans kept the Mercury motivated and pumped. "I guess the home court came into effect," Gaines said after the game about the home court.
Taurasi helped ignite the rest of the Mercury too, when needed. Tangela Smith had a huge 4th quarter with 8 points and 2 big rebounds in the closing minutes. DeWanna Bonner came off the bench with 11 points and 6 rebounds, including 3 huge free-throws. Penny Taylor had a game-saving loose ball deflection in the final :30 seconds as well as her 11 points, 4 assists, and 6 rebounds.
Quite simply, it was an exceptional team effort that propelled the Mercury to victory.
After all, we knew the Silver Stars weren't going down without a fight. Becky Hammon and Vickie Johnson played brilliantly in the loss. "I'm really proud of my team," said Dan Hughes. "They did a lot of things well in this game it just wasn't enough. That's the type of team Phoenix has. You have to hit the mark in a lot of ways to beat them. We got close but we couldn't get it done. Give Phoenix a lot of credit."
As mentioned, Becky Hammon shot the ball out of her mind tonight hitting 6 three's on her way to a 29 point performance. "They have a lot of great players, that's what happened," said Becky. "I thought we did some things well but we had a couple of back-to-back turnovers down the stretch and they really hurt us. Phoenix will hurt anybody that doesn't take care of the ball because they're immediately coming back at you the other way."
On a more dreary note, Vickie Johnson played a fantastic game, which will be her last in the WNBA. "I just wanted to go out there and give everything I had," Johnson said about her distinguished career. "To leave everything on the court and just play hard. I think I did that, I have no regrets. I hope the fans of the WNBA know that I tried to play the game of basketball the right way." Perhaps more so than anyone, Silver Stars head coach Dan Hughes will miss Vickie. "The loss tonight is going to sting me," Hughes said. "But the way she [Vickie] played tonight is going to enrich me. I'm a better person and coach because I have had four seasons with her. I'm so privileged to be able to coach her. She looked like she was 23 years old on the court tonight."
In all, this win along with the play of captains Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter should provide a setting for an epic showdown against the Los Angeles Sparks. "This is a great way to prepare for LA," Penny Taylor said after the game. "This is a tough, tough team but LA is a different team in the sense that they're bigger and have other threats. But this team loves to play basketball, we don't like resting, we want to play more games."
Luckily for Mercury fans, they will.
Plus, the Mercury has Diana Taurasi. The Sparks don't.
Other Notes
Phoenix's 100-92 victory over the Silver Stars marked the first time in league history a squad has posted back-to-back games of at least 100 points in postseason play.
Phoenix beat the Silver Stars on the glass each of the three games, and 8 out of the last 10 opponents they've faced.
The Mercury are 14-0 when hitting at least 35 shots.
Phoenix's benched outscored the Silver Stars bench, 26-4.
On Saturday August 29th, Temeka Johnson hosted her "Night of HOPE" event at US Airways Center with one goal in mind - to learn more about what is needed in the Phoenix community that her foundation can support and help.
Meek's H.O.P.E. (Heaven Opens People's Eyes) is largely centered around improving the lives of others through increasing self-esteem, encouraging physical activity, and making a difference in local communities as a whole. However, the driving mission behind much of the organization's commitments and goals is simply providing hope to others in such a trying time.
"I've been fortunate enough to be able to inspire hope in others with what I've been able to do on the basketball court," Temeka said in a special appearance after the Connecticut game. "A lot of it is based on my size and values. We want to really focus on helping the community find hope now in Phoenix."
Meek's HOPE is active in the community in a number of ways and has made a key decision to help underprivileged children find hope and better their lives. She offers the Jewel Johnson Teacher Scholarship, in honor of her grandmother, to deserving students from Louisiana or attending Louisiana institutions. In addition, Meek's HOPE has adopted schools to help with projects, mentoring, and fundraising. HOPE also sponsors area youth to receive personal hygiene makeovers for both girls and boys, works with local schools and agencies to identify organizational needs, and hosts "A Very Meek Christmas" for local youth where HOPE and Temeka take them on a Christmas shopping spree.
Being new to the Phoenix community, the theme of the event was largely a sounding board where Meek and agency representatives were able to receive important information on the needs in the local community. It clearly impacted Temeka, upon hearing what could be done, that she and HOPE have a plethora of opportunities to make a difference.
It was also evident that Temeka has already greatly impacted the Mercury organization in her short time in Phoenix. Multiple members of the Mercury organization came by to show their support for Temeka and her passion for giving back including head coach Corey Gaines, Mercury President and COO Jay Parry, General Manager Ann Meyers Drysdale, and VP of Game Entertainment Kip Helt.
One couldn't help but feel an enormous sense of pride and inspiration upon seeing Temeka's passion first-hand for helping others and making a difference in the Valley.
For more information on how you can help Temeka and HOPE, please visit www.meekshope.org.
Its Monday, and the mood around here is great! We have the first game of the season under our belt and it can't get any better than starting off with an exciting win!! I absolutely looooved the "Mercury Player Sing-Along" video during the game. I can't wait to see more of those. The players filmed that one day last week and they all definitely had a good time with it. Well all except Maz, she got demoted for lack of attempt... Maz can sometimes be a shy one with stuff like that so they let her off the hook!!!
I'm sitting in practice right now and Bridget is being entertaining as always... she's wrestling with Le'coe's son Derek in the practice court while the team is stretching. Coach Corey is writing plays on the white board and I was just informed that he has taken a class before, to learn how to better write on boards. He said they taught him angles and its apparently still awkward for him to write! Lol! Our owner Robert Sarver played around with the team a little today. Cappie took him one on one, and she pulled some moves on him.... although he was in a business suit. Tonight he's treating the entire team to dinner!!!
Each of our players have favorite things around the arena. They all love the breakfast foods provided in the locker room every morning! Tangela and Dee looooove the powdered donuts our trainer gets every gameday. Ohlde loves the laffy taffy's in our candy jar and the Glacier Freeze Gatorade.. Maz loves the dryfit shirts... Which she makes cutoffs that get torn in practice every other day. Brooke loves the chapstick the team buys. I know there's a lot more stuff I'm missing but I must get back to work!! I will definitely give you more details soon! :)
If you didn't before, I'd be willing to bet you do now.
When I say 'magic', I'm not talking about making things disappear, over-the-top illusions, or pulling a rabbit out of a hat. I'm talking about the type of magic that cannot ever accurately be described in words. Rather, it's a subconscious awareness that even for a few small moments, absolutely everything is right in the world.
