The Phoenix Mercury are in the Finals!

Table of Contents

• WNBA Finals

• Mighty Mercury

  • The Storylines

• Hoops & Hype: Media Picks

  • Film Session: WBB Highlights & Insights 📽️

  • Booked & Busy: WBB Reads 👓

  • Drip Report 💧

WNBA Finals

Mighty Mercury

The Phoenix Mercury are in the WNBA Finals, and they proved their haters (me, I’m haters) wrong. I said the Mercury were basically another version of the Phoenix Suns, where the owners cared more about collecting stars than actually building a team. But the work their GM put in (he should’ve won Executive of the Year) changed all of that.

They didn’t just grab AT and Satou; they actually went out and found rookies and overseas players who can hoop but never got a real shot in the W. Signing players that were under the radar was a genius move by Phoenix’s front office. These players came in and hooped, and the other teams had no scout out on them.

Most importantly, the Mercury have chemistry, which we all know is the secret sauce to a championship. They play hard, they close out close games, and they play for each other. They came back twice in the semi-finals, once from being down 20 in Game 3 and then from being down 15 in Game 4, to beat the Lynx. This unwavering belief that they can win any game in the fourth quarter has willed them to many dubs.

In the preview I did in the Spring, I asked a few questions about how the Merc would look this season; let’s revisit them.

So…..who is the point guard? - The point guard is rookie phenom Monique Akoa Makani, who has been unbelievable in her first year in the WNBA. Now Monique is a rookie in name only, since she has been playing overseas for quite some time. As the starting PG on a Finals-bound team, Monique has shown us exactly what it looks like when preparation meets opportunity.

Will the big three mesh well?- Well… sorta. Despite being in the Finals, I do not see the big three really meshing. It is more that they take turns taking over than flowing together. I compare this to the Liberty super team, where the big three actually play off each other, which is not great bc they suck when one of them is out. That is not really what is happening here, but it still works. I would say Kah suffers the most from not having the ball in her hands as much, but again, it works, and we’ve seen Kah step up and make big shots to close games.

Will depth be a problem?- Hell no. This turned out to be the deepest team in the league. Sami Whitcomb is playing out of her mind, rookies Lexie Held and Kathryn Westbeld have been staple pieces, and the Mercury made the biggest trade deadline acquisition when they picked up reliable vet DeWanna Bonner. Big Shot Bonner has put the nail in both the Liberty and Lynx’s coffins with dagger threes. Her chemistry with longtime teammate and fiancée Alyssa Thomas might finally do what they could not do in six seasons in Connecticut: win a championship.

Can Kalani Brown step up to the challenge of being the starting center? Will she grow her offensive game?- Welp… Nate benched Kalani for most of the season for God knows why. Natasha Mack plays great, but Kalani can absolutely hoop too. At least they didn’t cut her, so if they win, she gets a ring.

Is this a playoff team?- Obviously.

The Storylines

I know social media isn’t real life, but I keep seeing the same sentiment: “I’m not watching a series of Aces vs. Mercury.” I have a longer rant about how most people are stans and don’t actually like basketball, but honestly, there are so many good storylines happening.

This will be Alyssa Thomas’ third trip to the Finals. The last time she was there, it was against the Las Vegas Aces, and that team won on random Riquna Williams’ threes. A lot has changed since 2022. AT and DB left Connecticut for Phoenix. A’ja has added two more MVPs, another DPOY, another championship, and an FMVP to her resume. That’s why this is my favorite storyline: A’ja (with Jackie and Chelsea) vs. AT (with DB) is a battle of the titans. If you have League Pass, do yourself a favor and go watch the Aces’ 2022 championship run. It’s what really hooked me to the WNBA.

AT will be playing for her first-ever championship. She has never missed the semifinals in her career, but she has never been able to get over the hump. It’s tough that she has to face A’ja again, but this time she’s coming with the help of Satou and Kah. PS. This would be DB’s third ring with the Phoenix Mercury.

Satou is looking to follow in her sister Nyara’s footsteps and bring another championship home to the Sabally family. It would also be wild if she pulled it off just one year after leaving Dallas, which would only add to the trend of players thriving once they get out of Dallas.

And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Sami Whitcomb. At 37 years old, she has completely revitalized her career. Gone are the days of her just being a spot-up shooter. During her season playing in the WNBL in Australia, she became MVP, scoring leader, won a championship, and then took Finals MVP. It would be pretty incredible if she capped off the year as a key piece on a WNBA championship team.

Ultimately (in my Zohran voice), I think the Mercury will come out of this as champions. It feels like Alyssa Thomas, who is always the bridesmaid, finally caught the bouquet. Now let’s see if they can get it done.

Hoops & Hype: Media Picks

Check out some of the cool podcasts, videos, reads, and fashion I saw this week.

@phoenixmercury

WE’RE GOING TO THE FINALS!!! #wnba #playoffs #phoenixmercury #Finals #fyp

@phoenixmercury

it’s the vocals for us 😭🎤 #jonasbrothers #qotd @Jonas Brothers #phoenixmercury #wnba #playoffs

Film Session: WBB Highlights & Insights 📽️

Booked & Busy: WBB Reads 👓

Drip Report 💧