Phoenix Mercury

The Seattle Storm may have closed the chapter on a defining era for the franchise Sunday.

The Storm fell 85-80 in overtime to the Phoenix Mercury in the second round of the 2021 WNBA playoffs. Beyond just ending Seattle's season, it might be the final game in the career of Sue Bird.

Bird didn't provide any insight as to her immediate future, but her postgame interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe felt a bit like a farewell:

Storm fans don't want this to be the last game for Sue Bird 🥺 pic.twitter.com/HoSWUyRB9Z

— ESPN (@espn) September 26, 2021

Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird exchange jerseys after what could be their last time playing against each other

Legends 🙏 pic.twitter.com/DsK5Rjc7Tb

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 26, 2021

In March 2020, Bird signaled her desire to represent Team USA in Tokyo at the Summer Olympics. That effectively committed her to the Storm in 2021 as they looked to defend their WNBA title.

After having captured her fifth gold medal, there's little in the way of clear benchmarks for the 40-year-old to achieve in 2022. She's a four-time champion, 12-time All-Star and the greatest point guard in WNBA history. Bird is also a free agent this offseason, allowing her to make a clean break with the Storm.

If this was the end, then it's fitting Bird went out against Taurasi, her longtime friend and on-court rival.

The Mercury had an opportunity to win the game in regulation, but Mercedes Russell denied Skylar Diggins-Smith at the buzzer.

Mercedes Russell said we're going to OT 🚫 pic.twitter.com/SRUxYyZOtK

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 26, 2021

To some extent, the Storm were fortunate just to be tied at the end of four quarters. They were without their best player, Breanna Stewart, and Jewell Loyd didn't have her shooting touch as she finished 5-of-24.

Seattle's flat offense was its undoing in overtime as the team missed 10 of its 13 field goals.

The Mercury weren't much better on balance but found a way to score when they needed to the most. 

All five of Phoenix's starters scored in double figures, with Diggins-Smith and Brittney Griner combining for 43 points. Taurasi returned after missing the first round to hit a pair of big shots in overtime. Her three-pointer tied the score at the 3:39 mark, and she gave the Mercury the lead for what proved to be the final time on a fadeaway with 2:14 left.

Phoenix now awaits the results of Sunday's other contest between the Chicago Sky and Minnesota Lynx to learn its opponent in the semifinals.

A late slide at the end of the regular season didn't affect the Phoenix Mercury in the playoffs, as they advanced to the second round thanks to their dramatic 83-82 win over the New York Liberty on Thursday night. 

Brianna Turner's free throw with 0.4 seconds remaining provided the difference in a wild game that featured a combined 15 ties and lead changes in the fourth quarter. 

After a slow start, Sabrina Ionescu acclimated herself very well in her first career playoff game. Last year's No. 1 overall pick dropped 14 points, 11 assists and five rebounds in 35 minutes. 

Ionescu had a chance to win the game at the buzzer, but her three-point attempt fell well short of the basket. 

Notable Game Stats

• Skylar Diggins-Smith (PHX): 22 points (8-of-18 FG), 5 assists, 4 rebounds
• Sophie Cunningham (PHX): 21 points (6-of-7 3-pt FG), 3 rebounds, 2 assists
• Brittney Griner (PHX): 16 points (6-of-8 FG), 10 rebounds, 6 assists
• Sabrina Ionescu (NY): 14 points (5-of-12 FG), 11 assists, 5 rebounds
• Betnijah Laney (NY): 25 points (10-of-22 FG), 4 rebounds
• Natasha Howard (NY): 16 points (7-of-16 FG), 10 rebounds

The fourth quarter turned into a battle between the top two stars for the Liberty and the shooting stars for the Mercury. 

Skylar Diggins-Smith tied the game at 77 on a three with 1:40 remaining. Ionescu immediately answered with a driving layup, but that was followed by Sophie Cunningham's three-pointer to put the Mercury up by a point. 

Another bucket by Diggins-Smith gave Phoenix a three-point advantage. Kia Nurse forced a three with 13 seconds left, but it missed and Rebecca Allen grabbed the rebound. Betnijah Laney answered with a game-tying three with 2.7 seconds left in regulation. 