It's a type of euphoria where everything just feels good; there's really no better way to describe it. Any existential worries in other areas of one's life seemingly are lifted away in an instant, and a very real cognizance of joy and exuberance occurs that some individuals may only be privy to a couple of times throughout their lives.
An entire season of hard work and dedication culminated with one of these rare moments Friday night as the Mercury were crowned 2009 WNBA Champions; and for a few moments, we were fortunate enough to witness multiple levels of real magic.
As soon as you entered the arena Friday night, there was a palpable feeling of electricity; one of those few experiences in professional sports where you just knew it was going to be a night to remember. Almost 18,000 fans filed into US Airways Center in support of not just the Mercury, but the WNBA and women's basketball in general. It was the most attended Finals in league history, a 43.3% increase from last season, and garnered double-digit growth for ESPN2's coverage of the WNBA Finals (an average of 522,000 viewers - an increase of 66% over last year). This type of support for the league is unprecedented and shows a paradigm shift in respect and admiration for these phenomenal athletes that they've long deserved.
In the end, it becomes increasingly difficult to solidify a single point in this season as "greater" than another. Obviously winning the Championship will stand out, but the 2009 season was comprised of dozens of lesser-known, equally as meaningful episodes involving the collective team. It was never about a single player or individual recognition. Here are a few memories that should stand out.
The immediate impact of rookie DeWanna Bonner - a double-double in her first WNBA game
Temeka Johnson's leadership on the court, and her game-winning shot in Sacramento
Ketia Swanier, Nicole Ohlde, Kelly Mazzante, and Brooke Smith comprising the deepest bench in the league
The legendary return of Penny Taylor, and her immeasurable significance to the team's success
Tangela Smith's two momentum saving three-pointers in game 5
Le'coe Willingham's career year and toughness
Cappie Pondexter's inspiring play all season long, and command of the game
Diana Taurasi - the MVP's, the heart, the intensity, and the passion
While words fail to label the true sense of bliss that was evident Friday night, the expressions of the players, coaches, organization, and fans capture it best. Seeing the genuine out-pouring of emotions from the team whether it was tears of joy, a smile from ear to ear, or a celebratory hug from teammate to teammate undeniably manifested what true magic really is.
Stay with me. I promise this will all make sense...
You probably aren't aware that I'm a huge fan of the movie, "The Last Samurai" starring Tom Cruise. For that matter, you probably don't know that it inspired a tattoo of mine that says (well, I hope it says) "No Mind" in Japanese characters.
If you haven't seen it, the movie centers around an American soldier who is sent to Japan in the 1800's to help stop an internal uprising by the Samurai. For centuries, the Samurai were relied upon to protect the Japanese kingdom; however, a money-driven consultant to the Emperor is attempting to industrialize Japan, and the Samurai culture. Tom Cruise's character (yes, the American) is sent to guide the Japanese army to stop the Samurai uprising. He ends up getting captured by the Samurai, finds their way of life to be simplistic and honorable, and falls in love with their beliefs and culture. Hence, the movie's themes very much deal with honor, integrity, resilience, redemption, and sacrifice.
At one point in the movie, Tom Cruise's character (Nathan) is being taught how to fight with a Samurai sword. Obviously, he's struggling and having a difficult time adjusting to the technique. He's thinking about the position of his hands, his stance on the ground, the correct motions of the sword, the people watching him, and what the right attack/protection is. That is, until a member of the Samurai comes and gives him the best advice possible. "Too many mind," says the Samurai. "Mind the sword, mind the people watch, mind the enemy. Too many mind."
Of course, the Samurai is trying to tell Nathan to stop thinking so much. He's focusing on way too many things to be effective. He's not letting the fighting come to him, and accepting that his natural instincts will pay off. Nathan listens to the Samurai's advice, frees his mind, and competes against his teacher (an expert) beautifully.
If you haven't guessed yet, this is exactly what the Mercury need to do - stop thinking. Stop thinking about everyone's expectations, about Lisa Leslie's last game, about awards, about the Finals, about the back-to-back, about everything.
Just play basketball. Mercury basketball.
Let's not forget how poorly the Mercury shot from the floor all game, the free-throws they uncharacteristically missed, the 7 lay-ups they didn't convert, the -15 rebounding deficit, and the 23 second-chance points and, yet, still cut the Sparks lead to 9 with about 5 minutes to go. In fact, if you take away the 1st quarter, the Mercury outscored the Sparks by 3 in the subsequent quarters.
At this point in the season, over-thinking can get you in a lot of trouble - and it's easy to do. There are a lot of "shoulds" that come with the territory of being an elite team and winning multiple awards; but the Mercury must block all that out. They have to ignore the fact that they "should" get out-rebounded by a taller team. They have to ignore that they "should" be able to run on the Sparks. And most importantly, they have to ignore the fact that they "should" win at home tomorrow. "Shoulds" lead to stagnant activity, and a false sense of confidence.
Rather, Phoenix just needs to go out and play their behind's off. That's it. They need to follow the example of Diana Taurasi not backing down from Lisa Leslie. They have to ensure their collective mind is clear, and go out and quite literally...just play. That's when they are at their best - the Mighty Mercury.
And something tells me that's the exact mindset they'll have going into the deciding game 3 tomorrow.
To those that have supported the Mercury throughout the entire season and will be there to do the same on Friday - thank you! To those that haven't - this is my rally call, and plea, to you.
If you're not planning on attending the Phoenix Mercury vs. Los Angeles Sparks game at US Airways Center on Friday, you're missing out.
But...I forgive you.
Maybe you don't know that your Phoenix Mercury are one (1) win away from returning to the WNBA Finals for the 2nd time in 3 years. For that matter, you may or may not know they play the dreaded Los Angeles Sparks to get there - have you already forgotten the "Beat LA!" chants we Arizonans know and love?
Again, I forgive you...
Perhaps you weren't aware that the Mercury posted a WNBA league-best 23 wins this season. Or that the Mercury led the lead in scoring. Again. Both as a team and individually. Or that Phoenix has the 6th Woman of the Year. Or that they have the 3pt percentage leader. Or that the Mercury have 2 of the 5 All-WNBA 1st team selections (Diana, Cappie). Or that they're averaging almost 100 points per game in 40 minutes in the playoffs. Or that the Mercury's pace of play is actually faster than your Phoenix Suns, and would average more points than the Suns in a 48 minute game. Or that they have the best team free-throw percentage in league history. Or that they have the probable MVP of the league in Diana Taurasi. Or the respect that these ladies are getting on a national basis.
Maybe you didn't know those things.
