With the WNBA calendar back on track following the Rio Games, now is the ideal time to reflect on the first three months of the Mercury’s season and look ahead to what awaits the team when it returns to action on Friday versus Dallas.
As it currently stands, Phoenix sits in seventh place in the league – just a half-game ahead of the two teams tied for eighth (Washington and Seattle).
To refresh your memory, the top eight teams regardless of conference qualify for the postseason. The top two seeds receive a double bye to the semifinals, while the third and fourth seeds receive a bye to the second round.
Teams will also be re-seeded after each round of the playoffs. The first two rounds are single elimination before moving to a best-of-five format for the semifinals and finals.
What does this all mean for the Mercury? Well, they’ve got some work to do. If the season ended today, Phoenix would travel to Chicago to take on the Sky, who currently hold a 1.5 game lead over the Mercury.
The good news? Only two games separate the team from fourth place and the first-round bye that comes with it.
When the Mercury begin play again on Aug. 26, they’ll have 10 more regular season games remaining – four of which will take place at Talking Stick Resort Arena.
Six of the team’s contests will come against opponents currently above Phoenix in the standings, so there will be plenty of chances to gain ground.
Before the break, the Mercury were 7-6 at home and 3-8 on the road. They also were 2-8 versus the Western Conference, as opposed to an 8-5 mark against the Eastern Conference.
Through the first 24 games, Diana Taurasi leads Phoenix averaging 18.9 points per game, closing followed by DeWanna Bonner with 15.9 points per game. Brittney Griner leads the entire WNBA in blocked shots, swatting an average of three per contest.
The talent and opportunity are there for the Mercury to make a run. Now it’s about putting the pieces together on the court to make it happen.