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Ahead of the Phoenix Mercury-Minnesota Lynx Game 2 clash, Mercury head coach Nate Tibbetts recognized the stakes of the 2024 WNBA Playoffs and echoed his message to his team.
“The message was the last two and a half quarters, we played really well,” Tibbetts said pregame. “The unfortunate thing, we dug ourselves a pretty big hole against a really good team. Getting off to a better start, being more consistent possession to possession is going to be extremely important. Once the ball goes up, we can't worry about the last game.”
Although the Mercury were swept by the Lynx after losing 101-88 in Game 2 on Wednesday night, there were still some positive takeaways from an up-and-down season for Phoenix.
In the first half, the Mercury stayed step by step with the Lynx. They outscored Minnesota 25-21 in the first quarter and went back to their bread and butter. Their defensive intensity was all over the court. It was Mercury point guard Natasha Cloud once again leading the way. After picking up her third foul in the second quarter, she played through. Cloud finished with 12 points, five assists, two rebounds, and two three-pointers.
Tibbetts spoke about Cloud's experience and knack for the big moment.
“She has the ability to raise her level,” Tibbetts said before the game. “I think that's gonna be a challenge for her to kind of continue to think to look to shoot first, especially when teams are gonna go under. It was a big night for her. We're going to need another big one again tonight.”
“I think the deeper you go into the playoffs, the focus raises,” Tibbetts continued. “The consequences are you win or go home. So the hope is we're going to have the best focus and the best game of the year.
How can Nate Tibbetts, Mercury regroup after disappointing playoff exit?
The third quarter showed the Lynx performing up to their usual standard. Multiple easy looks at the basket, mixed with a Napheesa Collier masterclass didn't help. After all, the Mercury were trying to prevent her from scoring 38 points again. Unfortunately, Collier made WNBA history, and scored 42 points, tying New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart for the most points in a WNBA Playoff game.
Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and Sophie Cunningham were the main core of the Mercury during the 2023 season. That team dealt with an array of dysfunctions. Former Mercury head coach Vanessa Nygaard was fired after an abysmal 2-10 start. Also, it was Griner's first season back in the WNBA after being wrongfully detained in Russia for 10 months. The 9-31 record highlighted the chaos.
Once the Mercury hired Tibbetts, the landscape changed. They traded for Kahleah Copper and sent their 2024 first-round pick to the Chicago Sky. They also signed Natasha Cloud to a two-year contract, in addition to forward Rebecca Allen.
Fast forward one season, and they doubled their win total. A 19-21 record snuck them into the No. 7 seed. While they gave the Lynx a good fight, it wasn't enough. Cloud reminded everyone that her squad underwent nearly a full reconstruction from the year prior.
“I think people forget that we literally took what a core of three and then we added and plugged in a bunch of pieces,” Cloud said afterwards. “A lot of the summer was spent trying to figure each other out chemistry-wise, figuring out how we wanted to play. Was it fast, was it slow, defensively where we were strong? I'm proud of us, proud of the way that we played these last two days or two games.
“I think this is the most connected that we've been on both ends of the floor. We could have stepped up better defensively in a lot of instances in both of these games. I'm proud of us for the year that we put together, staying the course, staying together, even when s**t got a little bit frustrating. We know what we have in our locker room.”
Of course, it's not the end that Phoenix wanted by any means. Taurasi might retire, and Griner is a free agent. The off-season is uncertain, to say the least. Tibbetts echoed Cloud's sentiment and is excited for the 2025 WNBA season, now that he has experience under his belt.
“It's new terminology, a new rhythm, and a new system,” Tibbetts said. “I think every time you call a timeout or call a play, those are opportunities to grow. I think we'll continue to evolve, I think we got some really good pieces moving forward.
“We need to continue to get better. This is a great league and very top-heavy with four or five teams with legitimate chances to win it. I think we've got some good foundational pieces that we're excited about.”
Despite the outcome, a first-round exit could motivate a team full of champions who want to get back to that level. The expansion of Golden State will make the 2025 season, and the WNBA Playoffs, all the more interesting.