Well...now you do. And the team needs your home-town support more than ever to rally them past Lisa Leslie, Candace Parker, and the Sparks.
If you're not necessarily a WNBA fan, need I remind you that Kobe Bryant hails from the same city as the Sparks? Need I remind you of the myriad of annoying fans that infiltrate Suns games wearing a Kobe jersey and taunting us? By the way, they're still there at Mercury games. Need I remind you of how many championships the city of Los Angeles has? Need I remind you of the atmosphere at Suns games when they play the Lakers? As Arizonans, we shouldn't even think twice of about attending an event or showing our support for a Phoenix team when their opponent starts with a 'Los Angeles' or 'San Antonio'!!
If ticket prices are a concern, let's put that to bed right now. You can get fantastic lower level seats for insanely low prices starting at just $16. Or, for an upper level seat, you can purchase them starting at $2 (are you kidding me?!?!). If you're worried about getting your money's worth, just ask the thousands of fans around you on Friday when Diana does her "rally call" during the player introductions - the chills you'll have are normal, and the other 10,000 fans will have them too.
If you're strictly a Suns fan, sorry, that's no excuse either. Almost the entire Suns team has supported the Mercury at some point throughout the year (some on multiple occasions) including Amare Stoudemire, Grant Hill, Alando Tucker, Robin Lopez, Taylor Griffin, Goran Dragic - and yes, even Sir Charles Barkley. Grant Hill even asked Ann Meyers-Drysdale (Mercury GM) if the Suns could borrow Diana Taurasi for the NBA season! If you're a Suns fan, you're a Mercury fan.
To close, if you have a personal vendetta against the WNBA, there's not much I can do about that (except this). All I ask is that you come out, and support your Phoenix Mercury team - they need you. They need the same love and support you've shown the Suns for over 40 years. They need the same energy and passion you have at Cardinals games. They need that type of enthusiasm and quite frankly, they absolutely deserve it.
For those that are fans, and plan on attending, please feel free to forward this letter/message on to others. If anyone has any questions, you are more than welcome to give them my personal email address (bjyork15@gmail.com) and I'd be happy to go over their reasons why they wouldn't want to come - and convince them otherwise.
So, I ask, will you join me Friday to help get this Mercury team to the 2009 WNBA Finals?
While doing my usual WNBA morning research, I came across a quote from last night's game by Michael Cooper (head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks) that really surprised me.
"We are still in the playoff hunt, still right there," coach Michael Cooper said. "We are 14-14.Once playoffs come around I don't care what anyone says, the championship is going to run through Los Angeles."
Obviously, the portion in bold is what caught my eye, and got me thinking. Here were my initial thoughts:
·I realize that Cooper probablyhadto say that to assure his team and fans that he still has the utmost confidence in them. Still, the argument probably falls through since the Mercury have won all 3 meetings this year...
·I love that the Mercury, no matter how difficult or trying things get, would never say something like that - they'd let their game speak for itself and give credit to the opposing team who beat them.
·The Mercury's collective humbleness, in addition to their greatness, is what makes them so endearing to so many people.
Having said that, I don't mean to come across as judgmental or mean it as an indictment of Michael Cooper as a person or coach. On the contrary, as I mentioned above, he probablyneededto say that to his players and fans to assure them he is 100% confident in his team.
However, I can't help wonder how much more honorably that Corey Gaines would've handled a similar situation. Gaines has repeatedly given credit to opposing teams when due and displayed honor and integrity in a loss; if the Mercury got beat, he acknowledges it, explains what the team needs to do differently next time, and stays humble.
Though, that's what the entire team is about - character, honor, and loyalty. I'll never forget the quote from Diana Taurasi in 2007 heading into the finals, "We're in the finals? I didn't even know!" And guess what? She went out and let her game do the talking and brought home a championship trophy.
In addition to how phenomenal of a basketball team the Mercury are proving to be, they stay grounded and humble by giving back to the community on a consistent basis despite not being recognized for it (they do it because it's therightthing to do). For instance, Temeka Johnson is hosting HOPE Night tomorrow at US Airways Center to raise money for her H.O.P.E. Foundation (Heaven Opens People's Eyes) which focuses on helping individuals and communities that are underserved. Recently, Cappie Pondexter joined youth at the Boys & Girls Club to help them shop for back-to-school items. Ketia Swanier's foundation (Ketia4Kidz) helps children of military families and provides educational and personal developmental support. Tangela Smith often volunteers/helps the Save the Family Foundation for homeless children. Other players, like Kelly Mazzante, regularly host basketball camps for youth to teach discipline, teamwork, and accountability.
Sure, it's easy to root for a team that is winning and has great players to watch. However, the Mercury make it so much fun and heart-warming to support and follow with an entire team/organization of genuinely good human beings.
Staying humble and giving back - these are the qualities the team exudes that I respect and love more than anything else.
I'm not a huge fan of statistical figures and over-hyped analysis of integers. I guess you could say I'm more "old school" in that way. In my opinion, basketball is a fairly simple sport and making it too complicated usually doesn't equate to wins.
Don't get me wrong, there are stats that matter; I'm just not a big proponent of the more complicated ones as I believe they can be construed in multiple ways. As Mark Twain said, "there are lies, damned lies, and statistics."
At Mercury shoot-around today, the very last one of the season, I found out the team and organization have a very similar outlook for their decisive game 5 against the Fever.
"You know, bottom line is it comes down to just another 40 minutes of basketball," Diana Taurasi said. "If we look at it that way then we have nothing to worry about."
As Dee said that, her tone of voice and body language was that of confidence and simplicity. In fact, as a Mercury fan, it was incredibly reassuring. It probably would be a mistake to add things into the game plan that they haven't worked on the entire year, and Gaines clearly wasn't going to confuse or burden the players with any additional things.
Hence, whoever wins tonight will do the following things better than the other team.
Have more energy
Better composure
It's really that simple.
Former Suns coach, Mike D'Antoni, used to say "the ball finds energy." How true! Energy leads to rebounds, better defense, improved focus on offense, and more shot attempts. Composure leads to an increased will power, determination, never panicking, and staying loose in a high pressure situation.
We all know how good the Fever can be on defense. We all know how fantastic the Mercury can be on offense. We all know how multiple players can step up for both teams and, essentially, be the key to a victory. But the winner tonight will be the team that lets the game come to them, and go all out for an entire 40 minutes.
That's it.
