SUNS GENERAL MANAGER STEVE KERR BUYS OUT UPPER LEVEL
FOR MERCURY FINALS GAME

"Kerr's Krew" tickets available FREE to fans for Tuesday's game at US Airways Center

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Phoenix Mercury Assistant Coach Bridget Pettis breaks down the San Antonio Silver Stars. Photo by Max Simbron

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Continuing on with our preparation for the playoffs we look in depth at the Mercury's 1st round opponent, the San Antonio Silver Stars.

Does it matter how prepared we are for the playoffs? Maybe just a little bit less than how prepared the Phoenix Mercury are but I always enjoy watching games when I know more about what's going on which is pretty much how I got into this in the first place.

Who better to ask about the Silver Stars then Mercury assistant coach (and Queen of Pop) Bridget Pettis.

Just who are the Silver Stars?

The San Antonio Silver Stars finished the season with a less than impressive 15-19 record.  That doesn't change the fact this is a playoff seasoned team coming off their Western Conference victory and finals appearance in 2008.  These two teams met in the 2007 conference finals with Phoenix sweeping the series in two games.

Statistically, SASS is a middle of the pack team. They rank 6 of 13 in points scored (76.91) and 8 of 13 in points allowed (78.27) and are 7th in three point and free throw percentages (34.6% / 77.8%) and 8th in field goal shooting (42.7%).

The mediocrity continues when you look at individual scoring. The Stars have only three players in double figures (Hammon, Young and Wauters) and then no other player averaging over 7 ppg.

Of late, they have been playing better as they've fought for the final playoff spot. The Stars had their best month in September (3-2) where they shot 47% from the field and 50% from three. The late surge comes in large part to the improved play of 12 year pro Vicky Johnson who is the final year of her career. Over the final weeks of the season, she averaged 10 points per game and 60% shooting from both inside and outside the arc.

The Silver Stars are not a particularly big team which shows on the glass. They are the league's worst rebounding team with a -4.09 differential compared to the Mercury's -2.79. Against many teams the Mercury struggle on the glass but they should have the size advantage over the Silver Stars which will be a big plus for Phoenix who are 13-1 this season when winning the battle of the boards.

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The Phoenix Mercury look to their 1st round playoff match up with the San Antonio Silver Stars.

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My friends that are Mercury fans are excited to face the San Antonio Silver Stars in the first round of the WNBA playoffs.

After a disappointing campaign last season, the Mercury faithful are first and foremost excited to be right back in contention. The team is good. Really good. And for the last 4 to 6 weeks there's been a growing desire to get to the post season so the real winning can begin. As for the Silver Stars? The Merc swept them in the 2007 conference finals so there's nothing but good memories there.

On the other hand, my friends that are Suns fans have nightmares at the thought of ever facing the Spurs again in an elimination game and we know all about over-confidence going into the playoffs. We know that the better team doesn't always win (except that by definition the better team won but lets not go down that road again).

The Suns suffered through the 2008 defeat at the hands of Tim Duncan's three point shot. We had our hearts ripped out by Robert Horry's hip check inducing bench clearing suspensions. We still grieve over Joe Johnson's broken face that robbed us of our chance in 2005. We don't worry too much about 2003 though, that Marbury-lead Suns team wasn't all that good anyway despite Rookie of the Year, Amare Stoudemire.

That leaves those of us that are fans of both teams in a state of manic depressive anxiety inducing euphoric confusion leading to a thrill seeking panic as we once again see the Purple and Orange vs Silver and Black in the first round of the playoffs.

So Mercury fans, you are just going to have to forgive me if you sense me waffling from paragraph to paragraph from confidence and excitement to despair and desperation. There's just too much recent history here to ignore but if nothing else that just amps up the intensity which is exactly what playoff basketball should be about.

I can't wait. Except I might not eat all day Thursday (but that's not a bad thing either).

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When Cappie Pondexter puts the ball on the floor she puts fear into her opponents hearts. The Mercury face the Sparks in the final game of the regular season on Sunday, September 13th.

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Last game of the regular season, sports fans and it's a match up that I predict we will see again in the Western Conference Finals in a few weeks. Unfortunately, for those hoping for late season drama this game is meaningless as both teams have finalized their playoff seedings.

The Mercury have locked up the home court advantage through the finals by finishing no worse then 23-11 which would earn Phoenix a tie for the best record with Indiana. The Mercury own the tie breaker by having the better record against the opposing conference.

