Taurasi did a little bit of everything tonight (photo by AP)
All things considered, this was the Mercury’s best win of the year thus far.
After the distractions this week, coupled with Candace Parker’s much publicized return and the Sparks being unbeaten at home this season, the Mercury responded with a phenomenal performance in Los Angeles - a 104-89 victory.
It’s often said that the mark of a true professional is playing well no matter the situation, the amount of pressure, or the amount of adversity you face; and Diana Taurasi exhibited just how amazing of a player she is tonight (as if there was any doubt before). Diana had 20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks in a passionate and elegant performance that showed just how much heart she has. More importantly, she did so by playing harder than almost anyone on the court and letting her game speak volumes.
As a team, the Mercury are really starting to click. Passing is getting much better collectively, players are starting to become familiar with where everyone else is on the floor, and their energy is becoming more consistent.
If DeWanna Bonner plays with as much intensity as she did in the 3rd quarter tonight, few teams are going to beat the Mercury. The rookie had another double-double tonight with 17 points and 10 rebounds, including 5 offensive.
The story of the first quarter were runs by both teams. The Mercury went on a 19-5 run in the middle of the quarter with Cappie hitting 3-3 field goals and Diana scoring 6 points. Then at the end of the quarter, the Sparks went on a 5-0 run which ended up tying the game at 29. A couple of bright spots for the Mercury were Nichole Ohlde and Temeka Johnson. Nicole came in and played some solid defense in the post with a solid spin move offensively scoring 4 points, the best quarter we’ve seen from her this season. Temeka Johnson, on the other hand, was efficient at pushing the ball early on and was able to distribute the ball to her teammates notching 2 assists in the quarter. Candace Parker entered with about 5 minutes left in the quarter, got immediately beat by Temeka Johnson on a drive, and scored 2 points with 1 turnover; not a bad debut, if nothing else for the energy it brought the Sparks. The Mercury were in foul trouble early on with Diana, Cappie, and Ketia both getting charged with 2 fouls in the quarter.
The 2nd quarter, however, dealt more with Mercury mistakes which led to the Sparks being up by 6 at half. Though LA didn’t score for almost the first 3 minutes of the quarter with an 0-6 start, Phoenix wasn’t able to capitalize. Phoenix had 6 turnovers in the quarter and gave up 3 offensive rebounds which all led to 2nd chance points by the Sparks. The refs also became foul-happy and called 28 total fouls in the half with Diana and Le’coe having 3 each. This is a key component as to why the Sparks were able to get back into the game because it slows the game down considerably and takes any rhythm Phoenix has created out of the game. Coupled with the offensive rebounds and turnovers, this led to the Sparks being up by 6; with an amazing shot to end the half by Noelle Quinn. The Sparks shot a fantastic 50% from the field in the half.
The 2nd half (especially the 3rd quarter) was almost a carbon-copy of their explosive 2nd half against the Sparks. The Mercury scored 36 points in the quarter and held the Sparks to just 18, taking an 11 point lead into the 4th (a 17 point turn around). Everything seemed to click for the Mercury in the 3rd; Diana and Cappie were both scoring and distributing, DeWanna Bonner was an absolute beast on the boards grabbing 5 offensive boards in the quarter and giving the Mercury a much needed boost off the bench scoring 12 points in the quarter, including hitting an important three. DeWanna’s energy was off the charts and it was great to see her smiling and having fun after a rough couple past games. Perhaps even more importantly, the Mercury’s passing was much more crisp and quick which allowed for open shots and baskets in the paint.
What ultimately won this game for the Mercury was their emphasized focus on team defense in the 2nd half. The Mercury came out of the 2nd half with a purpose and mission that was missing in the 1st half. Holding the Sparks to just 19 points in both the 3rd and 4th quarters, Phoenix stormed back from a 6 point half-time deficit with the momentum swinging against them. Simply put, it was their energy in the 2nd half on both ends of the floor that allowed them to run away with the win.
The Mercury are now 7-0 when scoring over 90 points and are in sole possession of 1st place in the Western Conference with an 8-4 record.