You could probably make a strong case for a plethora of statistical analyses that will "prove" which team is going to win or has the better chance of winning. You could say the Mercury have an advantage at home but you could also make a case for the Fever being the team with less pressure and expectations which would lead to a more free-flowing game for Indiana. Maybe you could try and compare offensive efficiency vs. defensive efficiency, turnovers forced, shooting percentage, rebounding percentage, offensive rating vs. defensive rating etc. But all of those figures stem from the team that out-hustles and out-energizes the other team, all while remaining composed in such a high profile game.
Though, it certainly doesn't hurt that Phoenix is playing at home. Interestingly enough, this series should become the most attended Finals series of all time, over 81,000 people attending the 5 games. The series will also have the highest average attendance (about 16,000) since the Finals went to 5 games.
"I'm expecting a dog fight," Cappie Pondexter said. "It's been a battle the whole series and I wouldn't be surprised if it was very close or went to overtime. At this point home-court doesn't really matter. We just have to come out with a lot of energy and use that to our advantage."
However, Cappie did acknowledge the significance of this game. "If I walk away with a championship tonight, it will be one of the top achievements ever."
Still, the winner of tonight's game isn't going to implement anything new to completely disorient the other team. They're not going to add new offensive schemes, or do anything different than what got them to this point. And this, more so than anything, makes tonight's game 5 so compelling and important.
As the Mercury face a pivotal game 4 in Indy tomorrow night, I’ve taken some time to look back on the 2009 season and how much it has impacted and influenced me for the better. As I’m writing this, I fully realize it probably goes against all unwritten (or written) rules of the so-called ‘media’, but to be frank, I don’t really care. Many of you know that I write for a few different outlets (DIME Magazine, Fanster, etc.) and I’d like to preface that the rule of “objective journalism” most definitely does not apply in the following paragraphs.
Quite simply, I love the Mercury.
Not that it’s a new revelation by any means. I’ve covered basketball (namely the NBA) for a while and have always been a fan and supporter of the WNBA. In fact, one of my best friends growing up was former Mercury player Ann Strother whom I frequently lost to when we played basketball together (and by ‘frequently’ I mean ‘every single time’). Not just because I was a foot shorter than her (and still am) but because she was (and still is) a much better basketball player than me. I had absolutely no shame or embarrassment in admitting it then, and still don’t to this day. It was never a gender issue in the least and I certainly never felt emasculated – she was damn good for crying out loud! The amount of respect I have for the women’s game has, and will continue to be, immeasurable. However, it still bothers me that society tends to make a big deal out of something like this. It shouldn’t matter if a player is a man or woman; if they’re better than you at the game just be thankful you had the opportunity to play with or against them as it undeniably made you better.
On that topic, I’ve never understood the immediate dismissal of the WNBA by men. If I’m honest, I think it deals with some deeper personal issues for many guys out there rather than the typical sentiment of “they’re not as fun to watch” as the NBA. I’ve also spent time calling out the guys who have ignored or downplayed the significance of the WNBA and as a result have been called every negative adjective you’ve ever heard. From time to time, I see articles defending the WNBA and defining various reasons why it should be recognized. While I have done the same, it also saddens me that those articles even have to be written in the first place. In the year 2009, I believe as a culture we should be past the point where selling out a WNBA game is a major event – it should already be that way due to how amazing these ladies are. I stand firm to the belief, and will happily defend it to anyone, that if you dismiss the WNBA you’re not a true fan of the game of basketball. There is nothing to dislike about the WNBA. Not a single thing.
Thus, when I started covering the Mercury this year in much greater depth than ever before, I quickly became immersed in the culture – perhaps more so than the NBA, and this is coming from a guy who has the Phoenix Suns logo tattooed on my forearm (FYI - I still love the Suns). Those who have followed the league just as closely for a long period of time know exactly what I’m talking about. There is a sort of “magical” aura that surrounds the WNBA (and the Phoenix Mercury) and there really aren’t any words describing it that would do it justice.
I was fortunate enough to truly devote the vast majority of my time this summer to this Mercury team, a group of individuals who are not only phenomenal basketball players but even better human beings. To see firsthand the dedication and devotion they have to the sport was eye-opening and inspiring to me both as a basketball player and as a person. I’ve had the privileged opportunity to get to know a few players beyond the superficial and it has been a humbling and moving experience. The amount of class, character, and integrity every lady has on this team is second to none. Whether it be spending a few extra minutes talking to the media answering the same question 5 times in a row, discussing their faith and how it’s impacted them, or just smiling and saying ‘hi’ it’s been a refreshing experience for me compared to other professional teams and/or athletes that I’ve covered or had experience with. It’s amazing how far a little kindness goes, and this Mercury team is overflowing with it.
Now, I’ve certainly had my share of negative experiences with professional athletes. About 11 or 12 years ago I worked maintenance at a high-profile golf course in Colorado. I was the guy you see on the riding mower or cutting weeds in the rough, making far too much noise when you’re trying to concentrate on your next golf shot. Anyway, a plethora of professional athletes would golf there and while I won’t name them personally, I was very much looked down on and dismissed as a second-class citizen. Not that this unfortunate occurrence is unique to the sports world, but as a die-hard sports and basketball fan and player my whole life, needless to say, my perspective on professional athletes changed. It became a bit jaded and my view of the “perfect world of sports” was not what I thought it was. This feeling fluctuated in subsequent years but never truly went away.
Nevertheless, that spirit was completely rejuvenated over this past summer much to my delight. Seeing the genuineness of these Mercury players brought that feeling back in full force that there are, in fact, decent human beings in this business. They spend countless hours out in the community making things better, set extraordinary examples for young women to follow, and deserve the recognition that other professional athletes get.
That’s why, quite frankly, I’m not ready for this to end – and certainly not tomorrow. Like you, I’ve enjoyed this season far too much to have it be over already, especially after the magical season the Mercury has had thus far. If there is anything I’ve learned about this Mercury team, it’s that they have zero quit in them; it’s not in their vocabulary. I’ve stated many times that they are the most resilient team in the WNBA and I have the utmost faith that we’ll see that from them on Wednesday. With the amount of adversity they’ve faced this year, and how they’ve bounced back strongly every time, I’m excited to see their collective response tomorrow evening – it will be one for the books.
While this article may be over-the-top for some people and perhaps too personal, I’m okay with that because I can assure you it’s the honest truth. And while we gear up to support the Mighty Mercury tomorrow, lets also be thankful for what they have already done and why we invest so much of ourselves in them.
Now, what do you say we get that game 4 win and bring it home on Friday in front of the X-Factor – you know I’ll be there.
It would, quite literally, be impossible to overstate what an amazing and inspiring game Cappie Pondexter had tonight.
