Season In Review: Phoenix Mercury


It was the matchup everyone wanted to see: Minnesota-Phoenix III. The best rivalry in the WNBA.

For the third straight year, the two titans of the Western Conference met with a trip to the WNBA Finals on the line. After the Mercury took theseries in 2014 and went on to win the championship — just as the Lynx did in 2013 — the Lynx turned the tables and were able to win the series in two games, thus ending the Mercury’s title defense.

The fact that Mercury made it back to the West Finals, only to lose to the eventual champs, is a testament to the wealth of talent the team has. The team actually started the season on a tumultuous note. Diana Taurasi announced she was sitting out the 2015 season and Brittney Griner was serving a seven-game suspension. Phoenix kept its head above water, however, and was well-positioned for Playoff run by the time the roster was at full strength.

Vets DeWanna Bonner and Candice Dupree were the main catalysts for the team with Griner sidelined, and their strong play continued the entire season. Bonner averaged 15.8 points per game, second highest in her seven-year career, while Dupree was her typical, efficient self, averaging 14.1 points on 51 percent shooting despite getting more defensive attention.

Griner also took another step forward, after the enormous leap she took from year one to year two. The towering center led the league with a career-high 4.0 blocks per game.

Reasons To Look Forward To 2016
There may be no team with a more optimisitic  outlook on 2016 than the Phoenix Mercury. They will regain the services of an all-time great in Taurasi, while the team around her will be as strong as ever. Adding Taurasi into the mix — and with a full year from Griner — the Mercury undoubtedly have the potential to win the West and potentially hold homecourt advantage in the Playoffs.