The regular season for the WNBA is over, as is the first round of the playoffs for the West. Phoenix has beaten San Antonio in two straight. Seattle has beaten LA in two straight. Next up? Phoenix vs. Seattle for the Western Conference championships.
Yes… I know.. The East is still playing too. But which ever team wins the West is most likely to take it. That’s not bragging, that’s just the way it is going this season.
Seattle wrapped up their playoff spot clear back in July. They had first place in the West the whole season. To many, that means they are THE team to beat in the WNBA this year.
I am here to put forth a different view: Phoenix might just take it all. Here’s my thoughts.
Phoenix is rocking it right now. They wiped San Antonio in both games. It wasn’t even close for more than a few moments either game. The Mercury players are rested and healthy. They play well together. They know each other and how to win together.
Phoenix has the highest scoring record in the league. No one else can compete with their shooting percentage. They shoot and run. That is what they are known for. In fact, our average score against Seattle during the regular season was more than 85 points per game. If you look at everyone else in the league, the average score against Seattle was just under 72 points per game. (We scored more than that every time we played them.)
A lot has been made of Phoenix’s slide at the end of the regular season. But in two of those games, Diana didn’t even play. In one of them, neither Diana nor Penny played. Not because of injury. Not because of problems. Because Coach decided to rest them. Seattle hasn’t had that chance.
Phoenix has depth. We have the 6th Woman of the Year on our team… For the second year in a row. We don’t have to play the same players every minute. It doesn’t matter which of the main players are on the floor, there are still too many to guard. Who can the Storm ignore? Diana Taurasi? Penny Taylor? Tangela Smith? Candice Dupree? Temeka Johnson? DeWanna Bonner? Kara Braxton? Ketia Swanier? Or our three “bench warmers”, Sequoia, Brooke, and Taylor? (“Bench warmers” in name only. They all have skills and can outrun most of the rest of the league.)
Seattle, on the other hand, has starters with skills. But, 5 players don’t make a team that can beat Phoenix 2 straight games. Those five are really good. I don’t question that. I question whether they can keep up with a rested Phoenix team long enough to beat them.
Which brings me to my last point: minutes. Phoenix has kept Seattle on the floor more minutes than any other team in the league this year. Phoenix played Seattle not once, but twice. That included a triple overtime game where both teams scored over 100 points. (By the way, Seattle only scored over 100 points twice all season. Phoenix did it 12 times.)
So, how does Phoenix beat Seattle? Simple. Run. Gun. Rebound. Play to win. Make Seattle keep up. If we play our game, Seattle can’t play theirs.
If Phoenix can beat Seattle, they should be able to beat anyone. I am not saying it is a sure thing. I am saying that it should make for some great basketball and that I believe it is possible for the Mercury to #doitagainin2010!
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Jessica
August 30, 2010 at 4:56 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Hello Phoenix fans! I’m from Germany and the Merc are my favourite team because of their fast game and I think they have the best team chemistry. And they are so flexible, i think they have 4 players who can play very good on the guard position. And if one has a bad shooting day – we have candice dupree! Diana is the best leader and Pennys assists are wow. I hope so much they can make it again!
World Wide News Flash
September 2, 2010 at 10:39 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
Phoenix Mercury Vs. Seattle Storm: My take…
I found your entry interesting do I’ve added a Trackback to it on my weblog
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#doitagainin2010 – not just a dream – @phoenixmercury can do it! » Vitamin CH (Chocolate)
August 28, 2010 at 3:06 pm (UTC -7) Link to this comment
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