Pick an adjective - phenomenal, sensational, marvelous, unparalleled, gutsy, invaluable...any of them would be fitting. Though, if I'm honest, none of them would do her justice. Cappie displayed a basketball IQ tonight that should solidify her as legend, and sheer play-making ability that is second to none.
Her stat line was incredible (22 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals) but it's how she attained those points that mattered most to the Mercury. Only taking 15 shots, Cappie took exactly what the defense gave her and knew when to pull it out for a jumper or the precise time to take it inside the lane to draw a foul. Whether it was a transition bucket, or simply an unrivaled 1 on 1 step-back jumper (no one does it better), Pondexter displayed a type of athleticism and fervor that has rarely been seen in this league.
"We had to come out and play Mercury basketball, which I think we did for 40 minutes," Cappie said. "We wanted to come out very positive with a lot of energy on both ends of the floor and attack. I think that was the key for us tonight."
Keep in mind, it wasn't exactly like Indiana let her have open looks. The Fever played great defense tonight; Cappie was just..well...better. She was double and triple teamed for the vast majority of the night and still was able to create good looks at the basket. Not only did she score, she knew exactly when to dish the ball out to her teammates (namely Tangela Smith and Penny Taylor) who converted her passes into points. Cappie was on the floor for 35 minutes of this game, and single-handily rose up and took complete control of the outcome. There was simply no way she was going to let the Mercury lose.
"I thought we did a great job on the perimeter attacking the defense, using the pick-and-roll," Cappie said after the game. "We know that Indiana has a great defense, especially that weak-side help, but we were looking to be aggressive from the beginning and I think we did a great job of that."
Cappie's game tonight was, in a word, legendary.
For those that may think I'm exaggerating, you must not have seen the game. Anyone that watched game 4 knows exactly what I'm talking about. Cappie's game tonight embodies what legends are made of. Not that this is new for Cappie by any means. She's had these types of games all year long. I remember interviewing her for SLAM earlier in the season when she was leading the league in scoring and assists and being in complete awe of her game.
Tonight, she proved to me that there was (amazingly) still a deeper level to her ability.
As I said above, this is the stuff that legends are made out of. The atmosphere in Indiana was absolutely electric. Anticipation of winning a championship at home permeated the entire arena. It would've been a legitimate excuse for the Mercury to come out and struggle. Instead, Cappie took charge from the get-go and wouldn't let that happen. Not every player can make a conscious decision like that and if they can, following through on that decision/thought is even more challenging. It's easy to freeze up and remain stagnant. Cappie, however, rose to the challenge and played (in my humble opinion) one of the best games of her career.
Games like tonight are what defines the true heart and character of a player. As John Wooden said, "basketball doesn't build character, it reveals it."
Cappie Pondexter just revealed her true character to all of us, and proved to me she is a living legend.
After the unfortunate let-down that was game 1, the Mercury faced an improbable elimination from the playoffs tonight after one of the best regular seasons in franchise history. However, as we have come to see from this Mercury team throughout the course of the year, they certainly weren't going down without a fight.
And fight they did...
Not that I feel remotely bad for them, but if you're the San Antonio Silver Stars, what do you do when the Mercury compile the following stats?
A 64 point first half, including a 35 point scoring outburst in the 1st quarter
64% shooting from the floor
46 made field goals
56% shooting from beyond the arc
9 made three-pointers
39-20 rebounding edge
24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists from Diana Taurasi in just 25 minutes of play
16 points, 13 rebounds from DeWanna Bonner off the bench in just 22 minutes of play
Well, honestly, there isn't anything they can do in that situation except...lose...which they did, by a sum of 28 points.
In my previous blog, I stated that the Mercury were poised for a gigantic game 2 - luckily, I was right. There was a clear difference in energy and intensity from the entire Phoenix team tonight that was missing in game 1. "We have a lot of veteran players on our team," Corey Gaines said about the Mercury's response. "They've been in this situation before, whether it's overseas, in college, or in the WNBA. Diana for instance, you knew she was going to come out and have a big game. That's just what she does. Last game she didn't shoot too well, but I knew she was going to shoot well tonight."
Shooting "well" could be the understatement of the century. Taurasi had 20 points in the first half and finished with 24 points on 10-15 shooting in just 25 minutes of play. In typical selfless-Diana fashion, Taurasi deflected individual credit and pointed to the team effort. "We could probably focus on that [her amazing game and the Mercury's offense] but in the locker room we were all talking about how active we were and how much energy we had on the defensive side of the ball," Taurasi said.
Part of the Mercury's ability to put up so many points stemmed from their increase in energy and focus on rebounding. Out-rebounding the Silver Stars 39-20, this allowed the Mercury to get out in transition and push the tempo. "We made shots tonight," said Gaines. "They were missing shots and we rebounded the ball really well. It's as simple as that. Our defense gets better when we are making shots. Everything just gets easier."
Not surprisingly, Silver Stars coach Dan Hughes didn't have a solution to combat the Mercury's offense, and acknowledged there wasn't much San Antonio could do to stop it. "I thought Phoenix did a great job coming out and being the aggressor today," Hughes said after the game. "From an offensive perspective they were extremely aggressive converting shots consistently. Give them credit, they were assertive, and really put us in catch-up mode early in the game."
Gaines affirmed that the Mercury made necessary adjustments tonight, but wouldn't say specifically what. "We made one adjustment," Gaines said. "But I'm not going to tell you what that is." Perhaps the best adjustment they made was on Becky Hammon and not allowing her to get into a rhythm and create for her teammates. Becky had just 13 points and 1 assist tonight. "With Becky in game 1, she really was all over the court and created so much for her teammates," Taurasi said about Hammon tonight. "It's a team effort to stop her and Meek, Cappie, and Ketia did a great job individually."
To the Mercury's credit, they never let the Silver Stars back into the game. Perhaps more so than anything, this should be a huge confidence booster for Phoenix heading into game 3. Earlier in the year, they struggled with letting teams back into games and allowing opposing teams to feel better about facing them in subsequent contests. This was not the case tonight. Once Phoenix got a huge lead, the Silver Stars never got closer than 16 the rest of the game. Quite simply, the Mercury put the Silver Stars away like champions would - never letting up, and staying intense the rest of the game.
Still, this Mercury team isn't (and shouldn't be) content. It would be foolish to expect the Mercury to shoot 64% from the floor and 56% from beyond the arc again on Monday, but there is no reason to think the intensity or determination from this team would be any different."We know San Antonio is going to come and play out of their minds on Monday," said Taurasi. "We expect that from them. That just means we are going to come in and play with the same sense of urgency. Every possession counts. When you go through a game where you value each possession on both sides hopefully at the end of 40 minutes we've won the game."
