Speaking of the Phoenix Mercury’s poor start
They sure as hell have made it back into playoff contention. After the team’s dismal start, a recent five-game, 13-day roadtrip helped the team gain traction in the Western Conference again, said head coach Corey Gaines via Christopher Ramirez and the Arizona Republic.
“It could have killed us or could have helped us,” Gaines said. “In my mind, we didn’t want to dig too much of a hole.”
He did not share that thought with his players, and the Mercury finished the trip 4-1.
The lone blemish came in New York on June 22 when the Liberty buried the Mercury with a 105-72 defeat. It was the highest point total in franchise history for New York as every player scored - six finished in double figures - and put an exclamation point on the Mercury’s early season woes.
“That was one of those nights,” Gaines said. “It was the perfect storm. They shot the hell out of the ball. We were a little tired, played horrible and didn’t shoot well.”
Yet Gaines’ players since have strung together a four-game winning streak, their longest of the year.
There’s no doubt the early slump was due in part to fatigue and the lack of Penny Taylor, but with the recent revelation that Taylor will sit out the entire season, the Mercury won’t be able to fall back on that anymore. They’ve got to put up or shut up (not that there’s been any talk or anything), but I think they’ll crack down on the defensive side and be in the playoffs.
Tags: cappie pondexter, corey-gaines, diana-taurasi, penny taylor, phoenix-mercury, WNBA, wnba-basketball, womens-basketballRelated Stories
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