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The Phoenix Mercury were on a mission in 2007. They reached the playoffs for the first time since 2000, and they not only went on a deep playoff run, they won it all. The Mercury won the franchise’s first championship, and they did it by stopping the Detroit Shock.
Detroit won a championship the previous year, and Phoenix put an end to any hopes of a repeat.
Before getting to that point, the Mercury were playing well during the season, and they had a chance to rest during that year’s All-Star events. However, some of the team’s best players were involved in those events, and they had a chance to unwind and have some fun.
The Mercury did not have any players in that year’s skills challenge, but they did have two stars in the Three-Point Shootout, as Diana Taurasi and Penny Taylor participated. They were joined by Deanna Nolan, Katie Douglas and Laurie Koehn.
Both Taurasi and Taylor made it to the second round of the event, as they finished with with 20 or more points. Douglas and Nolan were eliminated after the first round, as Douglas had 19 points and Nolan had 11.
Then, Koehn won it all as she had 25 points in the second round. Taylor had 19 points, and Taurasi had 16 that time around.
Once those events were over, it was time for the big game. The East beat the West 103-99, and the Mercury had multiple players involved. Taurasi was a starter in the game, and she played alongside stars like Lauren Jackson and Becky Hammon.
/ Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Taurasi’s teammates were reserves, as Taylor and Cappie Pondexter played as well. Phoenix’s star guard had 13 points, nine assists, four rebounds and a block.
Pondexter finished the game with 12 points, two assists, two steals, a rebound and a block. Taylor had four points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists.
The West had four other players who scored in double figures, and Tina Thompson was the West’s leading scorer with 19.
The All-Star festivities were fun, and then it was business as usual for the Mercury. They finished the season on a good note, and when the playoffs came, they made history. Phoenix was well-represented during All-Star, and that would not be the last time.
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