If that's any indication of how the Mercury will come out Monday night, I'll say it again...
watch out Silver Stars.
*Note: I'll have a full preview of game 3 complete with player quotes Sunday evening.
Happy Saturday! It’s another exciting game day…. The team plays Sacramento tonight, it seems like we’ve played them enough times for one season already but we play them again this coming Wed. the 15th at 12:30! It’s our afternoon camp day, so I’m expecting the usual high pitch loud screams from thousands of young kids. Those games are definitely the loudest games of the season!
Things have been really great around here...the team unity is priceless!! Last week we all attended the Beyonce “I Am” concert. It was sooooooo good! During practices before the show a bunch of the players and of course Bridget were practicing their Beyonce moves! We had a huge suite with the players, coaches, staff, hip-hop squad, friends and family. Everyone was up dancing and definitely enjoying themselves!
Our game entertainment department has been coming up with fun time-out videos for games. I loved the Brooke/Tangela fight skit! They both really enjoyed it also… they didn’t want to take off the robes. I know they are filming another sing with the Mercury video, because they’ve been stealing players away. But I’m not sure what song they are going to sing to. I cannot wait to see that!!!
I posted another video of the shoot around half court shot the other day… Le’Coe made the money shot! And also in the video if you notice is Diana kicking the basketball. Diana has some soccer skills and can kick a ball from the court and aim it to go through a portal entrance on the top of the bleachers…she does this every shoot around. I’ve heard Diana talking about how sometimes she wishes she was left handed because left handed players “always have a pretty shot” according to her. The other day she threw up a random 3-pointer with her left and it was a swish! Needless to say, she amazes me a lot.
I’m sure some of you know our fans have a Mercury Booster club! They give us little care packages every game. Its usually fun toys, candy, gum and a lot of random goodies! Last game vs. Chicago they gave us fake gold chains and hats. Since our team has a bunch of goofballs, of course they put everything on to do their team walk down the hallway for pre-game. There’s an ongoing joke with the team and Ohlde…in the 4th Quarter Noise video, each player holds up 4 fingers and says “4th quarter” well everyone holds up their hands up straight but Ohlde holds hers at a slight angle. Since the first time that video played now it’s a joke that Ohlde has her ghetto side!! Of course its all been made more dramatic and people go around saying “4th quarter” with their hands and heads held sideways. So... Ohdle definitely had to wear one of those fake chains!
I don’t know if any of you guys are facebookers… but there are some funny videos on there of some Mystics and Dream players rapping! It’s pretty hilarious and all done jokingly… I mean they do rap about their own dogs! Good stuff!
Hope you guys all have a fun and safe weekend, and hopefully see you guys at this wed. or next Saturdays game!!!
The Mercury lost a back-and-forth battle in Detroit tonight in spite of a depleted Shock team, 101-99. While no one enjoys losing, I'd like to caution Mercury fans and followers not to do the following three things;
Panic.
Make too big a deal out of this loss.
Worry about the Storm being just 1 game behind the Mercury.
Perhaps the most important thing I can say is not to panic. The Mercury are fine. I've said this several times throughout the season - Phoenix hasn't peaked yet but are darn close. Truthfully, this is the perfect scenario heading into the playoffs. Had Diana hit the three at the end on tonight's game, I think it would've been their best win of the season. Instead, it's just a tough loss that the Mercury will put behind them and focus on the Fever tomorrow night (the more important game).
Second, this was an absolute must-win game for Detroit. They obviously came out with a chip on their shoulder, rallied as a team without Katie Smith, and made the key shots when they counted. It happens. Instead of getting down on the Mercury, give the credit to the Shock for persevering and getting a much needed win. So, let's look at the positives in this loss. The Mercury won the rebounding battle, Diana and Cappie both had phenomenal games, and in spite of 19 turnovers the Mercury had a great chance to win the game. Phoenix also started slow but was able to get back in the game and in a position to win. "I think we just focused in on defense and brought energy," Cappie Pondexter said of their second half comeback. "Unfortunately, our turnovers didn't allow us to capitalize on the offensive end, which allowed them to capitalize defensively. We just have to do a better job of taking care of the ball."
Last, with the Storm beating New York and moving into 1 game of the Mercury for the #1 seed in the West, I still caution fans about worrying too much. The Storm play 3 of their last 4 games on the road (game at home is vs. Phoenix) and this will probably be without Lauren Jackson; thus, I'd anticipate their 6-game winning streak and momentum could come to a screeching halt. The Mercury, on the other hand, have a fantastic opportunity to gain a significant amount of momentum heading into the post-season. "It's vital, not just because of our record or to get a better record, to just be a better team overall," Cappie said. "And having that momentum in the playoffs is definitely going to be the team that's probably going to take it all."
Instead of getting frustrated about the Mercury's slow starts, let's be thankful how resilient of a team they are. Ultimately, if I had to choose whether to be a fast-starting team or a resilient team I'd absolutely choose to be resilient; that no matter what, you feel like there is always a chance to win.
Another positive - the Mercury's rebounding has been exponentially better over the past 10 games. With an improved and healthy front line, there isn't as much of a worry regarding the rebounding battle as there was in the first half of the season.
And if I'm honest, it's the perfect time for the Mercury to truly click. As I mentioned above, the Mercury as a team showed some very encouraging signs tonight. They still won the rebounding battle, shot well from the floor, and despite 19 turnovers had a chance to win.
So, I guess the theme of this article is to just stick with the Mercury during these tough losses.
This is a blog and that is my opinion, my personal prediction and not the official representation of the Phoenix Mercury organization. I can see Corey Gaines and his team squirming at the thought of one of their web guys proclaiming another title before they have even gotten to the Finals. Sorry Coach, just calling it as I see it.
This team has essentially the same core of All-Star caliber players as the 2007 Championship club. First Team All-WNBA members Diana Taurasi and Cappie Pondexter, Tangela Smith and Penny Taylor comprise four of the five starters from that team, even though Taylor has come off the bench since returning to Arizona in midseason. Temeka Johnson and Ketia Swanier have done a formidable job at the point guard spot manned by Kelly Miller two seasons ago, with Pondexter still taking control at key moments in games. And veteran Le’coe Willingham has been solid in her second season in Phoenix.
With Taylor, WNBA Sixth Woman of the Year and WNBA All-Rookie Team member DeWanna Bonner and Nicole Ohlde, the Mercury are among the deepest teams in the league. And given the opportunity, sharpshooter Kelly Mazzante, a major threat off the bench during the title run, is always one made three-pointer from going on a hot streak.