Phoenix will face last year's Western Conference Champions, the San Antonio Silver Stars (15-18) in the first round.  The three-game playoff series begins in San Antonio on Thursday the 17th. The Mercury will hold an official viewing party that night at Native New Yorker in Tempe. I am fairly sure I will be there. The next two games will be at home on Saturday the 19th and Monday the 21st.

We will have a much more detailed series preview early next week but in the mean time Coach Gaines sums it up best, "San Antonio, hey, they went to the championships last year so to get there you've got to beat them. It goes through them."

Phoenix fans, doesn't it always go through San Antonio and if not them LA? The stars seemed to be aligned for match ups with both (assuming the Sparks can beat the Storm who are still without Lauren Jackson).

LA comes to town for this Sunday noon game (which will be on ESPN) having secured the third seed. Coach Gaines thinks they might rest their aging stars (Lisa Leslie and Tina Thompson) but feels like Candace Parker will likely want the extra playing time.

Lisa "the Legend" Leslie will be playing her final regular season game (and perhaps final game ever) in Phoenix. I would expect the Mercury crowd to provide her with a nice send off befitting her status as the face of the league for all these years. She's a class act and an amazing athlete and she will surely be missed on the court. And talk about going out on top...Leslie is averaging 16 ppg and 7 rebounds in her final season which is barely below her career averages. Odeen at the Republic has more on Leslie's final game.

The Mercury see this game as opportunity to keep in game shape and keep in game rhythm. Gaines said the Mercury will go out and do their same thing, attacking the basket, "We're going to try and win the game."

Gaines was little coy in his response when I asked him about resting his players. I wouldn't be surprised if we see more Brooke Smith and Kelly Mazzante in this game and I would guess Cappie and Dee will play 20 to 25 minutes each. But you never know once the juices start flowing and the crowd gets to cheering; if the game is close the instinct to win will be strong.

After the game, the entire Mercury team will be available for autographs starting about 30 minutes post game.

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More photos » by Andrew D. Bernstein - NBAE/Getty Images

Phoenix Suns head coach talks about the up tempo style of the WNBA's best offensive team, the Phoenix Mercury and compares the two teams

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The Phoenix Mercury have lead the WNBA in offensive production for the past several years and the numbers aren't even close this season as this break down shows. This summer's squad is the best ever, scoring four more points per game then the 2007 championship team.

When asked to comment on the Phoenix Mercury who average more points per minute than the NBA's best offensive team last season, Phoenix Suns head coach Alvin Gentry said this, "They're a better team. I think it's the personnel they have and how they try and play."

The Phoenix Suns last season averaged 89.2 points per 40 minutes while the Mercury are leading the WNBA at 93.3 in the same time frame. This is a remarkable statistic when you consider the Suns have the benefit of easy dunks and tip ins. So while the Suns shot 50.4% from the field and the Mercury are shooting 46.6% the gap is closed at the free throw line where the Mercury benefit from not having a Shaq in their rotation. The women out-shoot the men by a 85% to 74% advantage from the charity stripe. Fundamentals come through again.

Gentry went on to call Cappie Pondexter and Diana Taurasi the best back court in the league and described Penny Taylor as the most fundamentally sound player in the WNBA.

Having been an assistant under Mike D'Antoni for four years before getting his chance to run the team in the final two months of the season, Gentry knows a thing or two about up-tempo basketball. He see's a lot of similarities between the Suns and Mercury, "I don't know that there's a lot of difference between what we do. We try to attack. So does the Mercury. They try to attack on every possession. I think as we try and do with the Suns, Corey [Head Coach Corey Gaines] tries to install a lot of confidence in them in that if you have an open shot you need to take it. And I think that right there is the thing that helps players most. I don't think players feel any pressure to have an open shot and not take that shot."

Like the Suns, the Mercury also give up a lot of points to their opponents. They are last in the league in points allowed. What's different about the Mercury however, is that while they give up a lot of points they also are tied with the league's best defensive team (Indiana) in the critical points differential statistic. As of today, the Mercury hold a slight edge over the Fever with a +3.75 gap between points scored and points allowed.

The mindset of both teams is that they will trade points and limit fouls in order to bait teams into playing their style and wear down opponents that are not used to the pace. Opponents are shooting 41.7% against the Mercury in the second half of games compared to 43% in the first 20 minutes. The Mercury on the other hand take advantage of tired teams as evidenced by an increase from 45.1% to 47.6% shooting between the two halves.