BETNIJAH LANEY 😱

📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/9aDY4HkuNz

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 24, 2021

Brittney Griner came into the playoffs after one of the most dominant seasons of her career. The seven-time All-Star finished second in the league in scoring average (20.5), tied for fifth in rebounding (9.5) and first in blocks (1.9). 

While Griner was a dominant force on both ends of the court with 16 points and 10 rebounds, it was the performance of Sophie Cunningham off the bench that lifted the Mercury. 

Phoenix stormed out of the gate with a 21-10 lead late in the first quarter. The Liberty erased that deficit by going on a 31-16 run before the half. 

After New York went up by six early in the third quarter, Cunningham took over by making all three of her three-point attempts and finished with 12 points in the period. 

GO OFF. TRIPLE AND-1 🤑🤑 @sophaller

📺 ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/hjCUZl2lyZ

— WNBA (@WNBA) September 24, 2021

Sophie Cunningham (4/4 3PM) is UNCONSCIOUS right now 🎯

Her 4th three gives Mercury (-10) the lead! pic.twitter.com/dTP41LY44F

— NBABet (@nbabet) September 24, 2021

Despite Cunningham going off, the Liberty continued to hang around. Laney made a huge three in the final minute of the third to get her team back within two heading into the final quarter. 

Reshanda Gray put New York back on top early in the fourth period with a three-point play. 

The superstars for both teams played at their best down the stretch. Diggins-Smith scored 10 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter. 

Despite the loss, this season was a step forward for the Liberty. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and won 10 more games this year than they did in 2020 (2-20). 

This marked the fifth straight game the Mercury had to play without Diana Taurasi. The 2009 WNBA MVP is still recovering from an ankle injury. 

The Mercury finished the season with three straight losses after winning 10 consecutive games. Two of those losses were against the Connecticut Sun and Las Vegas Aces—the top two teams in the league—so there wasn't any great cause for concern.  

To advance to the semifinals, the Mercury will have to beat a Seattle Storm team they lost to 94-85 on Sept. 17. Seattle won two of the three meetings between the clubs in the regular season. 

What's Next

The Mercury will play the No. 4 Seattle Storm (21-11) at the Angel of the Winds Arena on Sunday at 3 p.m. ET.

The Phoenix Mercury will be without one of their leaders when they take on the New York Liberty in Thursday's single-elimination WNBA playoff game.

Diana Taurasi was ruled out with an ankle injury that kept her out the previous four games as well, per Jeff Metcalfe of AzCentral sports. Taurasi played just 16 games during the regular season as she bounced in and out of the lineup with injury concerns.

Alex Simon of The Next noted the all-time great "tested out the ankle but it didn't respond in the way she wanted" prior to the game.

Phoenix defeated the Liberty in two of the three regular-season matchups between the teams, but Taurasi played in the two wins. She did not suit up in her team's lone loss to New York, and Kia Nurse shot just 3-of-15 from the field in defeat.

When healthy, Taurasi is one of the greatest players in WNBA history. The 2009 MVP and 10-time All-Star averaged 15.2 points, 4.9 assists and 4.4 rebounds per game this season while shooting 36.5 percent from the field and 33.9 percent from three-point range.

She wasn't as statistically dominant as she was in past years, although the injury concerns certainly contributed to that.

Look for Nurse and Skylar Diggins-Smith to assume even more responsibility in the backcourt with Taurasi sidelined.

The winner of Thursday's game will advance to the second round, which is also a single-elimination contest. If the Mercury can make it past both single-elimination rounds, they would advance to a best-of-five semifinal series.

Another day, another milestone for Diana Taurasi.

The Phoenix Mercury star guard became the first player in WNBA history to reach 9,000 points with this bucket vs. the Los Angeles Sparks:

This is 9,000 🚨

It's only fitting that @DianaTaurasi makes an and-1 to hit 9K 🤩Congratulations, DT 👏#CountIt pic.twitter.com/8ErjYDReeG

— WNBA (@WNBA) June 27, 2021

Everybody was giving Taurasi props after the achievement, including Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James:

Of course she did!! 🐐 status. Congrats friend! @DianaTaurasi 👏🏾 https://t.co/34azGSB2qY

— LeBron James (@KingJames) June 27, 2021

Diana Taurasi is still really good at basketball in case you didn’t know

— Brianna Turner (@_Breezy_Briii) June 28, 2021

To put the milestone in perspective, the second-leading scorer in WNBA history is Tina Thompson, with 7,488 points.