Gaines has picked up right where his predecessor and mentor left off after Paul Westhead left for the NBA following the 2007 title run. He has kept the same staff of assistants he was a member of from the first time around. When he is not chiding the referees or yelling “Run! Run! Run!” he is calm cool and collected, allowing his players a voice, as well. Off the court, he is one of the gang, taking an active interest in his players’ lives, joking around with them, keeping things loose. While waiting for the luggage after the return trip to Phoenix on Thursday, there was a very distinct odor hovering around the baggage carousel. The head coach went around and sniffed each of players personally in an attempt to ascertain its origin. (The source of the foul smell was never discovered.)
There is no question this team has the talent to win a WNBA Championship. They’ve already done it with arguably less talent, top to bottom. The schedule finally is in their favor after starting on the road for the first two rounds, despite finishing with the league’s best record. No matter what happens, they will be home for a little while. If they were to advance past the Sparks, the Finals would begin with the first two games in the Valley before the middle two games of the best-of-five series take them back on the road, to either Indiana or Detroit.
Even more than the talent and the experience of the previous championship run, or perhaps as a result, this team has the air of a champion. They know what it takes, how much work and effort will go into reaching the top again. They come in with the chip on their shoulders of missing out on the postseason all together last season, and the chemistry, cohesiveness and drive of the year before.
The Mercury is four wins away from a second WNBA Championship. And personally, I think they are going to get them.
I think I can safely say I'm not the only Mercury follower that is still mulling the following question around in my head - what just happened?
However, even though it was somewhat of a disappointing and confusing game, I'm still encouraged. There is no doubt in my mind that Phoenix will bounce back in a big way in games 2 and 3.
Honestly, I'm not exactly sure what to feel or think about this game. I'm still trying to comprehend what happened throughout the course of the night and attempting to make sense of it. It wasn't a typical game that we've become accustomed to seeing from the Mercury, but I hesitate in giving too much credit to San Antonio; partly because it's against my nature as a Phoenician, but also because I'm not sure it's fully deserved. "The tempo of the game was in our favor going into halftime despite the 3-point play by the Stars at the end of the half," Corey Gaines said after the game. "Their players were tired and we made our run, which we usually do. They had big shots from players who don't usually hit them. When we were on we were on their heels at the end of the game we turned the ball over. Turnovers will do you in especially with a team of this caliber."
So, instead of recapping the game and analyzing play-by-play, maybe it's better if I address the questions that have inevitably came up in the majority of our minds.
First, I'm sure the immediate initial thought is one of panic, but let's not get too ahead of ourselves. As I mentioned in Part 1 of my series preview, one of the lone keys that would lead to a Silver Stars would be the phenomenal play of their bench or someone other than the normal stars to step up. Personally, with how inconsistent they've been all season, this scenario was the furthest from my mind. I was more worried about Becky Hammon and Sophia Young going off for 20-25 each. Well, they certainly proved me wrong tonight. San Antonio had over 20 bench points led by 11 from Crossley as well as a huge night 16 point game from an unexpected source, Lawson-Wade. "Edwige Lawson-Wade really gave us a solid game," Dan Hughes said. "It was just a good team win. We got good play off the bench in different ways, defensively and offensively. it was just a tough game and luckily we were able to control enough of it in the last two minutes to come away with a victory."
Second, tonight was a rare night for the Mercury's seemingly unstoppable 1-2 punch in Taurasi and Pondexter. They combined for a 9-26 night from the floor and never really got going. Still, the Mercury lost by just 1 point thanks in large part to the play of Penny Taylor (18 points) and DeWanna Bonner (15 points). "We have to be able to learn from this loss and take it back to Phoenix," Penny Taylor said about the game. "We were down the majority of the game. They were able to play good defense on us tonight. Offensively we struggled and we have to make sure to get set in our defense next game. We are down in the series but not out of it."
The offense seemed a bit lethargic throughout the game, as San Antonio would answer every time that Phoenix started making a run. Surprisingly, many of the shots came from an unlikely player like Riley, Wauters, Crossley, or Lawson-Wade. "There are some things that we can look at that we'll have to address for Game 2, but we did have enough periods where I thought our defense gave us a chance to play back at them," Hughes said. "We got some scores out of our offense in the transition, and that starts with your defense and your ability to play out of it."
Last, let's address the play at the very end of the game. With just under 30 seconds left and down by 4, the Mercury didn't foul and let the Silver Stars shot clock run down, taking a chance on their defense. I won't pretend to know more about basketball than Corey Gaines, so I'll just chalk that up to an unfortunate end to a strange start to the playoffs.
So, let's recap...
The Silver Stars shot 46% from the field,
Made 8 three-pointers,
Had more assists,
Less turnovers,
Held Diana and Cappie to just 9 combined field goals,
Played as well as they have all season,
While the Mercury struggled all night...
...and beat the Mercury by a measly 1 point. 1.
This Mercury team, as we've seen all season long, is the most resilient team in the league; they never are out of a game and never give up. I, for one, actually feel encouraged with how poorly the Mercury played and still had a legitimate chance at winning the game - and probably should have! San Antonio played as well as I have seen them play all season and, theoretically, had the opportunity to win by double digits with the way the Mercury played.
There is no quit in this Mercury team, and they'll show it on Saturday night.
Los Angeles, understandably, came into tonight's contest riding high winning their past 6 games. However, that streak came to an end thanks to a breakout game by Penny Taylor and an all-around team effort in a rally win over the Sparks, 98-90.
Tonight's win sent an important message to the rest of the league. As if there were any doubt before, Phoenix has now proven they are the most resilient team in the WNBA and certainly a legitimate force to be reckoned with. It wasn't a must-win game for the Mercury, but it's clear they were on a mission.
Admittedly, it was somewhat of a letdown when we heard that Candace Parker wouldn't be playing tonight due to "personal reasons." However, the Sparks certainly didn't show any signs of letting up storming out of the gates to a 34-19 lead. Led by a superb 7-7, 15 point 1st quarter performance by Lisa Leslie the Sparks came out on fire hitting on 65% of their shots in the 1st. They were the more aggressive team and it showed in the free-throw disparity early on with a 9-2 advantage. As I mentioned in the preview, Phoenix needed to limit their turnovers but that didn't happen in the 1st quarter as the Mercury turned the ball over 6 times which led to 12 Sparks points.
