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Analyzing the 2013 Mercury Schedule

By Ben York, PhoenixMercury.com
Posted: Feb. 6, 2013

The 2013 Phoenix Mercury schedule is here!

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Although we certainly cant begin to analyze specific player and/or team matchups since rosters wont begin to truly take shape until early May, we can look at the 2013 Phoenix Mercury schedule from a qualitative standpoint.

Below, we talk about everything from total number of home and away games in a given month to the average number of days rest that the Mercury will have between games.

Way too much detail for you? No problem. Just scroll down a bit further for a quick summary.



Month by Month: May

  • The team opens the 2013 season on May 27 at home against the Chicago Sky at 2:00 P.M.

  • The team has lost its opening game to the season each of the last two years.

    The good news: The team has only one game during the month of May.

    The bad news: The team has only one game during the month of May.

    • Month by Month: June

  • From a road trip standpoint, this will be the Mercurys most difficult month other than their grueling stretch in September (which youll read more about below). They start the month in Seattle on June 2 for a three-game road trip where theyll continue on to face the Lynx on June 6 and the Fever on June 8.

  • Theyll return home to face the Los Angeles Sparks for the first time on June 14 before heading to Tulsa on June 16. The Mercury will have two games at home against the Lynx on June 19 and Mystics on June 21 before finishing the month on their second three-game road trip of the month in San Antonio on June 25, Washington on June 27 and Connecticut on June 29.

  • In June, the Mercury has three home games (Sparks, Lynx, Mystics) and seven road games (Storm, Lynx, Fever, Shock, Silver Stars, Mystics, Sun). Their toughest stretch will likely be from June 25  June 29 where theyll play three games in five days on the road.

    The good news: Although the road trips will be tough, they won't have any back-to-back games during the month.

    The bad news: Two three-game road trips to start and end the month.

    • Month by Month: July

  • The Mercury opens the month with a home game against the Liberty on July 2. Theyll have five days before they face the Lynx on the road on June 7. Theyll then return home for a two-game stand against the Silver Stars on July 10 and the Sparks on July 14. Phoenix will have another four days before their next game where theyll travel to Los Angeles to take on the Sparks on July 18. The Mercury closes out the month with two games against the Lynx  one at home on July 21 and the other on the road on July 24.

  • July is Western Conference heavy; the Mercury plays six of its seven games against a Western Conference opponent including two games versus the Sparks and three games versus the Lynx. Their sole game against an Eastern Conference opponent is at the beginning of the month (a home game against the Liberty).

    • The good news: The Mercury has an average of 3.5 days rest in between games during the month.

    The bad news: The combined record of the Western Conference teams the Mercury faces in July last year was 75-30.

    Month by Month: August

  • By far, August will be the most home-heavy month of the 2013 season for the Mercury. They start out the month on the road against the Storm on August 1 before a five-game home stand from August 3  August 14 where theyll face the Dream, Storm, Shock (twice), and Fever.

  • The Mercury then heads to San Antonio on August 17 to face the Silver Stars followed by Tulsa to take on the Shock on August 20. Theyll then close out August with two games in the final 11 days of the month (both at home) against the Storm on August 23 and the Sun on August 31.

  • In August, the Mercury will play seven home games and three away games. Theyll play a Western Conference team seven times (Seattle three times, Tulsa three times, and San Antonio) and an Eastern Conference team three times (Atlanta, Indiana, Connecticut).

    • The good news: Lots of home games!

    The bad news: All three away games are against a Western Conference opponent.

    Month by Month: September

  • The Mercury closes out the 2013 season with a bang. In September, theyll open at home against the Silver Stars on September 6 before heading on a tough three-game road trip against Atlanta on September 8, New York on September 10 and Chicago on September 11 (their only back-to-back game of the season). Phoenix returns to play the Silver Stars at home on September 13 before closing out the season on the road in Los Angeles on September 15.

  • During the month of September, the team will play two games at home and four on the road. The six games will come in a span of ten days. Three games will be against a Western Conference opponent (San Antonio twice and Los Angeles) while the other three will all be on the road and against an Eastern Conference team (Atlanta, New York, Chicago).

    • The good news: The Mercury has seven days off from their last game in August to their first game in September to rest and get healthy.

    The bad news: Tough road trip and schedule to end the season.

    Quick Summary

  • The team opens their 2013 season at home against the Chicago Sky on Monday, May 27 and ends the season on the road in Los Angeles against the Sparks on Sunday, September 15.

  • The Mercury will not play more than 10 games in any given month during the regular season.

  • The most away games theyll play in a month is seven (June) and the most home games theyll play in a month is also seven (August).

  • Notable difficult stretches include three games in five days in June (25-29) and six games in ten days in September to close the season (6-15).

  • The annual matinee game is July 10 against the San Antonio Silver Stars at 12:30 P.M.

  • The teams longest road trip is three games which will happen three times during the year. The first comes right at the beginning of the season from June 2  June 8 where theyll face the Storm, Lynx and Fever. The second also comes in June from the 25-29 where theyll take on San Antonio, Washington and Connecticut. The final three-game road trip happens September 8  September 11 where theyll visit the Dream, Liberty and Sky.

  • The Mercury has only one back-to-back game all season. The back-to-back trip will be on the road at New York on September 10 and at Chicago on September 11.

  • The Mercury will play games on two days rest 11 times, on three days rest 11 times, on four days rest four times, on five days rest one time, and six or more days rest five times.