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The Phoenix Mercury are a legendary team, and their greatness started early on. They are one of the original teams of the WNBA, and after finishing their first season with a record of 16-12, they made it to the playoffs.
There were only eight teams at that time, and four of them made the playoffs that season. The Mercury ended up meeting the New York Liberty. The other matchup was between the Houston Comets and the Charlotte Sting.
Phoenix lost their game, as New York beat them 59-41. The Mercury had some talented players in that first year, as they built their roster around players like Jennifer Gillom, Michele Timms and Bridget Pettis.
Pettis was the first player to score a basket for the Mercury, and she later became one of the players who had their jersey retired. She played with the Mercury from 1997 to 2001, and as a result, she was a part of their early playoff runs.
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When it comes to her best playoff game, it happened during the 1998 season. Pettis had a 27-point game against the Cleveland Rockers. She also had 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and a block. Pettis was the team’s leading scorer, and there were two more players who scored in double figures.
Michelle Brogan had 14 points, nine rebounds, an assist and a steal. Then, Gillom had 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
The Mercury beat the Rockers 71-60 in that game, and their victory led to them reaching the WNBA Finals. They faced the Comets, who ended up beating them 2-1. That was Houston’s second championship, and they would goon to win two more. They beat the Liberty the first time around, then the Mercury, and then the Liberty two more times.
The 1998 season was Phoenix’s first time reaching the Finals, and they would not do so again until 2007. That was the year they won their first championship.
Pettis was a special player, and at different points in her career, she had performances like this. She played well in that game against the Rockers, and she helped Phoenix make it to the big stage. Her contributions were significant, and along with her teammates, she paved the way for Mercury rosters that came after the original group.
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