Oh, and Taurasi went for 25 points Sunday in the Mercury's 88-79 win. It was her first game back since returning from a sternum fracture that cost her the past nine games.

Legends don't do rust.

Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi will miss at least four weeks with a chest injury.

Taurasi was injured in a May 16 loss at the Connecticut Sun but played the team's next two games. A CT scan this week revealed a small fracture of her sternum.

Taurasi was averaging 15.8 points and 3.8 assists through four games.

Her absence will put pressure on a team that's looking to make its ninth straight postseason appearance. Phoenix has disappointed in back-to-back postseasons, failing to advance past the second round in either campaign. Taurasi missed most of the 2019 season with back and hamstring injuries.

The 38-year-old bounced back in the bubble last season to earn All-WNBA second team honors and looked as sharp as ever this season.

Skylar Diggins-Smith will play an even more integral role in the backcourt with Taurasi out, and Kia Nurse will also likely shift into a bigger role.

Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner said leaving the WNBA bubble in August did "wonders" for her mental health. 

Griner said Thursday, per Mechelle Voepel of ESPN:

"With everything that was going on, everything I was dealing with, I just needed to take that leave. I've never been shy [about] saying I definitely used counseling a lot when I left, and it's helped me out tremendously. I think more people should be open to talking about mental-health issues. Instead of holding in so much.

"It's done wonders for me. I'm in a place now where I feel amazing. I took that time to work on my body as well. The rehab on my knee and other parts of my body. I'm feeling good and ready to go now."

Griner participated in 12 games during the 2020 season before leaving the Mercury for personal reasons. She recently returned to the floor with UMMC Ekaterinburg, a Russian women's professional team with which she has played since 2014.

The six-time WNBA All-Star is back stateside for a USA Basketball training camp. She said speaking about her mental health difficulties has helped her:

"One, just owning up to it and saying it. We don't talk about things, and in certain communities we really don't talk about our feelings. It's just, 'Put it in a box and forget about it, push it to the back.' That's something I think has hurt us as a society. And it's something that's going to change with more athletes speaking up about it."

Griner is planning to play in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, provided they move ahead as scheduled. 

Diana Taurasi will remain with the Phoenix Mercury after agreeing to a multiyear deal, according to Shams Charania of Stadium and The Athletic.

The 38-year-old has spent her entire career with the Mercury since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2004 WNBA draft.

After a back injury cost her most of the 2019 season, she returned to average 18.7 points, 4.5 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game in 2020.

Her career includes nine All-Star selections, one MVP award and three WNBA titles, and she's the top scorer in league history with 8,931 career points.

Phoenix ensured she didn't leave in free agency, keeping its face of the franchise and a productive player who will continue to make an impact in 2021 and beyond.

"I'm not stopping; I don't feel like I should stop right now," Taurasi told Katie Barnes of ESPNW in December. "Who knows? In six months, it could be a different story. But right now, people ask me what I want to do after basketball. ... I'm doing basketball right now."

The WNBA's free-agency period has seen a flurry of notable moves. Candace Parker, Aerial Powers, Chelsea Gray and Kayla McBride are among those who've changed teams.

Phoenix avoided a significant loss by retaining Taurasi, potentially setting the team up for a deep run in 2021 with Skylar Diggins-Smith and Brittney Griner also among those set to return.

The Phoenix Mercury announced Brittney Griner has left the WNBA bubble in Bradenton, Florida. 

Per the team's official statement, Griner left for personal reasons, and players and coaches "will have no additional comment on the matter."

pic.twitter.com/WDfCTWxZEN

— Phoenix Mercury (@PhoenixMercury) August 22, 2020

Griner has appeared in 12 of Phoenix's 13 games. She wasn't available for Friday's 90-80 loss to the Minnesota Lynx. 

Per ESPN's Mechelle Voepel, Griner would have to follow the league's medical protocol, including a seven-day quarantine, if she were to return to the bubble. The WNBA regular season runs through Sept. 12, with the start date of the postseason to be determined. 

