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The Phoenix Mercury are officially heading to the playoffs, as they clinched a playoff spot over the weekend. Phoenix has had a good year, and as far as making the playoffs, an Atlanta Dream win or a Los Angeles Sparks loss would seal the deal.
Atlanta defeated the Dallas Wings in a blowout, and now, both the Dream and the Mercury are headed to the playoffs.
The upcoming playoffs will be the Mercury’s second time making it under Nate Tibbetts. They reached the postseason last year, but they lost to the Minnesota Lynx. The Lynx beat them 2-0, and while the first game was close, the Mercury lost by 13 in the second.
Before that, the Mercury missed the playoffs, as they finished the 2023 season with a record of 9-31. It was such a challenging year, that Phoenix ended up making some changes. Vanessa Nygaard was their coach after Sandy Brondello left the team, and Phoenix fired her after they started the season 2-10.
Phoenix named Nikki Blue their interim head coach, and she finished the season with a record of 7-21.
Nygaard did help the Mercury reach the playoffs the year before, in a season where Phoenix finished 15-21. They went through that season without Brittney Griner, who missed the season due to an issue overseas.
The Mercury were swept by the Las Vegas Aces in that year’s playoffs, and the Aces went on to win it all.
Before that, the Mercury had a strong season. They finished the 2021 season with a record of 19-13, and they reached the WNBA Finals. They beat the New York Liberty, the Seattle Storm and the Aces to get to that point. They faced the Chicago Sky, who ended up beating them 3-1 to win their first championship.
Chicago started that series off with a win, as they beat Phoenix 91-77. However, the Mercury won the second game, as they beat the Sky 91-86. This was an overtime game, and Phoenix managed to come out on top.
This win is significant, as it was the last time the Mercury won a playoff game. This year’s team can change that, and to take it a step further, the team can win the franchise’s first championship since 2014. Phoenix has a strong team this season, and they have what it takes to go on a deep
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