Player Summary
- Diana: 20 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds
- Cappie: 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
- Temeka: 12 points, 4 assists
- Le’coe: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 4-6 FT’s
- Tangela: 4 points, 5 rebounds
- DeWanna: 17 points, 10 rebounds, 8-9 FT’s
- Ketia: 5 points, 3 rebounds
- Mazz: 6 points, 2 3-pointers
- Nicole: 9 points, 5 rebounds
July 5th, 2009 9:32 PM
Matt Blake
Greg Esposito
Fanster.com
Vince Marotta
Ben York
WOO HOO! I absolutely LOVE when the media spends all day talking about Candace’s return and My Mercury come out and let their game continue to “show” why there are SOOO MANY “sleepers”.
Tan said it best to me,”I LOVE the sleepers because they can continue to sleep on us”. “We know what we can do!”
The player stats above says we’re a team to be “worthy of praise”…we can go DEEP in any given game.
Oh yeah..”where are you Nancy Lieberman?” I still can hear you saying “it will be HARD to beat the Sparks this season”. Someone didn’t fax that memo to My Mercury! LOL
Isn’t that great?! I loved seeing the Mercury let their game speak for themselves, rather than getting caught up in all the media distractions this week. GREAT win, and I love it even more that it was on the road.
this was a really good game by the Merc.. started strong, fought off the Sparks’ momentum going into the 2nd half.. displayed dominance in the 3rd quarter, and kept pushing through the 4th.. a lot of great passing.. a lot of great individual moments (Bonner’s 3 was nice).. just a great team (and coaching) effort.. the Mercury look like Steve Spurrier’s UF Gators right now.. even when the bench comes in, they do what they practiced VERY well..
good reporting, Ben!
Thanks! When they get that kind of production from their bench, even things that don’t show up in the score book, they are extremely tough to beat. Teams no longer can try to take Cappie and Diana out of the game and let the rest of the team try and beat them; everyone is stepping up and doing their job - Le’coe, Tangela, Ketia, Nicole, Mazz, everyone. Another big game vs. Chicago Wednesday..
and let’s not forget Meek in those list of names.. lol.. yes, Chicago will be a good game.. Big Sis (Meek) vs. Lil’ Sis (Big Syl).. i’m looking forward to it.. hopefully i’ll be able to meet you next week when i’m in Phoenix for a few days (and the game)..
Sounds good, Q! Meek is definitely not forgotten here - she is amazing! Looking forward to meeting you.
Hi,
impressive game that ended in a deserved win.
Taurasi and Pondexter with good games. But too much jacking from 3. They missed ten of their 13 threes. Johnson with a nice showing.
Nice game from Bonner. But inefficient from the field. She almost always goes right which makes her drives easier to defend. She got to the line nine times nevertheless because of her athleticism and speed.
Ohlde was used better. There was still a hilarious moment when Ohlde “reposted” near the three point line. But it is getting better which is encouraging.
Swanier was more aggressive but 0 assists is not what you want from your backup PG.
All the hype around the return of Parker did not affect the team at all which is nice to see.
The Sparks were outrebounded on both the defensive and offensive glass. Just a dominant victory for the Mercury.
Regards
The Mercury have benefitted lately in a couple of key areas. First and foremost is the insertion of Nicole Ohlde into the center spot. The Mercury have never really had a ‘complete’ package without the sheer SIZE that Ohlde brings to the table. Add her true post moves into that equation and the Mercury now have the option to play multiple combinations in their front three which provide matchup problems galore for the ther teams. They can go big, with Tangela, Ohlde, and either Willingham or Bonner, or mix it up with some speed with Tangela, Wilingham and Pondexter, or confuse with Bonner, Ohlde and Taurasi. Secondly, as has already been pointed out, the team is passing with much more enthusiasm and volume and they have been crisp passes. The guard play has been stellar and is continually improving. The Mercury are showing all the signs of a true championship team.
Great point, Suzanne. The Mercury create more mismatches offensively than any other team in the league. Meek and Ohlde have really helped in that regard.