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The Phoenix Mercury had a successful debut season. They finished the year with a record of 16-12, and they were one of four teams that made the playoffs. The other teams were the Charlotte Sting, the Houston Comets and the New York Liberty.
Charlotte faced Houston, and Phoenix went against New York. The Comets beat the Sting 70-54 to advance to the WNBA Finals, and the Liberty beat the Mercury 59-41.
The Mercury’s strong start was due to them building their roster. The WNBA was new, and teams built their rosters through allocation and multiple drafts. The Mercury acquired players like Jennifer Gillom, Michele Timms, Bridget Pettis, Toni Foster and Umeki Webb during that time.
Phoenix had a talented roster, and it came as no surprise that the Mercury reached the playoffs. They had a mix of scorers, facilitators and defenders, and they all played a role in the team’s success.
When it comes to scoring, the team’s leader was Gillom. The Mercury’s first star averaged 15.7 points, and she had an even bigger year in 1998. That was the year she averaged a career-high 20.8 points. Phoenix had two more players who averaged 10 or more points, as Pettis averaged 12.6 and Timms was close behind her.
The Mercury’s top rebounder that year was Foster. She averaged 6.1, and in what was a good rebounding year for the Mercury, Gillom was second with 5.4 boards and Marlies Askamp was third at 5.2. Most of the Mercury’s players averaged at least a rebound that year.
Timms was the team’s top facilitator, as she averaged five assists. She had a significant lead over her teammates, but Pettis averaged 2.8 and Webb averaged 2.4. Timms also led in another category, as she was the team’s leader in steals. She averaged 2.6, and Webb was right behind her as she averaged 2.4. This was another area the Mercury did well in, as multiple players averaged at least a steal.
Phoenix’s first year was noteworthy, and they had players who excelled in certain areas. Timms was doing great things defensively, and Gillom was putting up big numbers scoring-wise. This team paved the way for those who came after them, and in 1998, they were close to making history.
The Mercury were in a good place, and as time went on, they continued to rise.
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