Mercury Miss The Playoffs Despite Team’s Playmaking

The Phoenix Mercury won their first championship in 2007, and their stars led the way. Cappie Pondexter won Finals Most Valuable Player (MVP), and Phoenix’s other stars played well during that period.

The Mercury’s core not only did its share of scoring, it got teammates involved. Kelly Miller was the team’s best facilitator, and she had 156 assists during the season. Then, Diana Taurasi was in second with 137. Pondexter was third, and Penny Taylor held the fourth spot as she was two assists shy of 100.

Phoenix moved the ball, and while the team suffered a setback the following year, the Mercury kept sharing the wealth.

After winning their first championship, the Mercury took a step backward. They missed the playoffs, which cost them a shot at repeating. The Detroit Shock won that year, and they had their third and final championship. They won their second in 2006, and the Mercury stopped them from repeating the following year.

Despite the setback, players like Pondexter had good years, and in the All-Star guard’s case, she was one of the team’s leaders in assists. Pondexter and Miller both had 135 assists that year, and both of them had impressive performances.

Miller had eight assists in a game against the Connecticut Sun. The Mercury won that game, and the 2004 Most Improved Player had 17 points to along with her assists.

As far as Pondexter, she had eight assists in another game against the Sun. The Mercury also won that one, and the All-Star guard had 16 points.

Both players did their share of scoring and facilitating, and others joined in on the fun. Taurasi had 121 assists that season, and her season high was against the Chicago Sky. She had nine assists against them, and she scored 16 points in the process.

After Taurasi, there was a significant drop. Kelly Mazzante was fourth in assists, and she had 38. She had four assists against the New York Liberty, and the Mercury lost that game. Le’coe Willingham had 29 assists, and her high was against the Shock. She had three assists in that game, and Phoenix lost that game.

The Mercury had some great passers, and while they did not make the playoffs that year, things would change in an instant.

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