Phoenix came out much better to start the 2nd quarter scoring 8 quick points and doing a better job of their transition defense. The Sparks chances of shooting close to 70% all game was slim to none, so it was the perfect point for the Mercury to make a move. Temeka Johnson did a great job of penetrating the lane forcing the Sparks defense to collapse and kicking the ball back out to her shooters, namely Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi who paced Phoenix with 13 and 8 points respectively at the half. For a while, it really became a three-point contest with each team shooting multiple three's in a 4 minute span.
Corey Gaines' 'Rover' defense worked very well in the 2nd quarter to force the Sparks to continue to shoot from the perimeter, knowing that LA wasn't going to shoot at such a high percentage all night. The first half was a true tale of two quarters with the Sparks falling into Phoenix's game in the 2nd quarter allowing the Mercury to make a comeback...and boy did they ever. The Mercury held Los Angeles to just 13 points in the half (3 of which were from Betty Lennox with 2 seconds left) and closed the gap to 5 at halftime.
In the 3rd, Phoenix erupted for 32 points in an incredible display of what a dangerous all-around team the Mercury are. Meek was fantastic at dishing the ball, as well as Cappie, and both had 5 assists at the end of the quarter. Penny Taylor seemingly found her groove and paced the Mercury with 14. Perhaps most important, the Mercury continued to be active on the glass which led to more second-chance points.
The Mercury were up as much as 10 points in the 4th quarter until the Sparks cut the lead to 1 with just over 2 minutes left. Even so, there was never a sense the Mercury were going to let this one slip away with as well as they played in the 2nd half. Phoenix came up with some huge defensive stops, as well as key buckets on offense, to put the game away 98-90 beating the Sparks for the third time this season.
What was so special about this win was the play of multiple ladies; there wasn't necessarily one player who carried the team the entire way. At several key points, different players stepped up and either grabbed a big rebound, made a stop defensively, or scored an important basket.
"Our bread and butter is rebounding and going," Diana Taurasi said after the game. "When we can't get stops and can't rebound, its hard for us to get in the open court where we thrive. Second quarter, third quarter, we opened it up a bit. Teams always say they're bigger than us, but we look at our up-and-down tempo. That's where we kind of impose our will and make it tough on them."
Penny Taylor played her best game in a Mercury uniform this season with 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists in just 20 minutes of action. Cappie had her usual fantastic game with 26 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Temeka had a superb game with 14 points, 6 assists, and 4 rebounds. Diana struggled from the floor but still finished with 20 points while DeWanna Bonner (the obvious Rookie of the Year) had a phenomenal night with 13 points and 9 rebounds.
Temeka's leadership was huge in this game. "She's our little general," Coach Gaines said about Meek. "She comes down and keeps that pace going for me. I know it's difficult because when you're pushing the ball you don't get a lot of shots, you get them for other people. It's a tough job to do and she's doing it well. She's learning on the fly, and that's tough. It's definitely a learning experience for her, but she's doing a great job."
As I mentioned in the game preview, the Mercury were able to win the rebound battle (42-30) including a 13-10 offensive rebounding edge. In spite of a 65% shooting 1st quarter, the Sparks finished the game a mediocre 41% from the floor while the Mercury shot 45% as well as 40% from beyond the arc (9-22).
"We stayed together, and a lot of that had to do with our energy and intensity level. We rebounded, and I think that was key for us tonight. Everybody was kind of pitching in, getting rebounds here and there, especially the guards. We were able to get long rebounds, push it out, and start the break. One of the weaknesses of LA is they aren't a great transition team. We exploited that today by rebounding."
The Mercury head home to take on the Connecticut Sun on Saturday night. Make sure to come by (it's Temeka Johnson's HOPE night for her foundation) and support the team!
The team is on a 5 game roadtrip! We unfortunately started off on a bad foot and our flight to NY was delayed a total of 7 HOURS! Oh man, that really put a damper on our Saturday because we had to wait around the airport the entire time! Although we were slightly happy we were able to catch the All Star game because of our delay and all that free time allowed for some team fun! So... Let me introduce you to the "MERCURY FIVE" - Bridget, Le'coe, Tangela, DeWanna and Ketia! They are our new dance crew, lol! They used their extra airport time to come up with a dance, which if you were in our terminal you got to see them perform it for everyone! Haha, the Jet Blue staff even anounced it on the main intercom and played the music through their speakers! It was hilarious and definitely gave all those uneasy/irritated/delayed passengers a great laugh. Since our flight was delayed, we didn't get into NY until 230am! :( such a bummer! But, luckily when we got on the bus, Bridget continued to entertain us and acted like our tour guide! Apparently she thought we landed in Rome, because it really did feel like we just got off a 14 hour flight! I was especially bummed because I was planning to have a lovely dinner with my two sisters who live in the city! That really cut back the amount of time I got to spend with them, but I am still sooooo excited and happy I got to see them! I was also excited that Dirk made it to the game a.k.a. Dermot, although I didn't get to say hello. I am going to post the video of the MERCURY FIVE performing but don't have my connector to upload the video to my computer, gotta wait til I get home! But, I cannot wait for everyone to see it!! We beat NY on Sunday! YAY... It's always exciting to play in Madison Square Garden, and its always a difficult arena to play in... I mean, our all time record there speaks for itself! We are now 2-12 in MSG! After the game my sister took some of the team and I to a delicious Spanish Tapas restaurant called Pipa. Coach Julie, Nicole Ohlde, our Communications manager Eric, our PR and community relations mgr. Leslie Factor, and our tv/ radio announcer Kevin Ray came along. It was a very cool restaurant with great food and live music! Later Sunday night everyone went to Cappie's launch party for '4Season Style Management'. It was at Mad46 a really cool rooftop bar. Today the team took a charter bus over to Connecticut, it's a pretty quick drive. I stayed an extra day in NY and am going to catch up with the team tomorrow morning. I'm so happy my sisters and I have gone to some of my favorite places to eat, Max Brenners and Serendipity. We also went rowing in Central Park Which was so relaxing! After the Connecticut game I am going on a little vacation! Yay! The team is continuing on to Atlanta, Minnesota and Seattle before coming back to Phoenix. Well, I hope all of you keep tabs on this roadtrip because I'm sure its going to be an exciting one! We did already start off with one exciting win! Go Merc! :)
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On Saturday August 29th, Temeka Johnson hosted her "Night of HOPE" event at US Airways Center with one goal in mind - to learn more about what is needed in the Phoenix community that her foundation can support and help.
The Mercury lost a back-and-forth battle in Detroit tonight in spite of a depleted Shock team, 101-99. While no one enjoys losing, I'd like to caution Mercury fans and followers 