It has long been said that defense wins championships. The 2007 Mercury proved that wrong by defeating a physical, defensive oriented Detroit team in the finals. They look to repeat the same feat again this season by winning with an offense-first mentality.

Suns fans that enjoy high paced basketball might want to pay attention to how a team that is last in rebounding can defeat bigger and stronger opponents. 

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Phoenix Mercury's DeWanna Bonner is a leading candidate for Rookie of the Year based in large part on her rebounding and energy along with her ability to score points outside the set offense. Photo by Max Simbron

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As the WNBA season winds down with most teams only having a couple of games left in their regular season schedule the talk naturally turns towards the big awards. Most Valuable Player. Defensive Player of the Year. And of course Rookie of the Year.

In last night's 100-82 victory over the Atlanta Dream, the Phoenix Mercury were paced on the offensive end by their ROY candidate, DeWanna Bonner. In their second and final head to head match-up of the season, Bonner outplayed her leading competition for the award, Angel McCoughtry.

Bonner, the fifth pick out of Auburn, had a fantastic night rising to the challenge with more focus on patience on the offensive end then we normally see from the high energy rookie. Her 20 points on 6 of 10 shooting including a rare three pointer was just one point shy of her career high. Bonner lead the Mercury on the glass with 7 boards off the bench in 24:21 of play. Add to that her two steals and one emphatic block to end the first half and she once again managed to be an impact player on a team filled with stars.

Earlier in the day Bonner had this to say about her desire to win ROY, "I'm not even focused on it right now because when we're in the playoffs one game, I mean couple of games and you're out, you're done, your season is over with. It wouldn't matter who's the Rookie of the Year then so I'm not even focused on it."

It was the right thing for the young player to say but her performance Saturday night in Phoenix told a slightly different story. She was aware of the challenge and she rose to it and put up one of her better games of the season.

On the other side of the ball Angel McCoughtry, the first pick out of Louisville, looked sluggish and her shots spent most of the night rattling off the rim. She was 2 for 11 for 7 points in 22 minutes.

Before the game Angel also said she wasn't focused on the individual award, "Actually, that's not really a concern of mine. We're just trying to make the playoffs. We've got to get this one tonight. She's a good player and if she gets it then she definitely deserves it."

Unfortunately for those of us looking for a great battle, the Dream were on the last game of a long 5 game, 13 day road trip including a game the night before in Sacramento. In that game McCoughtry put up 27 points and 10 assists and looked much more like the ROY candidate and future all star that she is.

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The Mercury have now secured the home court advantage through the Western Conference finals with the 100-82 win over the Atlanta Dream.

The storyline for this game was a tired Atlanta team that was thinking more about getting back home versus a Phoenix team that wasn't about to let the opportunity to clinch the West slip through their hands.

Phoenix simply outplayed Atlanta in every aspect of the game except one. Three point shooting. The Mercury were a miserable 20% (4-20) from downtown while the Dream were 33% which is just slightly above their season average. The only point in the game where the Dream were able to close to within 2 points came in the 3rd period after Atlanta hit a couple of quick three's and Phoenix went through a little cold spell. But really this game was never in doubt.

If the Mercury, and lets be honest here, if Tangela Smith doesn't go 0-6 from three this game is over long before the final push came about half way through the 4th.

All around it was a great game for Phoenix, but just like in Indiana they didn't face a team at full strength playing anything close to their best ball.

Next up Seattle on the road Thursday and then the final game of the regular season at home Sunday the 13th against LA.

With this win, the only thing the Mercury have left to play for is the best record in the WNBA which secures home court against Indiana if they should come out of the East. The Fever are currently 20-10 with four games remaining while the Mercury are 22-10 with two left.

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Too easy? I know, but what can you do. The Dream just lends itself to so many clichés. But lets move past that and focus on what promises to be a good game. Or at least a meaningful game.

The Mercury currently hold a 2 game lead over the Seattle Storm and with only three games left for both teams can clinch the top spot in the West and home court advantage through the Western Conference finals. All it will take is a Mercury win vs the Dream combined with a loss by the Storm to the Minnesota Lynx to lock up the West.

Baring that combination, the Mercury will head to Seattle on Thursday for a final Western Conference showdown. While the Merc can't control what happens to the Storm in Minnesota on Saturday night, they certainly can dictate the storyline coming out of Phoenix.

That brings us to the Atlanta Dream.

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