The Mercury's 6-7 record ranks sixth in the WNBA with nine games remaining. The top eight teams in the league, regardless of conference affiliation, will make the postseason. 

Griner leads the Mercury in minutes (31.8 per game), scoring (17.7), rebounds (7.5) and blocks (1.8) this season.

Brittney Griner will remain with the Phoenix Mercury for the foreseeable future after the two sides agreed to a new contract. 

The Mercury announced Friday that Griner has signed a multiyear deal. 

https://twitter.com/PhoenixMercury/status/1228363680363905025

Griner was not shy about wanting to remain with the organization she has played for since being drafted No. 1 overall out of Baylor in 2013. 

"Let me just say this and I mean this: If I don't play here, I won't play anywhere, and I mean that," Griner told reporters after the Mercury were eliminated from the playoffs. "I'm not playing for any other organization. I'm Phoenix Mercury until I'm done."

Coming off a 15-19 record in 2019, the Mercury have taken bold steps this week to get back among the Western Conference's elite teams. Re-signing Griner comes after they made separate trades to acquire DeWanna Bonner and Skylar Diggins-Smith. 

Last season marked the first time Phoenix hasn't advanced to the Western Conference semifinals since missing the playoffs in 2012 with a 7-27 record. 

A six-time All-Star, Griner led the WNBA in scoring with 20.7 points per game and ranked 13th with 7.2 rebounds per game. She has averaged at least 20 points per game in each of the past three seasons. 

The Phoenix Mercury announced Wednesday they have acquired Dallas Wings star Skylar Diggins-Smith.

The Wings will receive the Nos. 5 and 7 overall picks in the 2020 WNBA draft and a future first-rounder. Winsidr's Rachel Galligan first reported on the move. 

"I'm so excited to have Skylar joining our franchise in pursuit of another championship," Diana Taurasi said of the move in the Mercury's press release. "She has had an amazing career at all levels—college, the WNBA, and Team USA—and I know she'll continue to grow here in the Valley as one of the best players in the world."

4x WNBA All-Star @SkyDigg4 is heading to the Mercury to join Diana Taurasi and Brittney Griner, per @RachGall

Career averages:
Skylar: 15.9 PPG | 4.9 APG

New Big 3 in Phoenix 🔥 pic.twitter.com/9EnaHYOq4K

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 12, 2020

The Wings used the core designation on Diggins-Smith to open the WNBA offseason, which allowed the team to have exclusive negotiating rights with the unrestricted free agent.

However, Diggins-Smith told the Associated Press' Doug Feinberg in January she no longer wanted to play for the Wings and wasn't planning to return to the team.

Diggins-Smith averaged 17.9 points and 6.2 assists in 2018. She only shot 29.7 percent from beyond the arc, which might have been partially down to the adjustments Dallas had to make for a returning Liz Cambage.

The 29-year-old was absent for 2019 following her pregnancy. She expressed her frustration last fall with what she felt was a lack of support from the Wings after she gave birth.

Diggins-Smith's 15.9 points per game over her career are tied for 16th-most in league history. The 29-year-old is a dynamic playmaker and scorer, making her a perfect fit for a franchise in win-now mode.

The Mercury completed a sign-and-trade that sent DeWanna Bonner to the Connecticut Sun on Tuesday. Phoenix received the Nos. 7 and 10 selections in the draft and Connecticut's first-rounder in 2021.

It seems as though the Mercury might use one or more of those picks to land a proven star. Taurasi turns 38 in June, and Brittney Griner was noncommittal about her future in the WNBA last year. The team isn't in a position where it should start building through the draft.

Although Diggins-Smith isn't a clear replacement for Bonner, she could help Phoenix mount a title challenge in the upcoming campaign.

The Los Angeles Sparks already strengthened by signing Kristi Toliver. The Sun not only added Bonner but also retained Jonquel Jones. The reigning Washington Mystics are still reeling from Toliver's departure but re-signed Elena Delle Donne. The Seattle Storm are also getting Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart back after they missed all of last year because of injury.

By adding the four-time All-Star, the Mercury would be keeping pace with their fellow contenders across the league.

The Wings, on the other hand, are looking toward the future. Dallas has the No. 2 overall pick in April and through this trade can continue adding to a young core that includes Arike Ogunbowale, Moriah Jefferson and Azura Stevens.